A man from Missouri was being treated for undisclosed injuries at the hospital in Clarinda, Wednesday, following a search for a stolen vehicle that was first reported to have been involved in an accident. 27-year old Corey Evan Langdon, of Mound City, MO., was located by the Montgomery County K9 units following a lengthy search of the area.

The search began after the Page County Sheriff’s Office was notified at around 10:20-a.m., that a stolen vehicle, a 1999 Ford Ranger pickup that had been northbound on Highway 71, turned east onto Highway 2, entered a cornfield and rolled.  The occupant was allegedly seriously injured.  The call came to PAGECOMM dispatch from a Law Enforcement agency in Holt County Missouri.  Holt County Missouri had received the call from a relative of a person who allegedly had been in the vehicle.

Personnel from the Clarinda Fire Department, Clarinda EMS, Clarinda Police Department, and the Page County Sheriff’s Office began a search for the vehicle.  The vehicle was found north of Clarinda off Highway 71 north of 170th Street, approximately 15 yards into a field, stuck in the mud.  The vehicle had not been involved in an accident.

K-9’s from Montgomery County were sent to assist in the search by Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson on the request of Sheriff Palmer.  A several hour complete search of the area was conducted. It is unknown as to how long the vehicle had been stuck in the field prior to PAGECOMM receiving the information, but is assumed prior to sunrise due to the conditions and information gathered from area residents.

There was no word on whether charges have been filed in connection with the incident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa House subcommittee approved a bill that would legalize medical marijuana oil and create a state-run program to grow and dispense the product. People affected by epileptic seizures, multiple sclerosis and cancer spoke Wednesday in support of the bill, telling lawmakers cannabis oil helped them. The GOP-led panel unanimously supported the bill, which now moves to the House public safety committee.

The Iowa Department of Public Health would run the program, and an agency official said it was important participants receive license cards. Rep. Jared Klein, a Republican from Keota, noted the legislation doesn’t legalize recreational marijuana but only allows cannabis oil for medical treatment. He says 28 states have passed similar bills.

Iowa approved a marijuana oil program in 2014 for treatment of epilepsy. It expires this summer.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three private insurance companies that oversee Medicaid in Iowa say they expect to lose about $450 million in the first year of administering the health care program for the poor and disabled. Representatives for UnitedHealthcare, AmeriHealth Caritas and Amerigroup disclosed the estimate to lawmakers during a budget committee meeting Wednesday. The figures account for financial losses since the companies took over Medicaid last April.

AmeriHealth Caritas estimated losses in excess of $200 million; Amerigroup figured losses at about $150 million; and UnitedHealthcare estimated losses in excess of $100 million. Company representatives and the Iowa Department of Human Services say losses were expected in the first year.

It’s unclear how the figures will impact Iowa’s future Medicaid spending. The state is preparing to negotiate with the companies over how much to pay for each Medicaid patient.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Wednesday of a West Des Moines man on an outstanding warrant. At 11:00am deputies arrested 40-year-old Christopher Jon Comes of West Des Moines on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Revoked charge. Comes failed to appear for a pretrial conference on September 26, 2016. Comes was originally picked up at the Dallas County Jail and transported to the Audubon County Jail.  He is being held on $5,000 bond.  He will appear in District Court on Monday, February 27th.

The CEO of the Cass County Health System reports the Cass County Memorial Hospital has been named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by iVantage Health Analytics and The Chartis Center for Rural Health. CEO Brett Altman said today (Wednesday), “This achievement is very gratifying and validates our daily commitment to providing the best health care possible to our community, while maintaining an efficient and effective facility.  It is this commitment to excellence by staff throughout the facility that made me want to become a part of CCHS a few months ago.”

CCMH scored in the top 100 of Critical Access Hospitals on iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®. The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive rating of rural providers. It provides the data foundation for the annual Rural Relevance Study and its results are the basis for many of rural healthcare’s most prominent awards, advocacy efforts and legislative initiatives. The list of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and more information about the study can be found at www.iVantageINDEX.com.

The Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals play a key role in providing a safety net to communities across America – and the INDEX measures them across eight pillars of hospital strength: Inpatient Share Ranking, Outpatient Share Ranking, Cost, Charge, Quality, Outcomes, Patient Perspectives, and Financial Stability.

Michael Topchik, national leader of the Chartis Center for Rural Health, said “It’s more important than ever that rural hospitals proactively understand and address performance in the areas of cost, quality, outcomes and patient perspective. iVantage’s INDEX was designed to serve as this industry model. Across the spectrum of performance indicators, there are rural providers that are writing the blueprint for success as they transition to value-based healthcare. Our analysis shows that this group of top performers exhibits a focused concern for their community needs.”

Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County report a central Iowa man has been arrested on an Audubon County warrant for Failure to Appear in court for a pre-trial conference Sept. 26th, on a Driving While Revoked, charge. 40-year old Christopher Jon Comes, of West Des Moines, was extradited from the Dallas County Jail and transported to Audubon County, where he was held in the jail on $5,000 bond. Comes is scheduled to appear in District Court next Monday.

(In an update to our earlier report) – The Iowa State Patrol says a student at the Sidney High School was flown by Life Net Helicopter to Creighton Hospital in Omaha, after the 2003 Chevy Silverado pickup he was driving collided with a 2004 Sidney Community School District Bluebird School Bus this (Wednesday) morning. The driver of the pickup was identified as 18-year oldDrew Thomas Graham, of Sidney. Officials say he was not wearing a seat belt. The bus driver was identified as 60-year old Dennis Charles Golden, also of Sidney.

The Patrol says the pickup was westbound on Knox Road from Maple Road at around 8:17-a.m., when it crossed the center line and collided with the eastbound school bus. Following the collision, the pickup came to rest on the road, while the bus came to rest in the ditch.

The collision, which occurred near the Sidney Junior/Senior High School, also resulted in injuries to the bus driver and two students on the bus, all of whom were transported to the hospital as a precaution. The bus had just left the grounds to take seven students to vocational classes in Sidney, when the crash occurred.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld the use of automated speed cameras in Iowa, rejecting challenges in two separate court cases filed by citizens claiming Cedar Rapids cameras violated their constitutional rights.

In one case six car owners ticketed on Interstate 380 sought class-action status claiming the cameras violate equal protection and due process rights among others. In the second case Marla Leaf claimed the city failed to clearly prove she was speeding.

The court on Wednesday rejected each challenge saying federal courts have already declared the cameras constitutional. The attorney representing the car owners says they’ll appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court. Several other pending court cases in Iowa challenge the legality of automated cameras and a bill to ban them has resurfaced in the Iowa Legislature.