ATLANTIC, IOWA — Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) report the addition of Aaron Koontz as a Grants Specialist. Koontz will work with SWIPCO housing programs to ensure that the agency and the communities it serves are doing what needs to be done per grant regulations. He will help clients navigate through rules and procedures and application paperwork.

SWIPCO and the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund operate a wide range of programs, including housing repair, down payment assistance, demolition of dilapidated houses, and lead abatement. SWIPCO also provides building inspection services and currently has more than 1,500 rental units in its inspection program. Koontz will assist with all of these programs and will be an asset to the agency.

Aaron Koontz

Koontz, a graduate of Denison High School, said “I have lived in Southwest Iowa all my life, and I am excited about helping this region of rural Iowa thrive and become a better place to live. Through my position, I will be able to help others while ensuring that we stay in compliance with multiple programs.”

“He is great with people and is an effective communicator. He has a great eye for detail, and he brings many years of experience working as a legal specialist and a legal coordinator at PayPal,” SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy said.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A man from Minden was sentenced to prison, Tuesday, following his plea to a charge of bank fraud. Authorities say a judge in Council Bluffs U-S District Court sentenced 40-year-old Stewart Jerome Messerschmidt to two months in prison followed by five years of Supervised Release.

Messerschmidt made false statements to Shelby County State Bank (SCSB) regarding collateral for his farm loans. During 2017 and 2018, Messerschmidt also provided false information on applications for Marketing Assistance Loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for Messerschmidt’s 2018 farm production. The fraud was discovered during an investigation by SCSB and FSA which showed that Messerschmidt had overstated the grain he produced, had claimed grain belonging to other producers, and falsified the number of cattle he owned.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – The luxury goods retailer Nordstrom is laying off 231 employees at its warehouse in Cedar Rapids. K-C-R-G T-V reports Nordstrom has filed a layoff notice with the State of Iowa. The layoffs will take effect October 18th. Seattle-based Nordstrom opened a fulfillment center in Cedar Rapids in 1997. The company expanded the size of the facility about a decade ago, as online sales soared.

Nordstrom has recently trimmed its sales outlook — predicting revenue will rise in the third and fourth quarters, but by about 200 million less than previously predicted.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa judge has scheduled a hearing within two weeks on a couple’s request that a carbon pipeline developer be at least temporarily barred from conducting surveys on their Woodbury County land. Navigator has sued William and Vicki Hulse of Moville, accusing the couple of violating a state law that allows its agents to access to land along its proposed pipeline route. The Hulses have filed a counter claim, arguing the law is an unconstitutional taking of private land. Brian Rickert, an attorney for the pipeline developer, is urging the judge to expedite the case. “Farmers Almanac, I don’t know how accurate that is, you know they’re saying we’re going to have an early and heavy winter, so we really do need to get out on this parcel and get our surveying done,” Rickert said.

Brian Jorde, the couple’s attorney, told the judge there’s no legal deadline for completing the land surveys along the pipeline route. “There is no urgency other than the company’s own investor wish list to get this done,” Jorde said. “They haven’t filed for eminent domain rights. They have no permit application on file.” The judge who held a status hearing on the dispute let both attorneys present some initial arguments this (Wednesday) morning. Navigator’s attorney accused pipeline critics of using the court to try to slow down the project.  “What we don’t want to have to deal with is tactics. We want to deal with what the law is. We’ve brought it to you. We think we’re right. We think they’re wrong. That is why we have judges to decide who wins in these situations,” Rickert said. “We need to move quickly.”

Jorde is the attorney for the couple refusing to let pipeline surveyors on their property. He told the judge he’ll be citing a recent Supreme Court opinion on property rights. “Once the constitutional right, the right to foreclose or prevent unwanted entry onto a property is destroyed, you can’t un-ring that bell,” he said. “You cannot go back.” Jorde has filed similar claims for landowners in Clay and Butler Counties. Navigator is suing a Sioux Rapids man and two Butler County property owners who have refused to allow the pipeline’s surveyors on their property.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with Pottawattamie County Emergency Management, say the 2^nd annual preparedness night will be held Thursday September 29, 2022 from 5-until 8-pm. The event is being held at the Pott. County EMA Office (205 S Main St, Council Bluffs), and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PottCoEMA).

During the event, you’ll learn about emergency & disaster preparedness, emergency services, and relief programs available to the public. Learn more in this flyer:

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A woman from Nebraska was sentenced Tuesday in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, on a drug charge. 34-year-old Tabitha Standley, of Nebraska City, Nebraska, was sentenced to serve 10-years (120 months) in prison, following her plea to a charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

On October 18, 2021, Standley was arrested at the Horseshoe Casino on an unrelated felony warrant. Officers performed a probable cause search of the Standley’s vehicle and located over 300 grams of methamphetamine which Standley had intended to distribute.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Council Bluffs Police Department, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and Division of Narcotics Enforcement investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – The Wolfe (silent E) Eye Clinic — which operates out of 25 locations around the state — is warning patients of a security breach that may have involved personal information.
A statement on the Wolfe Clinic’s website indicates there’s no evidence patients’ personal information was accessed or has been misused, but out of an abundance of caution patients are being notified by letter about the incident. Last December, someone hacked into the electronic medical records platform called myCare Integrity that many of the country’s eye care clinics use. The unauthorized party deleted some files and databases before being detected. The Wolfe Clinic says none of its patients have reported cases of identity theft that may be related to the security breach.

(The Wolfe Clinic’s main offices are in Ames, Ankeny, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Fort Dodge, Hiawatha, Iowa City, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Pleasant Hill, Spencer, Waterloo and West Des Moines. It operates Family Vision Centers in Albia, Belmond, Clarion, Fairfield, Grundy Center, Humboldt, Sac City, Story City, Toledo, Traer, Waverly and Webster City)

(Radio Iowa) – A Rockford woman will spend 15 months in federal prison for a scheme that netted her unemployment benefits from several states. The U-S Attorney’s office says 53-year-old Stephanie Mendenhall used the names of other people to collect COVID-19 unemployment benefits from Maine, Michigan, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, and Illinois. She pleaded guilty to four counts of theft of government funds and one count of money laundering conspiracy.

Mendenhall admitted to laundering a majority of the money by purchasing cryptocurrency and sending it to a co-conspirator. She was also ordered to pay back 46 thousand dollars in benefits to the states.

(Fontanelle, Iowa) – Adair County Elections Deputy Joshua Nelson reports the filing period for candidates interested in one of the three available city council seats in Fontanelle, is now open. The candidate filing deadline is 5:00 p.m. Friday, November 18, 2022.

The Special City Election will be Tuesday, December 13, 2022. The voter pre-registration deadline is Monday, November 28, 2022. Nelson says you may file an absentee ballot request with the Adair County Auditor’s office at any time.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot be mailed is Monday, November 28, 2022. The last day to vote absentee in the Auditor’s Office is Monday, December 12, 2022, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.