A bankruptcy court has approved the sale of the Mercy Iowa City hospital to University of Iowa. Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports.

A statement from the U-I says they are committed to offering employment to all Mercy Iowa City employees in good standing. The statement says they plan to conduct an in-depth analysis of the health care needs of Iowa City and there will be no immediate changes for patients, employees, or physicians. Their plan is for the two organizations to officially merge in early 2024.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is now caring for the 46 horses that were seized from a property in Dallas County near Madrid (MAD-rid) last week. The Dallas County Sheriff charged the owner of the horses, 78-year-old Linda Kilbourne of Johnston, with livestock neglect — and says more charges are pending. Robyn Dobernecker (DOB-er-necker), the A-R-L’s animal welfare intervention coordinator, says the property owner did not surrender custody of the horses, which means a legal battle looms.

She says it’s taken several days to physically move all of the horses to the A-R-L facility, get them all assessed, and start giving them the medical treatment they desperately needed. Dobernecker says the horses were living in heartbreaking conditions.

It’s incredibly expensive to care for a single horse, and suddenly having nearly four dozen of them — many in poor condition — is putting a strain on the agency’s resources.

The website is A-R-L-dash-iowa-dot-org (ARL-Iowa.org). Dobernecker was at the property in Dallas County last week and has been on many such calls during her career.

If the A-R-L is granted custody of the horses, she says they’ll eventually be put up for adoption, once they’re healthy.

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and Hy-Vee stores are once again joining forces to honor Iowa’s military members during Hy-Vee Homefront, Hy-Vee’s annual Veterans Day breakfast. Hy-Vee will host a free breakfast at all Iowa store locations for veterans and active service members on Friday, November 10. Hy-Vee will also be circulating the Iowa Secretary of State’s “Honor A Veteran” postcards, encouraging Iowans to honor a loved one who has served our country.

“We really cannot say thank you enough to Iowa’s veterans and active military members,” said Secretary Pate. “We look forward to partnering with Hy-Vee every year for this opportunity to celebrate the brave Iowa men and women who have stepped up to serve their country and defend our freedoms.” Veterans and active-duty military will be able to receive this free breakfast between 6 A.M. and 10 A.M on November 10 in honor of Veterans Day at any Iowa Hy-Vee store. This event also serves as a way for the community to show their appreciation and gratitude to our local service members.

Secretary Pate’s ‘Honor a Veteran with your Vote’ program is another way individuals can show thanks to Iowa veterans.“These brave men and women have fought tirelessly for our freedoms, including our right to vote, and there is no better way to honor their service than by exercising that right and honoring them with our vote,” said Secretary Pate.

Secretary Pate and Hy-Vee have partnered to supply approximately 36,000 ‘Honor A Veteran’ postcards for Iowans to fill out on Veterans Day. Service members can use these postcards to write a tribute to a fellow service member, a loved one, themselves, or to give to a loved one to complete. These postcards will be returned to the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office and tributes will be posted online at sos.iowa.gov/HonorAVeteran and Facebook.com/HonorAVeteran.

Both the person who creates the tribute and the service member, if they are still with us, will receive an ‘Honor A Veteran’ lapel pin from Secretary Pate in the mail. Pin recipients are encouraged to wear their pin with pride while voting. Secretary Pate hopes to inspire Iowans to participate in this breakfast and complete the postcards to honor Iowa service members this Veterans Day.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report two recent arrests. Sunday morning, 50-year-old Orlando Elisha Norwood was arrested at the Harrison County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Barred, charge. Bond was set at $2,000.

And, Friday afternoon, 33-year-old Bryan Michael Vannausdle, of Creston, was arrested in Mills County, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond at the Mills County Jail was set at $5,000.

(Radio Iowa) – A retired Iowa Air National Guard member who became a symbol of the effort to save lives in the crash of United Flight 232 at the Sioux City Airport in 1989 has died. Colonel Dennis Nielsen of the 185th Air wing was caught in a photo carrying three-year-old Spencer Bailey from the plane wreckage following the crash. Gary Brown was Woodbury County’s Emergency Services Director at the time and was also a friend of Nielsen. “Denny was a very humble person. He did not enjoy the notoriety that came with that photograph,” Brown says. “But he also was respectful of the fact that his photograph was representing the hundreds and hundreds of emergency responders in the hundreds of people from the military and the 185th.”

Flight 232 Spirit of Siouxland Memorial featuring Colonel Dennis Nielsen

The picture by Sioux City Journal Photographer Gary Anderson later became the model for the Spirit of Siouxland Sculpture on the Sioux City riverfront. Sioux City’s response to the disaster was praised across the country. Brown says Nielsen was an early member of the local team that train for such emergencies. “Denny first joined with us in the disaster committee preparedness when it was first established back in the 80s. He was assigned there by Commander Dennis Swanstrom and he was an amazing ambassador for the 185th,” he says. Nielsen retired from the 185th Air Wing in 202 and moved to Raleigh North Carolina, where he died in September at the age of 76. Brown kept in touch with Nielsen.

“We’re gonna miss Denny, he’s an Iowa boy he was born in Shelby, Iowa on February of 1947,” Brown says. “And I’m going to miss him personally we just wish him a speedy journey.” The plane crashed and cartwheeled down the runway, but the effort of first responders helped save 184 of the 296 people on board the plane.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Guthrie County Deputy Sheriff/Jail Administrator Jesse Swensen, today (Monday, 11/6/23), released reports on October jail statistics for Guthrie County. Swensen said “We processed 54 inmates through the jail in October and netted approximately $22,500 from holding out of county inmates.” He commended his staff, “…and the Heart of Iowa staff as [they] took in two problem inmates from other counties that they were unable to house due to their behavior and mental status.”

You can view the Average [Jail] Population, October billing and October Summary of Jail activity, by clicking on the pdf forms below:

Average Population October

October Billing

October Summary

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports three arrests from over the past week. On Oct. 29th, Police in Adair arrested 33-year-old Juan Everado Estrada-Calderon, Jr., of Omaha, for OWI/1st offense. He was later released on a Recognizance Bond (ROR).

On Oct. 30th, 36-year-old Lee Delmar Goll, of Ankeny, was arrested by Adair County Sheriff’s Deputies on 380th Street, in Stuart, on two counts Contempt of Court/Violation of a No Contact Order. Goll was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $5,000 cash-only bond.

And, Deputies arrested 42-year-old Stormy Allen, of Stuart, on November 1st, for Violation of Probation. She was released the following day on the Own Recognizance.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Schildberg Recreation Area on the northwest side of Atlantic will be the scene this Thursday, for the stocking of well over 200 rainbow trout. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is partnering with Atlantic Parks and Recreation and Optimal Aquafeed, to load the small pond at the SRA with the fish Thursday afternoon.

DNR Fisheries Biologist Bryan Hayes says this is “something new, something unique, something we’ve never done before.”

The trout are making the road trip to Atlantic from Shenandoah.

The pond 1 at the Schildberg Recreation Area was selected for stocking because of its small size and proximity to Atlantic.

Hayes says the trout range from three-quarters of pound to as much as four-pounds.

Anglers must have a valid fishing license and pay the $14.50 trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of ten. Children aged 15 or younger can fish for trout with an appropriately licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit. The child can buy a trout fee, allowing them to catch their limit of five trout.

For more information, contact Bryan Hayes at 712-769-2587.

(Sidney, Iowa) – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports numerous arrests from Oct. 8th through November 3rd. Most recently, on November 3rd, Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to 155th Street in Thurman, for a report of shots fired.

Kitchens

Deputies allege 65-year-old Daniel Jay Kitchens, of Thurman, discharged a firearm in the air and then pointed it a neighbor over a property dispute. Kitchens was arrested for Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, Going Armed with Intent, Assault while displaying a Dangerous Weapon, Disorderly Conduct, Obstructing a Street, Reckless Use of a Firearm. His bond was set at $18,300.

Two people were arrested on drug charges in Fremont County. 29-year-old Miesha Prince, of Omaha, was arrested Oct. 8th in Fremont County, for Possession with Intent to Distribute, Marijuana, Possession of Drug paraphernalia. She was released after posting bond. And, on Oct. 13th, Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 41-year-old Randall Eric Crawford, of Sidney, for OWI/2nd Offense, two counts Child Endangerment, Assault on a Corrections Officer, Possession of Marijuana/1st Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Crawford was being held in the Fremont County Jail on a $2,000 cash bond.

Prince

Crawford

Four people were arrested on a variety of Theft-relates charges in Fremont County. On Oct. 24th, 42-year-old Justin William Wake, of Glenwood, was arrested for Failure to Appear. He was later charged with Identity theft, in an unrelated case. Wake was being held on an $8,000 cash bond. He posted $2,000 cash/surety bond on the Identity Theft case. Deputies were assisted by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office. On Oct. 25th, deputies arrested 28-year-old Alex Joseph Tobin, of Sidney, for Burglary 2nd Degree. He was released and the case was dismissed.

Justin Wake

Alex Tobin

On November 1st, deputies arrested 29-year-old Brooke Marie Johnson, age 29 of Shelby, and 40-year-old Jonathan Patrick Antrim, age 40 of Council Bluffs, for in the Theft 1st Degree, a Class C Felony. Their arrests stemmed from an investigation that began in August, when Antrim and Johnson were allegedly found to be in possession of power tools reported stolen in two construction vehicle burglaries in Omaha, as well as other tools believed to be stolen. The tools were valued over $11,000. Deputies also arrested Johnson for Operating a Vehicle without Owner’s Consent. Both Johnson and Antrim were released after posting 10% of $2,000 bond after their initial appearance with the Fremont County Magistrate.

Antrim

Johnson

Also arrested on November 1st, was 43-year-old Jennifer Rae Wake, of Glenwood. She was taken into custody on two counts of Failure to Appear, and Identity Theft. Jennifer Wake was being held on $11,000 bond in the Fremont County Jail.

Jennifer Wake

In other activity:

• Fremont County Deputies arrested 49-year-old Kara Marcine Lorimor, of Sidney, on Oct. 17th, for Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct. She was released on time served.
• 37-year-old Jamie Leah Flora, of Sidney, was arrested Oct. 20th, for Domestic Abuse. She was released on bond. And, 34-year-old Jonathan Michael Lawler, of Bellevue, Nebraska, was arrested on an out of state warrant. Lawler was released to another agency.
• On Oct. 27th, deputies arrested 31-year-old Ambriea Rose Chandler, of Sidney, on an out of state warrant. She was released on her own recognizance. And, 60-ye
  

  Chandler

  

  Ferguson

  

  Martinson

  ar-old Stephen Dale Ferguson, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse and OWI 2nd Offense. He was being held on $3,000 cash/surety bond.

• On Oct. 31st, deputies arrested 32-year-old Nicholas Todd Martinson, of Omaha, Nebraska, on an out of state warrant. He was released to another agency.
  

  Lorimor

  

  Flora

  

  Lawler

Sherif Aistrope reports that in October 2023, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office took 954 calls for service.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Shawn Sarsfield, owner of Cheqed It Training, on Thursday, November 2nd, 2023, to learn more about the unique local business. Sarsfield is an Atlantic native who grew up just outside of town. He moved away for a short period of time, but ultimately moved back to the area. After an on-the-job accident, his crew was thrown into extensive training and Shawn found his passion for instructing. Fast forward to 2017 when the time came for Shawn to venture out on his own, and Chequed It Training was established.

Today, Chequed It Training hosts monthly 4-to 5-day training at their facility in Atlantic, where professionals from around the country come to learn under Shawn’s custom curriculum. Cheqed It certifications include all types of cranes, along with forklifts, areal lifts, scissor lifts, OSHA certifications and more.

Shawn says he is in the process of working alongside regional high schools to create a 3–to 4-week program that will allow students to become qualified on different equipment, giving them an upper hand when they seek a career immediately after high school. “My goal,” he says, “is to get these students into the seat of a crane and allow them to see if this field is right for them and find out if this work is fun for them.” Sarsfield also mentioned that he is constantly being approached by companies in search of qualified workers. “The job can pay very well if you do it well,” he said.

Cheqed It Training is located at 1007 W. 6th Street in Atlantic. To learn more information, visit https://www.cheqedit.com/ or call Shawn at (712) 249-4598