CRESTON, Iowa — A former Greater Regional Health employee in Creston is charged with stealing medications. KCCI-TV reports 47-year-old Brian Gutmann, of Creston, worked at the Greater Regional Health center as a nurse anesthetist. Court records show Gutmann is accused of stealing Fentanyl, Dilaudid and Morphine.

According to investigators, he pulled the medications in a patient’s name, administered some of them, and kept the rest for himself. Kayla Hoffman, director of marketing communications for Greater Regional Health, said in a statement to KCCI:

“Greater Regional Health is aware of the charges. These are the unfortunate actions of a former employee. As an organization, we cooperated with investigating agencies to ensure patient care and safety were never at risk. The agencies validated no patients were harmed or at risk from the findings of this investigation. Actions moving forward are under the direction of charging agencies.”

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Senator Joni Ernst says it’s been difficult for Iowans trying to recover from this year’s floods and tornadoes to navigate federal disaster programs. “FEMA and SBA did quickly set up recovery centers and I want to thank them for that,” Ernst says, “but business owners were left frustrated by the two agencies’ lack of coordination and incompetence.” Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says some Iowans initially got bad information about whether they were eligible for Small Business Administration loans.

“In Shelby County, which was hit by tornadoes in the spring, SBA provided outdated and completely wrong information including sending disaster victims to a dead website,” Ernst says. “They didn’t even realize this until my staff members brought this to their attention.” Ernst says she’s heard from small business owners in rural Iowa hit by this year’s severe weather that they got better loans from their local community bank than were offered by the S-B-A.

“Small business owners who lose their livelihoods in a natural disaster have no time to spare,” Ernst said. “It’s incredibly frustrating to repeatedly hear from those seeking SBA assistance that they thought it was a waste of time, so much so that many walked away and didn’t complete applications.” S-B-A Economic Injury Disaster Loans were made available to Iowans hit by historic flooding and devastating tornadoes in counties that have been declared presidential disaster areas. The loans have an interest rate of four percent for businesses.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Red Oak) speaks at Senate Committee on Small Business hearing on Sept. 18, 2024.

Ernst has accused the S-B-A of misusing its loan authority, picking winners and losers with investments in firms working with artificial intelligence or “green” companies focused on environmental projects. She’s also critical of the agency’s TOTAL loan portfolio. “SBA’s lending in rural areas is abysmal, at just around 15% in the agency’s two main programs,” Ernst says.

Nearly 18 percent of U-S residents live in rural areas. Ernst suggests if S-B-A lending were in line with the population, another one-point-three BILLION dollars worth of loans would be made to rural entrepreneurs.

The Griswold Football Team will face a tough test on Friday when the Fremont Mills Knights visit the Tigers. Despite coming off a 20-point loss to the Sidney Cowboys last week, the game was closer than the final score implied. The Tigers put up a season-high 24 points and were only down by six points heading into the fourth quarter. Head Coach Seth Lembke appreciated his team’s intensity to start the ballgame.

Senior Wyatt Peterson has been a marque player for the Tigers’ defense this season. Peterson plays with a physicality that tows the line and more times than not it helps his team. He currently leads the Corner conference with 20 solo tackles and ranks second in total tackles with 29.  Lembke says he doesn’t need much guidance to be the leader of the defense.

Offensively, the Tigers are led by senior quarterback Bode Wyman and the senior receiver trio of Auden Wilson, Holden Jensen, and Connor Bowers. Wyman is second in the conference in completions and third in passing yards. As far as receivers, Wilson, Jensen, and Bowers all rank in the top ten in receptions and are in the top 12 in receiving yards. Lembke knows and appreciates the importance of having senior leaders that are capable of running the offense.

Fremont Mills will be a tough opponent for the Tigers as they look to pick up their first win of the season. Knights’ quarterback Sawyer Forney is second in the conference in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. Fremont Mills also has two rushers with over 220 yards in Jonathan Epkai and JW Linkenhoker. Lembke says the key for the Tigers will be to play responsible football and limit their explosive plays.

Kickoff in Griswold will be at 7 pm.

(Radio Iowa) – Attempts to keep Sioux City’s warming shelter open have failed and the shelter will close on October 1st.
Shelter board treasurer, Joe Tidewell, says they are making the announcement now to give other local agencies time to prepare to deal with the homeless. “The shelter during the wintertime houses on the average of about one hundred men, women and children per night. And last year, in the most severe Blizzard, we had 151 people here in the shelter. And those people are going to now need to find another place,” Tidewell says.

He says the shelter has a half million dollar shortfall in funding for this year, and says the Siouxland Community in general has not supported the shelter.  “It’s not just 500-thousand for this year. What we have made a decision is, if the if the shelter is truly going to be able to be part of the fabric of serving the poor and homeless in the community, we need five year commitments for the funding,” he says. “We’re very disappointed, because both the city and the county and area churches, not all of them, but some area churches support us. ”

Tidewell says the shelter has been hurt by misinformation spread in the community — including the idea that the shelter is a magnet for homeless from other areas of the Tri-state regions. “Approximately 80 percent of the people were born or raised here in Siouxland. So when we close or a shelter closes, where are they going to go?,” Tidewell asks. :They’re not going to go to some other city. They’re not going to just disappear. They’re going to stay where the remnants of their family might be, or the people that they went to school with.”

City leaders say they have spent four million dollars this year trying to address a complicated issue.

(Radio Iowa) – A new study finds many Iowa parents stop using child seats and booster seats as their children grow, despite those seats being an important safety measure — plus, it’s the law. In Iowa, kids between one and six years old must be secured in a child restraint system — a safety seat or booster seat, not a seat belt — or the driver faces fines. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the study is based on five years of government crash data and it reveals a concerning trend.

“Child seat and booster seat use declines after children turn three, and those are needed safety devices,” Ortner says. “In Iowa, 93% of parents and caregivers we found transition their children to an adult seat belt too soon, and 24% transition their kids to a booster seat too soon.” The study found 74-percent of car seats that were inspected were not being used correctly or were improperly installed. Ortner says some common mistakes when a child seat or booster seat is installed include being too loose.

Also: “Not using the tether when installing a forward-facing car seat with either the lower anchors or seatbelt on the back, or the harness is too loose when securing a child in the car seat,” Ortner says. “So those are things that can be easily fixed and when used correctly, car seats, booster seats and seat belts do protect young passengers.” Parents go to great lengths to protect their children, but even with the best intentions, Ortner says they may be endangering their children by putting them in the wrong type of seat or not securing them properly.

Between 2018 and 2022, the study found four-million children under age 12 nationwide were involved in car crashes, resulting in 547-thousand injuries and nearly three-thousand deaths.

(Radio Iowa) – State Climatologist Justin Glisan says rain is in the forecast for the next several days, but Iowa has been abnormally dry this month. “Going back to 1895, when the federal records starts, this is the second driest September through the 18th,” Glisan says. The latest Iowa Drought Monitor shows moderate drought conditions exist in about four percent of the state — affecting five counties in northeast Iowa as well as Fremont County in the southwest corner of the state. The rest of Iowa is rated abnormally dry.

“If you look at the statewide average right now, we’re about at a tenth of an inch and that’s about 5% of normal,” Glisan says. “Now again, in the forecast we do see the potential of an inch and a half to two inches across much of the state with the potential for thunderstorms tonight, but widespread rainfall over the weekend.” Warm temperatures this month have depleted some moisture in the top soil and, if that isn’t replenished before the ground freezes, it will be a concern heading into spring planting, however Glisan says it’s not a concern right now during harvest season.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan (Official photo from Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship photo.)

“Basically the crop is done, so it’s not using a lot of water,” Glisan says. “Stream flows are still near normal or slightly above.” The storm front that’s moved into the state today (Thursday) has displaced the large ridge of high pressure that prevented thunderstorms from forming. “Now we’re starting to shift that ridge further east and we’re going to have a low pressure system across the upper Midwest swing a cold front through the state and that’s where you get lift and instability to go along with the moisture that we have readily available,” Glisan says, “and that’s where we’re going to fire thunderstorms off.”

Glisan says the outlook is for near normal rainfall in Iowa through the end of September.

( Atlantic, Iowa)— Officials with Cass Health in Atlantic have announced that Sara Beth Jones, BSN, RN was selected to receive the Hospital Hero award from the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA). Jones is one of 11 recipients this year and will be formally recognized in October at the IHA Annual Meeting in Des Moines.

Jones was nominated by her coworkers primarily due to her role as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and work with a particular patient. Jones was helping provide care to a patient in the Emergency Department when she recognized warning signs that the patient was a victim of sexual assault and trafficking. Jones helped the patient connect with resources to secure her safety, even going so far as to provide a meal and new clothing and personally escort the patient to another city where she was connected with a human trafficking advocate. The patient has since said, “She turned my life around. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”

Sara Beth Jones, BSN, RN

Beyond this one act, Jones has been a model of compassionate care and nursing leadership. In her primary role, Jones serves as the Director of Nursing Supervision. She also took on the role of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Coordinator, ensuring that Cass Health staff are trained and ready to provide 24/7 coverage for sexual violence victims in our community. She is known around the state as a leader in developing and sustaining one of the most robust SANE programs in Iowa.

Additionally, Jones is a Clinical Instructor, working with nursing students of all levels. She also volunteers her time to help parents impacted by miscarriage and infant loss, and she recently began a chapter of the Nurses Honor Guard, a volunteer group that pays tribute to a nurse’s legacy at their funeral or celebration of life with a simple ceremony.

“I became a nurse simply because I find joy in helping others. Being recognized as a Hospital Hero means so much to me that someone felt I deserved it. There is no magic here in what I do, I just love making others feel safe and cared for,” said Jones.

Jones became an RN in 2013. She earned her BSN in 2020, and she is currently working on her Masters in Nursing Education from Chamberlain University.

Since 2007, the Hospital Heroes program has celebrated employees who have acted courageously in a moment’s crisis or who have selflessly served their hospitals and communities throughout their careers. Hospital Heroes are nominated by their peers and award recipients are selected by other state hospital associations.

The Iowa Hospital Association is a voluntary membership organization representing hospital and health system interests to business, government, and consumer audiences.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A woman from Red Oak was arrested late this (Thursday) morning. Red Oak Police report 42-year-old Ronda Jean Allen was taken into custody at around 11-a.m. in the 200 block of E. Valley Street. Allen was charged with Harassment in the 3rd Degree. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) — A man from Pottawattamie County was sentenced to 35-years in Federal Prison for sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14. United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced 39-year-old Dennis Smith, of Council Bluffs, received his sentence today (Thursday), in Council Bluffs U-S District Court.

In July 2021, Omaha police were alerted to a report of a female minor who was sexually assaulted by Smith. The investigation found Smith had conversed with the child via Snapchat about alcohol and money, and during those conversations, he agreed to pay the minor for sex. He traveled to Omaha and got a hotel room. The victim met Smith in his vehicle where he sexually assaulted her before giving her $250 in cash.

Upon release, Smith will have to pay a $200,000 fine and $5,100 in special assessments which was ordered by the judge.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Association of Realtors, today (Thursday), said the Iowa housing market showed typical signs of a dwindling summer as Iowans settled into their homes for the beginning of the new school year. Anticipated drops in interest rates, coupled with increased inventory outweigh slight dips in metrics tracked by Iowa REALTORS® in August.  IAR President Shaner Magalhães says “As we transition into fall, the Iowa housing market is poised for positive developments. With an increase in inventory and anticipated interest rate drops, both buyers and sellers are in a strong position to capitalize on new opportunities. It’s a time for collaboration—buyers can negotiate better terms, while sellers may see a surge in interested buyers. Now is the moment to engage with your REALTOR® to explore the possibilities.”

Inventory of homes for sale continued to increase in August, allowing buyers a more robust market to investigate with their REALTORS®. Overall inventory jumped 23.2% in August with 8,240 homes on the market compared to the 6,686 homes listed at the same time last year. Monthly, the jump was 6.7% from the 7,721 homes listed on the market in July.
New listings also saw a slight climb in August as 4,088 homes joined the market, an increase of 4.6% from the 3,910 that were added in July. The increase was similar month-to-month, jumping 4.8% from July’s 3,893 new listings.  Home sales saw a 6.5% decline with 3,169 homes sold in August compared to the 3,391 homes sold one year ago. Home sales also decreased monthly by 0.7% compared to the 3,191 homes sold in July.

Pending sales continued a downward trend, dropping 6.9% in August with 2,841 pending sales versus the 3,050 pending sales of August 2023. The sales were just slightly lower monthly coming in at a 0.6% drop from the prior month. Days on the market jumped 17.6% to 40 days compared to the 34 days home averaged last year. The median sales price jumped 5.5% to $286,714 compared to the $230,000 from last year. According to Iowa Realtors statewide housing analyst Les Sulgrobe, “August statistics highlight a shifting landscape in the Iowa housing market, with an increase in inventory providing buyers with more choices than in previous years. While home sales have seen a slight decline, the median sales price has risen, indicating continued demand. This environment presents unique opportunities for all individuals entering the market.”

Townhouses and Condos
Overall inventory remained the bright spot for the townhouse and condo market in August. Inventory jumped 18.7% with 1,516 units on the market compared to the 1,277 of one year ago. Monthly, inventory decreased just slightly by 1.4% compared to the number of units on the market in July. The number of townhomes and condos joining the market in August dropped 6.3% with 519 homes listed compared to the 554 of last year. Monthly new listings remained flat.  Closed sales once again decreased, this time by 9.3% with 447 units sold compared to the 493 sold the prior year. Just ten fewer homes were sold in August compared to July.

Pending sales dropped 5.5% in August with 395 home sales pending, compared to the 418 of last year. Compared to July, pending sales dropped 2.5%.  Days on the market increased exponentially in August – 50% – to 72 days on the market compared to 48 days one year ago. Median sales price remained flat at $250,000. 5.5% to 58 days compared to the 55 recorded last year. Median sales prices stayed flat at $245,000 compared to last year.

The information used to create the IAR August Housing Trends Report was current as of Sept. 18.The information is subject to change due to the dynamic nature of the IAR’s housing statistics system, which is based on data from the local participating MLS (multiple listing service) systems.