DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As of Noon today (Thursday), Iowa became the 11th state to allow sports betting, and six casinos say they’re ready to sign up players and begin taking bets. Casinos in Altoona, Bettendorf, Osceola and Waterloo will offer betting on-site and through a mobile app. Casinos in Burlington and Council Bluffs will offer on-site betting only for now until their mobile systems are set up. Gambling regulators say at least two more casinos could be approved by the end of the day.

Eventually most of the state’s 19 state-regulated casinos are expected to offer sports betting. In Iowa, players must first travel to a casino to prove their age and identity and set up an account. Mobile betting is allowed only within the borders of Iowa. Betting is allowed on professional, collegiate and international sporting events. Iowa also has legalized fantasy sports contests and internet fantasy sports betting.

By Scott Stewart/ Iowa Western Community College

Levi Johnson ran upstairs to find a woman screaming that her husband needed help. He inspected the nonresponsive patient’s head wound. He checked vital signs. Then he got out his triage tags and ripped it off to display black – a deceased patient. The Iowa Western Community College paramedic student made the right conclusion during a drill. The trouble was the woman, played by volunteer Kelly Mueller, who continued to yell at him and keep him from moving on to treat the patient in the next room. “I got a little too caught up in dealing with her,” Johnson said. “I should have delegated her to law enforcement or someone else, but at least gotten her out of a situation a little quicker.”

A group of Iowa Western Community College students carry out a patient during a paramedic drill at the Southwest Iowa Regional Emergency Response Training Center on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. (Scott Stewart/Iowa Western Community College)

Levi Johnson triages a patient during a paramedic drill at the Southwest Iowa Regional Emergency Response Training Center on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. (Scott Stewart/Iowa Western Community College)

Iowa Western paramedic students participated in a mass casual drill Saturday morning at the Southwest Iowa Regional Emergency Response Training Center in Council Bluffs. The drill was designed to offer students opportunities to consider factors that are easy to miss in classroom discussions. Students participated in two scenarios: a response to a domestic terrorism attack and an apartment building struck by a tornado. In each case, the environment was full of distractions and the students had to adapt to the situation, ignore the noise and help patients receive medical attention. “We couldn’t even tell what was going on,” student Jake Weilage said. “There were beds tipped over onto patients. There were patients pinned up against the walls.”

During the first exercise, Weilage was the treatment and transportation officer. His job was to sort patients into green, yellow and red triage areas, to treat patients prior to transporting them and to determine the order in which they’ll be taken to area hospitals. Weilage said he learned that he needs to delegate treatment to others, particularly when more resources are available. He said he also realized midway through the exercise that he wasn’t writing down what he did, which made it challenging to verify what happened as the exercise concluded. “I definitely overwhelmed myself,” Weilage said. “I’m definitely going to delegate more and have the medic units help treat certain areas.”

Johnson said the drill taught the importance of using backboards to prevent further injuries, as well as how to adjust and communicate with other first responders without the benefit of radios. “When you encounter these patients, they’re scared,” Johnson said. “You’re going to need to comfort them. Casey Hutchison, director of the paramedic program, said the students improved by the end of the drill. They halved their time in the second run, despite facing a more challenging scenario, and really learned from their mistakes. “Hopefully, if they ever have to do this in real life, they’ll have some exposure and some familiarity,” Hutchison said. “The muscle memory is the big thing that they’re going to get from here.”

Iowa Western’s paramedic program focuses on hands-on activities, such as the mass casualty drill or a vehicle extrication exercise last Thursday, so students are ready to respond to a real crisis. Hutchison said the hybrid program offers online instruction coupled with a once-a-week lab session. Hutchison said students don’t simply verbalize what to do, they actually do it – whether that’s starting an IV on a patient or another skill the paramedic students practice in the lab setting. “When in a stressful situation, they rely back on their training. They’ve done these skills a hundred times over the last year in class, so it’s going to come more naturally for them,” Hutchison said.

Because of the hybrid format, the program is tailored to people who work full-time jobs and who have a family and busy lifestyles. Some students have field experience as emergency medical technicians or firefighters, while others are new to the health care industry. “We will take any kind of student,” Hutchison said, whether that’s an emergency medical technician or a firefighter looking to take that next step or transition from a volunteer to a professional department.

In addition to the paramedic career certification, Iowa Western Continuing and Career Education also offers certificate programs in emergency medical technician, advanced EMT and emergency medical responder, in addition to firefighting, CPR and First Aid courses. Weilage said Iowa Western’s paramedic program has made him prepared for future field experiences. “’This program provides a variety of opportunities, and the instructors are great,” Weilage said. “They really set you up for success.”

Scott Stewart is a freelance journalist and communications consultant. This article was prepared on behalf of Iowa Western Community College’s Division of Economic and Workforce Development.

Rescue crews from Marne and Atlantic, along with Medivac Ambulance were called the scene of an SUV rollover accident late this (Thursday) morning off Interstate 80, in Cass County. According to dispatch reports, the vehicle landed in the median near the 51-mile marker, just west of the Marne exit, a little after 11-a.m.  Two females in the SUV suffered from what were described as minor injuries. A camper was apparently attached to the vehicle when it rolled. It was described as a total loss.

Both women, ages 73 and 74, who are from Wisconsin, were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by EMS. One had reportedly suffered from cuts and bruises, the other appeared to have been shaken-up a bit.

No further details are available.

Police in Glenwood say a man from Council Bluffs was arrested this (Thursday) morning, on drug charges. 31-year old Aaron Bible was arrested for OWI/2nd offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His total cash-or-surety bond was set at $3,300.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A 16-year-old Nebraska boy has pleaded guilty in the slaying of a 38-year-old Council Bluffs man. Pottawattamie County District Court records say Xavier Smith-Catchings, of Omaha, entered a written plea Wednesday to a charge of second-degree murder. Prosecutors lowered the charge in exchange for his plea. He and three men were charged with killing Adam Angeroth in January.

Smith-Catchings’ filing says he’s agreed to be sentenced to 50 years and must serve a minimum of 10 years. The filing says the judge isn’t bound by the agreement, so if the judge gives Smith-Catchings the maximum, Smith-Catchings may withdraw his plea. The judge had ruled that Smith-Catchings’ case remain in in district court because it was unlikely he’d be rehabilitated in the juvenile system.

The Daily Nonpareil reports that Nicholas Haner, of Harlan; Ryan McDonald, of Glenwood; and Liam Stec, of Omaha, Nebraska, were sentenced earlier this week to 50 years. They all pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after prosecutors lowered the charge.

ALLISON, Iowa (AP) — A northern Iowa sheriff says improper employee payments uncovered by a state audit were errors caused by a misunderstanding of several policies. The audit report of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office released Thursday says the improper payments totaled more than $57,000. It cited excess overtime and holiday pay for 26 employees from December 2014 through October 2018.

Auditors say the county paid overtime if employees worked more than eight hours in a single day rather than following the county and Fair Labor Standards Act policy that calculated overtime for law enforcement personnel working more than 171 hours in 28 days.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Sheriff Jason Johnson says the overtime issue had never been raised in regular state audits. He says his office immediately changed procedures when told about the error.

Officials with the Cass County Health System report the front entrance of Cass County Health System (CCMH) will be closed for maintenance on Sunday, August 18^th.   Patients and visitors are asked to please use the Emergency Department entrance on the west side of the building for the duration of the day.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a deputy working the civil department of the Sheriff’s Office made contact with a man in Council Bluffs, Wednesday, who was wanted on a trio of warrants. 42-year old Donald Norman Henricks, II, of Carson, was arrested for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree/damage-vandalism of property, Domestic Abuse Assault causing bodily injury/1st offense, and Harassment in the 3rd Degree by intimidation. His bond was set at $300 on the Harassment charge.

A traffic stop Wednesday afternoon on a motorcycle in Treynor resulted in the arrest of 55-year old Jerry Lee Lentz. His cycle was pulled over because the license plates didn’t match the motorcycle. Lentz was arrested for Driving while license suspended or revoked. He was booked into the Pott. County Jail and held, pending an appearance before the judge.

And, a person in the Pott. County Jail was served with a warrant Wednesday morning. 28-year old Michael Anthony Scott was presented with the warrant for being a Fugitive from Juctice. He was then returned to the custody of corrections staff.