(Radio Iowa) – Parents in the Sioux City Community School District say their children won’t have the option to attend summer school this year — due to funding cuts. Bailey Gertsma says her seven-year-old son definitely benefited from summer school for the past couple of years.

The school district says COVID-19 relief funding ran out to pay for summer school, which served 350 students last year. The district is still offering summer programming for E-L-L students and at-risk high schoolers. Gertsma says summer school gave her boy the individual attention he needed, and it helped build his confidence level.

The Iowa Department of Education doesn’t have information on other districts that have eliminated or modified summer school, because schools are not required to report that to the state. The department has launched a grant program to support districts offering evidence-based reading programming, with up to two-million dollars available for districts statewide.

Recovery specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will provide information on available services, explain assistance programs and help survivors complete or check the status of their applications. In coming days, locations and hours in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa are changing. Read below for a complete list.

Remember: Help is available online and by phone.

• Visiting DisasterAssistance.gov
• Calling FEMA directly at 800-621-FEMA (3362)
• Using the FEMA app

Here are the active FEMA Disaster Recovery Center locations in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska:

Iowa – FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers

 Montgomery County

Southwest Valley Middle School

406 E. 3rd Street

Villisca, IA 50864

Monday, June 10 – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Then, open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until further notice

Harrison County

Willow Lake Nature Center

2725 Easton Park Trail

Woodbine, IA 51579

Monday, June 10 – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesday, June 11 to Thursday, June 13 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Shelby County

Shelby County Chamber of Commerce

1901 Hawkeye Avenue, Suite 101

Open through Sunday, June 9 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday, June 14 – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 15 to Monday, June 17 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pottawattamie County

South Parking Lot Across from Fire Station

207 Main St

Minden, IA 51553

Open through Sunday, June 9 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesday, June 18 – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Wednesday, June 19 to Friday, June 21 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Adair County

Nodaway Valley Elementary School

324 NW 2nd St

Greenfield, IA 50849

Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until further notice

If you need help, FEMA staff will be on hand at the Disaster Recovery Center.

Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give FEMA the number for that service. For an accessible video on three ways to apply for FEMA assistance, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU7wzRjByhI.

Disaster Recovery Centers are physically accessible to people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. They are equipped with assistance and adaptive technology such as amplified phones, caption phones, video phones, wheelchair ramps and other resources to help ensure all applicants can access resources.

(Radio Iowa) – The same strain of bird flu has recently hit a flock of laying hens in Sioux County and dairy cattle in O’Brien County. Iowa State University Extension veterinarian Dr. Phillip Jardon says Iowa is the 11th state where bird flu has been reported among dairy cattle.

Bird flu has been reported in 24 herds of dairy cattle in Michigan and one in Ohio. Jardon says biosecurity issues are key, as investigators believe a poultry flock in Michigan struck by bird flu may have been infected by an employee who also worked at a dairy operation.

So far, bird flu has been confirmed in over 80 U-S dairy cattle herds. Jardon says the impact may reach dairy cattle shows at county and state fairs.

Jardon grew up on a small dairy farm in southwest Iowa. He got his medical degree from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986. Last July, Jardon joined Iowa State University Extension as a dairy specialist after working 11 years as a technical consultant to a company that produces vaccines and medicines for pets and livestock.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office issued a statement with regard a verdict in the case of a woman who – while dying from a fentanyl overdose, was sexually assaulted at a motel in Council Bluffs late last year. The report said 49-year-old Jesse William Smith, of Denver, Colorado,  was convicted of Sex Abuse in the 3rd Degree. The verdict was handed-down Thursday by a jury in Pottawattamie County District Court. It took them about two-hours to render their verdict.

Immediately following the ruling, Smith’s trial proceeded to an enhanced punishment phase, where District Court Judge Michael Hooper found Smith to be the same individual as had been previously convicted of multiple felony sex offenses in Colorado. The combination of the jury’s verdict and the Judge’s enhanced punishment determination, means that Smith will be sentenced to a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. His sentencing hearing was set for 9-a.m. on August 1st.

The investigation of Jesse William Smith began when a housekeeper at the Super 8 Motel in Council Bluffs was found deceased in a room during her regular work shift on Sept. 7, 2023. It was determined the housekeeper, Natalia Manriquez Sepulveda (a native of Chile’), has died from an accidental fentanyl overdose, and while she was dying, Smith sexually assaulted her and then locked the door to the room behind him, and left the motel. Sepulveda was found dead several hours later.

Smith was arrested by Council Bluffs Police Department Detectives on Sept. 13, 2023, when he was found hiding in a Council Bluffs home. It was determined that while Smith had nothing to do with the overdose, he made a decision to sexually assault Natalia Sepulveda while she was incapacitated and dying. The Pott. County Attorney’s Office charged Smith with felony sex abuse and asked for the penalty to be enhanced to life in prison, due to Smith’s prior criminal record from Colorado.

Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said:

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — Red Lobster wants to close several dozen more restaurants following its bankruptcy, and it has identified which ones are in danger of shutting down if the court approves its plan — including one Iowa location. The chain, which brought affordable shrimp and lobster to middle-class America and grew to become the largest seafood restaurant chain in the world, filed for bankruptcy last month.

A few weeks prior to its bankruptcy, it abruptly closed around 50 locations across the United States, including locations in Council Bluffs and Waterloo, both of which are listed as “temporarily closed” on Red Lobster’s website. The new list of locations in danger of closing, which includes the Ames Red Lobster, was revealed in court filings last week, and all could be shuttered if they can’t renegotiate their leases.

Iowa locations currently listed as open on Red Lobster’s website:

• Ames: 1100 Buckeye Avenue
• Cedar Rapids: 163 Collins Road NE
• Coralville: 26712 2nd Street
• Davenport: 3420 East Kimberly Road
• Sioux City: 4290 Sergeant Road
• West Des Moines: 3838 Westown Parkway

Iowa locations currently listed as temporarily closed on Red Lobster’s website:

• Council Bluffs: 3040 Dial Drive
• Waterloo: 941 East San Marnan Drive

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor/Commissioner of Election Kathy Somers, reports that on Thursday, June 6, 2024, she oversaw the post-election audit of the Cass County Primary Election. The audited number of votes matched the election night ballot count 100%.

Post-election audits are mandatory in all Iowa counties. Following election day, the Secretary of State’s office selects one precinct, by lot, to be audited. The Atlantic 4 precinct was selected, and the post-election audit board, consisting of representatives of both the Republican and Democratic parties, was instructed to hand-count the race for U.S. House of Representatives. Each step of the audit process was a successful match.

Somers said “I want to thank everyone involved in the election-day process, including precinct election officials, other support volunteers, and the auditor’s office staff members who worked diligently to ensure Cass County residents were allowed to vote securely, and in accordance with state laws.”

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the sexual exploitation conviction of a former Independence High School teacher.Kari Schwartz was convicted of sexual exploitation by a school employee for actions with a female student in August of 2009. She appealed, saying there was a lack of evidence she went beyond a normal teacher-student relationship, and that the jury was improperly instructed that sexual conduct includes hugging.

The Supreme Court says the prosecutor argued that the hugging in this case was sexual and that Schwartz engaged in two or more acts constituting a systematic plan to engage in sexual conduct. Chief Justice Susan Christensen wrote a dissent, saying she agrees there was substantial evidence for a conviction, but says she is not convinced that the instruction on hugging did not prejudice the defendant, and she should get a new trial.

Two other justices agreed with Christensen’s dissent. The Supreme Court ruling upholds the Court of Appeals and District Court rulings.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau report, 35-year-old Amanda Manatt, of Marshalltown, was recently charged with one count of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information (Class D Felony). The charge was the result of an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau that began in April of 2024.

According to the criminal complaint filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, while working as a Registered Nurse at a hospital, Manatt falsified patient records causing the submission of an insurance claim to an insurer for medical services that were not provided. Manatt was arrested on May 31, 2024 and transported to the Marshalltown Police Department. Manatt posted a $5,000 bond and was released.

Amanda Manatt. Photo courtesy of the Marshalltown Police Department.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests conducted between May 22nd and June 6th. Most recently:

• 42-year-old Andrew Swisher Parrott, of Clarinda, was booked into the Page County Jail June 6th, on an active warrant for Failure To Appear (FTA).
• 40-year-old Joshua Wayne Baer, of College Springs, was arrested June 4th, for Violation of a No Contact Order. Baer was previously arrested June 2nd, for Disorderly Conduct and Interference with Official Acts.
• There were four arrests in Page County on Monday (June 3rd):
  • 64-year-old David Allen Mulkins, of Clarinda, was booked into the Page County Jail on Tuesday, to serve time.
  • 25-year-old Lyndon Daniel Bright, of Shenandoah, was also booked into the Jail to serve time.
  • 27-year-old Nash Andrew Graham, of Clarinda, was arrested on an active FTA warrant
  • 74-year-old Leonard Leroy Good, of Shenandoah, was booked into the Jail to serve time.
• On June 2nd, 25-year-old Devonci D. Combs, of Shenandoah, was arrested in Page County for Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS), Child Endangerment and Domestic Abuse.
• And there were two people arrested May 31st, in Page County:
  • 40-year-old Jody Lee Lisk, of Clarinda, was arrested for Child Endangerment
  • 43-year-old William Harold Bailey, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Violation of Probation.

See the entire list of those arrested (and cited) in Page County, by clicking on the PDF link below:

5-22-2024–6-6-2024

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Produce in the Park on Thursday, June 6th, 2024. The Ambassadors gathered to welcome the new Produce in the Park manager Maria Miller.

Pictured Left to Right Back Row: John Bricker, Jeremy Butler, Dr. Keith Leonard, Bill Saluk, Jim Kickland, Cole Doherty, Ann Quist, Jeff Christensen, Tori Gibson, Dolly Bergmann, Lana Westphalen, and Sue Liston Pictured Left to Right Front Row: Grace McAfee, Alisha Wagner, Nina Welter, Elaine Otte, Jennifer McEntaffer, Maria Miller, Heidi Hinman, Julie Waters, and Kate Olson (Photo submitted)

Maria moved to Atlantic from Omaha, Nebraska two years ago with her husband and four kids. Wanting to get away from the hectic city life, Atlantic was the perfect spot for a slower paced lifestyle. The family fell in love with the community and opportunities offered in Cass County. The position as Market Manager came up unexpectedly for Maria. She took a chance at applying for the position and could not love it more after starting in March.

Produce in the Park is a homemade/homegrown style farmers market that is held every Thursday from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM in the summer months at the Atlantic City Park. With a wide variety of vendors, shoppers can find anything from produce, meats, plants, candles, and so much more. There are a lot of exciting things happening in Produce in the Park this year. You’ll find a mix of new and old vendors, food trucks, entertainment, activities, and theme nights. Maria is excited to give the entrepreneurs in the community a space to do their own thing and show off what they have been working on!

Produce in the Park is located at 102 Chestnut St. Atlantic, Iowa 50022.

For more information, contact 402-680-2029 or visit their website at https://www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com.