DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 200,000 people enrolled in Iowa’s privatized Medicaid program have been formally switched to new coverage following the abrupt exit of an insurance company. UnitedHealthcare took over coverage Friday for affected patients, after AmeriHealth Caritas effectively withdrew Thursday from Iowa’s health care system for the poor and disabled. AmeriHealth Caritas announced Oct. 31 it would drop coverage because of failed contract negotiations with Iowa over money.

The state has signed new contracts with UnitedHealthcare and another company, Amerigroup. But Amerigroup said it doesn’t have capacity to take new patients, requiring most AmeriHealth Caritas patients to be switched to UnitedHealthcare.

It’s unclear when patients will have choice again. UnitedHealthcare plans to hire about 400 employees to respond to the addition. Iowa’s roughly $4 billion program serves more than 600,000 people.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — A judge has set a February trial starting date for a Charles City man’s second sex abuse trial. Court records say the new date of Feb. 20 was set Thursday for 61-year-old Douglas Lindaman, who’s pleaded not guilty to a sex abuse charge. The trial had been scheduled to begin Oct. 30 in Franklin County, where the trial had been moved because of pretrial publicity. But he was granted a continuance.

Lindaman was sentenced last year to 10 years. The Iowa Supreme Court later vacated the conviction, because Lindaman was allowed to represent himself without knowingly waiving his right to an attorney. Lindaman is accused of performing a sex act on a 17-year-old without the boy’s consent. Lindaman was running for a school board spot when arrested in 2015.

Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce remind area residents that the annual Lighted Parade will fill downtown Atlantic with holiday cheer this Saturday, December 2nd, beginning  at 6-p.m. Each float will have a holiday theme, lighting and music. Awards will be given for: Best Overall, Best Holiday Spirit, presented by McCurdy Investments and Twinkle Twinkle, presented by Atlantic Feedwater Systems.

AtlantiCash will be given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Winners will be notified before the parade. Fireworks, sponsored by A.M. Cohron & Son and Meyer & Gross Real Estate, kick off the Christmas magic over the Rock Island Depot, starting at 6 PM.

Before the parade, Santa will be in his Cabin at City Park from 3 – 5:30 PM. Santa’s Reindeer as well as free Carriage Rides will also be at City Park from 3 – 5:30 PM. Santa’s Cabin is presented by the Atlantic Rotary Club.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber stopped by the KJAN Studios, Thursday, to talk about “SAVE,” funds for which were appropriated by the Iowa Legislature in 2008. He says SAVE is an acronym for Secure and Advanced Vision for Education. It was previously known as LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) and SILO (School Infrastructure Local Option) tax. It originated at the County Level and eventually became the Statewide penny on purchases that’s used for school districts. Barber says the Atlantic School District has benefited from the sale tax fund to upgrade its facilities and technology. It’s even been used to purchase 11 buses (six of which are propane), four cars, and two suburban’s, along with property upkeep equipment, such as mowers and a utility tractor.

From 2009 through 2017, the District has received SAVE monies amounting to slightly more than $10.9-million. The bill is slated to sunset in 2029. Barber says School officials across the state are urging Iowa lawmakers to extend the bill to 2050. Mr. Barber says there has been conversation at the State level for the past few years with regard to extending the sunset. It’s important to continue it, according to Barber, because some of the money the district receives each year is bonded and goes toward paying for the renovation projects

He says if District patrons happen to hear talk in the news during the legislative session about “SAVE,” listen closely to what direction the conversation is going, because it’s important to maintaining District facilities and without the use of property tax money. Barber said if the SAVE funds were reduced, the Atlantic School District would have to ask more from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL).

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Economists say a business conditions index for nine Midwest and Plains states dropped over the past month but also say it still suggests that regional economic conditions continue to improve. A report released Friday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index slipped to 57.2 in November from 58.8 in October. The September figure was 58.2 in September.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the manufacturing sector has reported consistent growth over the past several months. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County, Thursday night, arrested a man wanted on a warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. 34-year old Jeremy Hobe Pieken, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 100 block of W. Coolbaugh Street, at around 10:45-p.m. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

A traffic stop early this (Friday) morning in Adams County resulted in the arrest of two people on drug charges. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports at around 12:15-a.m., Deputies conducted a traffic stop on Highway 25, near the Adams/Taylor County line, on a vehicle with a non-working headlamp and with an expired registration. As Deputies approached the driver and passenger, they detected an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The driver, Mark Anthony Lopez, was placed under arrest for Driving Under Suspension, Failure to File for SR-22 Insurance, and Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense.His passenger, Malik Rashad Lambert, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense. Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted in their investigation by the Deputies with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ringgold County K9 Unit.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports also, the arrest Thursday, of Justin Lee Schafer and Janelle Blaisure. Justin Schafer was arrested at around 12:25-p.m. on an Adams County warrant for Failure to Appear in court on an original charge of Driving Under Suspension. Janelle Blaisure was arrested at around 7:35-p.m. on a similar charge,  following a traffic stop.

Republicans and Democrats say finding a long-term source of money for water quality efforts is a priority for the 2018 Iowa legislative session — and they expect quick action. It’s still a matter of debate, though, as to WHICH policy option will be pursued. Senate President Jack Whitver of Ankeny acknowledges the House passed one approach LAST year, while the Senate approved a different one.

“But at the end of session, we decided there were too many dollars on the line and too much policy to hammer out to do that at the last minute and just patch it together,” Whitver says, “and we decided we wanted to take time and make sure you’re going to do it right because that’s plan that’s going to be around for 20 or 30 or 40 years.”

House Republican Leader Chris Hagenow, of Windsor Heights, expects “hundreds of millions of dollars” to be dedicated to water quality projects over the next few decades.”We shouldn’t see this one bill that we have as the beginning and the end of our work on water quality,” Hagenow says. “I see this as a generational challenge.”

Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen of Des Moines favors an approach that addresses pollution at the watershed level. “The problems with water are not evenly sprinkled across our state and we should be going after the areas that is most poisoning our water,” Petersen says. “We should be going after those areas first, I believe.”

House Democratic Leader Mark Smith of Marshalltown says it’s a mistake to make look solely at the quality of surface water. “We need to be focusing on good soil and retaining Iowa soil, which is our lifeblood here in this state,” Smith says. “By doing so, we will correct the water quality issues that we have in our state and many other issues as well.”

Addressing flood-prone areas of the state through water improvement projects is important, according to Smith. The legislative leaders made their comments Thursday during a forum sponsored by the Greater Des Moines Partnership. It represents 23 chambers of commerce in central Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)