Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic said Monday, Dr. Ojash Raval will begin his medical practice Cass County Health System on Tuesday, September 23rd. Dr. Raval will provide comprehensive family medicine services, including obstetrics. He will care for patients at Atlantic Medical Center and Cass County Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Raval (Photo supplied)

Dr. Raval grew up in Fort Dodge, and earned his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University with a double major in Biology and Psychology. He graduated from the Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center in 2011. After completing a one-year internship at St. Petersburg General Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, he returned to Des Moines to complete his family medicine residency at Mercy Hospital Family Medicine Residency program in Des Moines.

Dr. Raval moved to Atlantic earlier this summer. To schedule an appointment, contact Atlantic Medical Center at 712-243-2850.

The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt is coming to Cass County. State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald is gearing up for his fall publication in hopes of returning lost money to its rightful owner.  Fitzgerald says the State is holding more than $628,800 for Cass County residents in the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt.

“Throughout the years, (he says), we have had tremendous success returning unclaimed property in Cass County. We have returned (just over $299,200) for people in Cass County, but we are always looking for more individuals. The fall publication signifies the names of people that had funds turned over to the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt within the last year.”

The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program has returned over $182 million in unclaimed property to more than 438,000 individuals since Fitzgerald started it in 1983. Unclaimed property refers to money and other assets held by financial institutions or companies that have lost contact with the property’s owner for a specific period of time.

State law requires these institutions and companies to annually report and deliver unclaimed property to the state treasurer’s office, where it is held until the owner or heir of the property is found. Common forms of unclaimed property include savings or checking accounts, stocks, uncashed checks, life insurance policies, utility security deposits, and safe deposit box contents.

Check the unclaimed property database to see if the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt has property belonging to you. Simply visit greatiowatreasurehunt.com to begin your search. Be sure to like Great Iowa Treasure Hunt on Facebook and follow the program on Twitter @GreatIATreasure.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Saying that it’s getting near the time for him to retire and enjoy other activities in life, especially spending time with his grandchildren, Atlantic Parks and Recreation Director Roger Herring, Monday, told the Parks and Rec. Board that it’s time to start looking for someone to succeed him. He said “As I look down the road…I’m proud of all the things we’ve accomplished, yet there’s more to do…when I took this position, I committed to five-years…I will fulfill my five-years, but…I’m not getting any younger and there’s things I want to do.”

Herring has a little less than two-year remaining on his five-year commitment. He’s spoken with Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones and City Administrator Doug Harris, about the possibility of hiring a full-time assistant to work alongside him and learn the ropes. Herring says the assistant would learn the Operations aspect of the department, which would allow Herring to work on other, important aspects of the job, such as grant-writing.

Herring said he has a person in mind for the position, but it would be premature to announce anything at this time. He said he would like to have someone in-place later this winter or early next spring. The person hired would be responsible for some of the labor intensive parts of the job, as well as learning the administrative aspects.

Mayor Jones said he backs Herring’s request for an assistant. He said he’ll meet next week with the City’s Personnel and Finance Committee to discuss funding for the position.

Two Red Oak residents were arrested late Monday night on alcohol-related charges. According to Red Oak Police, 21-year old Dalton Paul Valentin was arrested at around 11:45-p.m., while 53-year old Kathy Leona Palmquist, was arrested at around 11:30-p.m. Both were charged with Public Intoxication and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where their bonds were set at $300 each.

A cow was put down after suffering multiple injuries when it was hit by a pickup truck Monday evening, in Montgomery County. Sheriff’s officials say Jacob R. Lindgren was traveling north on M Avenue just after 9-p.m., when the 1999 Ford F-250 he was driving topped a hill about a half-mile south of 250th Street, and collided with the cow, which was in the middle of the road. Lindgren saw the animal and tried to stop, but was unable to do so in-time.

The cow’s owner, Andy Larson, confirmed the animal was his, and that there had been an issue with a fence on his property that he thought had been repaired to keep his animals confined to the pasture.

The pickup, registered to Mark V. Lindgren, sustained $4,000 damage. The cow was valued at $2,300. No citations were issued.

The driver of a speeding car that struck another vehicle Monday afternoon in Red Oak, was later cited for Operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license. According to Red Oak Police, the accident happened at around 3:38-p.m. at the corner of 5th and Elm Streets in Red Oak.

An investigation determined a 1996 Plymouth Neon driven by Wilmer Altuzar Ramos, of Red Oak, was traveling east on Elm Street and collided with a southbound 2004 Pontiac Grand Am, driven by Sheryl Lynne Franzen, of Red Oak. Franzen told officers the other vehicle had been speeding through the intersection when it hit her car.

After the collision, the Neon spun around and was facing westbound. Witnesses told police they saw four Hispanic males in the vehicle. At least two of them switched seats and a new driver took control before the vehicle took off. The car was later located at 108 W. Walnut Street.

The persons in the vehicle admitted to police they had switched drivers after the accident. Both of the individuals received citations for Driving without a license. Damage from the crash amounted to more than $11,000.  No injuries were reported.

Iowa State University’s provost, Jonathan Wickert, is in Washington, D-C today with administrators from 10 other research universities to announce a program called the University Innovation Alliance. “The goal of the alliance is really to share innovations among the 11 schools that will help low-income and first-generation students succeed and get college degrees,” according to Wickert. Wickert says the work will continue over the next three to five years.

“We know that there is an achievement gap for low-income students — first to be able to come a university — and then actually be able to complete the program,” Wickert says. “And as we look at the nation’s workforce needs, we know that universities around the country need to redouble efforts to help those students.” Each of the schools has been trying different approaches to the problem, and Wickert says that’s what he’ll find out about.

“The entire concept behind the innovation is for each school to share the best practices that they have. So for us, we want to be able to learn from the other ten schools what has worked for them, and how we can deploy that here at Iowa State,” Wickert says. He will share Iowa State’s use of what are called learning communities.

“We’ve had learning communities at Iowa State University for about 20 years,” Wickert explains.”And we’ve found that it is a great program to improve the retention of students at the university, and also to increase their graduation rate. And we’ll be sharing with the other ten schools.” The other the universities founding this project are: Arizona State, Georgia State, Michigan State, Oregon State, Purdue, Ohio State, University of Central Florida, University of Kansas, University of Texas at Austin, University of California, Riverside.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A county in southern Iowa will get disaster assistance to respond to severe weather, Gov. Terry Branstad issued a disaster proclamation for Union County. The county suffered damage after severe storms and rain on Sept. 9. Under the declaration, the county can use state resources to recover from the storm.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a man found dead at a Council Bluffs golf course pond. The body of Josey Janssen, 33, was found Friday at the Council Bluffs Country Club. The Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office and police said Janssen’s cause of death was accidental drowning.

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) — A hearing has been scheduled for the man accused of killing a 5-year-old northern Iowa girl in 2005. The hearing is set Tuesday in Bremer County for Casey Frederiksen. He’s charged with first-degree murder in the June 2005 slaying of Evelyn Miller, whose body was found along the Cedar River. Frederiksen, 35, was charged in 2012 with the girl’s death. Authorities said Frederiksen was living with Evelyn’s mother in Floyd when the girl was killed.

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Tuesday hearing has been scheduled for the man accused of killing a 5-year-old northern Iowa girl in 2005. Casey Frederiksen is charged with first-degree murder in the June 2005 slaying of Evelyn Miller, whose body was found along the Cedar River. Frederiksen, 35, was charged in 2012 with the girl’s death. Authorities said Frederiksen was living with Evelyn’s mother in Floyd when the girl was killed.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City woman faces child endangerment and neglect charges in connection to the April death of her infant son, according to authorities. Rebekah Williams-McCarthy, 24, was charged Friday in Woodbury County District Court with child endangerment resulting in the death of a child and neglect of a dependent person, according to the Sioux City Journal. She faces an additional two counts of neglect of a dependent person in connection with her two other children.

Williams-McCarthy is accused of depriving her two-month son, Leonard Williams, of food and health care. The child died at the end of April. Woodbury County Attorney Patrick Jennings said in a complaint and affidavit against Williams-McCarthy that an autopsy showed Leonard died of malnutrition and dehydration.

Court documents filed in the case say Williams-McCarthy failed to take the baby to doctor appointments and did not pick up vouchers for baby formula. They also say the apartment in which she lived with her children was not safe for them. Williams-McCarthy is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 22.

Leonard’s father, Michael Williams, 26, has pleaded not guilty to neglect of a dependent person in connection to the death. He carried the baby into a hospital before the child was pronounced dead.Jennings said in his complaint against Williams-McCarthy that she told an Iowa Department of Human Services worker that she knew Williams smoked marijuana in front of the children and had been feeding Leonard sugar water.