(Radio Iowa) – House Republicans are proposing a 20 million dollar increase in the budget for the Iowa Department of Corrections. The president of the union that represents prison employees says it’s not enough. Representative Gary Worthan of Storm Lake leads the subcommittee that developed the House G-O-P plan. “We support those people that are guarding our institutions and taking of the offenders and standing that if you want to call it a thin blue line or a thin brown line that stands between us and anarchy,” Worthan says.

Republicans are not directly citing the recent escape attempt and murders of two staff at the state prison in Anamosa as the reason for the proposed spending increase. Worthan says it’s the culmination of a decade of examination of the budget for the Department of Corrections and other agencies in the justice system, like the Department of Public Safety. “We’re trying to bulk them back up, improve staff numbers and so on there,” Worthan says.

AFSCME Council 61 president Danny Homan says the extra money merely covers negotiated salary increases over the past couple of years and doesn’t fill nearly 250 vacant positions in the prison system. “Republicans, it’s time to step up to the plate,” Homan says. “It’s time to fund your facilities in this state. It’s time to make it so that people feel safe.”  Homan is calling for reopening a training program for prison staff and for an independent investigation of the murders at Anamosa. He’s also calling for the warden at the Anamosa prison to be fired.

Atlantic, IA — Cass County Health System officials and staff welcomed Amy Petersen, ARNP to the AMC Rapid Care team, this winter. She is board-certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and she will work in both AMC Rapid Care and the CCHS Emergency Department. Petersen began her career as a nurse more than 25 years ago, and now works as a nurse practitioner in AMC Rapid Care, a walk-in clinic that’s open seven days a week.

Amy Petersen (Photo submitted by CCHS)

“I started in northern Iowa, and I’ve worked in about every unit a hospital can have. I was at Creighton for 14 years, and in during the last 10 years, I’ve worked in the emergency department,” she said. While working, Petersen continued her education in nursing. She graduated in October 2020 from Simmons University out of Boston, Massachusetts. She also recently began her doctoral studies from the same university, and she will graduate with her Doctor of Nursing (DNP) next year. Petersen said that she has always loved learning and wanted to become a provider so that she could be more active in patients’ care. “Once my kids were old enough, I decided to start pursuing my next degree. I like caring for people. The people, the patients, they’re everything. I enjoy meeting them, caring and helping them, and learning about them.”

Petersen said that her new role here is a good fit for her. “I love working in the emergency department, and Rapid Care is similar in that you are working with a huge range of patients and problems, and it’s never the same. I enjoy that. I think that my past experiences, working all of the different units, it’s been an advantage now in how I deliver care,” said Petersen. Originally from Nebraska, Petersen and her husband moved to an acreage outside Hancock 20 years ago. They have four children, ages 18 to 30, and twin grandsons who are four.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County, Tuesday, reported four arrests occurred Monday. 40-year-old Kale Garret Hardman, of Malvern, was arrested on warrants for Failure to Appear, Theft in the 2nd Degree, and Fugitive from Justice. He was taken into custody at around 11-p.m. and held on $15,000 bond. Monday evening, 49-year-old Dennis Harold Bjorgaard II, of Fremont, NE., was arrested at the Douglas County, NE., Jail, on warrants for two counts of a Controlled Substance Violation, Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp, and Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs. His bond was set at $41,000.

Monday afternoon, 35-year-old Jaymie Ilene Rowe, of Hastings, was arrested at the Page County Jail, on a warrant for Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, and Trespass. Her bond was set at $2,000. And, 19-year old Alexia Dianne Alvarez, of Omaha, was arrested at around 2:50-a.m. Monday, in Mills County, for Possession of Controlled Substance. Her bond was set at $1,000.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, during their meeting Tuesday morning, voted to appoint Mike Kennon to the Cass County Judicial Magistrate Appointing Commission. His term will expire Dec. 31, 2026. Kennon is the County’s Emergency Management Coordinator. The Supervisors are still looking to fill some positions on the Cass County Zoning Board. There are three seats open on the Zoning Board, and one position open on the Board of Adjustment. Supervisors’ Board Chair Steve Baier said he has some people who have verbally committed to joining the Commission. They simply need to turn in their paperwork for Board approval.

Baier said the Boards don’t meet that often, so it shouldn’t be too much of a burden on your time, if you are interested.

Auditor Dale Sunderman noted the Board of Adjustment position must be filled by a rural county resident. In other business, the Supervisors received a report from County Engineer Trent Wolken, who said the Secondary Roads Department is busy hauling contract rock. He reported also, there are two bridges on dirt roads in Cass County that are currently closed.

One bridge, on Fairview road (northwest of Atlantic, just west of Highway173), has a six-ton rating. Wolken said it was ordered closed after a State inspection last week detected some structural issues with the trusses.

Wolken was of the opinion that the damage was incurred by vehicles violating the posted weight limit. The second bridge, which is rated for 18-tons, is on 760^th, 1.5-miles east of Massena. Last weekend, he said a farmer doing tillage work crossed the bridge with his tilling equipment in the lowered position. The Pony Truss bridge was damaged, and needs to have the wooden deck replaced. The structural steel was not damaged. The deck will be replaced with either wood, or corrugated steel topped by dirt.

The farmer has been contacted and is aware of their liability in the matter. Wolken said also, they are conducting interviews to fill four Secondary Roads Dept. positions. The interview process began last week. He’s offered an Operator 3 Excavator position to one of the applicants, and that person accepted. He hopes to have a recommendation for appointments by the time the Board meets next week.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors will hold an electronic meeting beginning at 9-a.m., Wednesday. The public will not be allowed in the Boardroom at the Courthouse in Greenfield, because, officials say, social distancing guidelines cannot be followed. The session will be conducted by dial-up (call 605-313-6157, and when prompted, use access code 526272#). On their agenda, is the presentation of a contract for the mowing of the Grove Cemetery, followed by updates and discussion, with regard to COVID-19.

At around 9:15-a.m., the Adair County Supervisors will hear from Fair Board members Joe Herr and Curt Mikkelson, with regard to alcohol at the County Fair. And, at around 9:30-a.m., they’ll hear from Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, with regard to a new vehicle purchase/Trade-in.