(Chicago, IL) – A package being shipped to Iowa from the Netherlands, was found to have two human skills inside. The package was intercepted March 29th, after x-rays showed anomalies inside. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Specialists (CBPAS) at the International Mail Facility (IMF) at O’Hare International Airport inspected the parcel and found two skulls. Authorities say it was the first of three shipments coming from the same sender (six skulls total). It’s not clear what the skulls were intended for.

Each package had two skulls a piece for a total of six. The skulls were referred to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further disposition. Officials say to-date, CBPAS have intercepted 1,667 agriculture shipments containing prohibited items to include live moss bathmats, live snails, and human skulls. The most common items CBPAS have seized are pork and beef sausages, plants, plant materials, seeds for planting, and live snails. These shipments may spike during the holidays and during certain seasons.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report two arrests occurred Thursday. Authorities say 21-year-old Montell Mario Rivers, of Creston, was arrested at around 2:30-p.m., on two counts Violation of Probation. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $4,000 cash-only bond. And, at around 7:30-p.m., Thursday, 43-year-old Dennis Gerald Tyler, of Creston, was arrested for Public Intoxication/1st offense, and Driving While Suspended. Bond was set at $600.

Red Oak, Iowa – The Iowa Hospital Association has awarded the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital + Clinics (MCMH) Board of Trustees the prestigious three-star award for having 100% of trustees certified in their Hospital Board Certification Program. This is the highest honor given to a board certified in the program. The IHA Hospital Board Certification Program is designed to promote governance best practices and encourage the coordination of care and best use of resources. The program requires new and returning trustees to complete a certification form and 12 hours of continuing board education over a period of two years.

(L-R): Top row: Jill Bergstrom, James Norris and Ann Carder; Bottom Row: Jim Robinson, Kevin Cabbage, Lorin Petersen and Roger Ehmke (Photo Courtesy Michelle Zanders, MCMH Community Relations)

MCMH CEO Ron Kloewer says “This is excellent news. The certification program is a big time commitment and shows true dedication to their office.” Trustees who participate in the program demonstrate to community members that they understand and embrace the need for governance accountability, govern according to standards of excellence, are committed to coordination of resources in our community, embrace community accountability and transparency, and utilize quality and patient safety performance data to identify opportunities for improvement.

The MCMH Board of Trustees include: Kevin Cabbage, Chairman; Lorin Petersen, Vice Chairman; Jim Robinson, Treasurer; Roger Ehmke, Secretary; Jill Bergstrom, Trustee; Ann Carder, Trustee; and James Norris, Trustee. The Board will be honored at the IHA Governance Forum in Des Moines on April 22nd.

(Radio Iowa) – Advocates for victims of domestic violence and other crimes are urging lawmakers to dedicate more money to assist victims. In 2021, 20 fatalities in Iowa were attributed to domestic violence — the highest level in a decade. Marti (MAR-tee) Anderson of Des Moines was director of Iowa’s Crime Victim Assistance program for 22 years before being elected to the Iowa House in 2012.

“Victim service advocates need special skills, insight and the capacity to help victims recover from physical, emotional, financial and often spiritual trauma,” Anderson says. Anderson says the work is not for volunteers, as it requires special training — and that costs money, but Anderson says state funding for the Crime Victim Services division has been stuck at five MILLION dollars a year since 2016.

“Those $5 million support nearly 100 programs in the state,” Anderson says. “Justice is not served until the victims of crime are served.” Anderson, a Democrat who is not seeking reelection this year, says the state spend 99 percent more on the offenders than it does on victims.

“There is a lot of work to be done to assist crime victims in this state,” Anderson says, “and people who do the work should be paid for it.” Republican lawmakers writing the state budget say they’re reluctant use state money to replace the reduction in federal grant money that has supported the state’s Crime Victim Services program in the past. They say the federal funding glitch will be fixed in a year or two.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would strengthen penalties for crimes against Iowans who are 60 or older has cleared its final legislative hurdle this week. The bill creates new criminal penalties for emotional abuse and neglect of elderly Iowans. Senator Julian Garrett of Indianola says the bill also deals with alleged cases of fraud.

“The bill establishes a crime of financial exploitation of an older individual,” Garrett says, “and this occurs when a person who is in a position of trust abuses that trust to misuse the assets of the older individual.” Representative Dustin Hite of New Sharon says in 13 years as a lawyer, he’s seen cases of hucksters and even family members taking advantage of elderly Iowans.

“What this bill does is it says to those people who are looking for vulnerable victims: ‘Not here,'” Hite says. “…When somebody when somebody picks on the most vulnerable of Iowans, they deserve a harsher punishment.”

The bill has been a top priority for A-A-R-P for several years. It won unanimous approval in the House and Senate and is headed to the governor for her approval.