The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and U.S. Department of Agriculture today (Friday) announced that all of the 72 commercial poultry farms that had a confirmed case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) have had the quarantines on their facilities lifted and they are eligible to restock birds. All sites have completed the cleaning and disinfection process and had negative environmental tests. They also had to undergo a 21 day fallow period following disinfection before the quarantine could be lifted.

Five backyard operations remain under quarantine. Backyard facilities must undergo a 180 day fallow period following depopulation before the quarantines can be lifted and birds brought back to the farm. It is anticipated that these sites will be able to come off of quarantine in the next month.

Now that fall migration of wild waterfowl is underway, bird owners are again reminded to exercise biosecurity to prevent the return of the disease. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a report last month on its planning and preparation for a potential recurrence of the disease. APHIS’ fall plan focuses on four major areas: preventing or reducing future outbreaks; enhanced preparedness; improved and streamlined response capabilities; and preparing for the potential use of AI vaccines.

APHIS’ fall planning report not only discusses planning and preparedness activities but also contains links to updated policies, guidance documents, and background information, including a biosecurity self-assessment for the poultry industry, criteria for using ventilation shutdown as a depopulation method and a plan for how vaccine could potentially be used.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, together with USDA, partner state agencies and industry stakeholders have conducted after-action reviews and preparedness planning. USDA’s Avian Influenza page, which includes a link to the Fall Plan can be found here: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=avian_influenza.html

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Thursday of an Atlantic woman. 32-year old Randi Irene Shafer was taken into custody on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear and an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Theft 3rd Degree. Shafer was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $27,000 bond.

And, the Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following an accident that occurred just before 2-p.m., on November 1st. The accident took place on Interstate 80 eastbound about 3-miles west of the Olive Street exit (Exit 57). Officials say a 2004 Volvo truck driven by 49-year old Leonardo Varona-Millet, of Lincoln, NE, lost control and entered the south ditch. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $3,500.

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

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Police in Creston say officials at the Creston Elementary School reported Thursday night, that someone had vandalized the 3rd and 4th grade girls restroom at the school by means of graffiti. The incident happened sometime between 10:30-a.m. and Noon, Thursday. The damage was estimated at $30.

(Updated 9:20-a.m.)

Authorities in Union County say four men from Creston were arrested on drug charges, Thursday. Creston Police, deputies with the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and Agents with the Dept. of Narcotics Enforcement, made the arrests during individual traffic stops, illicit narcotics investigations, and resident search warrants. Officials say large amounts of drug paraphernalia, packaging materials, electronic scales, marijuana, and about 50-grams of methamphetamine were seized during the narcotics enforcement effort, in Creston.

Cody Lee Vandel

Lonny Ray Brown

Brian Clair Smith

Anthony Michael Atkins

On Thursday: 34-year old Brian Smith was arrested for Possession with the Intent to Deliver (more than 5 grams of methamphetamine), and Obstruction of Prosecution – Destruction of Evidence, and 28-year old Cory Vandel, also of Creston, was arrested on two counts of Possession with the Intent to Deliver (more than 5 grams of methamphetamine), and Possession with the Intent to Deliver (Marijuana). Both men were being held in the Union County Jail on $100,000 bond, each.

Thursday night, 28-year old Anthony Atkins and 37-year old Lonny Brown, both of Creston, were taken into custody for Possession with the Intent to Deliver (methamphetamine), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Atkins and Brown were being held in the Union County Jail on $10,000 bond, each.

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

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CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a standoff in northwestern Iowa ended peacefully when a man who barricaded himself inside a home surrendered to police.
The standoff in Cherokee began Thursday around 5 p.m. and ended around 11 p.m. Authorities evacuated homes that were adjacent to the property as a precaution.

Cherokee County Sheriff Dave Scott says the man was the only one in the house, and had been drinking heavily. Authorities say the man had been served divorce papers, and he was believed to be armed. The Iowa State Patrol, Cherokee Police Department and Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. The man, who was not identified, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Four Cass County Health System (CCHS) staff were recognized for their completion of the Iowa Hospital Association’s Leadership Development series recently. Amy Petersen, Inpatient Services Director; Barb Lytle, Diagnostic Imaging Director; Ryan Legg, Rehab Services Director; and James Baker, Food Services Director, all completed the one year leadership program in 2014 – 15.

Four Cass County Health System directors were recognized at the Iowa Hospital Association’s annual meeting for completing the IHA Leadership Series. Pictured with their awards are (left to right) Amy Petersen, Barb Lytle, Ryan Legg and James Baker.

Now in its 15th year, the IHA Health Care Leadership Series exists to develop critical leadership skills and competencies with the overarching objective of increasing retention of committed, quality staff in Iowa hospitals.

CCHS CEO Todd Hudspeth says “In the ever changing healthcare environment we live in today, serving in a leadership role is very complex and challenging. Having these individuals engaged in the IHA Leadership Development series better prepares them to face those challenges themselves as well as be a valuable resource for their co-workers at CCHS.”

Officials with the Cass County Health System report Cathie Alff, CNA was recognized recently as a Hospital Hero by the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA). Cathie was one of just ten hospital employees selected from the 174,000 hospital workers across the state to receive this honor at the 2015 Iowa Hospital Association’s Annual Meeting.
Cathie was nominated as a Hospital Hero for her compassionate care as a certified nurse aide in the CCMH Cardiac Rehab Department.

Cathie Alff was presented with a Hospital Hero award by Ted Townsend, Iowa Hospital Association Board Chair, and Todd Hudspeth, Cass County Health System Chief Executive Officer.

Todd Hudspeth, CCHS CEO, says “Cathie’s devotion to her patients is demonstrated every day by her compassion and willingness to go above and beyond for them. We are very proud and happy for her that the Iowa Hospital Association chose to recognize her dedication and commitment to excellence with this prestigious award.”

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The IHA program for the awards ceremony contained the following summary of Cathie’s nomination as a Hospital Hero: “Cathie Alff is a member of the Cass County Health System cardiac rehabilitation team, where she performs her clinical job duties in outstanding fashion every day. But it is the compassion, the empathy, the trust that she fosters from her patients and the caring she integrates into her work that make her a hero.

Some examples of how she goes above and beyond include: driving 20 miles in her own vehicle on her own time to assist a very anxious homebound patient with a Holter monitor device; taking a patient home who was too ill to drive; stopping to pick up a monitoring device to save a patient a trip to the hospital and giong to the nursing home to hook up a monitoring device so the patient would not have the stress of being transported to the hospital. Cathie’s good work ranges from volunteering to help a co-worker move her in-law into a nursing home to taking the time to sit with patients who are frightened or depressed and talking with them, comforting them, consoling them and crying with them. All of these actions are driven by a true sense of compassion and love for her patients and co-workers. Cathie has a unique insight into seeing the good in people and helping them see it too, so that it overshadows the weaknesses and becomes a strength to promote healing.

Cathie understand the big picture – she knows it is not about her; it’s about the patient. For her, every day at the hospital is not just “another day” at work; instead it is a profound moment in her patients’ lives and it’s their needs that have priority. Even when supporting her father and her significant other as they battled their own serious health issues, Cathie never wavered in her support and encouragement of the cardiac rehab patients she continues to care for every day. Cathie Alff truly embodies the meaning of what it is to be an Iowa Hospital Hero.

In an update to our previous reports, four Republicans and one Democrat have so far announced their intentions to seek the Iowa House District 21 seat left vacant by the death of State Rep. Jack Drake of Griswold. The Omaha World-Herald says in the mean-time, the two political parties have announced the dates for their conventions to choose nominees to face off in a special election Dec. 8th.