(Radio Iowa) – Michigan-based nonprofit Trinity Health has announced an agreement to acquire all MercyOne health care facilities in Iowa. MercyOne C-E-O Bob Brits says National Catholic Health Systems came together in Iowa in 1998 to pull together their ministries to improve access and availability of health care services in Sioux City, Dubuque Mason City, Clinton, and Central Iowa and Illinois. He says they made multiple changes to adapt and this is another one.

“We reached a point with you know the infrastructure, the need to have one I-T system one billing system, one accounting system,” Brits says. He says they have worked for months to come up with a plan. “That resulted in an agreement with Common Spirit Health which owns the Central Iowa Ministries and Trinity Health — which has ministries in Sioux City, Mason City, Dubuque, and Clinton. And both of them own half of health care facilities in Waterloo and Elkader,” Brits says. “Now Trinity Health will take full ownership of the entire MercyOne system of care in Iowa.” Brits says this was something that has been discussed for years — but was never thought possible.

“And yet here we sit today sharing this update with our 20-thousand colleagues in our communities, our providers, our physicians about how happy we are to be able to present a future plan that is wrapped around our concept of oneness,” according to Brits. Trinity Health’s Mike Slubowski, says things have been operating well in the last 24 years and they are hoping to keep it that way.

“There’s a point in time for every organization to evaluate how best to serve and is to Catholic systems we’ve found that this was the best opportunity for us to provide support for common platforms for future planning for other partnerships,” Slobowski says. MercyOne’s Iowa network includes 16 medical centers and 27 affiliate organizations. The health system serves more than three-point-three million Iowans every year. Brits says they don’t expect this merger to save any money — but it could help improve the efficiency of the operations.

The two non-profits will work together on the integration to Trinity and expect it to be completed this summer.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials are buying more ad time on Facebook and YouTube to market Iowa nationally as a destination for tourists and upgrading the state-maintained “Travel Iowa” website. Governor Kim Reynolds says it means adding more video from top tourist spots like the Loess Hills and the Iowa State Fair.

“And for the first time — it’s a little risky, but we’re out there — we’re touting Iowa’s beauty in all four seasons. We just need to own it. From zip lining through the fall foliage of Dubuque — I’ve done that — to skiing down the Seven Oaks in Boone, we’re doing it all,” Reynolds says. “We’re showing it all and we’re also investing more in local marketing efforts.” That includes a new, one million dollar state-funded initiative with the Iowa Restaurant Association and Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association to market Iowa as a destination for business travel, festivals and sporting events.

Reynolds was the opening speaker at the Iowa Tourism Conference — the first time in two years the conference is being held in-person. “You know, we have a great story to tell and there’s never, ever been a better time to do so,” Reynolds says. A video series is being launched called “The Soul of Iowa” with an initial showing tonight (Tuesday) in Des Moines.

“I don’t want to say too much and spoil the surprise, but you’ll find it showcases the state in an entirely fresh perspective,” Reynolds says. Reynolds says the state has used federal pandemic relief funds to make unprecedented investments in tourism. Last month, the governor awarded Iowa’s commercial airports 100 million dollars in federal funding and this month she announced another 100 million dollars in pandemic relief would be handed out as grants to upgrade existing tourist sites and build new ones. The governor says more than 41 million adults visited Iowa in 2021.

“Iowa saw the second-highest road trip recovery rate in the nation during the first two months of 2022,” Reynolds says. “Road trips in Iowa during that time were 15% higher than they were in 2019.” Reynolds says that’s a stat that shows it makes sense to do more to promote winter travel destinations in the state.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A Council Bluffs man, 31-year-old Luke Alric Forman, was sentenced Thursday April 14, 2022, in federal court to 210 months in prison for Receipt of Child Pornography. His term of imprisonment will be followed by five years of supervised release. According to court documents, Forman pleaded guilty to the offense on December 16, 2021.

The Council Bluffs Police Department initiated an investigation after they received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in which ten videos of child pornography were uploaded using KIK messenger. The CyberTip was linked to Forman’s residence in Council Bluffs.

A search warrant was executed at Forman’s home and a cellular phone was seized. A forensic examination was completed on the cellular phone and revealed Forman had distributed, received, and possessed images and videos of child pornography and engaged in numerous conversations about this activity using KIK messenger.

U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This matter was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department, with assistance from the United State Secret Service National Computer Forensics Institute, which provided training and equipment

(Radio Iowa) – The Catholic Diocese of Davenport will launch the public phase of an ambitious capital campaign next weekend, with a 28-million dollar goal. Michael Hoffman, director of development and stewardship, says the silent phase of the campaign began last fall after a consultant’s feasibility study showed a strong majority of diocese members supported a campaign and would be willing to contribute.

“We decided it would be a good time,” Hoffman says. “Obviously we’re coming out of the pandemic, churches are back open, people are feeling a need to get back into the church, and we felt that it was the right time to launch this campaign.” The money will pay for health care for priests and their retirement benefits, to train new priests, and to help parishes in the diocese.

“Whether or not it’s maintenance, new roof, repairing tuckpointing, or mission – that is expanding the role of the church in that particular community,” he says. The Davenport Diocese includes 85,000 Catholics in 74 parishes, and covers 22 counties in southeastern Iowa — from the Quad Cities and Clinton, west to Grinnell, south through Pella and Oskaloosa to the Missouri border, then east to the Mississippi River.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday (today), said there were five arrests over the past week. Last Thursday, 52-year-old Johnny Lee McFadden, Sr., of Des Moines, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3^rd or Subsequent Offense.

A man from Lewis was arrested April 12th on a warrant for Eluding. The arrest of 57-year-old Donald Worth was in connection with an incident that occurred April 1st, when a Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to perform a traffic stop on a vehicle being operated by Worth.  The man led deputies on a pursuit in and around the Lewis area.  While on nearby highways, speeds topped at approximately 105 MPH.  Deputies momentarily lost sight of the vehicle but soon after found it located at Worth’s residence.  Deputies attempted to make contact with Worth but were unsuccessful in doing so, therefore a warrant was issued.  Upon being arrested on his warrant, Worth was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held until his later release on bond.

On April 11^th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 42-year-old Brandon Wilson, of Fort Worth, TX, on active Adair County Warrants.  Wilson was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was held until his transfer to Adair County. On April 9^th,  42-year-old Ryan Cook, of Adair, was arrested in Cass County on a warrant for Failure to Appear.

And, on April 5^th, 41-year-old Christina Burnsworth, of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant for Driving While Barred.  Burnsworth turned herself in to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held until her later release on bond.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with the Harlan Police Department report two people were arrested on drug charges, Sunday following separate traffic stops: 18-year-old Trenton Jay Hundt, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Prohibited Acts Penalties and Possession of a Controlled Substance; And, 18-year-old Anthony Joseph Schiltz, of of Glenwood, was arrested for Prohibited Acts Penalties, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and for being a Minor in Possession of Alcohol.

On Friday, Harlan Police arrested 32-year-old Simon Buobmiey Jacob, of Harlan, for Domestic Abuse Assault. 54-year-old Michael Shane Blenkinsop, of West Valley, Utah, was also arrested Friday. He was charged with Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The judge in the case of Iowa versus Alison Dorsey is taking under consideration a request to have the second trial for Dorsey moved out of Cass County at the request of the Prosecution. The request cites extensive publicity as the reason for a change of venue. A hearing on the request was held this (Tuesday) morning, in Atlantic.

Dorsey’s new trial remains set for June 20, 2022. Her first trial in Cass County District Court ended November 4th in a mistrial because the jury was deadlocked. Dorsey was on trial for the October, 2019 death of an infant in her care. The State had charged Dorsey with First Degree Murder and Child Endangerment resulting in death.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday (today), discussed using ARPA (COVID recovery relief) funds for a 100 child daycare project in Griswold. The Board heard from Matt Leighton, with regard to an application requesting funds for their 2.3-million dollar Noble Initiatives Daycare project, which he says has a lot of community support. Leighton says they have hired an architect and have the blue prints, and are nearly ready to solicit bids. Their goal, he says is to hopefully break ground this Fall. Their request is for $150,000 from the County’s ARPA allotment.

Supervisor Steve Green said the Board has pretty much already agreed to provide funds for daycare’s throughout the county, therefore he would prefer to get those entities involved in the discussion. Leighton said they already have the 8.3-acres of undeveloped land acquired for the project, so all that’s needed now is money for the building itself, and some of the infrastructure costs.

The Board tabled action on the matter until their meeting on April 29th, when other daycare’s in the county can also be represented and present in any decision that is made. The Supervisors also discussed and tabled a request from the Iowa Firearms Coalition, for a Resolution making the County a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County. The Resolution lays out the County’s intent to oppose any impediment of the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms – including universal gun background checks.

Board Chair Steve Baier read from the Resolution, which says, in summary..

Supervisor John Hartkopf, says parts of the (whole) Resolution seem contradictory.

Many critics agree second amendment sanctuaries will not hold up in court, including Cary Short, who said the Resolution proposed for Cass County is inaccurate, both constitutionally and legally.

Short, who stopped being a card carrying member of the NRA because they “deviated from their mission,” said of the original counties that implemented the 2nd Amendment County “junk,” the sheriff’s of those counties says they would not cooperate with any federal agencies that involve anything on people carrying guns.

Cary Short said he is a gun owner, has spent 36 years in military, was a weapons instructor. He owns several guns, and is passionate about what’s constitutionally right. He says the citizens are already protected under the 2nd Amendment, so the sanctuary Resolution is moot. The Board’s decision to table the proposal was because they want to get more input from several parties, including law enforcement and the Coalition, before they proceed. There are currently 36 out of 99 2nd Amendment sanctuary counties in Iowa.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – A man from Omaha was arrested Monday in Glenwood. Authorities say 18-year-old Michael Monson was arrested on a Mills County Warrant. His cash or surety bond was set $5,000.

(Radio Iowa) – There will be no debate in the Iowa House this week due to the impasse over a plan to create state scholarships to cover private school expenses for 10-thousand students. The proposal is Governor Kim Reynolds’ top priority. Republicans in the Senate have endorsed it, but there aren’t enough Republicans in the House who will vote for the bill. The speaker of the House says discussions about the budget and other policy decisions are on hold as a result. Democrats, who occupy about 39 percent of the 150 seats in the legislature, aren’t part of the negotiations, if any are happening. “We’re at ‘Let’s Make A Backroom Deal’ time.”

That’s Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City. Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, suggests the negotiating strategy the governor and Senate Republicans are using will backfire.  “The House isn’t here. They aren’t here. They don’t want to get beat up on,” Dotzler says. “They don’t want to change their votes on some of these bills, so playing chicken with them isn’t the right way to do stuff.”

The governor and Senate Republicans have agreed on a one-week delay in sending out a person’s first unemployment check along with reducing the maximum duration of benefits from 26 to 16 weeks. House Republicans passed a bill that would cut 10 weeks off unemployment benefits, but omitted the one-week delay. Senator Jesse Green, a Republican from Boone, says it’s a rarity for a Republican governor to have Republicans occupying more than 60 percent of the seats in the legislature. “This is a very unique moment in Iowa political history,” Green says. “The last time we had a trifecta this large was in 1972. It was exactly 52 years ago this year, so Iowans are expecting something different out of Republicans this year, something pretty special.”

Green says G-O-P leaders should take as much time as they need to reach an agreement on the governor’s top priority. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights says the longer the stalemate lasts, the worse it will be for Iowans. “It is silly and irresponsible to keep this legislative session open just because the governor has a wish that she’s not going to get this legislative session,” Konfrst says. “It is disrespectful and it’s a waste of everyone’s time.”

Konfrst says it would make more sense to focus attention on affordable housing and child care issues. “I don’t see that happening,” Konfrst says. “I know Iowans are frustrated. They see this as politics as usual.” Today (Tuesday) is the 100th day of the 2022 legislative session.