(Radio Iowa) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will headline a fundraiser this Saturday for Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. Bird, the first Republican in 40 years to serve as Iowa’s attorney general, has appeared with other G-O-P presidential candidates, too. “When they come to Iowa, I’m glad to show them around, whether that’s showing them around the farm or around the State Fair that’s coming up,” Bird says. “I look forward to hosting all of them.”

A few dozen Republicans in the Iowa legislature have endorsed candidates in the 2024 presidential race, but statewide elected officials have not. “Right now, I am neutral — not endorsing in the Caucuses,” Bird says. “My focus is really on doing the job that I’ve got before me. It’s a big job. I’ve got changes to make since my predecessor had been there for four decades.”

Bird, who defeated incumbent Democrat Tom Miller in last fall’s election, says she may endorse a candidate as the January 15th Caucuses draw closer. “I’m somebody that loves the Iowa Caucuses. I went to my first caucus when I was just 13, so I think the most important thing about the Caucuses will be about the people who go and show up and vote and persuade their neighbors about who they should vote for,” Bird says. “That’s the beauty of the Caucus.”

Bird, by the way, was a junior delegate when she was 13 and did not vote in the Caucuses. Bird made her comments during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S.

(Hospers, Iowa) – A collision between a car and a semi tractor-trailer in northwest Iowa, Thursday afternoon, resulted in four people being transported to the hospital in Orange City. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 1999 Chevy Malibu and a 2014 Peterbilt semi was traveling north on Highway 60 in Hospers, with the semi in the left lane, traveling faster than the car. As the semi nearly came abreast of the car, the driver of the Chevy, 28-year-old Dinora Sabillon-Diaz, of South Sioux City, NE., signaled a lane change, and moved left, into the side of the semi.

The car hit the right front corner of the semi before going sideways and hitting the front of the semi. The truck came to rest on the Highway, north of the intersection with Hospers Drive. The car came to rest in the median, north of Hospers Drive. The accident happened at around 3:30-p.m.

Dinora Sabillon-Diaz and her passengers: 49-year-old Edith Sabillon-Diaz, an eight-year-old child and a three-year-old child, all of South Sioux City, NE., were injured. None of the crash victims were wearing a seat belt.

The driver of the semi, 75-year-old Jerald William Ollerich, of Sioux Falls, SD, was not injured.

Atlantic, IA – Cass Health and Adair County Health System have jointly announced that Dr. Marcela Pineda will be offering an obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) clinic at Adair County Health System in Greenfield, Iowa. Dr. Pineda will provide care to patients on the first Wednesday morning of every month.

CCHS Chief Operating Officer Amanda Bireline, says “Cass Health continues to grow as the regional center for obstetrics care, and Dr. Pineda is one of the primary reasons behind that growth. With her outreach clinics in Red Oak, Corning, and now Greenfield, more women in southwest Iowa can receive obstetrics and gynecology care at a location that’s convenient for them. Being able to deliver care close to home increases the safety and health of our rural communities. We are proud to contribute to the well-being of our family, friends and neighbors.”

Catherine Hillestad, CEO of Adair County Health System, says “We are extremely excited to have Dr. Pineda come to ACHS. We know she will be an amazing asset to our community.”

Dr. Marcela Pineda

Dr. Pineda currently provides comprehensive obstetrics and gynecology care for women of all ages at the Atlantic Medical Center, Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, and Corning Medical Clinic. She completed her residency at Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York, and she obtained her medical degree at Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City, Guatemala. She was the recipient of the Striving for Excellence Award and Recognition by Hospital Centro Medico Guatemala for outstanding performance as a Medical Resident. Dr. Pineda is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Appointments with Dr. Pineda for all clinic locations can be scheduled by calling 712-243-2850.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors, Thursday (August 3rd, 2023), met to celebrate the opening of a new downtown business, RELIC, with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The ambassadors also had the opportunity to meet with the owner and learn more about what went into the process of opening.

Darrin Kimball, owner of RELIC, took the time to share about what inspired him to open a high-end antique shop in the community, as well as what it took to reach his goals. A Brayton, Iowa native, Kimball has had a wide variety of experiences in the design field after traveling the globe and working for different businesses. Kimball also had the opportunity to work for another high-end antique shop in San Francisco, named Loved to Death, which was even featured in a television series. After choosing to retire and move back to the area, Kimball knew that he still needed to stay busy. His previous experience with different antique shops helped inspire the contents and idea of RELIC.

Ambassadors from Left to Right: Paige Jensen, Steve Andersen, Amanda Christensen, Janet Cappel, Connie Wailes, Dr. Keith Leonard, Rick Mericle, Lana Westphalen, Larry Coles, Rebecca Clarken, Elaine Otte, Linda Kimball, John Bricker, Jason Watson, Reagon Watson, Jeremy Butler, Tracy Scott, Brian Wedemeyer, Sue Liston, Darrin Kimball, Anne Quist, Dolly Bergmann, Bill Saluk, Ruth Sears, Tori Gibson, Krysta Hanson, Alisha Wagner, Kathie Hockenberry, Megan Sramek, Jim Kickland, Jen McEntaffer, Kelsey Beschorner. (Photo provided by the Chamber)

Kimball is excited to watch his business and customer base continue to expand, as sales are increasing each day. He stays busy bringing in different vendors and coordinating with the existing 25 to change out inventory displays weekly. RELIC offers a selection of unique items such as traditional antiques, TrUe JuNk candle line, the Old School Barber, and Midwest Mable clothing line. Kimball’s main focus is to not only grow his business, but to also help grow Downtown Atlantic, by partnering with other Atlantic businesses for different events.

RELIC is open 9-5 Monday through Saturday, and 9-7 on Thursdays. For more information regarding the business, visit their Facebook page, RELIC – Atlantic, or call 712-249-5742. RELIC is located at 401 Chestnut Street in Atlantic.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand, today (Friday), released an audit report on the City of Audubon. There were no, unusual findings noted in the report, just some issues with administrative oversight, which is a common feature of reports from the Auditor’s Office.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS:
The City’s receipts totaled $6,352,289 for the year ended June 30, 2022, a 2.8% increase over the prior year. Disbursements for the year ended June 30, 2022, totaled $5,181,056, a 7.8% decrease from the prior year. The decrease in disbursements is primarily due to the decrease in capital project activity in the current fiscal year.

AUDIT FINDINGS:
Sand reported seven findings related to the receipt and disbursement of taxpayer funds. They are found on pages 48 through 56 of the report. The findings address issues such as a lack of segregation of duties, errors in financial reporting, disbursements exceeding budgeted amounts and deficit fund balances in the Special Revenue, Road Use Tax and Economic Development Funds. Sand provided the City and the component unit with recommendations to address each of the findings.

Six of the seven findings discussed above pertaining to the City, are repeated from the prior year. Sand said “The City Council has a fiduciary responsibility to provide oversight of the City’s operations and financial transactions. Oversight is typically defined as the “watchful and responsible care” a governing body exercises in its fiduciary capacity.”

A copy of the audit report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at Audit Reports – Auditor of State.

(Radio Iowa) – A Bettendorf woman who claimed to have cancer has been ordered to repay people who donated to cover cancer treatments she never received. Twenty-year-old Madison Russo has pleaded guilty to one count of first degree theft in June and could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. K-W-Q-C reports court documents show she must pay restitution to victims of her cancer scam before or as she’s sentenced on October 20th. Russo has been ordered to pay over 39-thousand dollars in total, but most of that must be paid to GoFundMe, where more than 400 donors gave money to support her.

Donations came from individuals, schools, businesses and non-profit groups. According to court documents, Russo used photos cancer patients had posted online and claimed she had leukemia, pancreatic cancer and a tumor the size of a football wrapped around her spine.

(Bartlett, Iowa) — A body pulled from Iowa side of the Missouri River last month, was identified as a woman from Nebraska. According to KETV in Omaha, officials with the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) reported 39-year-old Elizabeth Adair, of Omaha, was found on July 18th, about four-miles south of the Bartlett boat ramp, west of Bartlett, in Fremont County. Her body was found U.S. Army Corps of Engineers workers.

Adair was identified through finger prints. A State Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy determined no foul play was involved in the woman’s death. Her death was investigated by Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa DCI, with assistance from Omaha Police.