(Radio Iowa) — A bill pending in the Iowa House would set up a state grant program to cover the moving expenses for Puerto Ricans who’ve landed jobs in Iowa — outside of the largest Iowa cites. Republican Representative Joe Mitchell of Wayland is the bill’s sponsor.  “Help employers bring folks from Puerto Rico up to fill these workforce voids,” Mitchell says.

He says with the hurricanes and earthquakes rocking their communities, many Puerto Ricans — who are U.S. citizens — are looking to move to the mainland. “Right now for a family of four, it’s about $5000 to fly them up here, to move their belongings up here, to get them in good, quality, affordable housing,” Mitchell says. The bill sets up a “Grow Iowa’s Talent Pool Fund” to award grants for businesses that reimburse employees for moving expenses.

The grants would be limited to companies located in a city or township that has fewer than 50-thousand people. The Census Bureau estimated that in 2017, about 75-hundred people who were originally from Puerto Rico had moved to Iowa. “Obviously the biggest marketer of this program is going to be Puerto Ricans themselves who’ve already come up here and encourage family members to come up,” Mitchell says.

Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 and people born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens. Hurricane Maria struck the island in 2017. Earthquakes struck in January. Thousands remain without power.

(Radio Iowa) When you call 9-1-1 in parts of rural Iowa, there’s no guarantee an ambulance will be available, as emergency medical services aren’t considered essential, like fire or police. Mark Sachen, president of the Iowa Emergency Medical Services Association, says three-fourths of local departments are volunteer-run. Because the service isn’t guaranteed by local or state funding, many get their money from billing patients or bake sales.

Sachen says, “I think we’re to the point now where the demands on the system are far exceeding the available resources available to provide those services.” In the past five years, Iowa saw a four-percent decrease in the number of registered E-M-Ts. Fourteen counties are covered by just one ambulance service while Worth County has none for its 400 square miles. In Tripoli (Trip’OH-lah), director Kip Ladage has just a few E-M-Ts to cover 99 square miles in Bremer County. He notes staff shortages in neighboring areas create a domino effect.

“From six in the morning to six at night we probably have two, maybe three, if we’re lucky that are available,” Ladage says. “What if Tripoli can’t cover and Denver is already out and can’t cover. Then where do we go? Then that response time just gets that much longer.” Wright County supervisor Karl Helgevold says voters in 2018 overwhelmingly approved a property tax levy to make Wright County the first in the state to declare E-M-S services as essential. That raised a half million dollars a year for training, equipment and a countywide E-M-S coordinator.

Helgevold feels it’s something the state needs to ensure. “Would it be great if the state had a way to mandate it and fund it in a perfect world? Yeah, but we don’t live in that type of world right now,” Helgevold says. “So we need to do what we need to do and provide a good service to our citizens.” One proposal in the Iowa legislature would make it easier to follow Wright County’s example. It would allow counties to set up partnerships and use existing local taxes to fund E-M-S without voter approval.

Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, doesn’t think the service should be declared essential at the state level as it could impose a cookie cutter set of requirements. Kaufmann says, “I still think it should be done county-by-county because there are different mechanisms that work for different areas.” Kauffman is asking the state to appropriate about five-million dollars toward the state’s various E-M-S departments.

(Reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

ATLANTIC – Cass County Health System Foundation is offering $10,000 in scholarships to students who are enrolled and have been accepted into a nursing or medical doctor training program. The scholarships were established by a bequest from Louie and Elsie Hansen.

“The Hansen’s believed strongly in the importance of education, and the need for well-trained healthcare professionals,” explained Kent Gade CCHS Foundation board President. “We are very proud to provide this scholarship in their memory.”

The Louie and Elsie Hansen Memorial Scholarship was established to benefit Cass County high school graduates who are enrolled and have been accepted into a college of nursing or medicine, leading to an LPN, RN, BSN, or MD degree. Two $5,000 awards will be presented. Consideration will be given to applicants’ scholarship, citizenship, and leadership abilities. Applications are available at the CCHS Foundation office and online at casshealth.org.

In 2019, the CCHS Foundation awarded four $5000 scholarships. The recipients were Emily Beerman, Madison Helvie, Morgan Anstey and Tatum Heath. “This is the third time the board has awarded four scholarships,” said Kent Gade, Foundation President. The awards are based on the applications received each year.

Scholarship applications are due to the Foundation Office no later than April 1, 2020. For further information, contact Dawn Marnin, CCHS Foundation Director, at 712-243-7409 or mardd@casshealth.org.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 39-year old Brandon Robert Fry, of Creston, was sentenced today (Monday) to 188 months in prison, for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Fry was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release to follow his prison term and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

Fry plead guilty to this offense on October 11, 2019. He admitted that he knowingly possessed over 500 grams of methamphetamine on June 4, 2019, which was found by law enforcement in a white Mercedes, in Creston. Fry admitted that he had intended to distribute the methamphetamine. At the time of this offense, Fry was on federal supervised release for a prior conviction of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

The matter was investigated by the United States Probation Office, Des Moines Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Creston Police Department, and the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Clarinda Police Department reports four Clarinda Academy students who left the campus early this (Monday) afternoon, were taken into custody in the area of 190th and Quincy Road, at around 1:50-p.m. They were apprehended by Page County Sheriff’s Deputies, Clarinda Academy Staff, and Clarinda Police.

Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh reports that on Wednesday, March 4th, the Food Bank of the Heartland Mobile Food Pantry is coming to Atlantic High School from 4:00-6:00 PM. The mobile pantry provides free shelf-stable and perishable food to individuals and families. The mobile pantry is free and open to anyone. There is no need to pre-register for the event. However, attendees are encouraged to bring shopping bags, if available.

Volunteers are needed to help unload the Food Bank of the Heartland truck from 3:30-4:00, and to help distribute food and carry it out to cars from 4:00-6:00. Volunteers are encouraged, but not required, to RSVP to Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at 712-249-5870 or bhoegh@iastate.edu.

For more information or a reminder later on, look for the event posted on Facebook under Healthy Cass County.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Sunday, of 22-year old Michael Jonathan Mitchell, from Lincoln, NE. He was taken into custody at around 5:17-a.m. at 195th Street and Highway 34, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond was set at $300. And, late Friday morning, 29-year old Keith James Land, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Pott. County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Theft in the 2nd Degree.

Two separate traffic stops in Mills County last Friday night resulted in one pursuit and a total of three arrests. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says the Mills County K9 Unit conducted a traffic stop on a pickup truck at around 7:30-p.m., Friday, in the area of Highway 34 and 195th Street. The driver of the vehicle – later identified as 36-year old Mickie Gene Weppner, of Omaha – at first pulled over, but then took-off as deputies approached.

Mickie Gene Weppner

Weppner led deputies on a short pursuit before entering the north ditch of Highway 34, and crashing into a drainage ditch. He then attempted to flee on foot, but because he was injured in the crash, Weppner didn’t make it very far.

After he was taken into custody, Weppner was found to have had an active warrant out of Douglas County, NE., and the 2006 Chevy Silverado he was driving, was reported stolen out of Omaha, on Thursday. Weppner was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital for treatment of injuries, and later transported to the Mills County Jail, where he was being held on a $15,000 cash-only bond. He faces charges that include: Theft in the 1st degree; Felony Eluding; Interference with Official Acts; Operating a Non-Registered vehicle; Failure to Maintain Control; and Fugitive from Justice (FJ). His bond was set at $15,000, with NO Bond for the FJ chargeThe Mills County K9 Unit was assisted during the incident, by Glenwood Police, Iowa State Patrol, Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Glenwood and Pacfic Junction Rescue.

The second traffic stop in Mills County happened on Highway 34 at Kidd Road, at around 11:48-p.m. Friday. A BMW was pulled over and a probable search was conducted, during which deputies located meth, three different types of prescription drugs, and drug paraphernalia. The female driver, 33-year old Jessica Delores Monjarez, of Omaha, was arrested and held in the Mills County Jail on a $10,000 cash or surety bond. She was charged with 4 counts Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and a Drug Tax Stamp Violation. Her passenger… 38-year old Gregory Anthony Garcia, of Omaha… was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and held on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Monjarez and Garcia

The Mills County K9 Unit was assisted at the scene by the Glenwood Police Dept.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports four male students at the Clarinda Academy escaped at around 12:37-p.m., today (Monday). The group was last seen running west from the campus. A search is underway by law enforcement and Academy staff. A description of the youth and was not immediately available

The Clarinda Academy is a residential academic and behavioral health treatment facility for at-risk youth.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two Webster County men were arrested Saturday on drug charges, following a traffic stop. 26-year old Tyron Tepri Gully, of Fort Dodge, was arrested for Felony, Possession of Marijuana 3rd or Subsequent Offense; and, 19-year old Tyraius Percel McElroy, of Fort Dodge, was arrested for Possession of Marijuana 1st Offense. Both men were taken to the Cass County Jail. McElroy was released later that day on $1,000 bond; Gully was released later that day on $5,000 bond.

And, on Feburary 19th, 2020, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 47-year old Christopher Michael Green, of Atlantic, on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Green was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains on $2,000 bond.