Police in Creston, late Tuesday morning, arrested 24-year old Zachery Chumbley, of Creston. Chumbley was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. He was released from custody soon thereafter, on a Promise to Appear in court.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – An eastern Iowa hospital has announced layoffs and staff hour reductions that will affect 65 employees. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that Mercy Iowa City will also eliminate 50 positions through attrition and planned retirements. The Roman Catholic health care system says the reductions are a result of a “challenging health care environment” and a competitive Iowa City market. Hospital officials say the reductions will primarily affect administrative and support workers.

Mercy Iowa City announced earlier this year that it would become affiliated with the statewide Mercy Health Network, headquartered in West Des Moines. It previously tried to negotiate a partnership with Cedar Rapids-based UnityPoint Health, a move designed to increase operational efficiency. The hospitals later agreed not to pursue an affiliation.

MORAVIA, Iowa – Iowans with a passion for the rights of those with developmental disabilities are gathered in Moravia to discuss topics including new state policies impacting their lives, money management and coping with the challenges inherent with intellectual and physical disabilities. Rik Shannon, the public policy manager for the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council, says he hopes the three-day “Make Your Mark Self-Advocacy Conference” achieves one over-arching purpose. “It mobilizes Iowans with disabilities as advocates and as included and contributing members of the communities that they live in,” he says.

(Photo by Steve Buissinne/Pixabay)

Approximately 350,000 Iowans have some sort of disability. Shannon says there is strength in those numbers. He argues that if those individuals harness their collective voices, they can more effectively advocate for change that allows them to live independently and effectively. Shannon says they’ll look at new policies and regulations that define where it’s permissible for states to pay for Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services. “Others of our sessions are intended to build or enhance skills that contribute to successful community living and, as a result of that, greater independence,” he adds.

Shannon says some of those skills are very basic but vital. The ability to cope with stress and to build confidence are among them.

(Iowa News Service)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – County officials have approved emergency repairs to an aging Iowa courthouse with several deteriorating columns. The Sioux City Journal reports that the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors approved the work Tuesday for the courthouse in Sioux City. The work is scheduled for October and will take roughly a week to complete. It’s expected to cost roughly $22,000, less than the $50,000 originally predicted.

Cedar Rapids-based Vector Construction will try to stop corrosion on the columns by applying a coat of zinc that will meld with the existing steel-reinforcing bars. Officials say column deterioration exposed rusty rebar within the column pilings, causing large pieces of concrete to break away. The vote marks the third time in 18 months officials have ordered courthouse repairs.