(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports three recent arrests. Two separate arrests took place last Saturday: 39-year-old Heath Holmes, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault, and Child Endangerment. He has since posted a $1,000 bond and was released. And, 45-year-old Lydell Murray, of Omaha, was arrested Saturday, on a Sarpy County, NE., warrant, and held without bond.

And, on Sunday, Glenwood Police arrested 25-year-old Dylan Harris, of Malvern, on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree. He has since posted a $5,000 and was released.

ATLANTIC, IOWA – Officials with Cass Health have announced the arrival of Adam Verhoef, MD. As a board-certified Family Medicine physician, Dr. Verhoef provides the full spectrum of care including obstetric care and c-sections. The Doctor says “I grew up in a town that had a small hospital with family medicine doctors, and I’ve always been really impressed by their ability to do it all. I love to do OB – that’s one of my passions – I also like the inpatient side, emergency medicine, urgent care. Anything that can be done in medicine – I like to do.”

Dr. Verhoef completed his undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry at Northwestern University in Orange City, Iowa. He then attended the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, and he completed his Family Medicine Residency in June of 2021 at Prisma Health Richland/University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina.

Adam Verhoef, MD

Obstetric care is a passion of Dr. Verhoef’s, so after residency he was accepted into a fellowship program to further his knowledge and skills. This summer he completed the Advanced OB Fellowship at Swedish Health First Hill Family Medicine in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Verhoef said that he chose Cass Health because it matches the type of medicine he wants to practice. “Rural health has always been my goal, and at Cass Health, it’s a great fit. I can provide meaningful care for my patients, and I can provide safe, comprehensive OB care.”

Originally from Pella, Iowa, Dr. Verhoef grew up in a large family on a dairy farm. He recently purchased a home and moved to Atlantic. Dr. Verhoef will offer appointments at Atlantic Medical Center, RHC, and he will provide care to hospital and obstetric patients. To make an appointment, please call 712-243-2850.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Librarians from throughout Cass County appeared before the County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, to make their annual request for funding. Anita Public Library Director Sara Young

The Board took the request under consideration for action at a later date. The Board held a public hearing on the sale of the County-owned farm (Willow Heights), and they heard from County Engineer Trent Wolken, who said the recent rain helped his crews get the roads back in shape. They’re also doing some shoulder work on the paved roads. Wolken said the beams for Bridge # 123 northeast of Massena, should arrive by the end of November or the beginning of December. Once they arrive, they can get the contractor lined-up and ready to replace the previous beams that collapsed on September 8th, under an overweight crane that was heading to a wind turbine site.

As far as other construction projects are concerned…

Zoning Administrator Rich Hansen appeared before the Board with a request from McCunn Specialty Firearms near Massena, for a change of zoning for their store, from Business, to Light Industrial, for the purpose of assembling firearms.

The Board was of the mindset McCunns can proceed with the process, but they asked that the company send certified letters to all the nearby property owners with regard to the proposal. The Board also heard from Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue, who discussed a funding request by both the P-D and Cass County Sheriff’s Department, to pay for a course based on a highly successful program in the State of Georgia, that will help officers and deputies identify issues of stress, and, how to deal with persons addicted to Opiods.

The Board asked the Chief to consult with Sheriff Darby McLaren about a similar program being offered in Shelby County, that is reportedly free-of-charge. It would cost anywhere between $6,300 – $6,500 to bring two instructors from Georgia to Iowa, along with the class instructional materials, and use of a facility. The Board is also hoping Hoege will provide them with more information on the program from Georgia. The matter will come up as an action item during a future board meeting, most likely on November 9th.

Cass County Veterans Affairs Director Mitch Holmes presented his quarterly report to the Board. He also requested the Board pass a resolution in support of “Operation Green Light for Veterans.” Holmes requested a county building be decked-out in green light bulbs from Nov. 7th through the 11th, Veteran’s Day Week. Holmes read from a portion of the Resolution.

The Board adopted the Resolution as presented. Holmes announced also that Family Dental Center in Atlantic is offering free dental care for Veterans on Veteran’s Day, November 11th. An appointment is not required, but is recommended. Last year, the Center provided nearly $7,000 in care for 18 veterans. Their patients ranged from 32 to 93 in age and were appreciative of the care provided.

And they discussed a proposal from Behle, Inc., for cast iron pipe work for certain buildings, but took no action. Cost was a factor in tabling the decision.

(Malvern, Iowa) – Funeral services are set for an East Mills High School Senior who died in a single-vehicle accident Friday afternoon, southwest of Malvern. A visitation for 17-year-old Kennedy Haley, of Emerson, will be held this evening, from 4-until 7-p.m., at the Lakin Community Center, in Malvern. Her funeral service is 10:30-a.m.Wednesday, Oct. 26^th, also at the Lakin Center.

Kennedy Haley (Photo via Loess Hills Funeral Home in Malvern)

Counselors were on-hand Sunday afternoon and during the day on Monday, for students and staff to deal with the loss of their friend and classmate. She died when the vehicle she was driving on Noyes Avenue near 290th Street went out of control and rolled numerous times before coming to rest on its wheels. Haley was ejected. She died at the scene.

A Kennedy Haley Memorial Fund has been established at the Malvern Bank.

[COUNCIL BLUFFS, 10/25/22] – An open burning ban is in place for Pottawattamie County, effective immediately. The ban prohibits all open and controlled burning in Pottawattamie County, including all incorporated city limits within the county. Scott Manz, Pott. County Emergency Management Director, said “Despite yesterday’s (Monday’s) rainfall and forecast chances later in the week, accumulation amounts will yield little to no relief from the continuing moisture deficits in the county and region.:

Manz said with the dry and windy conditions, the risk of a fast-moving wildfire is increased, as witnessed recently in Lancaster County, Montgomery County, and Harrison County; large, rapidly advancing fires proved difficult to contain and prompted evacuations. Such conditions put the public and first responders at significant risk. The ban will remain in place through the harvest and/or until environmental and weather conditions improve to a level that doesn’t significantly diminish fire containment and suppression efforts. 

Citizens are reminded to never throw out cigarettes from moving vehicles. The burning of yard waste piled tree debris, grass/agricultural ground and set-asides, trash, or other items are prohibited during the ban. Disobeying an active burn ban is a simple misdemeanor. can subject a person to citation or arrest for reckless use of fire or disobeying a burn ban. You may also be liable for additional criminal charges, damages, losses, or injuries resulting from the fire.

For updated information on burn bans and the law you can find further information on the Emergency Management Agency website, Facebook, and twitter. While visiting the website, residents should sign up for Alert Iowa to receive alerts for fire warnings, evacuation orders, severe weather threats, and other emergency notifications for your community.

(Red Oak & Clarinda, Iowa) – Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman reports effective immediately, Montgomery County and Page County are placed into an Open Burn Ban by unanimous decision of all Fire Chiefs. The ban prohibits all open and controlled burning in Montgomery County and Page County unless an official burn ban permit has been issued by the proper fire chief.

Citizens are reminded to not throw out cigarettes from moving vehicles and to discontinue burning yard waste, piled tree debris, grass/agricultural ground and set-asides or other items during this ban. Small recreational camp fires are permitted only if they are conducted in a fire place of brick, metal or heavy one-inch wire mesh. Any camp fire not in an outdoor fire place is prohibited.

Violation of a burn ban can subject a person to citation or arrest for reckless use of fire or disobeying a burn ban.

(Tabor, Iowa) –  Investigators in southwest Iowa are looking into the claims of a woman who said that, as a child, her father forced her to help dispose of bodies on land he owned west of Tabor. In an article posted Friday on Newsweek.com, the woman suggested there may be as many as 70 bodies at the bottom of a 100 foot well, believed to be prostitutes or transients, and that all of them were killed by her father, Donald Dean Studey, over the course of three decades.

The well no longer exists. It was filled-in many years ago, and the woman’s father has long-since died.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope acknowledged there have been rumors about the bodies for years, and while cadaver dog picked up a scent of human remains this past weekend at the field, as of Monday, there was no credible evidence to support the woman’s claims, and that cadaver dogs are used as a tool, but are not a definitive sign of evidence being present.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest U-S-D-A crop report shows one part of the state is much closer to finishing up the harvest than others. The report shows the northeast and south-central regions of Iowa both are under 40 percent when it comes to the corn harvest — while 82 percent of the corn is already sitting in bins in northwest Iowa. The overall corn harvest is 59 percent complete — which is one day ahead of last year and eight days ahead of the five-year average. The report says the soybean harvest reached 88 percent complete — which is 11 days ahead of the average.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University’s Extension Department is selling a 2023 calendar that seeks to address some of the “Garden Lore” that’s been circulating the state. Consumer horticulture specialist, Aaron Steil, says they hear a lot of folklore or home remedies that don’t have a lot of research or evidence supporting them. One involves a popular garden flower. “You know, we often get a question, if peonies need ants to bloom, and peonies will open with or without ants, the ants are not required for bloom, they’re just there because they’re collecting nectar,” he says. Another myth is you should plant your potatoes on Good Friday.

He says planting should happen in mid-April in much of the state for potatoes, and sometimes Good Friday is in mid-April — but the holiday can move around as much as a month — and it can be too early to plan when Good Friday is near the end of March. The internet is the origin of some of the gardening stories — including one Style has heard quite often. “Planting sweet peppers, or bell peppers next to hot peppers will make your sweet or bell peppers more spicy. And that’s just not how biology works,” Style says. “If you saved the seed from inside that pepper and planted it the following year, the pepper will probably taste different. But the fruit of the pepper is determined by the genetics of the plant. And that doesn’t change whether it’s pollinated by us a bell pepper or sweet pepper.”

Style says the questions have picked up as more people tried their hand at gardening. “Especially since the spring of 2020, and so we’ve been answering many questions like this, there’s lots of information out there and some of its good and some of its bad,” he says. “Hopefully this calendar can help kind of show people the difference between those two things.” The calendar addresses the lore, and he says it’s also a great way to keep track of your work. “The garden calendar is actually a wonderful gardening journal to keep track of things, when you planted things and take note of the things you put in your yard, those kinds of things. It makes a wonderful garden journal that way,” Style says.

The calendar can be purchased from the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach online store, and you can also find it in most of your local county extension offices. It costs eight dollars.

(Sidney, Iowa) – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope says more than a dozen people were arrested on various charges, between Sept. 27th and Oct. 24th. Most recently…

On Oct. 24th, 39-year-old Patrick Raven, of Nebraska City, NE., was arrested for Domestic Abuse (Strangulation), and Going Armed with Intent. Mills County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in his arrest. Raven was being held without bond, pending an initial court appearance.

On Oct. 19th, 43-year-old Dewight Binau, of Red Oak, was arrested on nine counts of Violation of a No Contact Order. Red Oak Police assisted in the matter.

On the 16th, Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 39-year-old Rex Peterson, of Dunbar, NE., for Possession of Meth. He was later released on a $1,000 bond. That same day, 39-year-old Megan Austin, of Thurman, was arrested for Domestic Abuse. She was Released on her Own Recognizance (ROR).

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports 50-year-old Glen Gallagher, of Omaha, was arrested Oct. 12th, for Poss. of Meth, Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia, and Poss. of Marijuana. He was released on a $6,000 bond.  On Oct. 9th, 22-year-old Michael Perez Gutierrez, of Omaha, was arrested in Fremont County for OWI/1st offense (later released on a $1,000 bond).

There were three arrests on Oct. 8th: 39-year-old Aaron Childs, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Poss. of Meth & drug paraphernalia (released on $1k bond); 29-year-old Dakotah Barnett, of Sidney, was arrested for OWI/1st offense (Released on $1k bond); & 39-year-old Pedro Andrade, of Muscatine, was arrested for Attempted Murder and Willful Injury. He was later released on $1k bond.

On Oct. 6th, 42-year-old Randy Burton, of Glenwood, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear (ROR). On Oct. 4th, 25-year-old Gavin Driskell, of Hamburg, was arrested for OWI/1st offense (released on $1k bond). Sept 28th, Fremont County Deputies arrested 29-year-old Elijah Faust, of Thurman, for Probation Violation (ROR); On the 27th, 32-year-old Ashley McClarnon, of Clarinda, was arrested for Harassment in the 2nd Degree ($1k bond). The Page County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the arrest.

And, on Sept. 27th, 30-year-old Mary Sorenson, of Ruthven, was arrested in Fremont County for Harassment in the 3rd Degree ($1k bond).