(Radio Iowa) – There are thousands of unmarked graves in Iowa — and two retired northwest Iowa men have embarked on a project to honor nearly two dozen people buried decades ago in unmarked graves in Spencer. The graves are in an area of Riverside Cemetery in Spencer called Potter’s Field where unknown or indigent people were buried between 1922 and 1954. Bob Rose, who was the long-time director of Spencer’s Chamber of Commerce, and retired Clay County Deputy Sheriff Mark Harleman are heading up the project. “I think it’s very important that those individuals be recognized,” Harleman says.

Harleman has drawn up plans for a memorial. “This grave marker is 40 inches high, 30 inches wide and eight inches deep and there’ll be two three-foot benches on either side of it,” he says. The price tag for the memorial is just over 11-thousand dollars and the two men are raising money to cover the cost. There are other volunteer efforts around the state to acknowledge people buried in unmarked graves. This summer, a group identified the graves of 28 black Iowans in a Cedar Rapids cemetery. Two volunteers in central Iowa have identified and put new markers on the graves of dozens of veterans buried in the oldest cemetery in Des Moines.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following a collision that occurred Nov. 21st at around 12:17-p.m.  Authorities say a 2016 Ford pickup driven by 36-year-old Joshua Israel Recinos, of Houston, TX, was stopped at the intersection with Osage Street and Highway 34, on Osage. He turned eastbound onto Highway 34 in front of an eastbound Ford van driven by 61-year-old Mark Edwin Hockett, of Arispe, and another vehicle.

When he turned, Recinos’ pickup was struck by the van, causing a total of $8,000 damage. No citations were issued. Both vehicles were driven from the scene.

(Sidney, Iowa) – Last Saturday’s snow storm in southwest Iowa kept sheriff’s offices and other law enforcement agencies very busy. Fremont County was no exception. The Sheriff’s Office reports they took multiple accidents reports between 12:30- and 10-p.m.:

At 12:31-p.m., Saturday, deputies in Fremont County responded to a single-vehicle accident on southbound I-29, near the 9-mile marker. 29-year-old Mason James Buress, of Cedar Creek, Nebraska, was operating a 2005 GMC Envoy, when the SUV left the road and struck a tree. Buress was transported to a local hospital for treatment of unknown injuries. The vehicle was a total loss. Sidney, Hamburg, and Percival Fire and Rescues responded to the call. Seatbelts were in use during the accident.

A little after 1-p.m., Saturday, deputies in Fremont County responded to a single-vehicle rollover accident near the Missouri State Line, on Interstate 29. Authorities say 20-year-old William D. Evans, of Adams, Tennessee, was operating a 2004 GMC Sierra when he lost control. The pickup left the roadway, struck a fence, and overturned. Evans was uninjured. Seatbelts were in use during the accident.

And, at around 3:52-p.m., Saturday, Deputies received a call of a single-vehicle accident in the 2400 block of 160th Street, east of Thurman. 46-year-old David Hanser, of Murray, Nebraska, was operating a 2020 Ford Transit Van westbound on 160th Street. When he failed to negotiate the curve, the vehicle left the roadway to the left, entered a ravine and struck several trees. Three passengers in the vehicle, a 19-year-old male, a 28-year-old male, and a 20-year-old male were able to exit the vehicle and were transported to local hospitals with unknown injuries. Hanser had to be extricated from the vehicle using the jaws of life. He was transported to a Trauma Center in Omaha where he was later pronounced deceased.

The accident is still under investigation by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office. Weather and road conditions were a factor in the accident. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Tabor Fire and Rescue, Sidney Fire and Rescue, and Thurman Fire.

(Sidney, Iowa) – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports multiple arrests took place over the past week and a half. Early today (11/29), deputies arrested 58-year-old Vernon Lee Christiansen, of Percival, for Interference with Official Acts. Deputies were called to his residence for a disturbance. Deputies allege that Christiansen refused deputies commands and then approached them in an aggressive manner, resulting in a Taser deployment. Christiansen was released after posting $300 bond.

On Monday (11/27), Fremont County deputies arrested 65-year-old Daniel Jay Kitchens, of Thurman, for Extortion. It is alleged that Kitchens threatened the victim over the non-payment of a perceived debt. Kitchens is being held on a $5,000 cash/surety bond. He was previously released on 11/16/2023, after posting $18,000 cash bond for an incident on 11/03/2023, where it was alleged that Kitchens fired a gun during an altercation in Thurman.

Aldana

Christiansen

Donnelly

Kitchens

Lamkins

McNutt

Robinson

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And, last Friday (11/24), deputies in Fremont County were called to an address in Hamburg for a report of a barricaded subject that had threatened to harm the residents of a house as well as himself. Deputies with the Fremont County K9 Unit as well as Shenandoah Police and the Mills County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call. Law enforcement forced entry into a shed and made contact with 22-year-old Joseph Troy Smith, of Springfield, Nebraska. Smith began fighting with officers and was quickly subdued. Smith was arrested for Harassment 1st Degree, Interference with Official Acts and Fugitive from Justice. Smith is being held on $5,000 cash bond as well as a no bond warrant out of Nebraska.

Also arrested on the 24th (on unrelated charges), was 37-year-old Stephanie May McNutt, of Council Bluffs. She was taken into custody after the Fremont County K9 Unit stopped to assist a woman – later identified as McNutt – walking in the 2200 block of Highway 2, at around 6:07-p.m. The woman provided deputies with a false name. She was later found to be in possession of approximately 7 grams of methamphetamine and a small bag of a substance that tested positive for Fentanyl. McNutt was arrested for: Possession of Methamphetamine; Possession of Fentanyl; Possession of Marijuana; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Bringing Contraband into a Correctional Facility; A Drug Tax Stamp Violation, and Providing False Identification Information to Law Enforcement. She was being held on a $13,600 cash/surety bond. McNutt was also being held without bond on a warrant for Parole Violation out of Pottawattamie County.

Other arrests in Fremont County include:

• On 11/16/2023, deputies arrested 18-year-old Mathew Stuart Lamkins, of Tabor, for Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. He was released on his own recognizance.
• On 11/17/2023, deputies arrested 31-year-old Jacob Juan Donnelly, of Tabor, for Domestic Abuse. He was released on bond.
• On 11/19/2023, deputies arrested 22-year-old Hannah Jo Aldana, of Nebraska City, Nebraska, for Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense. She was released on bond.

On Nov. 26th, Fremont County Deputies, with assistance of the Fremont County K9 Unit, arrested 21-year-old Dustin Scott Robinson, of Sidney. Robinson was arrested for Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp. He is being held on $5,000 cash/surety bond as well as a $10,000 cash/Surety bond on a warrant out of Pottawattamie County.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday) approved several items on their agenda. Among them was a General Relief application, and a Child Abuse Prevention Grant Draw Down in the amount of $815.16. The Board then heard from Conservation Director Dominic Johnson, who spoke with regard to the lease of Department office space. The subject he spoke with offered to continue offering the same rate through the end of the fiscal year, beginning with the next budget, but after that, the cost would increase to $1,200.

Johnson said the change wouldn’t affect his budget. He said also “We really need the space.” No action was taken on the matter. Dominic Johnson mentioned also, Adair County does not have a REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection) Committee, as required under the Code of Iowa, in order for the County to receive grants and other funding.

The Committee he’s in the process of forming, he said, will likely meet a couple of times the first year to form a REAP plan, and then maybe once a year after that. In other business, Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg presented the Post-Election Audit Report, which showed no discrepancies. The Board acknowledged receipt of the report. They also approved a Transfer Resolution in the amount of $88,278.95.

And, the Board approved an Internal Advance Resolution.

And, they approved a TIF Indebtedness Certification.

The Adair County Supervisors also approved an Urban Renewal Report, as required by the State. Afterward, County Engineer Nick Kauffman provided a weekly report on Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report there were two recent accidents. Monday afternoon, vehicles driven by 43-year-old Rocky Howard Rocha, of Stanton, and 68-year-old John Thomas Anderson, of Maryville, MO, collided on Highway 34, just south of the Red Coach Inn, in Red Oak. The accident happened at around 2:52-p.m., when Rocha – who was driving a 2019 Dodge SUV eastbound – made a left turn into oncoming traffic, and struck a westbound 2019 Chevy pickup driven by Anderson. The Chevy then entered the north ditch. Both drivers suffered minor injuries, but were not transported to the hospital. Both vehicles were a total loss. Red Oak Police cited Rocha for Failure to Yield upon making a left turn.

The second accident happened Nov. 12th, at around 3-a.m.  Red Oak Police say a 2011 Chevy Cruze driven by 18-year-old Emma Joann Nilson, of Red Oak, was leaving a residence at a fast pace (according to surveillance footage), when her vehicle struck a legally parked 2019 Ford Fusion. Nilson got out to look at the damage, then reportedly walked down the street away from the accident. Police say she tried contact the owner of the Ford and share insurance information, but would not meet. And then through messages, wanted to exchange cash.

Authorities say damage to the Ford was estimated at $1,550, while the Chevy sustained $500 damage. No citations were issued.

(Lewis, Iowa) – Much needed reconstructive work on the historic Revered George B. Hitchock House near Lewis recently wrapped-up. The nearly 168-year-old Hitchcock House is one of more than 2000 locations on Iowa the National Register of Historic Places and Landmarks (NRHP). It was closed to the public for tours, on July 23, 2023 after concerns about public safety was raised following the much publicized collapse of a building in Davenport. Hitchcock House Board Chair Sharon Guffey-Lewis said also, the Board had an obligation and a responsibility to repair it.

She said the work began in August, after they secured a contractor out of Pottawattamie County who has 46-years of experience in building restoration, especially in Omaha’s historic Old Market.

Sharon said the south wall in the basement is now secured.

Lewis said they’re very pleased with the work. The project was paid for in-part by funds from the Cass County Board of Conservation and Cass County Board of Supervisors. The Cass County Supervisors, Tuesday (11/28), unanimously passed a Resolution “Allocating ARPA funds (in the amount of $47,932) to [the] Hitchcock House [near Lewis] for foundation repairs,” allowing for the project to be paid in full, within a week.

Guffey-Lewis says the Hitchcock House is heated during the Winter, solely to help preserve the structure. It is not lived in on a regular basis. She says just because this segment of repairs is finished, doesn’t mean work on the structure will end entirely. And those repairs have to be done according to the standards set forth by the NRHP.

Guffey-Lewis said they are always open to receive donations for the care of the landmark Hitchcock House.

If you would like to help, send your donations to the Hitchcock House at:

63788 567th Lane

Lewis IA 51544

For more information email hitchcockhouse1@gmail.com, or call 712-769-2323 .