Des Moines – The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau reports an eastern Iowa man, 38-year-old Luke Mathew McDermott, of Delmar, was recently charged with one felony count of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information. The charges against McDermott stem from an investigation which began in February 2020. According to a criminal complaint filed by the Insurance Fraud Bureau, McDermott made false statements and submitted fraudulent documents in support of a fire claim.

On December 20, 2020, McDermott was arrested by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office after an arrest warrant was issued by the Clinton County District Court. McDermott was cited and released with a promise to appear in court on a later date.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

(Radio Iowa) – Contact tracing is an important step in slowing the spread of COVID-19, but by the time people test positive, it can be hard to remember who they’ve seen in the previous week — or longer. Iowa State University psychology professor Christian Meissner has developed a tool that helps people remember more details about where they were and who they were in contact with. He says every day matters with memory. “The more quickly that you can encourage people to access memory and to engage in this recall of close contacts,” Meissner says, “the better the quality of the memory they produce and the larger number of contacts that they’re going to be able to produce as well.”

Meissner says questions and keywords can help a person re-create scenes from the past. He found contact tracing interviews using these enhanced cognitive approaches helped people generate more robust lists of people they’d been near. “On average, about four more close contacts were recalled in that cognitive protocol,” Meissner says. “And it didn’t matter if they had been taken through the interviewer by an interviewer or if they did the self-led version.”

Meissner’s online tool is available for do-it-yourself interviews. He says the technique will help a person get started, but it’s NOT a replacement for public health contact tracing.

(By Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City’s 185th Iowa Air National Guard unit is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a specially painted plane. One of their KC-135 refuelers has been painted with what’s called a “bat” tail flash. The gothic looking bat on the tail of the aircraft is a throwback to when the unit flew F-100 Fighters in Vietnam during the late 1960s. They were known as “The Bats” because they often flew missions during the night. Chief Master Sergeant Eric Kelley, the 185th’s Equipment Maintenance Flight Superintendent, says they received special permission to paint the plane: “We just got this aircraft back — so that’s one reason why we chose to paint this aircraft with this scheme. We’ll essentially be able to fly this aircraft for five years with this paint scheme on it before we have to send it back to the depot,” Kelley explains.

Sergeant Kelley says the plane’s new paint markings will fit in wherever they go around the globe. He says the colors are subdued to they can fly it anywhere in the world. This was the first time the Air Wing has attempted a giant size tail flash on one of their KC-135 aircraft. The entire 25-foot tail section had to be removed and painted black. Once the tail was balanced and reattached, crew members from the 185th’s paint facility completed stenciling and painting.”None of this could even happen without the awesome airmen we have here at the 185thm” Kelley says. He says everyone has done what they can, including working their off days to keep the project moving.

The nose of the plane displays a 75th-anniversary diamond surrounded by silhouettes depicting each aircraft flown by the unit since its beginnings in 1946. A thunderbolt painted along with the diamond on the front of the aircraft is representative of some of the first jet aircraft flown like the F-84 “Thunderjet.” The unit flew single-seat fighter aircraft for most of it history before converting to the KC-135 in 2003.

A woman was taken into custody early Monday morning, following an accident late Sunday night, in Bayard. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, 25-year old Ashley Faith Andrews, of Bayard, faces charges that include Failure to Maintain Control, Driving While License Suspended, Denied, Cancelled or Revoked, Open container as a driver, and Failure to provide proof of insurance. Authorities say Andrews was driving a 2003 Ford Expedition, and as she was turning from an alley onto westbound 3rd Street at around 11:55-p.m., lost control of the SUV.

The vehicle struck the front of a legally parked 2007 Nissan Sentra. The impact pushed the Nissan into a legally parked 2018 Honda Civic Sport. The SUV then turned south and struck a house at 304 3rd Street. An investigation determined after the SUV struck the house, it apparently backed-up to the west, and hit a fence When Deputies arrived, Andrews was sitting in a garage at a residence nearby.  Inside the SUV, Deputies found an open 12-ounce alcoholic beverage in the center console, about half-full, and a 15-pack of beer with five cans missing.

The SUV (registered to Kelsey Klingeberg) sustained significant front-end damage, amounting to about $10,000. The Nissan sustained $4,000 damage, while damage to the Honda was estimated at $2,000. A fence owned by Michael Jacquard, of Bayard, sustained $1,000 damage and the house at 205 3rd Street, owned by Donald Olesen, sustained $50,000 damage.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors met last week during a regular session. According to the minutes provided by Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman:

• County Engineer Trent Wolken reviewed current road maintenance projects including clearing brush in road ditches.
• Postponed from Nov. 10, the board discussed the issue of use of personal cell phones for County business by employees whose job duties include the frequent need for a cell phone.  Supervisor Mark O’Brien said he wanted the board to re-consider the amount of allowance as well as who is eligible.  After considerable discussion, the issue was tabled until January.
• Sunderman notes also, SWIPCO (the Southwest Iowa Planning Council) has secured a $400,000 EDA (Economic Development Administration) CARES grant for Covid-19 economic recovery planning; and $500,000 in RLF (Revolving Loan Funds) to be targeted at Covid recovery.
• Sunderman said SWIPCO has submitted a Request for Proposal (RFP) inviting prospective partners, including CADCO, to submit proposals to assist SWIPCO with implementing its Covid-19 pandemic recovery scope of work as laid out in its grant administration with the U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).  SWIPCO anticipates expending $20,000 per county (6 counties) by June 30, 2021, and an additional $10,000, per county by June 30, 2022.  CADCO asked the board to consider writing a letter of support for CADCO as the Cass County partner.  The Board’s consensus was to provide a letter of support for CADCO.

Stephanie Mae McNutt

Council Bluffs Police, Monday (Today) are asking for your help in locating a woman wanted for Violation of Probation. Stephanie Mae McNutt was last seen in the Omaha/Council Bluffs Metro Area. She is described as being white, 5-feet 6-inches tall, weighing about 180 pounds. McNutt has brown hair and hazel eyes. If you know the immediate location of the woman, call 9-1-1 or Crimestoppers at 712-328-STOP (7867).

Atlantic, Iowa – Cass County Health System’s Senior Life Solutions, an intensive outpatient group therapy program for seniors, successfully made the transition to providing services remotely due to COVID-19 safety precautions. Senior Life Solutions began offering teletherapy to its patients on June 1st allowing them to receive the care they need while remaining safe and secure at home. Teletherapy services are provided via telephone or computer by a licensed mental health counselor. After an initial assessment, Senior Life Solutions individualizes a care plan for each patient where they meet up to three times per week in an encouraging, supportive setting.

Modern Woodmen donates $1,000 to CCHS FoundationSenior Solutions. (Photo submitted)

All Senior Life Solutions services are confidential and HIPAA compliant. Karmen Roland, Senior Life Solutions Program Director said, “Our new teletherapy services allow our patients to continue to reap the benefits of group and individual therapy but from the safety of their homes. During a group session, we all dial in on the phone or log in from a computer at the same time, and each patient has the opportunity to form a bond and sometimes even friendship with other members in the group who are experiencing similar life changes.”

“We are also grateful for the wonderful community support,” Roland said.  She added, “Because of the generous donation from Dave Schwab at Modern Woodmen, we were able to purchase HD Fire Tablets for patients to check out. Not having the right technology at home was a significant problem for some of our patients, and this donation helps them overcome that barrier.”

Senior Life Solutions is managed by a national behavioral healthcare management company, Psychiatric Medical Care (PMC), and was able to move so quickly to a remote environment as a result of PMC’s previous investment in telehealth services. Senior Life Solutions has incorporated telehealth into its care model for more than a decade. Other Senior Life Solutions staff includes a board-certified psychiatrist, licensed social workers, and a registered nurse, dedicated to the emotional well-being of the seniors in the community. Individuals may benefit from the program if they are experiencing symptoms of age-related depression or anxiety, dealing with difficult life transitions, a recent health diagnosis, or the loss of a loved one.

Roland said “It is wonderful being part of a program that improves the quality of life for such a vulnerable population in our community, and emotional health services are needed more than ever during these difficult times.” Referrals to the program can be made by anyone, including a patient’s physician, family member, self-referral, or another healthcare professional. For more information, call 712-250-8100 or visit casshealth.org.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reminds residents of his community, that “With a potential winter storm approaching our area on Tuesday,” citizens of Clarinda should remember a snow ordinance will be issued when there is accumulating of snow amounting to two-inches or more.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers (photo from the P-D’s Facebook page)

The ordinance says: “No person shall park any motor vehicle or other apparatus upon any street of the city that will obstruct the removal of snow (when there has been an accumulation of two (2) inches or more). Any vehicle left parked on any street in violation of this ordinance may be impounded, and the registered owner of the vehicle will be subject to a $30.00 parking fine, and payment of all applicable towing and storage fee before the vehicle is released.”

The parking ban remains in effect until the snow ceases to fall and the streets have been plowed from curb to curb.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests and one recent accident. Authorities say 21-year-old Phillip Currin, of Corning, was arrested at around 2:40-a.m. Sunday, for OWI/1st offense. He was taken into custody following an investigation into an accident, whereby Currin was westbound on Highway 34 at mile marker 63, when he lost control of his vehicle, which rolled into the south ditch. Corning Fire Department personnel assisted Adams County Deputies at the scene.

At around 4-p.m. Sunday, Adams County Dispatch received a report a vehicle had struck a cow on the road near the Adams/Taylor County line. The driver, 19-year-old Ryan Maeder, from Corning, was not injured, and the cow was able to walk-off under its own power.

Late last Thursday morning, Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop on Highway 34 at Ginko Avenue. Upon further investigation, 39-year-old Cory L. Sanford, of Osceola, was arrested for Driving While Barred, and Speeding. He was transported to the Adams County Jail. And, just before 1-a.m. Wednesday, 26-year-old Kevin Anthony Harden, of Des Moines, was arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 25, in Adams County. Harden was pulled over for having no front headlight. He was subsequently arrested on a Union County warrant for Theft.

Harden was transported to the Adams/Union County line and turned over to Union County Sheriff’s Deputies.