A Pottawattamie County man faces numerous charges after Council Bluffs Police responded to a report of an armed man who had stabbed a dog. Officers were dispatched to the 700 block of  S. 18th Street, where they learned a neighbor’s dog had gotten loose and attacked the dogs at 1731 8th Avenue. The owner of the dogs being attacked, 52-year old James R. Herman, of Council Bluffs, attempted to stop the attack on his dogs by striking the attacking dog with his fists. When the effort failed, he produced a knife and stabbed the attacking dog several times. The owner of the attacking dog was then able to get control of his animal. Herman, who suffered a minor laceration to his hand during the attack, then allegedly made threats to stab the owner of the dog.

James R. Herman

Officers made contact with Herman to discuss the incident, and during their investigation discovered a marijuana growing operation in his home, as well as several items of drug paraphernalia. Detectives from the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Fore were contacted and took over the investigation. A search warrant was applied for and granted, for Herman’s residence. During the search, several marijuana plants in various stages of growth, as well as miscellaneous items of drug paraphernalia, were located and seized into evidence.

James R. Herman was arrested and booked into the Pott. County Jail, on charges that include: Manufacturing marijuana (A Class D felony); Harassment in the 1st Degree; Possession of a Controlled Substance/marijuana, for personal use; and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Council Bluffs Animal Control arrived on the scene and took control of Herman’s dogs, who suffered only minor injuries during the attack. The other dog was transported by its owner to an emergency veterinary clinic for treatment. A report on its condition was not available.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is taking public comments on changes to regulations for falconry. D-N-R Wildlife Research Supervisor, Chris Ensminger, says the changes would allow you to use native birds.”We’re looking at the possibility of providing people the opportunity to take falcons for use in hunting. So, it’s not harvesting obviously falcons obviously, it using them for hunting scenarios,” Ensminger says. He says the change is due in part to the resurgence of the birds in Iowa.”Those populations have grown and are doing very well,” Ensminger says, “We also have a large number of bird that migrate through the state. And so there’s opportunities there for those individuals who participate in falconry to use that resource.”

Falcons can be trained to hunt various prey by those licensed to do so. “There’s different seasons for those things… what we are looking at is possibly expanding those opportunities,” Ensminger says. The public comment period is open through November 8th.  Comments should be emailed to wildlife@dnr.iowa.gov.

(Radio Iowa)

WEST BRANCH, Iowa (AP) — A substitute teacher who pleaded guilty to being drunk at an eastern Iowa school has lost her state license. The Des Moines Register reports that the Iowa Board of Education Examiners suspended the teaching license of 60-year-old Kiaya Rickard-Urban for a minimum of two years. She can then apply for reinstatement.

Rickard-Urban had a blood alcohol content of 0.192 when tested at West Branch High School in West Branch in October 2016. Students had reported to administrators that Richard-Urban smelled of alcohol and wasn’t acting right. Court documents say Rickard-Urban pleaded guilty in December to first-offense public intoxication. She received a suspended jail sentence, a year of probation and was ordered to undergo substance abuse evaluation and treatment.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies early this (Friday) morning, arrested 47-year old Matthew Kevin Miller, of Red Oak. Miller was taken into custody at the intersection of Highway 34 and L Avenue at around 4:10-a.m., and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was charged with Violation of a No Contact Order. His bond was set at $2,000.

ATLANTIC – Enrollment for Healthcare Marketplace Exchange consumers opened on November 1st, and help is available through regional ACA (Affordable Care Act) Navigators. ACA Navigators work one-on-one with individuals to complete enrollment, weigh options, and answer questions on Marketplace plans and Medicaid. Cass County Health System (CCHS) Chief Financial Officer Abbey Stangl, says “We are happy to host the Navigators at CCHS, and we encourage customers to make an appointment as soon as possible.”

All prior year’s enrollees are strongly encouraged to meet with the ACA Navigator to update information and review new plans available on the healthcare.gov website. December 15th is the last day to enroll for coverage to start on January 1st, and January 31st is the final day to sign up for 2017 coverage.

All meetings with the Navigators are by appointment only, and they are private. Consumers are asked to bring important information with them, such as addresses, social security numbers, income information, and policy numbers for any current health insurance plans for all members of the household. Also, if you have an existing account in the Marketplace, bring your login information for access during your appointment.

For more information or to make an appointment, please call either Melissa Namanny at 712-250-8111 or Val Gifford at 712-250-8047. Available appointment times are on:  Tuesday, November 7, from 10 am to 2 pm  Saturday, December 2, from 10 am to 2 pm  Saturday, December 9, from 10 am to 2 pm  Tuesday, December 12, from 2 pm to 6 pm Additional dates and times in Council Bluffs can be arranged by appointment as well.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies, Thursday, arrested 54-year old Laura P. Cade, of Villisca.  Cade was taken into custody for Disorderly Conduct, at around 6:50-p.m., following an incident at the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

The company that’s ending its contract with the state to manage care for more than 200-thousand Iowa Medicaid patients is laying off hundreds of employees.

AmeriHealth Caritas was one of three private companies that signed the deal with state officials to manage care for poor, disabled and elderly Iowans enrolled in Medicaid. AmeriHealth has notified the Iowa Workforce Development agency that about 400 of its Iowa-based employees will likely be laid off in December.

AmeriHealth’s Medicaid contract with the state ends November 30th. Tens of thousands of Iowans have had their medical care managed by AmeriHealth for the past year and a half. They will be assigned to one of the two remaining private insurers managing Medicaid patient care for the state.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:50 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Republican power couple who work in Iowa’s executive branch are facing scrutiny after moonlighting as agents of Saudi Arabia to oppose a new law allowing victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to sue the kingdom. Kim and Connie Schmett registered as foreign agents and received $101,500 for work in which they recruited veterans to lobby against the law. Connie Schmett says it was an oversight that she failed to list her consulting on an income disclosure for Iowa officials.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An official says the state will utilize a range of options to address an additional $60 million it plans to spend for private insurance companies to keep running the state’s Medicaid program. Iowa Department of Human Services spokesman Matt Highland says the agency will pay the insurance companies nearly $20 million directly for so-called capitation rates that are distributed on behalf of each Medicaid patient. The remaining money will come by carving out other expenses and internal savings.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A 30-year-old Cedar Rapids man has pleaded guilty in federal court to distributing child pornography. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Iowa says Craig Watters entered the plea Wednesday in Cedar Rapids’ federal court. At the hearing, Watters said that he knowingly distributed child pornography in 2014 and that he had been convicted of receiving child porn in 2009.

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — DowDuPont has announced it’s seeking a buyer for its 30-million gallon, $225 million cellulosic ethanol plant in central Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that DowDuPont has shuttered operations at the Nevada, Iowa, plant and cut 90 workers. The cellulosic ethanol plant, which opened in 2015, is considered the next generation in renewable fuel production. It uses corncobs, husks and stalks to produce the biofuel. A skeleton crew will maintain the plant until a new buyer is found.

Atlantic Specialty Care received a rating of 4 out 5 in the U.S. News & World Report 2017-18 Nursing Home Finder report released last month. The report uses existing federal nursing home rating information and federally reported health care data to come up with their own rating system. Criteria such as annual state survey results, medical quality measures, staffing levels and rehabilitation outcomes are all formulated to reach the rating. More than 15,000 skilled nursing facilities in the United States were reviewed.

Administrator Kellie Jimerson says the caring environment the staff provide every day is the reason for their success. In a statement to the media, Jimerson said “We have such a great staff who take pride in what they do and how they care for our residents. Being named a top nursing home by U.S. News and World Report’s Nursing Home Finder is an achievement based on certain measurements. We don’t receive this distinction unless we meet high standards. It’s our caring staff who make the difference.”

Atlantic Specialty Care is a non-profit, 90-bed skilled nursing facility offering rehabilitation services, skilled nursing care, long term care and hospice care. Its parent organization is Care Initiatives, which serves over 3,000 Iowans through 44 skilled nursing care locations, eight assisted living locations, three senior housing apartment locations, and six hospice office locations.

Contrary to some yard signs you may have seen in Atlantic, a local realtor says he’s NOT running for Mayor of Atlantic. Dale Gross said in a statement from Chicago, where he was attending a meeting, that he’s had contact with several of his Atlantic friends about signs suggesting his name as a Write-In for Mayor of Atlantic.

Gross said he did not authorize the grassroots effort, and furthermore is “NOT running and do not wish to be Mayor. No one has permission (from him) to place [the] yard signs” saying anything to the contrary.

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones is running for re-election, and is un-opposed in the bid for the Nov. 7th City election.