The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 19-year old Faith Leeann Clemmons, of Emerson, was arrested at the Mills County Courthouse Monday morning. Clemmons was taken into custody on a warrant for Failure to Appear, on an original, Possession of a Controlled Substance, charge, and on a warrant for Failure to Appear on Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree, Trespass and Assault charges. Her bond was set at $7,000.

At around 2-a.m. Friday, 21-year old Ariana Mersaydeze Parker, of LaVista, NE, was arrested following a traffic stop on Interstate 29, on charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance, Child Endangerment, and Speeding. Her bond was set at $3,000. And, at around 12:05-a.m. Friday, 22-year old Hawa Mabior Akur, of St. Joseph, MO., was arrested on I-29 for Driving Under Suspension, of Failure to show proof of insurance. Bond was set at $300.

Late Thursday night, 26-year old Dylan Michael Betts, of Omaha, was arrested following a traffic stop on I-29, and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was set at $1,000. At around 2:30-a.m. Thursday, 24-year old Brett Michael Zeski, of Glenwood, was arrested in Mills County for OWI/1st offense. Bond was set at $1,000.

And, on Nov. 21st, 28-year old Aaron James Smith, of Pacific Junction, was arrested in Mills County for Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was also set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) — The leaders of Iowa’s three public universities made their budget pitches to Governor Kim Reynolds, Monday. University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld is asking lawmakers to approve seven million dollars in additional financial aid for undergrads who are Iowa residents. “I’m aware, very aware, that I must sound like a broken record as I’m consistently commenting on the need to increase resources to the university,” Harreld said. “…We cannot cut our way to quality.”

University of Northern Iowa president Mark Nook says enrollment at the Cedar Falls school is down, but Nook says tuition and fees average about 25-hundred dollars ABOVE universities around the country that are like U-N-I.  “We don’t have the resources and scholarships and things to compete on the same level with Iowa and Iowa State, so it is impacting our enrollment in a pretty significant way,” Nook says. Nook is asking lawmakers for a four million dollar budget boost for U-N-I in each of the next five years.

Iowa State University president Wendy Winterstein says her staff has combed through this year’s budget and reallocated 12 million in spending. “Iowa State is proud to be recognized for our lean organizational structure, but we can’t continue to deliver excellence on efficiencies alone,” Winterstein says. “New resources are needed to be able to assure that we can continue to fulfill our land grant mission and serve the state.”

Winterstein is also asking the governor and the legislature to send I-S-U seven MILLION more state tax dollars for student financial aid. The president of the board that governs the three universities says ensuring tuition is affordable makes a college degree accessible for more Iowans.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa saved $126 million this year from privatizing its Medicaid system, barely half what former Gov. Terry Branstad projected when he forced the change in 2016, according to an audit released Monday. The report by Auditor Mary Mosiman also found officials and lawmakers have failed to file quarterly financial reports as required by state law.

She said they “should have worked together to establish a method to estimate the program cost savings” when moving from state-managed Medicaid to a system managed by for-profit health care companies. When Branstad’s administration changed the system for overseeing health care for more than 600,000 poor and disabled Iowans, he projected it would produce $232 million in savings.

His successor, Gov. Kim Reynolds, and the Department of Human Services provided a wide range of new savings estimates last year, spanning from $47 million to $234 million. Mosiman found both of those were inaccurate. A $141 million estimate released this past May was the most accurate measure, the audit said, and recommended that method of calculation be used going forward. She updated that figure to $126 million on Nov. 7.

Democratic Sen. Pam Jochum, who called for the audit, says Mosiman’s report is incomplete and doesn’t include millions of dollars the managed care organizations running the program owe doctors, hospitals and mental health care providers. “The partial review of the Medicaid privatization disaster by the departing state auditor is a big pile of excuses with no good answers for Iowa taxpayers who are being ripped off,” Jochum said in a statement.

Mosiman, a Republican lost her bid for re-election to Rob Sand, a Democrat and a former Iowa assistant attorney general who promised a full investigation into the Medicaid finances. “I was elected to provide truth, integrity, and accountability to Iowans, and they deserve more answers,” Sand said. “I will continue to dig into this issue when I assume office in January, as I promised voters.”

Democratic critics and some health care providers have questioned whether the Medicaid change really is producing any savings. DHS has poured more money into Medicaid because insurance providers claimed they were sustaining losses. Iowa officials said in August they were giving Amerigroup and UnitedHealthcare, the two companies that manage the program, an additional $103 million over last year’s funding. Jochum and others have complained Medicaid recipient care has deteriorated under the privatized system. Hospitals, doctors and mental health care providers have said they’re not paid in a timely manner and must often fight to get paid. Jochum called on Reynolds to return Iowa to a publicly managed system.

Reynolds’ Democratic opponent, Fred Hubbell, said he’d return the program to state management, but he was defeated by Reynolds in this month’s general election. Reynolds’ spokeswoman, Brenna Smith, said Iowa like 39 other states adopted privatized managed care because Medicaid was growing at an unsustainable rate. “Our state is now on a path to sustainability, and the governor is working to ensure Iowa has a program that better helps improve patient health,” she said. “The governor has already made positive changes to the program since taking office and will continue to do so.”

DHS Director Jerry Foxhoven said in a statement he hopes the audit can put to rest the question of whether privatization generates savings. “We will continue to focus on providing the needed services to Iowa’s Medicaid members and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Iowa’s Medicaid program,” he said.