712 Digital Group - top

14-year old female arrested for assault on a Health Care provider

News

October 16th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County, Tuesday, arrested a 14-year old female, for Assault on a Health Care Provider. Her arrest took place following an incident at the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital. The unidentified juvenile was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs.

Villisca man faces numerous violations while already in jail

News

October 16th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Monday, charged a Villisca man, 26-year old Tra Perry, with several no contact order violations and tampering with a witness. Authorities say while incarerated at the Fremont County Jail, Perry made contact by telephone with a protected party of a valid no contact order, seven times between October 8th and 9th of 2019.

Perry was charged with seven counts of Violation of a Court Order and 1 count of Tampering with a Witness. He remains in custody at the Fremont County Jail on $43,000 bond on his previous charges of Arson 2nd Degree, Robbery 2nd Degree, Criminal Mischief 2nd Degree, Theft 2nd Degree, Domestic Assault, and a Probation Violation.

Tra Perry

No injuries reported following Tue. morning collision in Montgomery County

News

October 15th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County said no injuries were reported following a collision at around 8-a.m. Tuesday, at the intersection of Ginko Avenue and Highway 48, north of Red Oak. Authorities say a 1973 Ford Dump truck driven by Joshua D. Most, of Red Oak, was traveling north on Highway 48, and had slowed to turn left onto Ginko Avenue. A northbound 2006 Ford F-350 driven by Edward D.C. Stickland, of Red Oak, struck the right rear of the dump truck as he looked down at his phone went the device sounded.

Both vehicles came to rest in the southbound lane of Highway 48. Damage to the dump truck, owned by Lance Most, was estimated at $3,500. The pickup, registered to Badger Repair, LLC., in Red Oak, sustained about $20,000 damage. Stickland was cited for Failure to provide proof of SR-22 insurance (accident related), Driving Under Suspension, and Operating with an Expired Registration.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted by Red Oak Police and Red Oak Fire.

Harlan Police report (10/15/19)

News

October 15th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Harlan Police Department said Tuesday (today), 39-year old Tracy Michelle Inman, of Omaha, was arrested Monday following a traffic stop. Inman was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with unlawful possession of prescription drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, theft 5th, no valid driver license, improper use of registration and windshield requirements

Last Thursday, 49-year old David Dean Anderson, of Shelby, was arrested on an active warrant. Anderson was transported to the Shelby County Jail. And on October 9th, 62-year old Lea Ann Blackwell, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant. She was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

RAGBRAI Director resigns from post and is starting a new ride called Iowa’s Ride

News

October 15th, 2019 by admin

In a statement released Tuesday the Director of RAGBRAI, TJ Juskiewicz, announced his resignation from the position. Juskiewicz said he and his organizing staff will be starting a new ride called “Iowa’s Ride” that is scheduled for the week of July 19-25, 2020, which is the same week as RAGBRAI.

In the statement Juskiewicz described his frustration with not being able to speak openly to RAGBRAI patrons after the fallout from the Register’s coverage of Carson King, the Iowa State fan who turned a sign for beer money into a multi-million dollar fundraiser for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Juskiewicz said he was told by Register Editors to refer any questions to the paper’s official statement regarding their editing decisions, and to run any statements he wanted to put out through a PR firm that was hired during the fallout from the coverage.

Juskiewicz stated “I can no longer be an effective leader when my principles are compromised by the leadership of Gannett/Des Moines Register. If we balked this time, I couldn’t imag(in)e any future thoughts of making decisions in the best interest of YOU the riders and the great state of Iowa.”

The new ride will have a Northern Iowa route this year with the official route being announced in November. The new ride will directly benefit Iowa based charities. You can find out more about the new ride and sign up at www.iowasride.com.  Officials at Gannett, the parent company of the Register, said late Tuesday, that RAGBRAI will continue in 2020, and that they are committed to donating $50,000 to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. A Gannett spokeperson said the company is exploring legal all legal options, but none had been taken against Iowa Ride organizers, as of last report.

Police announce arrests in fatal Des Moines shooting

News

October 15th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines have announced the arrests of two men in the fatal shooting of another man on the city’s north side earlier this month. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said in a written statement Tuesday that Gregory Samuel Hampton Jr. and Adam Ahmad Ismail — both 18 and Des Moines residents — were being booked into the Polk County Jail. Each is charged with first-degree murder and robbery in the Oct. 10 shooting death of 23-year-old Rashid Mohamed Ibrahim.

Ibrahim was found by officers sent to investigate reports of a shooting. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Carroll doctor paying $1 million to settle allegations of Medicaid billing fraud

News

October 15th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Federal officials today announced an ear, nose and throat doctor in Carroll with clinics in eight other Iowa cities has agreed to pay one-MILLION dollars to resolve allegations of Medicaid fraud. The doctor says the settlement is not an admission of wrong doing. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cedar Rapids, Dr. Tracey Wellendorf was accused of performing sinus surgeries that did not meet Medicaid’s “medically necessary” standards or were incorrectly coded on bills submitted to Medicaid.

Officials indicate the doctor’s one-MILLION dollar payment to the government relates to as many as 115 procedures performed from the fall of 2014 through the fall of 2015. Dr. Wellendorf released a written statement, saying reasonable people can disagree about the best medical treatment options and neither he nor the clinic are admitting doing anything wrong.

Wellendorf said “there were no adverse patient outcomes” and he’s” happy and relieved” to have what he described as an “expensive, time-consuming and distracting” matter resolved. A special agent in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says Wellendorf has agreed to “intensive quarterly monitoring by an independent review organization” over the next three years.

Wellendorf says that additional scrutiny will show “complete compliance” with Medicaid regulations and professional standards. The website for Wellendorf’s Carroll clinic shows the doctor operates satellite clinics in Atlantic, Corning, Denison, Ida Grove, Jefferson, Lake City, Red Oak and Storm Lake.

Des Moines police ID human remains founded in wooded area

News

October 15th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified the person whose remains were found last week in a homeless camp near downtown Des Moines. Police said Tuesday in a news release that the remains are those of 23-year-old Marshal Aaron Terrell Johnson, of Des Moines. Police say the identification was made through “an extensive forensic examination.”

Detectives are investigating Johnson’s death as a homicide. His remains were found Oct. 8 after police received a tip that led investigators to a wooded area behind an abandoned manufacturing plant. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said at the time that the body had been “cleverly concealed.”

Police have not yet shared other details of how Johnson died and say the body was likely in the area for a few months.

Iowa governor forms panel to study criminal justice bias

News

October 15th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she is forming a working group chaired by the lieutenant governor to make recommendations for removing racial bias from the criminal justice system and to help offenders re-enter communities in a way that reduces repeat offenses. Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg is a former state public defender.

Reynolds, a Republican, also says she plans to continue to push for a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights for felons after they complete their sentences. The measure passed the House with bipartisan support in April but died after members of her own party in the Senate refused to push for it.

Reynolds says she will continue to make redemption and second changes a priority of her administration. She announced the formation of the working group at an annual NAACP meeting focused on criminal justice reform.

Workforce Housing Tax Credits Now Available for Counties Under Disaster Declaration

News

October 15th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES  – The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today (Tuesday) announced that $10 million in Workforce Housing tax credits (WHTC) are now available for qualified housing projects in the 10 Iowa counties under Presidential Disaster declaration. The funding is part of the Empower Rural Iowa Act, approved during the 2019 Iowa legislative session, and is designed to encourage housing rehabilitation and development in communities that have lost housing or can demonstrate a housing need as a result of a disaster.

To be eligible for the program, projects must be in counties that received a Presidential Disaster declaration on or after March 12, 2019 and where individuals are eligible for Individual Assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 10 counties meet the criteria mentioned.: Locally, they include:

Fremont; Harrison; Mills; Monona; Pottawattamie; Shelby and Woodbury.

Eligible projects include single-family or multi-family new construction or rehabilitation, as well as upper story housing development. The project must be completed within three years from the date it is awarded credits and include:

  •  at least four single-family homes; or
  • at least one multi-family building containing three or more units; or
  • at least two upper story housing units.
  • The project budget must include local matching funds in an amount equal to at least $1,000 per housing unit in the project. Local matching funds may include tax abatement, grants, reimbursements or other cash or cash equivalents.

Housing developers may receive tax credits of up to 20 percent of the investment related to the construction/ rehabilitation. The tax credit is based on the first $150,000 in new investment for each housing unit. The state tax credits are transferable and may be used for equity in the project. The maximum tax credit award for a project is $1 million. The actual amount of credits issued are based on final, documented project costs.

Applications are being accepted now via www.iowagrants.gov.  IEDA will accept and review applications on a first-come, first-serve basis until available tax credits are fully allocated. IEDA will issue the tax credits upon project completion.  For additional program parameters and information, please contact Nichole Hansen at nichole.hansen@iowaeda.com.