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(Update) 1 injured in an UTV accident near Lewis

News

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Emergency responders from Griswold and Lewis were called to the scene of a 4-wheel UTV accident northeast of Griswold this (Sunday) afternoon. Initial reports indicated an adult male was trapped under the machine in Turkey Creek, just east of 58488 Midway Road. The man was conscious and breathing, with a possible broken leg. The accident was reported at around 2:20-p.m.

In addition to the Griswold Fire and Rescue and Lewis 1st Responders, Medivac, Atlantic Fire and Rescue, and Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies were sent to the scene soon after the call went out. Atlantic Fire & Rescue was asked to respond with their ATV, as the terrain where the accident took place was difficult to navigate.

According to reports, rescue crews walked nearly a mile along uneven terrain to the scene. When they arrived, they learned the victim had been ejected from the machine and was able to crawl out of the water onto the creek bank. A coordinated effort between the Griswold and Atlantic Fire and Rescue Departments took place in order to bring the man to an ambulance. Medivac transported the victim to the hospital. His name was not immediately released.

DALE LYNN MILLER, 71, of Republic, MO. (Svcs. 10/26/19)

Obituaries

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DALE LYNN MILLER, 71, of Republic, MO., died Friday, Oct. 18th. Funeral services for DALE MILLER will be held 2-p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26th, at the Pauley-Jones Funeral Home, in Harlan.

Visitation at the funeral home is on Saturday, from 11-a.m. until the time of service.

Burial is in the Valley View Cemetery in Persia (IA).

DALE MILLER is survived by:

His daughter – Meliszma (Nick) Phillips, of Billings, MT.

His brothers – Allan Miller, of Persia, and Russell Miller, of Loveland, CO.

His sister – Cindy Hulbert, of Council Bluffs.

DNR Conservation Officer helps rescue duck hunters

News

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

MONONA COUNTY, Iowa — The Iowa DNR reports that on Sunday October 20, at approximately 10:57 AM, Monona County dispatch received a call that Decatur Fire and Rescue was en-route to Tieville Bend Wildlife Management Area for a call of two hunters whose boat was sinking.  A father and teenage son were duck hunting on an oxbow lake within the Tieville Bend Wildlife Management Area and were motoring back to the boat ramp when their 14 foot johnboat began taking on water.

DNR Conservation Officer Gary Sisco and an Iowa State Patrol Trooper accompanied Decatur Fire and Rescue and pulled the hunters from their stranded vessel and transported them to shore.  Both individuals refused medical treatment.

Burt County, NE Fire and Rescue, Decatur, NE Fire and Rescue, Iowa State Patrol, and the Monona County Sheriff”s Office, along with DNR Conservation Officers Gary Sisco and Aaron Johnson were assisted with the rescue.

Body of missing kayaker, hunter recovered

News

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

HARRISON COUNTY, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Sunday, that at around 9:13-a.m. Saturday, divers with the Midwest Regional Dive Team recovered the body of a Nebraska kayaker and hunter that was missing since Friday evening. The body has been identified as 33-year old Cody Bengford, of Bellevue, Nebraska.  The body has since been transported to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny for an autopsy.

Investigators believe Bengford left the boat ramp at the Nobles Lake Wildlife Management Area on Friday afternoon to head out for a bow hunt in the Desoto National Wildlife Refuge.  Bengford was reported missing that evening after he didn’t return. Two DNR Conservation Officers responded and began search and rescue efforts. Bengford’s overturned kayak was recovered a short time later along the north shoreline of the lake, however his body was not found. Search and rescue operations were suspended at 1:46am and resumed around 7:00am Saturday morning.

DNR Conservation Officers were assisted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Council Bluffs Fire Department, Harrison and Shelby County sheriff’s offices, Harrison and Shelby County Emergency Management, Missouri Valley Fire and Rescue, Modale Fire Department, Midwest Regional Dive Team, and the Iowa State Patrol.

Death of woman shot while driving in April remains a mystery

News

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Iowa investigators are working to determine who fatally shot a woman while she was driving in April. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports no arrests have been made yet in the April 28 death of Micalla Rettinger. She was a former softball player at the University of Northern Iowa who was driving home from work at a bar with two passengers when the shooting happened.

Rettinger died and one passenger was hurt in the shooting that happened in a remote area between Waterloo and Cedar Falls on Highway 218. Police Maj. Joe Leibold says the bullet and other evidence was recently sent to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms lab for additional testing.

Rettinger was from Lenexa, Kansas. She had been living in Waterloo since graduating in 2016 from college.

4-wheel off road accident NE of Lewis

News

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Emergency responders from Griswold and Lewis were called to the scene of a 4-wheel ATV accident northeast of Griswold this (Sunday) afternoon. An adult male was trapped under the machine in Turkey Creek, just east of 58488 Midway Road. The man was conscious and breathing, with a possible broken leg. The accident was reported at around 2:25-p.m.

Griswold Fire and Rescue, Lewis 1st Responders, Medivac, Atlantic Fire and Rescue, and Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies were enroute to the scene soon after the call went out. Atlantic Fire & Rescue was asked to respond with their ATV, as the terrain where the accident took place was difficult to navigate.

No other details are currently available.

Exira-EHK School Board set to meet Monday evening

News

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Members of the Exira-EHK School Board are set to meet 6-p.m. Monday, in the Conference Room at the Elk Horn Building. On their agenda is a Spartan Media Presentation, followed later on by discussion and/or action with regard to:

  • The Certified Enrollment numbers.
  • Approval of: the Certified Annual Report (CAR Report); Special Education Report; and the Transportation Report.
  • Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Audubon County Sheriff and Exira-EHK.
  • Approval of an Early Retirement Plan for the 2019-2020 School Year.
  • Approval the second reading of Board Policies.
  • and discussion/action with regard to Personnel Hires, Transfers, Resignations, etc.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Board to meet Monday evening

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Board will meet 5:15-p.m. Monday in the City Council’s Chambers, at City Hall. On their agenda is discussion and/or action with regard to:

  1. The Schildberg Campground
  2. Schildberg Bathhouse (Snyder & Associates, related)
  3. A Schildberg Development Project Update
  4. Bull Creek Property Line Assessment
  5. Bull Creek/Schildberg/Sunnyside erosion
  6. Mollett Park – Community Gardens.
  7. The hiring of a Parks Foreman
  8. Flood repair update.

In his report to the Board, Parks & Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen will talk about efforts to mow while many parks are still saturated, the AMU Well Fields – with regard to seed collecting, and Parks Are Locally Special, or, “PALS.”

Syphilis increases seen in Iowa and nationally

News

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Public Health says after a few years of plateauing, reported cases of syphilis are increasing in Iowa. Data through August 31, 2019, indicate 209 cases of syphilis have been reported this year, an 11% increase when compared to the same time period in 2018. When examining only the early/infectious stages of syphilis, the increase is even more significant, with 142 cases reported as of August 31 – a 25% increase compared to the same time period in 2018.

Authorities say although increases are occurring in both men and women, the rate of increase for women is much higher. For example, secondary syphilis cases among women increased to 15 through August 31 (compared to two cases during the same time period in 2018). Increases in syphilis among women correlate with increases in congenital syphilis (which occurs when a pregnant person is infected with syphilis, remains untreated, and passes the infection on to the fetus or neonate). There were three congenital syphilis cases in Iowa in 2018. Public health officials are investigating a probable case in 2019, as well.

CDC released national 2018 STD data earlier this month. These data indicate continued increases for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, but highlighted increases in syphilis, particularly congenital syphilis.
State and national data highlight the importance of prevention, early diagnosis and early treatment for syphilis.

Given the recent increases in diagnoses, increased testing efforts are encouraged for all sexually active populations. At a minimum, pregnant women should be tested at their first prenatal visit. Because syphilitic infection can occur during pregnancy, testing at 28-32 weeks gestation is also often beneficial.

Traffic stop in Adams County leads to barricaded Waterloo man, and pursuit

News

October 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The Adams County Sheriff’s Department reports a man pulled over for speeding on Highway 34 and Notchwood Avenue early this (Sunday) morning, barricaded himself in his vehicle before leading authorities on a pursuit. Officials says the Adams County K9 Unit conducted the traffic stop at around 1:34-a.m., on a vehicle driven by Matthew Bowlden, of Waterloo. During an investigation, the K9 “Baxo” was deployed, and alerted to the odor of narcotics. Bowlden then barricaded himself in the vehicle, and refused numerous orders to exit his vehicle.

Taylor County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on the scene to assist, and again Bowlden was ordered to get out of his vehicle, but refused. When deputies tried to gain entry into his vehicle, Bowlden fled from the scene and went westbound on Highway 34, at speeds in excess of 100-miles per hour. He then turned southbound into Brooks and continued on gravel roads before eventually losing control and wrecking his vehicle near 255th and Filbert Avenue.

Bowlden was taken into custody and charged with: Eluding law enforcement; Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense; and Interference with Official Acts. He was also cited for: Speeding (103 in a 55 mph zone, 80 mph in a 40 mph zone and 80 mph in a 30 mph zone); Failure to Obey a Traffic control device; Failure to Maintain Control; No Insurance – accident related; Careless driving; Failure to carry a Registration card, and Operating a non-registered vehicle.

Montogomery County Sheriff’s Deputies also assisted in handling the incident.