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Griswold Baseball’s close loss to East Mills shows progress

Sports

June 13th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

The Griswold Tigers baseball team lost a 4-3 contest against the East Mills Wolverines on Thursday night in Griswold. The first score of the game came in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a Sheldon Vandenberg singled up the middle for a base hit to put the Wolverines up 1-0. The Tigers would have a response in the top of the third with a Zane Johnson single towards right field to tie it up 1-1. Griswold then went on to score two more runs in the next two innings to be up 3-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and two runners on and the game being led 3-2 by the Tigers, starting pitcher Ryan Sayers hit a line fly out towards center field where the ball was dropped for an error and the go ahead run came in to put the Wolverines up 4-3.

In the top of the seventh Griswold had the tying run at 3rd base with one out and Sayers would then get back-to-back strikeouts to seal the victory for East Mills. In a game riddled with 7 total errors, both pitchers had decent days on the mound. Sayers for East Mills pitched 7 innings, had 2 earned runs, 8 hits, 6 strikeouts, and 2 walks. Griswold’s stand out hitter from the night was pitcher Bode Wyman who went 2-4 with an RBI.

A loss is never easy to accept but Head Coach Ryan Lockwood was impressed by the effort his team showed on the night.

When the Tigers huddled up after the game, coach Lockwood wanted his team to keep their heads held high.

The loss drops Griswold to 5-5 and they will head to Sidney on Friday to end their losing skid. It’s a matchup that coach Lockwood is not taking lightly.

The win boosts East Mills to 5-6 on the year and they travel to Essex on Friday to compete against the Trojans.

IWCC among 4 community colleges in IA to receive a grant for career academies

News

June 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Four community colleges will use grants provided by the state to launch or expand career academies for students to get a head start in a high-demand career. Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education awarded $1 million each to Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Iowa Western Community College and Iowa Valley Community College District, and almost $618,000 to Iowa Central Community College through the Career Academy Incentive Fund, according to a news release.

The Governor said in a news release, “The Career Academy Incentive Fund is an innovative, results-based program that provides high school students with opportunities to gain valuable experience and helps build a strong talent pipeline in our local communities.” She said also, “I applaud Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Iowa Valley Community College District, Iowa Western Community College and Iowa Central Community College for their work to grow career academies that prepare students for in-demand careers here in Iowa.”

Since 2019 the Career Academy Incentive Fund has provided grants to support partnerships between community colleges and school districts, who collaborate on programs for students to learn technical and educational skills and earn high school and college credits, as well as job credentials. It is funded through Secure an Advanced Vision for Education, a statewide penny sales tax for school infrastructure, the release stated.

Iowa Western Community College will offer career academies in cybersecurity, robotics, precision agriculture and mass digital communication to students from five school districts with the creation of a new regional center in Glenwood, supported by the grant.

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges will utilize its grant funds to develop new lab space at its Muscatine Industrial Technology Center, the release stated, supporting career academies in computer numerical control engineering, digital modeling for manufacturing, engineering technology and welding. The center works with six area school districts.

Iowa Valley Community College District’s automotive repair technician career academy, located in Grinnell, will also see expansion through the grant. The district will also work to grow enrollment from six local school districts in other academies, including health sciences, manufacturing and business administration.

Iowa Central Community College will purchase new health science equipment for its North Central Career Center, serving four area school districts.

Nurse alleges understaffing and unsafe conditions in Iowa care facility

News

June 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The former director of nursing at an Iowa care facility claims her employer violated state and federal laws by forcing residents into the home when it was understaffed and unsafe. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Stephanie Schlegelmilch is suing the Avoca Specialty Care facility of Pottawattamie County, and its owner, Care Initiatives of West Des Moines, in U.S. District Court.

In her lawsuit, Schlegelmilch claims she was hired as the Avoca facility’s director of nursing in April 2023 and worked there as a salaried employee averaging $52.88 an hour. Schlegelmilch claims that Care Initiatives “has a policy of forcing residents into facilities that do not have space or staff to appropriately care for residents and to provide a safe environment for these residents.”

She claims such actions violate state law and that she had “tense conversations” with corporate officials over the issue between April and December of 2023. She alleges that even after those conversations, Care Initiatives continued to steer individuals into the Avoca facility where they were accepted as residents “even though the facility was understaffed.”

She claims that in November 2023, the company’s regional nurse, Julie Simons, visited the Avoca facility during a COVID-19 outbreak and refused to wear personal protective equipment, such as a mask, to minimize the risk of spreading the virus to uninfected residents. Schlegelmilch alleges that after she confronted Simons she was disciplined for insubordination and, within 10 days, was fired by Care Initiatives.

Schlegelmilch also alleges the company required her to work an “excessive number of hours” as a floor nurse, giving her little time to handle her administrative duties, and then docked her pay when she took as little as two hours off work. She also alleges that when she was hired she attempted to have “years’ worth of medical records” electronically scanned so the company would be in compliance with the federal Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, but the company refused to provide the assistance she requested.

Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Iowa Wage Payment Collection Act. Care Initiatives has yet to file a response to the lawsuit and declined to comment on the allegations. According to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 14% of Iowa’s 422 nursing facilities were cited for insufficient staffing in fiscal year 2023. That’s more than double the national average, which was 5.9%. Only five other states – Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico and Oregon — had a worse record of compliance with staffing requirements.

Care Initiatives’ Iowa facilities have been cited for inadequate staffing in the past. In 2022, state inspectors visited the company’s Ravenwood Specialty Care in response to 19 separate complaints and found that one wing of the dementia unit where seven residents lived had been left completely unstaffed.

DNR proposes new deer hunting restrictions for southwest Iowa

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – State regulators are seeking to severely restrict the hunting of female deer in several southwest Iowa counties in an effort to increase the animal’s population in that area. Hunters in six counties would be barred from shooting white-tailed does during the first shotgun season, and none of the counties will have additional doe licenses available for other seasons.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has proposed changes to antlerless license quotas for 2024. (Courtesy of Iowa DNR)

Those counties include Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie and Shelby. The new restrictions already exist in 17 counties of northwest Iowa, where some have been in place for a decade. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been gradually reducing the number of licenses for antlerless deer in the southwest counties in recent years.

“This is in response to what we’ve noticed is a sustained population decline,” said Jace Elliott, the DNR’s deer biologist. “The hunters in that area, what I’m hearing from them is, it’s about time. I’m always surprised when we propose relatively large changes, and I don’t get a single person reaching out from that part of the state that’s even confused about why we’re going in that direction.”

Also, no doe licenses would be issued for Cass and Page counties, and the number of available licenses will be reduced for Adams and Montgomery counties. The department might finalize the new restrictions next month as it hosts a series of meetings that are part of its Western Iowa Deer Initiative, which is meant to solicit input from hunters and landowners.

The new restrictions represent a significant reversal of the state’s policies two decades ago, when there was a robust deer population in southwest Iowa. The DNR had made thousands of antlerless licenses available and also allowed hunters to use powerful rifles during special January seasons to encourage more participation. Tim Powers, an Iowa field director for Whitetails Unlimited, a group that promotes hunting and habitat conservation, said he trusts that the DNR’s decision to impose new restrictions is necessary to increase deer numbers.

The restrictions have worked in north-central Iowa, where they have been lifted or loosened in some counties in recent years as populations recovered, Elliott said. It will likely take at least five years to notice an appreciable improvement in southwest counties. Those with the quickest gains are typically adjacent to counties with larger populations and have more available habitat.

The following DNR public meetings are scheduled to go from 6:30 to 8 p.m.:

— July 8: Atlantic, at The Venue, 307 Walnut St.
— July 9: Denison, at the Lookout Shelter at Yellow Smoke Park, 2237 Yellow Smoke Road
— July 10: Council Bluffs, at Bass Pro Shops, 2901 Bass Pro Drive
— July 11: Shenandoah, at the Shenandoah Public Library, 201 S. Elm St.
— July 15: Onawa, at the Onawa Public Library, 707 Iowa Ave.
— July 16: Sioux Center, at the Sandy Hollow Clubhouse, 3395 400th St.
— July 17: Sioux City, at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, 4500 Sioux River Road
— July 18: Cherokee, at the Cherokee Community Center, 530 W. Bluff St.

Clive Insurance Salesperson Sentenced to 19 Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding Elderly Individuals and for Contempt of Court

News

June 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Clive man was sentenced on June 12, 2024, to 18.5 years in federal prison for wire fraud and an additional six months for criminal contempt of court. He also was ordered to pay over $2.4 million in restitution to the victims of his fraud.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Zachary James Flaherty, 48, conducted a vast fraud over the course of seventeen years. From 2006 to 2023, Flaherty defrauded over thirty individuals out of all or portions of their retirement savings and other monies—in all, Flaherty’s victims lost over $3 million. Flaherty’s victims were from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska; nearly all the victims were elderly, with the oldest being ninety-three years old at the time of the fraud. Most of the victims had limited financial knowledge.

Flaherty developed close relationships with his victims—he took them out to eat, bought them gifts, and helped with chores around their house. At least six of Flaherty’s victims were recently widowed when he exploited them, and Flaherty assisted with funeral arrangements or related matters for multiple victims’ spouses.

To gain access to his victims’ monies, Flaherty lied to his victims about numerous matters, including information about the returns and bonuses they could receive by investing with him, their ability to make penalty-free withdrawals of their funds, and the losses they could incur. Once his victims had “invested” with him, he continued to misrepresent and conceal information about the returns the victims were earning, the amount of money victims had invested, and the costs and penalties associated with the investments.

Flaherty primarily used two approaches to defraud his victims. His first approach was to encourage his victims to write checks to him or one of his businesses and promise his victims that he would invest the funds on their behalf. Victims trusted Flaherty’s statements and wrote him numerous checks. But Flaherty did not invest the funds on his victims’ behalf as he had stated; instead, he spent the money on himself, his family, and his businesses.

Flaherty’s second approach was to invest his victims’ funds into annuities. Flaherty was licensed to sell annuities in multiple states, and by purchasing annuities for his clients, Flaherty received over $1 million in commission payments from insurance companies. To obtain annuities on his victims’ behalf, however, Flaherty submitted documents to insurance companies which contained false misrepresentations, including forged signatures for his victims.

Flaherty’s elderly victims were not financially situated to invest in annuities. Annuities are long-term investments which typically take years to fully vest. If the owner of the annuity withdraws or cancels the annuity before it vests, then the owner usually must pay penalties, taxes, and other fees. Flaherty misrepresented the extent of the penalties, taxes, and fees his victims would suffer by investing with him, and he repeatedly encouraged his victims to withdraw funds and cancel annuities. Taking Flaherty at his word, his victims withdrew money and cancelled annuities, resulting in victims suffering massive amounts of losses.

Numerous victims spoke at sentencing about how Flaherty’s actions had betrayed their trust in him, shattered their faith in other people, and left them with limited financial resources. Several victims lost nearly all their life savings; others can no longer afford medical or assisted-living care. Victims also reported suffering health problems as a result of the increased anxiety and stress caused by Flaherty’s crimes.

Flaherty’s conviction for criminal contempt of court resulted from his violations of court orders issued in February 2024. Those orders prohibited Flaherty from selling or dissipating his personal property, which could be used to pay some of the money back to victims. Yet, Flaherty sold and attempted to sell and conceal several assets in March and April 2024, including guitars. Evidence at sentencing established that since being charged with federal crimes in April 2023, Flaherty repeatedly violated court orders applicable to him.

“Elder financial fraud causes devastating losses to its victims. Zachary Flaherty’s actions targeting the retirement savings and fixed incomes these victims spent a lifetime earning were an unprecedented betrayal of the trust they placed in him. The severity of Flaherty’s 228 months’ sentence, and $2.4 million in restitution, only partially compensates for the deep financial harm caused by his conduct. The heartbreaking impact of this type of crime can leave victims fearful for the future and wondering who to trust. Some helpful keys to combat these crimes are accountability and awareness,” said United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal for the Southern District of Iowa.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case, with assistance from the Ankeny Police Department, the Clive Police Department, the Des Moines Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation.

To report elder fraud, contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 1-833-372-8311 and visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov. To learn more about the Department of Justice elder justice efforts please visit the Elder Justice Initiative page: https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

Gov. Reynolds appoints Susan Cole as District Associate Judge 

News

June 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced her appointment of Susan Cole as a district associate judge in Judicial District 8A. Cole, of Moravia, Iowa, serves as the Appanoose County Attorney. She received her undergraduate degree and law degree from Drake University.

Cole fills a vacancy created following the retirement of the Hon. Kirk A. Daily. Judicial District 8A includes Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington counties. 

State reports two babies turned over under Safe Haven law

News

June 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services says two babies were turned over to the state last month as part of the Safe Haven Law.

A baby girl born May 15th, and a baby boy born May 26th were given up and will be placed with a foster family until permanent families are determined. HHS says there have been three babies turned over this year and a total of 70 babies have been turned over in the more than two decades since the law was created. 

The Safe Haven Law allows parents who determine they cannot care for an infant up to 90 days old can turn the child over to hospitals or fire stations with no questions asked.

DAVID LESLIE WHITE, 86, of Oakland, IA & Ft. Worth, TX (Graveside Svcs. were held June 5, 2024)

Obituaries

June 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DAVID LESLIE WHITE, 86, of Oakland, IA & Ft. Worth, TX, died December 22, 2023. Graveside services for DAVID L. WHITE were held June 5th, 2024, at the Oaklawn Cemetery in Oakland. Rieken Funeral Home assisted the family.

DAVID WHITE is survived by:

His daughters – Lisa and Lara.

and 3 grandchildren.

(UPDATE] Iowa State Patrol identifies toddler struck & killed convenience store parking lot

News

June 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Neola) – In an update to our earlier report, the Iowa State Patrol has released the name of a toddler who was struck in the parking lot of a Neola area convenience store June 5th, and who died from their injuries. The two-year-old was identified as Keondre James Johnson, of Omaha, NE.

He was struck in the parking lot of a Kum & Go, east of Neola. The patrol previously identified the driver of the vehicle that struck the child, as 67-year-old Rebecca Wood, of Walnut.

The accident happened as Wood was driving a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox slowly past the fuel pumps when Johnson ran across her path and was hit.  Johnson was taken by Neola Fire and Rescue to Mercy/UNMC in Omaha, where he was pronounced dead.

Waukee Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Money Laundering

News

June 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa – Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa report a Waukee man pleaded guilty June 10th to wire fraud and money laundering charges.

According to public court records, 51-year-old William Jack Berg sold life insurance, annuities, and similar products to individuals in Central Iowa, Saint Louis, and other regions while acting as a financial advisor to many individuals in these areas. From at least January 2019, and continuing to May 2023, Berg defrauded over a dozen individuals by encouraging them to withdraw money out of the individuals’ pre-existing investments or financial accounts and transfer the withdrawn money to Berg for investment through “W Holdings of Iowa” and/or “Excel Performance Management.”

The targeted individuals provided Berg with over $1.5 million that Berg did not invest for their benefit. Instead, Berg used the money for Berg’s personal expenses including vehicles, jewelry, rent, travel, groceries, gas, clothing, and dining out. One such expense included a check written from Berg’s bank account in February 2022 to a Clive jewelry store in the amount of $37,343 for the purchase of a custom 14 karat white gold engagement ring featuring a 2.20 carat oval cut diamond and an additional 38 diamonds weighing 1.04 carats in total.

A part of his plea, Berg agreed to forfeit this engagement ring and other jewelry purchased with fraudulently acquired monies. Berg also used the money to make payments to other individuals as purported “returns” or “dividends” on previously received money despite Berg had already spent those individuals’ monies. Berg admitted to making false and fraudulent representations to his victims for the purpose of enriching himself at the expense of the victims.

Berg is scheduled to be sentenced on October 11, 2024, and potentially faces up to twenty years in prison for wire fraud and up to 10 years in prison for money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence Berg will receive after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Berg will also be ordered to pay restitution to all victims of his fraud scheme in an amount to be determined by the sentencing federal district court judge.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Kerndt is prosecuting the case.