The operator of a tile trenching machine suffered non-incapacitating injuries Wednesday morning in Page County, when a nut came loose on the steering wheel. Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports 31-year old John Mather, of Clarinda, was taken to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital following the accident, which occurred at around 11:20-a.m. Wednesday, about 2-miles southwest of Coin.

The sheriff says Mather was operating a 2001 Hydro-Max 2600 field tile trencher southbound on F Avenue, when the steering wheel nut came loose. Mather tried to steer the machine but was unable to keep it from entering the west ditch and rolling onto its left side. Mather was able to jump from the trencher before it rolled. He was found on the ground in front of the machine and transported by private vehicle to the hospital, for treatment of his injuries.  According to reports, Mather has since been transferred to the trauma center at Creighton University in Omaha where he was undergoing treatment for multiple injuries.

The trencher sustained $300,000 damage, and was declared a total loss.

A federal audit found a “payment error rate” of two-point-seven percent in the state-run program that provides health insurance to children. The national average was far higher, more than eight percent. Only one state had a lower error rate than Iowa. The federal audit also reviewed Medicaid payments in Iowa and found a four-and-a-half percent error rate. Roger Munns of the Iowa Department of Human Services says that’s an improvement from the error rate discovered in a 2008 audit.

“Every time that an error is identified, we do a correction action plan for it and when you pay attention to things, good things happen,” Munns says. “But I don’t want it to make it sound like we’re perfect. Obviously there is still room for improvement.” Over 400-thousand Iowans are enrolled in Medicaid. The parents of nearly 70-thousand Iowa children have gotten low or reduced cost health insurance for their kids through the state-run “Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa” or HAWK-I program.

“I think it’s useful, I guess, to know that people are looking over our shoulder and they sometimes find things in which we don’t perform as well as we’d like and, in this case, we find that we perform better than many of our peers,” Munns says.

The American Medical Association’s annual analysis of private insurance company error rates was released this summer. It found nine-and-a-half percent of claims were paid incorrectly by private insurance companies.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department reports a local man was arrested Wednesday. 22-year old Michael Sherman, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Trespass. Sherman was booked into the Cass County Jail.

Tourism in Cass County appears to be thriving, especially with all the towns in the County banding together for a common cause. That was the message during Wednesday’s Cass County Board of Supervisors meeting. Supervisor Chuck Rieken said the communities can benefit economically if they continue to promote each other, not just the attractions in an individual town. That was evidenced by a tour group who came to Atlantic last weekend. While here, they learned about other sites and attractions in Griswold, including the new Cass County Historical Museum. He said there was a busload of people who came to Atlantic and toured the town before traveling to Griswold and having a “Great Time.”

Kenner Baxter talks about Cass County Tourism with the Board of Supervisors,

Kenner Baxter, Cass County Tourism representative, said “That kind of cooperation between the cities in Cass County, is what’s going to make tourism really work for us.” She said when you take Cass County as a whole, there is a lot to see. Rieken said things have improved greatly over the last few years with communities’ cooperation, stepping forward to help each other. Baxter said “That was the goal,” of the Tourism Committee – to help foster a sort of “All for one and one for all” mindset.

Baxter recapped for the Board some of the events in the County which drew large crowds and tourism dollars over the past year, and she mentioned actions being taken to spark additional interest in Cass County Tourism. She said  a National Bird Dog Competition took place in the Fall of 2011 and the Spring of 2012, drawing large numbers of competitors and their dogs. It was deemed a “great success.” There have also been group tours of the Tractor Museums and the Griswold area, the Committee raised funds from ad sales to support a 12-page section in the Chamber Community Guide, which will be coming out in the next month or so, and a booth at the Garden Seminar last April garnered a lot of foot traffic. In addition Nishna Valley Trails hosted a Bike Coalition at the Cass County Community Center, last April.

She said also the Southwest Iowa Regional Tourism group, which is comprised of six counties, is working on ideas for two-day or day-long group tours of the area, which includes theatrical performances and other attractions. The next meeting of the Cass County Tourism Committee is January 17^th at 9-a.m., in the office of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. The public is welcome to attend.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Burglars in Red Oak made off with some collectible baseball cards during a reported break-in that apparently took place over the course of the past week. According to Red Oak Police, a resident in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue reported to authorities someone entered her home by forcing open a back door. Once inside, they stole a portion of a baseball card collection and other possible items. An inventory was being conducted to determine what exactly was missing, therefore a dollar amount of the loss is currently not available. Officials say there was estimated $150.00 damage to the back door, though.

If you saw any unusual activity in the area between December 5th and December 12th, you’re asked to contact the Red Oak Police Department at (712) 623-6500.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Cass County Board of Supervisors discussed at length Wednesday morning, the possibility of having a full study conducted on options available and costs, to expand facilities at the courthouse, or renovate certain areas to accommodate the urgent needs of the Cass County 9-1-1 Communications Center. The discussion, which lasted nearly an hour, began with Supervisor Mark Wedemeyer saying the Public Safety Commission met recently and has a proposal for the Board to consider, with regard to a feasibility study. The proposal calls for the study the Public Safety Commission to pay 100 percent of the study if the supervisors agree to commit to moving the 911 center to either the garage near the Cass County Sheriff’s Office or the east wing of the 3^rd floor.

In recent, previous meetings of the County Supervisors, Cass County 9-1-1 Director Rob Koppert stressed the importance of making a decision on where the Comm Center should go, citing pressing timelines for the installation of “Next Generation” 9-1-1 equipment, as well as the space for that equipment and additional personnel. Koppert reiterated that point again during Wednesday’s meeting.

Mark Wedemeyer said an engineering firm which had expressed interest in the project since it was proposed last year, came to a recent meeting of the County Public Safety Commission to make an offer on conducting a study of the proposed sites on the courthouse grounds for the 911 Center. The fact that so much infrastructure is involved in any renovation of the courthouse, including computer servers, wiring, plumbing and heating, prompted Supervisor Chuck Rieken to call for a complete engineering study of the courthouse, not a “band-aid” approach to fixing problems as they pop up.

Reiken said if there’s going to be money invested in an expansion or renovation, they need to look at the long-term affect of how that will be accomplished and where the money will come from. The Board said it would not object to helping pay for the initial study, if it included more than just the 91-1 Center relocation.

The Board concluded their meeting by asking Rob Koppert to contact the company which expressed interest in conducting the feasibility study, to set up a meeting where a whole courthouse study is discussed instead of the initial, partial study for just the 911 Center’s needs.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say an Adams County man was arrested Wednesday afternoon, for violating a Protective Order. 48-year old David Adsit, of Prescott, was taken into custody in Adams County, at around 1:05-p.m. He was wanted on a valid Montgomery County warrant for the violation.

Adsit was transported by Adams County authorities to the County line, where he was turned over to a Montgomery County deputy and then transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held on $300 bond.