A traffic stop Monday night in Audubon County resulted in a pursuit and the arrest of a man from Audubon. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports 18-year old Timothy Asmus was arrested at around 9:10-p.m., following the pursuit. Asmus faces charges that include criminal mischief 2nd degree, reckless driving, driving while suspended, eluding law enforcement and numerous traffic citations.

He was held in the Audubon County Jail and was released Tuesday morning following an appearance before the magistrate. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department was assisted by the Audubon Police Department, K9 Axel, and the Iowa State Patrol.

And, 23-year old Christopher Guthery, of Walnut, was arrested at around 2:10-a.m. Sunday, for OWI/1st offense, and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. He was held in the Audubon County Jail and was later released following an appearance before the magistrate. K9 Axel assisted in Guthery’s arrest, also.

The Atlantic Police Department is warning area residents of a scam that continues to be reported. Numerous reports were received on Tuesday of business and individuals being contacted by someone claiming to be an Alliant Energy representative. The caller tells victims to contact a 1-800 number in order to take care of a past due payment. The same scam has been attempted using Atlantic Municipal Utilities as the utility. If you receive a call similar to this, police recommend not responding to the number. If you have an account with the company the caller is claiming to represent, contact that company directly to inquire about any questions you have with your account. Those companies won’t demand payment over the phone and you would be notified by mail about a disconnection situation.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Sunday at the Fremont County Jail, of 18-year old Duane Stuck, from Hamburg. Stuck was initially arrested Feb. 9th and held on a $5,000 cash bond for 2nd Degree Theft. His latest arrest for Possession of Stolen Property, resulted in an additional $2,000 bond. Authorities say the investigation into his alleged activities began when a large amount of Sacajawea one-dollar coins were being used to purchase items from the Casey’s General Store, in Hamburg, during the evening of January 31st.

Duane Stuck

There had also been an attempt to get into a laundry room and the Hamburg Senior Housing in the 400 block of H Street. It was also determined that collectable coins, knives, antique tobacco pipes, lighters and alcohol had been taken from a residence in the 1900 block of Washington Street. Items that were later recovered in a garage were also determined to have been stolen. Stuck was arrested Feb. 9th without incident.

All the stolen property has been identified, except for a bicycle. The Cass County, NE., Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.

The Griswold School Board met in a regular session, Monday evening. Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News the Board reluctantly accepted some resignations that will become effective at the end of the school year, and they approved contracts for other individuals. He said Sandy England, elementary vocal and TAG teacher applied for early retirement. Two elementary teachers also resigned, including Aaron Holtman, Lewis 1^st grade teacher, and Rochelle Tweed, 5^th grade teacher at Elliott. Joe Rush and Joe Sponsler were hired as Special Education van drivers, Helen Riley and Brooke Palmer were hired as 1-to-1 Special Ed aids at Elliott.

The Griswold Board heard from representatives with KPE architects and Estes Construction, with regard to the District’s facilities projects. Henrichs said they presented their recommendations in terms of bid packages. He said the bids came in $7,000 under what they expected, so the Board awarded the bid packages to those bidders. The next step, according to Henrichs, is for Estes Construction to send out the contracts. A construction timeline will be developed as well, with construction tentatively set to begin the first week of April, weather permitting. At some point thereafter, a ground breaking ceremony will take place.

Henrichs said also the School Board elected to buy a cirrus electronic sign for $17,000, to replace the one that was damaged. The new sign will be placed in front of the school. Installation of the sign and related groundskeeping work will be handled by the Booster Club. The Board also authorized the administration to go out for bids with regard to new bus, and were informed a joint board meeting will be held with Lenox in a few weeks to talk about continuing sharing of the Superintendent’s position. The tentative date for the meeting is March 8^th, in Griswold.

Henrichs said also, that the first negotiations with the Certified Bargain Unit will be held February 27^th.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says a woman from Lorimor, reported February 11th, that sometime in the previous two days, someone entered her home and took several items, including: a 55” Sony TV; 40” Sony TV; a paycheck; money; an IPod; a Yamaha stereo receiver; a stereo equalizer; blue ray player; X-Box and 3 games; jewelry; red RCA tablet; a pink RCA tablet; watches; oil lamps a Milwaukee 16 drawer tool box and tools, along with chocolate covered cherries. The estimated value of those items amounted to $7,600.

Red Oak Police report one person complained of pain but was not transported to the hospital, following an accident that happened at around 8:14-a.m. today (Tuesday). Officials say 29-year old Amber Nicole Gonzalez, of Red Oak, was driving a 2003 Dodge Caravan northbound on N. 8th Street, and had stopped at the intersection with E. Corning Street. She proceeded into the intersection, where her vehicle was struck by a westbound 2009 Ford pickup, driven by 65-year old Lloyd Leon Youngberg, of Red Oak.

Gonzalez told police that because of the ice, she could not get across the intersection. She was issued a written warning for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign. Damage from the collision amounted to $8,000. Gonzalez, who was wearing her seat belt, complained of pain, but refused transport to the hospital.

MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (AP) — Investigators say they can’t be certain what caused a fire in downtown Missouri Valley that killed two people. The Daily Nonpareil reports that the investigation into the Thanksgiving Day blaze has ended.

The fire was reported about 7:45 a.m. Nov. 23 at CTI Electronics. The bodies of 44-year-old Stacy Larsen and 44-year-old Chad Stevens were found in the building. Their deaths were ruled accidental.
The State Fire Marshal Division says the damage where the fire started and the lack of witnesses kept investigators from concluding what sparked the blaze. The agency listed a possible cause: flammable vapors from an aerosol can ignited by an open flame, most likely from a candle.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports six people were arrested last week, including a man who was turned over to Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Sheriff Jeff Vandewater says 28-year old Eduardo Salinas-Landero, of Des Moines, was transferred from Cass to Adair County, Feb. 14th, under the authority of an Adair County warrant for Failure to Appear in court on a 5th Degree Theft charge. Salinas-Landero was transferred that same day to officials with HS/ICE.

Also arrested Feb. 14th, was 31-year old Jeremiah Justus Grayson, of Omaha. Grayson was stopped on Interstate 80 by an Iowa State Patrol Trooper at mile marker 74. When the Trooper approached, he could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A records check indicated Grayson was Driving under a suspended license for non-payment of Iowa fine. He was cited for Operating a vehicle without insurance, and operating while suspended. Grayson was arrested for Possession of Marijuana/1st offense and Driving Under Suspension. He was released later that same day on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

On Feb. 15th, 35-year old Justin Patrick Beaman, of Adel, (formerly of Stuart), was arrested on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation.  Beaman was being held without bond in the Adair County Jail. Taken into custody Feb. 16th, was 47-year old Thomas Matthew Connors, III, of Omaha. Connors was arrested on an Adair County warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense. He was also held without bond in the Adair County Jail. Also arrested Feb. 16th, was 28-year old Jordan Clay Walton, of Sterling, KS, and 20-year old Megan Riley Wilker, of Orient.

Wilker was arrested in Bridgewater for Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense (Meth), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (multiple meth pipes in her coat pocket, and a water bong inside her purse). Wilker was released later that same day on a $2,000 cash or surety bond. Walton was arrested in Bridgewater, for Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense, Possession of Meth, and Carrying Weapons. In his possession was a digital scale, a meth water bong, and zig zag rolling papers. He was also arrested for possessing in his vehicle, 168 Alprazolam pills, and marijuana. A pistol fell out of Walton’s vehicle and onto the ground when he attempted to step out of the Chevy Silverado. A loaded magazine was found on the floorboard, near his feet. Walton did not have a permit to carry weapons.  He was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $3,000 cash or surety bond.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports four recent arrests. At around 1:36-a.m. Monday, Pott. County Deputy Zach Norman attempted a traffic stop for speeding, on a 2013 Chrysler 200, in the area of 214th and Highway 92. The vehicle failed to stop and attempted to elude law enforcement. The driver, 23-year old Justice Joseph Bridgeford, of Omaha, was taken into custody about 10-minutes later, for the Theft  of a vehicle stolen from Treynor (Theft in the 1st degree), 1st Degree Criminal Mischief, for causing $11,000 damage to the vehicle, Felony eluding, reckless driving, and OWI/1st offense.

At around 1:50-a.m. Sunday, Pott. County Deputy Kurt Ferguson was dispatched to the area of 300th Street and Highway 6, for a vehicle accident, where a truck struck a power pole before the vehicle ended up on its side. Ferguson, and two other Deputies located the vehicle west of 310th and Highway 6. They made contact with the driver, 53-year old Scottie Allen Cetnar, of Red Oak, and, after an investigation, arrested him for OWI/1st offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance (1.4-grams of Meth), and Possession of Contraband. Cetnar was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital for treatment, before being booked into the Pott. County Jail.

A traffic stop on an SUV that was seen driving off Interstate 29 at mile marker 60 in Pott. County, resulted in the driver being arrested for OWI/1st offense. 61-year old Phillip Thomas Koski, of Logan, was arrested at around 2:26-a.m., Sunday, and brought to the Pott. County Jail. And, at around 11:40-p.m. Friday, 18-year old Emma Jean Martinson, of Bellevue, NE., was arrested after a deputy saw her SUV swerving near the intersection of Highway 92 and 535th Street. Martinson was in possession of 18.9-grams of marijuana and four marijuana smoking pipes, at the time of the traffic stop. She also showed signs of narcotics impairment. She was charged with Possession of Marijuana with intent to deliver, and Possession of Paraphernalia. An OWI charge was pending completion of chemical testing.

A survey of health care providers and community leaders in Iowa and six other states focused on the state of health care in rural America — and strategies to improve it. Heidi Schultz, a rural health care program officer with the Bipartisan Policy Center, says there are renewed efforts to revive rural America, but its residents continue to face greater disparities and barriers to quality health care than their urban counterparts. “What we hear the most is just concern for being able to provide the kind of health care that each community needs,” Schultz says. “These health care providers really want to do the right thing for their patients but a lot of times their hands are tied by either reimbursement mechanisms or regulations.”

A federal report finds 46-million Americans living in rural areas are at a greater risk of dying from heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke than city dwellers. Schultz says rural residents also have higher rates of obesity, tobacco and opioid use, and suicide than in urban areas. “A lot of times, it’s access to health care, it’s distance to health care and it’s our population,” Schultz says. “Our population in rural (areas) tends to be older, we have a lot of obesity and we do have a lot of people living in poverty, so there are quite a few reasons those statistics exist.”

According to the report, some of the main health care issues rural residents are struggling with include heart trouble, C-O-P-D and lung problems, and a high rate of type two diabetes. Schultz says, “We also have a lower number of mental health providers and we heard a lot in these roundtables and interviews, concern for people with mental health issues and concern for the providers that want to help them but maybe don’t have the tools they need or a place to refer them to.” One recommendation is to “rightsize” health care services to fit community needs, recognizing that every rural area is different and has different needs. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that every community needs a hospital with in-patient beds,” she says. “What we see in a lot of rural communities is the need for clinics, out-patient services, specialty care, therapies following a stroke or a severe illness.”

The report, “Reinventing Rural Health Care: A Case Study of Seven Upper Midwest States,” was created in collaboration with the Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE). In addition to Iowa, the surveys were also conducted in Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. See the full report at: bipartisanpolicy.org.

(Radio Iowa)