LAKE VIEW, Iowa (AP) — Western Iowa authorities say a 58-year-old man died after becoming trapped in a grain bin. Firefighters, medics and Sac County deputies were sent to the Lake View location around 3:40 p.m. Thursday. Officials say Garry Leonard became stuck after he entered the partially filled bin to break up some corn clotting. Another worker tried to pull him free but failed. The corn was removed, and firefighters were able to get him out about 45 minutes later. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Leonard lived in Lake View.

NOEL, Mo. (AP) — Investigators have tentatively identified a body found on a hillside in southwest Missouri as a mother of three young children. McDonald County Sheriff Michael Hall said positive identification of the body found July 29 is pending but authorities believe it was 25-year-old Jessica McCormack. He said McCormack’s family was notified. The Joplin Globe reports Hall initially announced the tentative identification Thursday out of concern for McCormack’s three young children, who were considered missing.

Police in Des Moines, Iowa, said Friday the children’s father had dropped them off with a relative a few days ago. Police are seeking the man. McCormack was last seen around Noel in mid-July. Investigators believe her body was stuffed into a suitcase that rolled down a hill after being thrown from a moving vehicle. The body fell out as it deteriorated. No cause of death was announced.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Interim Director Bryant Rasmussen said today (Friday), “Due to the pool pump continuously overheating, we are having to CLOSE Sunnyside Pool effective immediately for the season. If you had a season pass, we will continue to accept those through Wednesday, August 21st at the YMCA. However, from only 1-7 pm and with some restrictions due to the YMCA’s hours. We apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused. We hope that you have enjoyed the pool this summer and have a great 2019-2020 school year!”

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports that between July 10th, 2019 and August 1st, 2019, Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputies executed a total of twelve search warrants as part of drug investigations in Guthrie County. Ten of the search warrants were executed in Guthrie County, with one in Carroll County and one in Audubon County. A total of twenty drug violators have been arrested or having pending arrests. Of the twenty arrested or with pending arrests, seventeen were arrested on a felony charge or charges. A total of one hundred criminal charges have been filed against the twenty individuals with thirty-two of those charges being filed as felonies. Nineteen of the twenty cases involved methamphetamine or ecstasy. Only one involved marijuana alone, and in that case, it is alleged the marijuana was for sale.

The following thirteen individuals are charged with crimes where they are alleged to have possessed controlled substances with intent to deliver or are alleged to have delivered controlled substances: David Elliott, Laura Smith, Gabriella Madison, Charles Bradshaw Jr., Shawn Lyons, Sherri Lyons, Doug Esslinger, a juvenile male,Conner Weatherly, Jeff Herron and Brandon Niedowicz, all of Bayard, along with Kevin Moore, of Carroll, and Jeremy Evans, of Dallas Center .

Of note, David Elliott is alleged to have delivered controlled substances to a minor and Conner Weatherly is alleged to have used the Bayard City Park as a location for controlled substance delivery. A total of four individuals were located during the search warrants with active arrest warrants: Charles Bradshaw Jr., Brandon Potter, David Elliott and Shawn Gifford. Due to the search warrants, their arrest warrants will be satisfied. A total of three firearms were seized, along with $2,078 in suspected drug money. Marijuana, prescription drugs, methamphetamine and marijuana were also seized in the investigations.

Most importantly, five children were removed from homes where drug violations were alleged to have occurred. Five people face a total of fourteen counts of child endangerment: Doug Esslinger – two counts, Kelsey Stringer – three counts, Brandon Niedowicz – three counts, Rodney Blackmon – three counts and Shawn Gifford – three counts. Sheriff Marty Arganbright says these cases remain under investigation and additional charges may be pending and additional individuals may be arrested.

The following agencies assisted the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office in these investigations: Audubon Police Department, Audubon County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Guthrie County Attorney’s Office, Jefferson Police Department, Panora Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation – Criminalistics Laboratory, Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement – Investigations Division.

Arganbright says the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to pursuing drug violations in Guthrie County and the surrounding areas. Our office will answer the call 24/7 to handle these quality of life investigations.

OMAHA, Neb. (August 8, 2019) – Creighton University, in Omaha, has been awarded two grants to improve medical outcomes for people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in rural areas of Nebraska and Iowa, where receiving access to specialized care is challenging for people affected by the condition. With nearly $300,000 in funding between the two grants, interprofessional teams from Creighton University are engaging and recruiting community stakeholders and families with connection to Type 1 diabetes to help identify health management challenges and provide the solutions to overcome them.

The first grant for $247,020 was funded by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and supports developing two patient-centered focus groups in rural communities to identify treatment barriers and develop solutions to overcome service gaps. In Nebraska, the only pediatric endocrinologists in the state are located in Omaha. An advisory team comprised of community stakeholders is also assisting Creighton faculty and students involved with the project. It includes a young adult diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a mother to a child with the condition, a health care provider and a representative from an advocacy group. They are recruiting participants for two focus groups.

The first focus group will identify processes that work well and highlight issues experienced after diagnosis. Themes from the first study will be presented to a second focus group recruited to develop creative solutions to identified challenges. Based on the findings from both focus groups, Creighton’s faculty and students and the advisory team will create a research agenda and submit for a larger grant to study the effectiveness of the ideas implemented from the focus groups. Vanessa Jewell, PhD, OTR/L, vice chair and assistant professor in Creighton University’s occupational therapy department is leading the engagement project. She is also a mother of a child with Type 1 diabetes.

Jewell says “We are recruiting a diverse group of people for our focus groups that all have connection to Type 1 diabetes – broader than people who have Type 1 diabetes and their families. We want to include health care providers, school staff that work with children with Type 1, people involved in legislation, and medical billing and durable medical equipment representatives. We want to involve all of them and learn from their experiences to inform the research agenda we propose so we can address the whole spectrum of patient support after diagnosis.”

Focus groups are open to those who have Type 1 diabetes, have a connection to individuals with the condition or provide care to them. Participants must also live in rural Nebraska or Iowa (at least one hour outside of Omaha or Des Moines) and be between 8 and 80 years of age. Each participant will receive a $25 gift card. To volunteer to be in a focus group or for more information, please visit spahp.creighton.edu/diabetes.

An additional interprofessional team led by Jewell recently received a second grant for $49,340 from Creighton University’s Health Science Strategic Investment Faculty Development Fund to support its research on the effectiveness of occupation-based telehealth treatment services for Type 1 diabetes in rural areas. The study focuses on the health of the entire family unit after a child receives a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. The intervention provides telehealth services for a period of three months.

The team conducting the two-year study includes a Creighton University School of Medicine endocrinologist, and an occupational therapist, pharmacist, nurse and statistician from the Creighton School of Pharmacy and Health Professions. The study on telehealth services is not actively seeking participants yet. When recruitment begins, information will be provided at spaph.creighton.edu/diabetes.

(Radio Iowa) — Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro says it’s time to “disarm hate” and prioritize federal investigations of “white supremacist terrorism.” Castro released his plan this (Friday) morning, then spoke at The Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. Someone in the crowd asked Castro why he wasn’t in El Paso with former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke.

“I don’t think what they need is more presidential candidates over there. What they need is us expressing our support and what they really need is action,” Castro said, to applause and cheers from the crowd. “They need congress, they need Mitch McConnell to get the Senate back in session and to pass common sense gun safety legislation. That’s what we can do for the people of El Paso and Dayton and everywhere else.”

And Castro praised O’Rourke for what O’Rourke has done and said in his hometown of El Paso this past week. “Let me tell you that Congressman O’Rourke a wonderful job of expressing all the emotion that all of us have about what happened in El Paso,” Castro said. “And our hearts go out to the people of El Paso and to Congressman O’Rourke.” Castro says it’s important to bridge “cultural divides” in America to combat the rise of white nationalism. He also supports “strict background checks” for gun purchases. Castro will be among the 16 candidates who speak tomorrow (Saturday) at a gun policy forum in Des Moines.

DES MOINES, IA – This Saturday, August 10, Democrat U.S. Representative Cindy Axne will continue her 16-county tour for August with five stops in Warren, Madison, Dallas, Guthrie, and Polk counties. Rep. Axne will start the day by visiting farmers markets in Warren and Madison counties to speak with local producers. She will then tour the Adel Sweet Corn Festival, followed by a “Connect with Your Congresswoman” (CWYC) in Guthrie County. Rep. Axne will end the day visiting the Iowa State Fair and serving egg-on-a-stick to fairgoers.

Her campaign says “Axne’s CWYC town hall events provide an opportunity for constituents to meet the Congresswoman, ask questions regarding her work in Washington, and discuss concerns facing local communities.” Her schedule (locally) is as follows:

Madison County: Winterset Farmers Market, 112 John Wayne Drive, from 10:30-until 11:30-a.m.

Dallas County: Adel Sweet Corn Festival, 301 S 10th St, from Noon until 1-p.m.

Guthrie County: “Connect with Your Congresswoman,” at the Guthrie County ISU Extension & Outreach office, 212 State St, in Guthrie Center, from 1:45- until 2:30-p.m.

INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) — The president of a private college in southern Iowa intends to leave his post. Simpson College President Jay Simmons says he’ll continue his duties until his successor is selected. Simmons says he believes it’s time for new leadership as he enters his seventh year as president of the United Methodist Church-affiliated school. It is situated in Indianola. Simpson has been struggling financially, cutting 23 positions last year.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report a handful of recent arrests. At around 12:30-a.m. today (Friday), 51-year old Douglas James Traufler, of Denison, was arrested near McClelland, following a report of a single-vehicle accident at 270th Street and Hickory Road. At the scene, a 2000 Ford Mustang was found in the south ditch. Trauffler was arrested on a felony charge of Conspiracy to manufacture and/or deliver Methamphetamine over 5 grams, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His bond on the paraphernalia charge was set at $300.

At around 11:45-p.m. Thursday, 26-year old Ashleigh M. Nelson, of Omaha, was arrested at Harrah’s Casino, for Public Intoxication. Her bond was set at $300. A little after 8-p.m., Thursday, Deputies in Pottawattamie County arrested 42-year old Troy Eugene Callander was arrested for Public Intoxication following incidents during and after a concert at Harrah’s Casino. At around 8:25-p.m. Thursday, 23-year old Leslie Alan Rahn, of Omaha, was arrested in Neola for Conspiracy with the intent to deliver, controlled substances (3.8 grams of marijuana, and 4 Xanax bars). An OWI/1st offense charges was pending the results of test samples submitted to the State DCI Crime Lab. Rahn’s arrest followed a report of a possibly impaired driver at the Neola Kum & Go Store. His vehicle was stopped by deputies before he could leave the parking lot.

And, at around 3:35-p.m. Thursday, 32-year old Sammy Hadeer Aburumuh, of Papillion, NE., who was in the Pott. County Jail, was served with a warrant for being a Fugitive from Justice. Aburumuh remains on a hold at the jail for another agency.

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

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