Officials with the City of Harlan posted on social media, Friday, “During this pandemic and the shortage of toilet paper, residents have been flushing things they shouldn’t,” and that “City officials are asking residents to please not flush anything but toilet paper.”  A picture accompanying the post showed rubber gloves, sani-wipes, and hand towels, all of which clog the pumps at the wastewater treatment plant. Employees have had to fish the junk out of the trash basket at the plant just to keep the pumps from clogging.

Materials fished out of the Harlan WWTP that officials say clog the pumps. (City of Harlan Facebook page photo)

DES MOINES, Iowa – Officials with the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, today, said that on May 7th, 2020, the twelfth defendant was sentenced in the federal prosecution of fourteen defendants charged with drug trafficking, firearms offenses, money laundering, and lying to a federal grand jury stemming from the investigation of a multi-state, armed drug trafficking and money laundering ring.

The drug trafficking organization was led by Robert William Lampe and Mason Leroy  Snyder, who operated their drug distribution business out of various residences in the Des Moines
area. Lampe and Snyder obtained marijuana primarily from Tan Fong Vang, who resided in the  Minneapolis area. Vang and his parents, Charley Vang and Sindy Xiong, utilized multiple
residences in Minneapolis to store and distribute thousands of pounds of marijuana. Lampe, Snyder, and their co-conspirators traveled to Minnesota to acquire the marijuana and distributed it  in the Des Moines area.

Lampe and Snyder also organized the acquisition of cocaine from various sources, including Kasey Lee Cassady and Peter Gerald Blaha, before selling the cocaine to customers in
the Des Moines area. Alyssa Jean Karnowski, Brett Allan Corrigan Jr., Robert Joseph Lampe Jr., Austin Eugene Brommel, and David Joseph Daughenbaugh all assisted Lampe and Snyder with
their operation, including purchasing and/or distributing marijuana and/or cocaine from and on  behalf of Lampe and Snyder. Lampe and Snyder used their drug proceeds to purchase various items, including vehicles and a residence located in Des Moines. The residence was purchased from Douglas Scott Bruns, who knowingly accepted $100,000 in drug proceeds for a down payment on the residence.

Bruns’s son, Ian Michael Bruns, later provided false testimony to a federal grand jury regarding the circumstances surrounding that transaction. Both men were charged and pleaded guilty to offenses involving this conduct. The investigation culminated in federal search warrants being executed at five locations in the Des Moines metro area on August 9, 2018. On November 20, 2018, an additional search warrant was executed at one of Vang’s residences in Minnesota. During the execution of that warrant, Vang and his parents were discovered with boxes containing approximately 294 pounds of marijuana, as well as a loaded handgun. In total, the organization was responsible for the distribution of over 100 kilograms of marijuana and over 500 grams of cocaine in the Southern District of Iowa between April 2018 and January 2019. The organization also possessed multiple firearms throughout its operation. Over $140,000 in drug proceeds were seized as a result of the investigation, as well as multiple vehicles and two residences. All defendants charged pleaded guilty or were found guilty after proceeding to a jury trial, and twelve of the fourteen defendants have been sentenced by a United States District Court Judge.

• Tan Fong Vang, age 29, of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 170 months.

• Mason Leroy Snyder, age 20, of Waukee, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 120 months.

• Robert William Lampe, age 23, of Des Moines, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 73 months.

• Robert Joseph Lampe Jr., age 56, of Des Moines, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 70 months.

• Brett Allan Corrigan Jr., age 25, of Des Moines, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 60 months.

• Austin Eugene Brommel, age 22, of Pleasant Hill, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 60 months.

• Alyssa Jean Karnowski, age 21, of Des Moines, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 46 months.

• David Joseph Daughenbaugh, age 21, of Des Moines, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 37 months.

• Charley Vang, age 50, of Hayfork, California, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 30 months.

• Sindy Xiong, age 47, of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 21 months.

• Douglas Scott Bruns, age 51, of Ankeny, sentenced to a total term of imprisonment of 15 months.

• Ian Michael Bruns, age 22, of Des Moines, sentenced to a four-year term of probation.

• Kasey Lee Cassady, age 22, of Adel, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16, 2020.

• Peter Gerald Blaha, age 42, of Winterset, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2020.

The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Saint Paul Police Department. The case was
prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines commission dedicated to protecting human rights is among the latest to endure racist and sexist messages from cyber attackers. The Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission says it was forced to cancel a video-conference meeting with the Des Moines City Council on Thursday night when the meeting was disrupted by racist, sexist and pornographic messages.

Commission Chairman Kameron Middlebrooks says the messages were directed at members of the commission, proving that “hate and ignorance is alive and well.” Officials say the meeting will be rescheduled.

(8-a.m.) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce reminds small business owners in the community, that the deadline is Noon today (Friday), for you to apply for a Small Business Relief Grant. The Atlantic Small Business Relief Grant was launched by the Chamber of Commerce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was kick-started by a substantial donation from a community donor of $10,000 and matched by First Whitney Bank & Trust. Bailey Smith, Executive Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce says “We’re offering one more reminder to Atlantic small businesses that there’s still time to apply. We’re really pleased with the response to the program and look forward to helping as many small businesses as we can.”

The grant will provide funds to local small businesses currently suffering economic hardship due to COVID-19. Grants range between $500 – $2,500. Applications will be reviewed by a committee the week of May 18th and will be disbursed immediately following review, pending availability of funds. A short, one page application is available at www.atlanticiowa.com and must be emailed to chamber@atlanticiowa.com or dropped off at the Chamber office, located at 102 Chestnut Street.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department reports a Creston man, 34-year old Michael Eugene Matherly, was arrested Thursday afternoon, on charges of: Violation of No Contact/Protective Order – Contempt of Court; Threat – Explosive or Incendiary Device; and a second Violation of No Contact/Protective Order – Contempt. Matherly was being held in the Union County Jail on $5,000 cash or surety bond.

And, on April 30th, 44-year old Ernest Franklin Leaf, of Des Moines, was arrested in Creston for Theft in the 5th Degree. Leaf was cited and released from the scene with a Promise to Appear.

(Radio Iowa) — The restrictions are lifted and Iowans are able to visit their dentists again, but the experience will be quite different for most of us due to the pandemic. Dr. Jeffrey Chaffin, chief dental officer for Delta Dental of Iowa, says don’t expect to just pop in for your usual six-month check-up. “You should expect a call before you go in to the office to see whether you’ve been sick or exposed to COVID-19,” Chaffin says. “Temperature (taking) would be pretty common in most dental offices as well, and fewer people in the office, the dental waiting room is going to look different to support social distancing.”

Many dentists will also ask that only the patient comes to the office, without other family members. Most dentists and hygienists wore masks and gloves -before- coronavirus swept in, so now, they’ll be taking even more precautions. “Dentists may wear different types of masks, like the N95 masks which a lot of folks may’ve heard about which is actually a respirator, or they may use traditional masks along with a face shield,” Chaffin says. “They’ll take a little bit longer to clean up afterwards as well.”

Until there’s a vaccine for COVID-19, Chaffin says there will always be some degree of risk with any type of contact, but dentists are doing all they possibly can to insure the health of their patients. “We really suggest that while it’s safe to visit a dentist, for very high risk people, they have to look at everything they do within their lives and assess that risk,” Chaffin says. “If somebody has some type of disease and they’re really high risk, they will want to put off visiting the dentist as well as doing a lot of things that they normally would have done in the past.”

There are about 17-hundred practicing dentists in Iowa who operate out of around 25-hundred offices and many of them have already reopened. “Other offices have waited,” Chaffin says. “They had a May 18th number in their heads so they’re trying to get all the new PPE that they need and they’re training their staff on new procedures. We’re seeing some offices open last Friday, some throughout this week, but many are waiting until May 18th, next Monday.”

Most dentists in Iowa are also small businesses and Chaffin says while a few have permanently closed during the pandemic, the majority are either open now or will be soon.

Officials with Rex Pharmacy report they will offer a free, curbside COVID-19 test collection at their 1607 E 7^th Street location in Atlantic, beginning today (May 15^th).  Rex Pharmacy has partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide testing to the public free of charge, to help address the COVID-19 crisis. Rex Pharmacy staff will provide extra support to area patients during COVID-19 recovery efforts with curbside test collection.

Patients can make appointments for testing at https://www.doineedacovid19test.com/Rex Pharmacy will provide appointment-based, curbside COVID-19 test collections for pre-screened individuals.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. If individuals have a cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat or a new loss of taste or smell, they should consider testing. Updated CDC guidelines now also recommend testing for people with and without symptoms under certain conditions. Rex Pharmacy will provide testing options for eligible patients. The test is self-administered with a nasal swab and once the sample kit is sealed, staff submits the test to the lab for processing. Results are ready in three to five business days.

Officials with the Red Oak Community School District, Thursday, announced the hiring of Dr. Jane Hall Chaillie to serve as the new principal at Inman Elementary School, in Red Oak.  Chaillie will replace Gayle Allensworth who accepted a leadership position in a neighboring school district. Chaillie is a graduate of Cumberland-Massena High School. She holds a Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in Elementary Education from Graceland University and a Master’s degree (M.Ed) in Literacy Education from the University of Missouri.  She earned her Doctorate (Ed.D) in Educational Leadership at Creighton University.

Dr. Jane Hall Chaillie (Red Oak School District photo)

Chaillie has nearly twenty years of experience in education.  She also serves on various committees and boards, including the SWI STEM Advisory Board and Central Decatur Board of Education. In accepting the position, Dr. Chaillie said “I am super excited to return to Southwest Iowa and continue my quest to make sure our children receive a world class education. The district is doing amazing work in responding to student needs and developing teacher leadership and I am both honored and humbled to be entrusted with this position of leadership. I can’t wait to get started working collaboratively with the staff to meet the needs of all students.”