w/ Ric Hanson

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The Director of Plant Operations at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic was recently recognized recently as a “Hospital Hero,” by the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA).  Roger Sandhorst was one of just ten hospital employees selected from the 174,000 hospital workers across the state to receive this honor at the 2013 Iowa Hospital Association’s Annual Meeting.  IHA has been recognizing Hospital Heroes for seven years.  Sandhorst is only the second facilities manager to earn this distinction.

Roger Sandhorst (center) was presented with his Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) Hospital Hero award by Scott Curtis, IHA Board Chairman, and Pat Markham, CEO of Cass County Memorial Hospital, at this fall’s IHA Annual Meeting in Des Moines.

He was nominated as a Hospital Hero by the Cass County Memorial Hospital Administrative Team.  CCMH CEO Pat Markham said “Roger’s dedication to our staff, patients and community is unfailing, and we are thrilled he received this well-deserved recognition.” Markham added that while Sandhorst does not provide direct patient care, “His commitment to service and excellence directly impacts the ability of [our] direct care workers to provide outstanding care to [our] patients.”

The IHA program for the awards ceremony contained the following summary of Roger’s nomination as a Hospital Hero: “Heroes come in many shapes, sizes and colors. Some even wear capes!  Many though, are much less visible, preferring to fly under the radar.  Roger Sandhorst is one of those quiet heroes.  Never one to attract attention, to put things off, to give up, or even go on vacation, Roger is too busy taking care of everyone else to put himself first.

“In a hospital full of professional caregivers, the Director of Plant Operations may seem an unlikely recipient of the Hospital Hero Award.  He may not have a medical or nursing degree, or even touch patients, but he spends all of his routine 10 – 12 hour days caring for others in his own way.  Of course, he is always ready to go in an emergency.  Snowstorms, power outages, broken pipes – Roger is leading his crew to save the day quickly, quietly and professionally.  But what really makes Roger stand out is what he does every day, when it isn’t an emergency.  How he oversees the routine care of a 45 year old building, where visitors routinely comment “It can’t be that old!”  How he ensures that routine requests are handled almost as quickly as emergencies.  How he sets the standard of professionalism to the highest degree.

“During his 27 years as Supervisor and Director of the Plant Operations Department, Roger has led Cass County Memorial Hospital through two major addition and renovation projects.  His expertise has been key to the successful completion of these projects, bringing state-of-the-art medical facilities to the people of southwest Iowa.   He makes it possible for the medical personnel to do their jobs just that much better, contributing to the life-saving care they give every day.

“Roger’s dedication to Cass County Memorial Hospital has been unwavering.  In 27 years, his vacation days could probably be counted on your toes and fingers.  Hours of the day mean nothing to Roger when it comes to taking care of the people and facilities that make up CCMH.  Whatever it takes, whenever it happens, Roger is there.  He has earned the respect and gratitude of all who have had the privilege to experience his quiet care and compassion.  Roger Sandhorst truly is a Hospital Hero.”

The head of the Iowa Department of Public Safety plans to replace retiring state troopers, but the budget outline Public Safety Commissioner Larry Noble has drafted does not call for expanding the ranks of the Iowa State Highway Patrol. The union for state troopers argues about 100 more officers should be hired to adequately patrol the state’s highways and respond to emergencies at all hours of the day and night.

Noble acknowledges some troopers may have to travel greater distances or work more overtime. “I think that we will sustain coverage,” Noble says. “…We are going to provide services to the citizens of Iowa.” Noble expects 19 troopers to retire within the 18 months — and he says it takes a year to 18 months to train a replacement. “We’re going to have an academy this summer so that way we can prepare for that,” Noble says.  As of today, there are 348 state troopers on the payroll.

“We do more than just write tickets,” Noble says. “We go beyond the stop and we work in criminal interdiction, such as drugs (and) human trafficking. We’ve had instances of that where people are taken against their will.” Noble says. The patrol is now a “stable” organization, according to Noble, a former state trooper who says deep budget cuts in the past have been gradually restored.

Noble presented a budget outline for his entire agency to Governor Branstad on Tuesday afternoon. He proposes NO increase, but the same level of spending as the current year.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Adams County report the arrest Tuesday night, of Tommy Watters, from Corning. Watters was taken into custody at around 8-p.m. after his vehicle was stopped on Corning Carl Road for having a headlight out. During an investigation, deputies learned Watters had a suspended license. He was taken into custody for Driving Under Suspension and brought to the Adams County Jail, where Watters was released later on $566 bond.

Police in Red Oak arrested a local woman Tuesday night on a valid Montgomery County warrant for Contempt of Court. 40-year old Tiffany Lea Palmer, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 9:45-p.m. in the 1800 block of Highway 48. She was brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held without bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A popular deer donation program is starting up again in Iowa. The state Department of Natural Resources says the program, Help Us Stop Hunger, involves hunters bringing in a whole deer that will be processed into packages of ground meat. The Food Bank of Iowa coordinates the distribution of the meat to local food pantries.

Jim Coffey, who coordinates the program, says hunters simultaneously reduce the deer herd and provide needed protein to the food bank. Iowa hunters have donated more than 56,000 deer to the program since it began. More than 5,200 deer were donated last year, resulting in 800,000 meals.

Firefighters from Shelby and Avoca were on the scene of a grain bin fire early this (Wednesday) morning, east of Shelby, north of Interstate 80. The bin was located at 33804 400th Street. The Harlan and Minden Fire Departments were requested at 3:50-a.m., to send their tanker and pumper trucks, to help fight the blaze. Defiance Fire was requested to send their Rehab truck to the scene, just after 4:30-a.m.

No other details are immediately available.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The foreclosure rates in Nebraska and Iowa are continuing to improve. Real estate data provider CoreLogic said Tuesday that in September Nebraska’s foreclosure rate improved to 0.66 percent from last year’s 0.86 percent and Iowa’s was 1.61 percent, down from 2.11 percent. The national rate was 2.29 percent in September, down from 3.25 percent a year earlier.

In the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area that straddles the Nebraska-Iowa border the foreclosure rate was 0.87 percent in September, down from 1.21 percent in 2012. In Des Moines, Iowa, the foreclosure rate improved to 1.82 percent over last September’s 2.47 percent.

The foreclosure rate reflects the percentage of home loans involved in some stage of the foreclosure process. CoreLogic says its data covers about 85 percent of the foreclosure data nationwide.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — An 81-year-old northern Iowa man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for sexually abusing two 8-year-old girls. Clarence Miller, of Thompson, received 25 years on each count of second-degree sexual abuse. Miller must serve at least 35 years before he is eligible for parole. A jury convicted Miller in September of two counts of sexual abuse involving the girls. Prosecutors say Miller assaulted the girls at his home between January 2010 and August 2012.

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — A southwest Iowa man has reached a plea deal in connection with the death of a 13-month-old girl he was babysitting. Twenty-three–year-old Colby Puckett, of Pacific Junction, pleaded guilty Monday in Mills County Court to second-degree murder in the February 2012 death of Aliyanna May. Puckett was dating the infant’s mother when he was watching the girl and two of her siblings. Authorities say the infant sustained extensive injuries to her head and eyes while in Puckett’s care. Officials later ruled her death a homicide.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Cedar Falls is expanding outward by 100 acres for residential housing. The City Council approved three annexation applications and the City Development Board in Des Moines must now approve it before it can receive residential zoning status. The three properties include dozens of acres of farmland. A developer plans to build single-family units on the site, which is close to the city’s industrial park.

CLINTON, Iowa (AP) — Police in eastern Iowa are investigating a hit-and-run collision involving two patrol cars. Clinton police say two marked squad cars were parked Monday night when a vehicle traveling at a high speed crossed into an opposite lane of travel and hit them. The crash caused considerable damage to the patrol cars. The high-speed vehicle fled the scene.