Two former government employees in southwest Iowa are accused of selling nearly $20,000 worth of county-owned scrap metal to a local salvage yard and pocketing the money for themselves. An investigation by the State Auditor’s office was launched after the Adair County Auditor received an anonymous letter outlining concerns with the sale of old iron and used bridge planks. Deputy State Auditor Tami Kusian says Duane Jameson and Cindy Butcher, who worked in the Adair County Engineer’s Office, sold the materials over a 10 year period. “The checks were being written to the two employees and we identified those being deposited in their accounts,” Kusian says.

Kusian says Adair County authorities learned of the alleged activity in January. Jameson was the Road Superintendent, while Butcher was the Engineer’s Office Shop Clerk. Both were fired last week. Kusian says the checks issued to Jameson and Butcher ranged from roughly $200 to $7,000. The state investigation covered the period between December 2001 and December 2011. Kusian says they identified $19,734 of undeposited collections.

The State Auditor’s report has been turned over to the Adair County Attorney and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

(Radio Iowa)

Many Iowans will are wearing red today (Friday) for a good cause. Cassie Wessing, with the Des Moines Chapter of the American Heart Association, says National Wear Red Day is designed to raise awareness about the number one killer of women – heart disease. Wessing is hoping Iowans will take it a step further and “go red” the entire month. “Wear red, decorate your house, business or office red. Anything you can think of. We want the whole world to be red through the month of February,” Wessing says. National Wear Red Day, held annually on February 1, was created 10 years ago.

“At that time, women didn’t really think of heart disease as a disease for them, it was an ‘old man’s’ disease,” Wessing says. “Even health care professionals didn’t really think of treating women and heart disease in personal ways and according to their body types.” The American Heart Association reports, since the first Wear Red Day 10 years ago, 21% fewer women are dying from heart disease. “We started this campaign, really, to raise awareness that heart disease is the number one killer of women. It’s not just happening to men,” Wessing said.

Other events are scheduled this month in Iowa to raise both awareness and money toward the fight against heart disease. That includes The Heart Ball on February 16 at the Embassy Suites in downtown Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Thursday, approved a request by Teddi Grindberg with Healthy Cass County, to place signs or banners in the courthouse promoting community wellness.

A sample of the new wellness signs to be rotated every 3 months at the courthouse.

The signs are made possible as part of a 5-year, $88,000 per year, Community Transformation grant. The grant comes from the Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention which was funded through a number of states, including Iowa. In Iowa, there were 26 counties chosen for the grant, which focuses on community wellness. Funds for the grant flow through Cass County.

Grindberg, whose office is at the Nishna Valley YMCA in Atlantic,  says there are a number of different wellness aspects that are focused on locally. The first year, 2012, focused primarily on the City of Atlantic. But the idea is to move the focus from community-to-community in Cass County, with emphasis on several areas. That includes: smoke-free multi-unit housing; chronic disease management, and work site wellness.

Teddi says they are also working with Live Healthy Iowa and other ways to make the communities in the county more physically active. Another aspect of the Community Transformation Grant, is information placed at strategic locations on an on-going basis, geared toward promoting health awareness, such as high blood pressure, etc.  She says new messages will be placed at different locations every three months or so.

The messages will be on easels in the courthouse, so as to not mar the finish on the walls.

An Atlantic man was arrested Thursday on a drug-related charges. According to Atlantic Police, 60-year old Samuel Miller faces two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana. Miller was booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.