Officials with the Cass County Health System report Rebecca Jenkins, Doctor of Osteopathic medicine, will be providing care at Atlantic Medical Center through the end February. Beth Spieker, Chief Clinic Administrator., says Dr. Jenkins will be available Monday – Thursday, 8 am – 5 pm, to provide general family medical care for patients of all ages.

Spieker said “With the recent retirement of Dr. Wilcox, we find ourselves a little short-staffed right now. We want to be sure we are able to meet our patients’ healthcare needs so we are very pleased to be able to bring Dr. Jenkins in to help out for a while.”

Dr. Jenkins is a board-certified family medicine physician.  She graduated from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences (now Des Moines University) in 1990.  She completed a family medicine residency with an additional one year gynecological/obstetrical fellowship at St. Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center in Youngstown, Ohio in 1994.

Dr. Jenkins has provided general family medical care for over 20 years, and has practiced in Mason City, Iowa since 1998. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Jenkins, call Atlantic Medical Center at 712-243-2850.

Dr. Jenkins (Photo submitted by CCHS)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ” Six employees of a southwest Iowa state facility that treats clients with intellectual or developmental disabilities have been fired and six others resigned after state officials investigated complaints of physical and verbal abuse. Disciplinary action has been taken against five other staff members and one action is pending.

The Iowa Department of Human Services said Wednesday its investigation found seven clients at the Glenwood State Resource Center were physically abused and 13 were subjected to verbal abuse or neglect.

DHS spokeswoman Amy McCoy says no one required medical treatment. Some clients were hit while others were subjected to abusive talk or teasing. Other cases involved aggression among clients and neglect of personal care needs.

McCoy says the agency began investigating in September. The center provides services for 230 clients.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad says he doesn’t plan to recommend tax cuts this session, dealing a potential blow to a key priority for the new Republican-majority Legislature.

Branstad says he generally supports tax cuts, but he told reporters Wednesday at the annual Associated Press legislative seminar that immediate tax cuts or other reforms are not sustainable amid the state’s financial climate. The current $7.3 billion state budget has a shortfall of about $100 million. Projections for the next budget year don’t include a surplus.

Republicans have been vocal about changing Iowa’s tax rules when the Iowa Legislature convenes Monday. They haven’t released details but have expressed interest in reducing taxes. The Republican governor notes the current shortfall will require immediate cuts in state spending, and agencies may lay off employees.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A proposed class-action lawsuit argues that thousands of lottery players who were allegedly cheated by an insider’s long-running scheme to rig jackpots should be reimbursed for their losing tickets.

Lawyers filed the fraud case Wednesday against the Multi-State Lottery Association, the Iowa-based nonprofit that helps administer games that are offered by state lotteries. It alleges the association failed to prevent games from being rigged and failed to operate them in accordance with their own rules.

The association’s former security director, Eddie Tipton, is charged with installing software on lotteries’ random number generators that allowed him to predict winning numbers on three days of the year. The scheme allegedly lasted for years.

The lawsuit says that anyone who played in drawings on those days should get their money back, plus interest.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports four people were arrested recently, on drug-related offenses. On Tuesday, Deputies arrested 32-year old Daniel Eugene Long, Sr., of Atlantic, on one Atlantic P-D warrant for Theft 3rd Degree, Sheriff’s Office warrants for Felony Possession Meth/3rd or Subsequent Offense, and Interference with Official Acts (Simple). Long, Sr. was also arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. He was booked at the Cass County Jail and remains held on $12,300 bond.

26-year old Shari Lavon Lowe, of Lorimor, was arrested Tuesday on Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrants for Felony Possession Meth/3rd or Subsequent, and Interference with Official Acts (Simple). Lowe was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $5,300 bond.

On Monday, Cass County Deputies arrested 27-year old Joshua Lee Jones,  of Creston, on a charge of Possession of Marijuana/2nd Offense, and 34-year old John Jacob Garcia, of Afton, on a charge of Possession of Marijuana/3rd or Subsequent Offense. Both men were taken to the Cass County Jail. Jones was released the following day on $1,000 bond; Garcia was released the following day on $2,000 bond.

Last Saturday, Cass County Deputies arrested 21-year old Bill Louis Stockwell, of Elk Horn, on a charge of OWI/2nd Offense. Stockwell was taken to the Cass County Jail and released on his own recognizance the following day. And, last Friday, 18-year old Drew Henry Miller, of Atlantic, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Miller was taken to the Cass County Jail and was later released following sentencing on the matter.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Democrat Rich Leopold, an ecologist and former director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says he plans to run for governor in 2018.  Leopold, who is 52, holds degrees in animal ecology, biology and natural resources technology. He made his announcement Wednesday in a live Facebook feed sitting next to his wife, Kathleen. They live in Des Moines.

Declaring himself a political outsider tired of divisive partisan politics, he says Iowans deserve a governor who has backbone and character and who will be candid, transparent and fair. Saying Iowa has “some of the filthiest water in the country,” Leopold criticized politicians for talking about the problem but doing little to fix it.

Leopold served as director of the Iowa DNR under Gov. Chet Culver from 2007 to 2010.