(Iowa News Service) – A national mental health advocacy organization called Inseparable has released a report on the rollout of the 988 crisis line for people going through a mental health emergency.

Iowa scored well but there are still questions over how to pay for the service. The report called for Iowa and other states to expand 988 call-center capacity, increase the number and availability of mobile mental-health response units, create more crisis stabilization centers, and find ways to pay for it all.

Iowa came close to its goal of answering 90% of its calls in a timely manner, and is working on creating more than two-dozen mobile response teams.

Angela Kimball, chief advocacy officer for Inseparable, said the 988 mental health services need to be available to everyone who needs them, 24/7.

“Regardless of their ability to pay, just like we expect fire trucks to come if there’s a fire,” Kimball explained. “We don’t ask for insurance information first. Police come. They don’t ask whether or not there is an insurance card or payer first.”

Iowa is considering several ways to pay for the 988 service, including a surcharge, billing commercial insurance or by asking for money from the federal Medicaid program.

Kimball said the 988 system needs effective communication between mental health, emergency first responders and police, and added given the high stakes in mental health emergencies, a botched response is not an option.

“One in five fatal police shootings involve someone with mental illness,” Kimball pointed out. “Too often we see really a tragic outcome when people don’t get the right help.”

A 98-cent surcharge on Iowans’ phone service would generate more than 3 million dollars a year, according to Inseparable’s data and the report is looking at ways to keep the service accountable no matter how it is paid for.

(Radio Iowa) – A growing number of Iowa students are participating in target shooting contests. Marty Eby is the shooting sports coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the “Scholastic Clay Target Program” in Iowa. He says the trapshooting championships held in early June are example of that growth. “When we first started this thing back in the mid-2000s, we had a couple of hundred kids. It was a two-day event,” Eby says, “and now 15 years later we’ve morphed into our American Trap, a seven day event with over 3100 participants.”

About 42-hundred Iowa students were involved in the program last year. Youth shooting sports have grown more popular over the the past decade. Nearly all states are participating in the Scholastic Clay Target Program. “Through last year, Iowa was the largest SCTP state in the number of participants in the United States,” Eby says. Thirty-six Iowa school districts sent teams to the state Skeet Championships in Waukee last month. The statewide shooting competitions for Iowa community college students will be held in October. Eby says the program’s first priority is teaching the kids how to safely handle a gun.

“Before every practice, before every meet, anytime the kids are going to go onto what we call the field, the ultimate importance is safety,” Eby says. “We ingrain our coaches to hammer that home to the kids so that there are no incidents when we’re on the field.” Students who mishandle their gun are disqualified from competition. All tobacco products and alcohol are banned at events — for students, coaches and spectators. Gun critics raise concerns about the growing popularity of youth shooting sports and argue marksmanship training should be the responsibility of parents, not schools.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans will be celebrating the nation’s independence today (Thursday) by lighting the fuse on fireworks, and those big booms can be confusing and upsetting for some pets. Michelle Casey, with the Humane Society, says it’s likely -not- a good idea to take your dog to a fireworks display, either a big professional show or in your backyard. “You never know when those fireworks start to go off or those loud noises, you never know how a dog’s going to react. So, I would suggest keeping your pets inside the house, somewhere where they’re secure during fireworks displays,” Casey says. “It can be really very stressful, and dogs can experience a lot of anxiety from that.”

Casey says if your pet does not like fireworks, consider getting some dog-specific anxiety medication before the -next- Independence Day. “The big thing, I would say, is just keep your pets inside. During Fourth of July, you can turn on some music, turn on the TV, something like that, to kind of drown out the sound,” she says. “And then, of course, you can speak to your veterinarian, if you think that your pet might require some medication to make them more comfortable.”

Radio Iowa photo

Casey also recommends using a weighted “thunder shirt” for dogs to help keep them calm.

CLEARFIELD, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports that at around 3:19 a.m. on July 4, 2024, the Taylor County 911 Communication Center began to receive several calls for a shooting that occurred on Broadway Street in Clearfield, Iowa. When deputies arrived, they found one male deceased from a gunshot wound.  The victim has been identified as Colby Nelson, 19, of Lenox, Iowa. A forensic autopsy will be performed by the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny, Iowa.

Deputies took Alan Schultz, 37, of Bedford, Iowa, into custody without incident. Schultz has been charged with Murder in the First Degree. (View the Criminal Complaint: Schultz, Alan Murder 1st C&A_Redacted)

Alan Schultz

This is an ongoing investigation. No additional information will be released at this time.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) will meet 5:30-p.m. Tuesday, July 9th, to hold a Public Hearing with regard to the Camblin Hills Development Project – Preliminary Plat. The hearing takes place in the City Council’s Chambers inside the Atlantic City Hall Building.

Following the Hearing, the Commission will review and make a recommendation to the City Council, with regard to the Preliminary Plat. They will then hold a Public Hearing with regard to an application to Rezone the Camblin Hills Development from an R-2 (Low Density/Single Family) Zone to an R-4 (Multiple Family) Zone.

Afterward, the Commission will review the application and make their recommendation to the full City Council, for action during their meeting at City Hall, which begins at 5:30-p.m. Wednesday.  The P&Z is also expected to hold a forum for invited business owners, Tuesday evening, and possible hold discussion with regard to Shouse-Barndominium Regulations.

Camblin Hills Prelim. Plat. (Click on the link in the story for the full PDF file)

DES MOINES – The popular Trees for Kids grant program is accepting applications through August 26.

Grantees can be awarded up to $2,500 to purchase trees and mulch. All trees for this program must be planted on public community grounds (park, community center, public school, etc.)  Youth are required to be engaged in the process, most often helping to plant the trees on site.

“Planting trees is a fun way to connect kids to nature, build on their sense of wonder and explore the benefits trees provide at their school and in their community,” said Chip Murrow, urban forestry program specialist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Studies show trees planted around schools and in neighborhoods give youth increased levels of concentration, lower levels of aggression, lower levels of obesity and fewer symptoms of ADHD.

To apply for the grant, visit: www.iowadnr.gov/UrbanForestry.

GRUNDY CENTER, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — A former Grundy Center firefighter accused of setting a string of fires will spend decades in prison.

This week, Kendall Rhoades was sentenced to 25 years in prison. According to prosecutors, Rhoades would start a fire and then respond to it with the fire department.

Rhoades pleaded guilty to two counts of arson, which carries a 20-year sentence. He received five more years for an unrelated domestic abuse case. Rhoades was on probation for that case at the time of the fires.

(Radio Iowa) – An eye doctor who serves northeast Iowa dreads being on call during the Fourth of July, as she says there’s always a case of someone being blinded by fireworks. Dr. Anna Kitzmann, an ophthalmologist with Gundersen Health in Decorah, says fireworks can cause devastating injuries to the hands, face and especially to the eyes.

“We see everything from mild eye injuries to maybe just a scratch on the surface of the eye,” Kitzmann says, “to very serious eye injuries that result in blindness and even loss of the eyeball.” While manufacturers of fireworks recommend the use of hearing and eye protection before lighting the fuse, Kitzmann says she’d go a big step further.

“My number-one suggestion, honestly, would be to leave fireworks to the professionals, to not buy fireworks, to just watch a professional fireworks display from a safe distance,” Kitzmann says. “Choosing ways to celebrate with glowsticks or other things that aren’t fireworks to show support in a patriotic manner would be my recommendation.” Some items being sold in the big tents for Independence Day don’t go bang, and they’re considered fine for kids, but Kitzmann disagrees.

“Even sparklers are dangerous. We often think that sparklers are safe for children, but they can burn at 1,800 degrees,” Kitzmann says. “Even sparklers are not safe for children, so really, my number-one suggestion would be to please just leave fireworks to the professionals.”

State health officials say the number of fireworks injuries in Iowa has more than doubled since fireworks were legalized for sale here in 2017, with many more children being hurt and more people needing amputation.

(Radio Iowa) – The Small Business Administration’s Small Business Development Center has a location that’s now open in Sioux Center to address the needs of local flood victims. Northwest Iowa Regional Director Larry Wajda, says they typically work with people that are self-employed. “So your mom and pop shops on Main Street the people that employed 25 people in your community that have been donating to the Little League people that have been donating to the churches these people that are keeping small towns alive that’s my number one job is how do we keep them in the community,” he says.

Wajda says FEMA funding goes through the S-B-A, so counselors at his center are also helping families with personal loss. He says the business recovery center coordinates the efforts and connects the dots between the S-B-A and FEMA. Monday was the first full day of operation, and the center served 20 individuals.

“Some people that have rental properties, some people that they had a bakery in a small town, we had a person that was a graphic designer that doesn’t understand what their next steps are,” Wajda says. “We can’t make that decision for them we can just kind of give them some options and be empathetic.” Wajda says they assist people with filling out disaster relief forms, answering questions, or just providing information.

“Sometimes it’s even just reassurance and saying ‘Do you have a status update?’ We can log in and find that out for you and kind of tell you where you’re at,” he says. “You know, often I think that when we put out press releases, we’re like, hey, even if you’re not sure, fill this thing out and see what you’re eligible for. True. But do you want a tangible answer of where it’s going to go? We can do that for you and show it to you in this recovery center.”

Wajda encourages people with questions to call him directly at 712-580-8619. In addition, he says they have battery packs for charging phones, computers, etc., as well as water bottles at the S-B-R-C in Sioux Center for those that need them. Those items, and the services they provide are free.

(Bedford, Iowa) – The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports shortly after 3-a.m. today (Thursday, July 4, 2024), Taylor County dispatch received a report of a shooting on Broadway in Clearfield (Iowa). Authorities discovered a deceased male victim. One person of interest was taken into custody.

The Iowa DCI was called to assist with the investigation along with Adams and Ringgold County Sheriff’s Departments, Taylor County Ambulance, Iowa State Patrol, Taylor County Attorney and the Adams/Taylor County medical Examiner .

No further information will be released at this time.