( Atlantic, Iowa)— Officials with Cass Health in Atlantic have announced that Sara Beth Jones, BSN, RN was selected to receive the Hospital Hero award from the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA). Jones is one of 11 recipients this year and will be formally recognized in October at the IHA Annual Meeting in Des Moines.

Jones was nominated by her coworkers primarily due to her role as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and work with a particular patient. Jones was helping provide care to a patient in the Emergency Department when she recognized warning signs that the patient was a victim of sexual assault and trafficking. Jones helped the patient connect with resources to secure her safety, even going so far as to provide a meal and new clothing and personally escort the patient to another city where she was connected with a human trafficking advocate. The patient has since said, “She turned my life around. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”

Sara Beth Jones, BSN, RN

Beyond this one act, Jones has been a model of compassionate care and nursing leadership. In her primary role, Jones serves as the Director of Nursing Supervision. She also took on the role of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Coordinator, ensuring that Cass Health staff are trained and ready to provide 24/7 coverage for sexual violence victims in our community. She is known around the state as a leader in developing and sustaining one of the most robust SANE programs in Iowa.

Additionally, Jones is a Clinical Instructor, working with nursing students of all levels. She also volunteers her time to help parents impacted by miscarriage and infant loss, and she recently began a chapter of the Nurses Honor Guard, a volunteer group that pays tribute to a nurse’s legacy at their funeral or celebration of life with a simple ceremony.

“I became a nurse simply because I find joy in helping others. Being recognized as a Hospital Hero means so much to me that someone felt I deserved it. There is no magic here in what I do, I just love making others feel safe and cared for,” said Jones.

Jones became an RN in 2013. She earned her BSN in 2020, and she is currently working on her Masters in Nursing Education from Chamberlain University.

Since 2007, the Hospital Heroes program has celebrated employees who have acted courageously in a moment’s crisis or who have selflessly served their hospitals and communities throughout their careers. Hospital Heroes are nominated by their peers and award recipients are selected by other state hospital associations.

The Iowa Hospital Association is a voluntary membership organization representing hospital and health system interests to business, government, and consumer audiences.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A woman from Red Oak was arrested late this (Thursday) morning. Red Oak Police report 42-year-old Ronda Jean Allen was taken into custody at around 11-a.m. in the 200 block of E. Valley Street. Allen was charged with Harassment in the 3rd Degree. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) — A man from Pottawattamie County was sentenced to 35-years in Federal Prison for sex trafficking a minor under the age of 14. United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced 39-year-old Dennis Smith, of Council Bluffs, received his sentence today (Thursday), in Council Bluffs U-S District Court.

In July 2021, Omaha police were alerted to a report of a female minor who was sexually assaulted by Smith. The investigation found Smith had conversed with the child via Snapchat about alcohol and money, and during those conversations, he agreed to pay the minor for sex. He traveled to Omaha and got a hotel room. The victim met Smith in his vehicle where he sexually assaulted her before giving her $250 in cash.

Upon release, Smith will have to pay a $200,000 fine and $5,100 in special assessments which was ordered by the judge.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Association of Realtors, today (Thursday), said the Iowa housing market showed typical signs of a dwindling summer as Iowans settled into their homes for the beginning of the new school year. Anticipated drops in interest rates, coupled with increased inventory outweigh slight dips in metrics tracked by Iowa REALTORS® in August.  IAR President Shaner Magalhães says “As we transition into fall, the Iowa housing market is poised for positive developments. With an increase in inventory and anticipated interest rate drops, both buyers and sellers are in a strong position to capitalize on new opportunities. It’s a time for collaboration—buyers can negotiate better terms, while sellers may see a surge in interested buyers. Now is the moment to engage with your REALTOR® to explore the possibilities.”

Inventory of homes for sale continued to increase in August, allowing buyers a more robust market to investigate with their REALTORS®. Overall inventory jumped 23.2% in August with 8,240 homes on the market compared to the 6,686 homes listed at the same time last year. Monthly, the jump was 6.7% from the 7,721 homes listed on the market in July.
New listings also saw a slight climb in August as 4,088 homes joined the market, an increase of 4.6% from the 3,910 that were added in July. The increase was similar month-to-month, jumping 4.8% from July’s 3,893 new listings.  Home sales saw a 6.5% decline with 3,169 homes sold in August compared to the 3,391 homes sold one year ago. Home sales also decreased monthly by 0.7% compared to the 3,191 homes sold in July.

Pending sales continued a downward trend, dropping 6.9% in August with 2,841 pending sales versus the 3,050 pending sales of August 2023. The sales were just slightly lower monthly coming in at a 0.6% drop from the prior month. Days on the market jumped 17.6% to 40 days compared to the 34 days home averaged last year. The median sales price jumped 5.5% to $286,714 compared to the $230,000 from last year. According to Iowa Realtors statewide housing analyst Les Sulgrobe, “August statistics highlight a shifting landscape in the Iowa housing market, with an increase in inventory providing buyers with more choices than in previous years. While home sales have seen a slight decline, the median sales price has risen, indicating continued demand. This environment presents unique opportunities for all individuals entering the market.”

Townhouses and Condos
Overall inventory remained the bright spot for the townhouse and condo market in August. Inventory jumped 18.7% with 1,516 units on the market compared to the 1,277 of one year ago. Monthly, inventory decreased just slightly by 1.4% compared to the number of units on the market in July. The number of townhomes and condos joining the market in August dropped 6.3% with 519 homes listed compared to the 554 of last year. Monthly new listings remained flat.  Closed sales once again decreased, this time by 9.3% with 447 units sold compared to the 493 sold the prior year. Just ten fewer homes were sold in August compared to July.

Pending sales dropped 5.5% in August with 395 home sales pending, compared to the 418 of last year. Compared to July, pending sales dropped 2.5%.  Days on the market increased exponentially in August – 50% – to 72 days on the market compared to 48 days one year ago. Median sales price remained flat at $250,000. 5.5% to 58 days compared to the 55 recorded last year. Median sales prices stayed flat at $245,000 compared to last year.

The information used to create the IAR August Housing Trends Report was current as of Sept. 18.The information is subject to change due to the dynamic nature of the IAR’s housing statistics system, which is based on data from the local participating MLS (multiple listing service) systems.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s unemployment rate went up for the first time in four months in August — moving from two-point-eight to two-point-nine percent. Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says the state is doing well despite several manufacturing lay-offs. “Even though we saw a slight uptick in unemployment…we’re 20-thousand jobs over where we were this time last year,” She says. “So we’ve got more people working. We have fewer unemployed, and we have more jobs than we did the same time last year.” Townsend says concerns about the national economy are part of the issue with manufacturing layoffs.

“I think that’s what’s giving employers pause right now. So it’s hard to say if, if we did see an increase in September, whether that’s related to the layoffs, or whether that’s just uncertainty and anxiety in the in the economy for now,” Townsend says. “You know maybe some of this will get resolved after the election, because, of course, that’s another X Factor, right?” Townsend says those who get laid off still have many options. “I mean, we still have over 54-thousand open jobs on iowaworks.gov, ” she says.

Townsend says Iowa’s economy continues to weather the problems at the national level.”The number of unemployed individuals, while it’s up from July, is actually down 45-hundred from where it was this time last year. So we actually have fewer unemployed than we did a year ago, when we didn’t have all those layoffs,” she says. The state’s labor force participation rate fell one tenth of a percent to 66-point-three, which Townsend says was driven by retirements.

(Adair/Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center Community School District Boards of Education held separate meetings Monday and Wednesday, this week. Shared District Superintendent Josh Rasmussen said his report to both boards encompassed how the school year started-off, and efforts to ensure students and staff are safe, in light of past and recent events.

He also updated the Board on HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning), as well as construction projects.

There were some personnel matters for both board to approve.

The Guthrie Center Board approved an out-of-state trip for their FFA students to travel to attend the National FFA Convention from Oct. 22^nd through the 26^th in Indianapolis, IN. This is Homecoming Week for the AC/GC Chargers. Superintendent Rasmussen says there are a lot of things going on.

The Homecoming Parade starts at 2:15-p.m., Friday. It begins at the grocery store and ends at the football field with a Pep Rally.The Booster Club has a tailgate party at 4-p.m. Friday, with free hamburgers, inflatable bounce house type games, and more.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) has approved electric and gas rate increases for Alliant Energy. Under an approved settlement, Alliant can increase its annual electric rate revenue to $185 million and a return on equity reduction from 10.0% to 9.65%. This will increase the average residential monthly charge for electric customers from $13 to $15.50. The IUC also okayed Alliant to increase its annual gas rate revenue to $10 million.

The IUC ordered Alliant to file compliance filings and associated tariffs within 30 days of today’s order based on the decision and documents in this rate case proceeding. Rate changes for customers will take effect upon the IUC’s review and approval of the compliance tariffs. Under Iowa law, because Alliant used a future test year to determine rates, the IUC will conduct a subsequent proceeding to determine whether the actual costs and revenues are reasonably consistent with those approved by the IUC. This will occur approximately 15 months after the new customer rates become effective.

As part of the proceedings in this rate case, the IUC received hundreds of written public comments and held three in-person public consumer comment meetings throughout Alliant’s Iowa service territory and one virtual comment meeting.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department reports there were nine arrests that took place between Sept. 9th and the 17th. Each of the following individuals were taken into custody and booked-into the Cass County Jail:

• 50-year-old Keith Zarbano, of Atlantic, was arrested Tuesday (Sept. 17) on a Cass County warrant for Theft in the 5th Degree. Zarbano was also charged with Burglary in the 2nd Degree.
• On the 16th (Monday), Atlantic Police arrested 44-year-old Kevin Viether, of Atlantic, for Driving While License Denied or Revoked.
• There were 2 arrests in Atlantic last Saturday:
  • 28-year-old G Love Kovac, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication & Disorderly Conduct.
  • 22-year-old Dalton Clark, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication.
• On the 13th, 46-year-old James Fulk, of Hamlin, was arrested in Atlantic on a Cass County warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree.
• Atlantic Police arrested 39-year-old Akue Deng, of Omaha, on Sept. 12th, for OWI/2nd offense.
• On the 11th:
  • 22-year-old Chase Paul, of Atlantic,was arrested for Public Intoxication & Disorderly Conduct.
  • 25-year-old Sonjay Paul, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication, Disorderly Conduct and Providing False Identification Information.
• And, on Sept. 9th, 20-year-old Masen Jordan, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Violation of Probation.

None of the persons mentioned above were listed as jail inmates, as of Sept. 16th, meaning they were released pending court appearances. Atlantic Police report also, 37-year-old Aaron Macias, of Atlantic, was cited into court Sept. 14th, for Theft in the 5th Degree (shoplifting). Macias was released from the scene after receiving the citation.