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Fremont County Sheriff’s report for 5/14 through 6//4/24

News

June 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Sidney, Iowa) – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope has released a report on arrests conducted from May 14th through June 4th. Most recently:

  • On Tuesday (June 4th), Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 37-year-old Christopher Dowvell Clark, of Arlington, TX, for Public Intoxication. He plead guilty and was released on time served.
  • On Sunday (June 2nd), 71-year-old Lawrence Dale Buckalew, of Hamburg, was arrested for OWI 1st Offense. He was released after posting a $1,000 bond.
  • There were three arrests May 30th in Fremont County: 29-year-old Brooke Marie Johnson, of Shelby, was arrested for Failure to Appear for three separate Fremont County court cases. She was being held in the Fremont County Jail on a $2,000 cash bond, a $10,000 cash/surety bond, and a $5,000 cash/surety bond; 24-year-old Kayla Marie Craig, of Grove City, OH, was arrested May 30th, for Probation Violation. She was sentenced to the Residential Correctional Facility; and, deputies arrested 34-year-old Chance Wayne Lucas, of Harlan, for Failure to Appear in Court. He was released after posting a $2,500 bond.
  • On May 26th, 52-year-old Chad Alan Sjulin, of Hamburg, was arrested in Fremont County, for OWI 1st Offense. He was released after posting a $1,000 bond.
  • On the 25th, 54-year-old April Charlene Borys, of Omaha, was arrested for Probation Violation. She was released after posting a $1,000 bond.
  • Three people were arrested May 23rd in Fremont County: Deputies arrested 37-year-old Isaac Calvin Hayes, of Farragut, on a Page County Warrant. Hayes was released after posting a $5,000 bond; 41-year-old Tyler Cash Bain, of Stuart, NE, was arrested for Probation Violation. He was being held on a $50,000 cash only bond; and, Deputies arrested 53-year-old Michelle Lynn Chapman, of Thurman, on May 23rd,for OWI 1st Offense. She was released after posting a $1,000 bond.
  • On the 22nd, 59-year-old Patrick Michael Neal, of Hamburg, was arrested in Fremont County for Sexual Abuse 2nd Offense and Lascivious Acts with a Child. He was being held on a $35,000 cash/surety bond.
  • On the 20th of May, 38-year-old Megan Lynn Rasmussen, of Randolph, was arrested for Probation Violation. She was released on her own recognizance.
  • On the 18th, Fremont County Deputies arrested 37-year-old Isaac Calvin Hayes, of Farragut, for Public Intoxication, and Interference with Official Acts. He plead guilty and was sentenced to 3 days in jail.
  • And, on May 14th, 20-year-old Jay Charles Covert, of Sidney, was arrested for Probation Violation. He was released after posting a $1,000 bond.

Bain

Sjulin

Rasmussen

Neal

Lucas

Johnson

Hayes

Craig

Covert

Clark

Chapman

Buckalew

Borys

Disclaimer: A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

JEFF “Swampy” THOMSEN, 60, of Cumberland (Svcs. 6/8/24)

Obituaries

June 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

JEFF “Swampy” THOMSEN, 60, of Cumberland, died Monday, June 3, 2024, at the University of Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. Funeral services for JEFF THOMSEN will be held 10:30-a.m. Saturday, June 8, 2024, at the Cumberland Community Building in Cumberland. Lamb Funeral Home in Massena has the arrangements.

Visitation will be held at the Cumberland Community Building on Friday, June 7, 2024, from 2-until 7-p.m, with the family greeting friends from 4-until 7-p.m.

Burial is in the Greenwood Cemetery.  A luncheon will be held at the Community Building following the burial.

Memorials:  To Jeff Thomsen Memorial Fund to be established by the family at a later date.

JEFF “Swampy” THOMSEN is survived by:

His wife – Rana Thomsen, of Cumberland.

His daughter – Sarah (James) Doxon, of Westminister, CO.

His sons – Matt (Grace) Thomsen, of Elk Horn, Lane (CaSirin) Thomsen, of Cedar Rapids and Jace (Aila) Thomsen, of Cumberland.

His mother – Karen Thomsen, of Cumberland.

His sisters – Pam Drummond, of Kansas City, and Patrice Thomsen of Topeka, KS.

4 grandchildren;  other relatives and friends.

Online condolences may be left to the family at www.lambfunerals.com.

CYCLONE STUDENT-ATHLETES SHINE IN CLASSROOM

Sports

June 4th, 2024 by Seth Tiegs

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State student-athletes continue to demonstrate excellence in the classroom, establishing program records for both multi-year (989) and one-year (992) institutional Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, according to data released today by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The multi-year rate is calculated based upon the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years, while the one-year score was generated from the 2022-23 academic year.
“The APR data continues to demonstrate the commitment by our coaches and student-athletes to make academics a priority,” said ISU Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services Amber Giese. “We are grateful for the important role that Iowa State’s faculty and staff play in supporting the academic success of our student-athletes, too.”
ISU’s multi-year institutional APR average of 989, which was a two-point improvement over its 2021-22 mark, ranked third in the Big 12 behind only Texas and West Virginia, both of whom registered 992 scores. Iowa State’s multi-year average was also five points higher than the NCAA Division I average of 984 and marked the eighth-straight year its multi-year APR score either set or matched a new school-record.
Baylor (985), Kansas (985), Kansas State (983), Oklahoma State (983), Texas Tech (983), TCU (983) and Oklahoma (977) rounded out the Big 12 rankings, which were compiled based upon the league’s membership during the 2022-23 academic year when the data was compiled for.
Three Cyclone programs led the Big 12 Conference in multi-year rates—men’s golf (1,000; sixth-consecutive perfect multi-year score), women’s basketball (995) and men’s track & field (987).
Seven Iowa State teams registered perfect single-year scores – men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics and women’s tennis. All-told, 11 of ISU’s 16 teams either improved or matched their APR from a year ago and 14 programs rank at or above the national average in their respective sport.
The four-year Academic Progress Rate national average for Division I teams remained steady at 984 this year, as the division marked the 20th anniversary of APR data collection. During those 20 years, overall student-athlete academic success has risen substantially.

Study: Iowa’s dairy industry now worth more than $5B per year

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa0 – Iowa is known as a global leader in producing things like corn, hogs, wind power and ethanol, but the state’s dairy industry is also being celebrated this month. Mariah Busta of Decorah is the executive director of the Iowa State Dairy Association. “Iowa actually ranks number 11 in dairy production, but it is the fifth-largest agriculture sector in Iowa,” Busta says. “Iowa is home to about 750 dairy farms and they’re sprinkled throughout the state, but a lot of them land in eastern Iowa and actually up in the northwest corner of Iowa.”

Busta commends the efforts of the state’s dairy producers for persevering over the decades.  “We’re losing the number of dairy farms in the state,” Busta says. “The number has been declining over the years, but the number of cows has still stayed steady, if not grown a little bit, which is nice. Milk production continues to increase as well.”

The association says Iowa has about 220-thousand dairy cows. A recent study of the economic impact of Iowa’s dairy industry reports a per-cow per-year impact of more than 25-thousand dollars, giving Iowa’s dairy industry an economic impact of more than five-billion dollars per year.

Iowa officials evaluate Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes

News

June 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The government’s Medicaid program covers care for over half of the residents in Iowa nursing homes and the industry warns it cannot afford federal rules about staffing that are set to go into effect in 2026. The rules say at least one nurse should be on duty in a nursing home at all times and each resident must get about three and a half hours of daily attention from the home’s staff. Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and director Kelly Garcia says her agency is conducting its regular review of Medicaid reimbursement rates for Iowa nursing homes.

“Obviously these new requirements push additional costs,” Garcia says, “and so that will be accompanied in the analysis.” The legislature and governor set Medicaid reimbursement rates every other year, so 2025 is when that decision will be made. Garcia says there are significant changes in the need for nursing facilities. “And so we work with the association of health care providers, we work with individual nursing facilities on those transition plans as desires of what Iowans want shift, right?” Garcia said.

“Most Iowans are saying they want to stay at home and when we think about that rebalancing of home and community-based services along with institutional settings…we have to have a full continuum and all parts have to be strong.” Garcia made her comments during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S. The state currently spends about three times as much on nursing home care as it does on in-home and community services for seniors. There are about 400 nursing homes in the state.

Greenfield makes progress, but has a lot left to clean up after tornado

News

June 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Residents are continuing to pick up the pieces two weeks after a tornado carved a deadly, destructive path through Greenfield and Adair County. Volunteers once again fanned across the community this past weekend to clear debris from the May 21st twister. Greenfield and Adair County Emergency Management spokesperson Maggie Armstrong says considerable progress has been made, but much more needs to be done.

“Cleanup has been consistent, but there’s a lot of damage, a lot of debris, and it’s going to be extensive for quite some time,” Armstrong says. Five people were killed and 35 people were injured when the E-F-4 tornado tore a one-mile path through the community. An assessment found 153 homes in the city and county were damaged or destroyed. Numerous businesses and Adair County Memorial Hospital were also hit, while the twister missed Greenfield City Hall and the city’s square, the Adair County Courthouse, and Nodaway Valley High School and Elementary School. Armstrong says volunteer support has been strong from the moment the tornado hit through the storm’s aftermath.

“Volunteer Iowa came in right away and started setting up their operation to check in to keep track and to credential volunteers. And really pretty much from the very beginning through even where we are now people from all over the state have called have shown up have asked how they can help and they are still taking volunteers really went from being in the city and helping with some of the cleanup there to going out into the rural areas to clean up some of the farm fields,” she says. She adds agencies like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army continue to assist tornado victims, and donated materials are still available. Armstrong says they’ve gotten enough donated food and supplies to last them for awhile.

“We had to actually stop accepting donations, physical donations from individuals early on after the tornado because we had just such an overwhelming number of things and items that were donated,” Armstrong says. “In fact, we actually went up to Guthrie County and have used some of their fairgrounds as as a holding site for the donations. So we don’t need any anything else right now.”

Armstrong says they can still use money and gift cards. Anyone wishing to donate can log onto the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation’s website at: www.greenfieldiafoundation.org.

Two women arrested on Assault charges in Mills County

News

June 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports four recent arrests:

Two women were arrested Monday (June 3rd). 34-year-old Ruth Evelyn Keller, of Council Bluffs, and 39-year-old Crystal Dawn Edison, of Malvern, were arrested at around 7:50-p.m. in the area of Levi Road and Highway 34, in Mills County. Both women were charged with Assault with Intent and Disorderly Conduct. Edison faces additional charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $3,600. Bond for Keller was set at $5,300.

Two men were arrested on separate charges last Saturday, in Mills County. 26-year-old Dustin Carl Lee Perry , of Shenandoah, was arrested for Driving While Barred, with bond set at $2,000. And, 46-year-old Samuel Joseph Norris, of Red Oak, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

Montgomery County Community Foundation establishes Disaster Relief Fund to aid tornado and flood victims

News

June 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Community Foundation has established the Montgomery County Disaster Relief Fund to assist residents affected by the devastating tornadoes and flooding that hit our community on May 21, 2024. The Disaster Relief Fund, established in collaboration with the Montgomery Disaster Relief Committee, Emergency Management Services, city officials, and other local organizations, will be used to address urgent needs, including temporary housing, food, clothing, and medical expenses, as well as long-term recovery efforts.

Montgomery County Community Foundation Board Chair Kevin Britten says “We are deeply committed to helping our neighbors recover from this tragic event. The Montgomery County Disaster Relief Fund is a way for our community
to come together and provide much-needed support to those who have suffered significant losses.”

How to Donate

Donations can be made easily and securely via credit card on the Montgomery County Community Foundation’s
website: https://bit.ly/MontgomeryCountyDisasterRelief.

Additionally, contributions via check can be made at the following locations:

Red Oak:
• Houghton State Bank
• First Interstate Bank
• Bank Iowa

Stanton:
• First Interstate Bank

Villisca:
• Bank Iowa

Every donation, no matter the size, will make a significant impact on the lives of those affected by this disaster. Once
$1,500 is raised, a $500 grant from the Iowa Council of Foundations will be provided to the fund through the Disaster
Recovery Matching Grants program.

For more information about the Montgomery County Disaster Relief Fund or the Montgomery County Community
Foundation, please visit the website (SWIowaFoundations.org) or contact Sarah Beth Ray at 402-704-7245 or
sarahbeth@omahafoundation.org

About the Montgomery County Community Foundation

The Montgomery County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Omaha Community Foundation, is dedicated to
improving the quality of life for all residents of Montgomery County through charitable giving, community leadership,
and strategic grantmaking. Our commitment to responding to community needs is unwavering, especially in times of
crisis.

NASCAR Cup Series rookie Zane Smith on next week’s race at Iowa Speedway

Sports

June 4th, 2024 by Seth Tiegs

NASCAR Cup Series rookie Zane Smith hopes his experience at the Iowa Speedway is an advantage next week in the lead up to the Iowa Corn 350. Smith finished fifth in an Xfinity Series race at the Iowa Speedway back in 2019 and is hoping for a good showing in the first Cup Series race at the track on June 16th.

Smith says the racing surface will be different than the last time he was there.

Smith has run well at Iowa and hopes that will continue.

Smith says practice time will be crucial next week to find the right set up for qualifying and the race.

The Cup Series is in Sonoma, California this week for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350.

Seydou Traore Signs With Iowa MBB

Sports

June 4th, 2024 by Seth Tiegs

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Manhattan College transfer Seydou Traore (SAY-Doo Tray-Orrie) has signed a scholarship tender with the University of Iowa men’s basketball team, it was announced Tuesday by head coach Fran McCaffery.  Traore will have three years of eligibility with the Hawkeyes.

During his freshman season with the Jaspers, the 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward earned All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie Team honors after averaging 11.9 points and 8.1 rebounds to go along with 62 assists and 34 blocks.  He shot .433 from the field and 80 percent from the free throw stripe in 32.4 minutes per game.

Traore was the only player in the MAAC with 300+ points, 200+ rebounds, 60+ assists, 40+ steals and 30+ blocks. His 1.3 blocks per game led the league and he ranked second in the conference in rebounds, eighth in steals and 14th in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Traore led all freshman nationally in rebounding for much of the season before finishing third at 8.2 rebounds per game.

“We are excited to welcome Seydou to the Iowa basketball family,” said McCaffery. “He has a complete skill set with his overall athleticism. He’s a skilled player that will bring rebounding, defense and toughness to our team.”

Traore appeared in 28 games for the Jaspers with 27 starts.  He reached double figures in 18 games and had 10 games with 10+ rebounds, giving him six double-doubles – a figure that ranked third in the MAAC.

The New York, New York, native opened his career with five straight games in double figures, including a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double in his collegiate debut.  He finished with a 16-point, eight-rebound game at No. 1 Kansas and a 13-point, eight-rebound contest at No. 5 UConn.

He scored 15+ points 10 times and had a career-high 20 points at Iona. Traore finished with nine points, 17 rebounds, four blocks and four assists against Farleigh Dickinson. He had three or more assists in 14 games and three or more steals seven times.

“It felt right when I visited campus,” said Traore. “Coach McCaffery knows what I want to accomplish, and it was a great fit for me to take my basketball career to another level.  The Iowa system will be great to be a part of to get out and showcase my athleticism.  I am excited to show I can play in any conference, win games and display my complete skill set.”

Originally from Mali, Traore played for the New York Lightning and New York Dragon AAU teams and he attended Our Saviour Lutheran School in New York.

Traore is the second transfer and fourth player signed to join the Hawkeyes in 2024-25 along with Morehead State transfer Drew Thelwell and incoming freshmen Cooper Koch and Chris Tjado.