Audit: Iowa violating law requiring Medicaid savings reports

November 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state audit says the legislature, governor and Iowa Department of Human Services have failed to follow a state law that requires full quarterly financial reports on the state’s privatized Medicaid program. Auditor Mary Mosiman says in an audit released Monday that the state officials and lawmakers should have established a method to estimate program cost savings when they moved from state-managed Medicaid to a system managed by for-profit health care companies in 2016.

The state released widely varied estimates of savings last year ranging from $47 million to $235 million in the $5 billion program that oversees the health care program for poor and disabled Iowans. Mosiman estimates the state saved $126 million in fiscal year 2018 compared to what it would have spent under state-managed care.

Posted in News |

Counterfeit Benjamin passed in Lorimor

November 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s officials in Union County say The Whistle Stop, in Lorimor, reported that at around 8:51-p.m. November 21st, someone came in to the store and paid for $51.05 worth of product with a counterfeit $100 bill. The subject had left the store before the money was tested. No other information was available.

Posted in News |

Iowa’s Nelson named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week

November 26th, 2018 by admin

Iowa junior defensive end Anthony Nelson was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Nebraska. He shares the honor this week with Michigan State sophomore cornerback Josiah Scott.

Co-Defensive Players of the Week

Anthony Nelson, Iowa

Jr., DE, Urbandale, Iowa/Waukee

Posted a career-high eight tackles along with two sacks and two tackles for loss in Iowa’s 31-28 victory over Nebraska
Also added a pass-breakup and a quarterback hurry in the win
His 9.5 sacks on the season are the most by a Hawkeye since Adrian Clayborn had 11.5 in 2009
Overall, the Hawkeyes have 34 sacks on the season, the team’s most since it also had 34 in 2003
Claims his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor
Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: A.J. Epenesa (Nov. 19, 2018)

Posted in Sports |

Work continues on I-35 flyover bridge near Ames

November 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Work continues on one of the largest and most expensive road construction projects in Iowa that was delayed by a contractor mistake. What’s called a “flyover bridge” is being built where Interstate 35 meets U-S Highway 30 on the east side of Ames. Iowa Department of Transportation engineer Scott Dockstader says they already had several nighttime shutdowns on the I-35 and work involving Highway 30 is next.”We still have to do work over Highway 30 and connect up to the other abutment so we’ll have multiple U-S 30 night closures and beam settings,” Dockstader says.

The current clover-leaf interchange between U-S 30 and I-35 in Ames will be retired once a new bridge is completed. Dockstader says the new bridge is expected to make thing safer for drivers. “With this flyover we’re able to eliminate a lot of that merging/diverging movement, so in the future we won’t have people getting off at high speed trying to find a gap with that traffic merging onto the interstate from that loop,” according to Dockstader.

Dockstader says the project appears to be on-pace for a mid-summer opening of the new flyover bridge. The new bridge was supposed to be completed by the end of this year — but the work was delayed after it was discovered the Minnesota contractor made mistakes with the elevation of the piers and the anchor bolts that go into the piers weren’t positioned properly.

Posted in News |

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26th

November 26th, 2018 by admin

WANTED: ’95 Chevy S10 Blazer – running or not. 712-420-3016 or 712-420-2609.

FOR SALE: Firewood. 712-420-3016 or 712-420-2609.

Posted in Trading Post |

Oskaloosa reports 17″ of snowfall for deepest measurement in the state

November 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa kids from Chariton to Washington to Davenport are getting an extra day of Thanksgiving vacation as many schools across the southeastern third of the state cancelled classes due to heavy snow. Sunday’s blizzard dumped six-to-12 inches of snow on much of the region, but meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff, at the National Weather Service, says some areas got much more. “The highest report that we’ve gotten so far is 17 inches in Oskaloosa,” Hagenhoff says. “We also had 16 inches reported in Osceola and at University Park in Mahaska County.”

Knoxville reports 14 inches of snow, Muscatine and the Quad Cities both report 13 inches, Sigourney got a foot even, while Clarinda got almost 11 inches of snowfall. While it’s unclear if any records were set with the holiday weekend snowstorm, it left behind temperatures far below normal. “The stiff north winds yesterday helped usher in a lot of that colder weather and we’re looking for that to stick around at least through the middle to the end of the week,” Hagenhoff says. “The normal high for this time of year is 42 degrees. Yesterday we hit 33 and today we’re looking to stay right around 26.”

On the plus side, Hagenhoff says there shouldn’t be any more snow in Iowa anytime soon. “Not right now,” Hagenhoff says. “It’s a relatively active pattern so there may be chances for just light flurries around the state but nothing significant that we’re looking at right now.” A woman answering the phone at the Mahaska County Roads Department in Oskaloosa said no one was available to comment on conditions there as everyone was out on snow plows — and many had been at it with only brief breaks for a solid 24 hours.

Posted in News, Podcasts |

Pott. County Sheriff’s report (11/26)

November 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a traffic stop Sunday afternoon resulted in a citation for a Griswold man. 27-year old Jonathan Christian Pilgreen was cited for Driving While Revoked. He was then released from the scene. At around 12:20-a.m., Sunday, a Pott. County Deputy was called to a residence in Council Bluffs, to check on the welfare of an individual. The deputy then determined that an assault had taken place. 45-year old Shawn Craig Gappa, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Domestic Assault, with regard to an incident involving a 15-year old male. Gappa was transported to the Pott. County Jail.

Friday evening, a Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy was on patrol in the area of N.16th Street and Nash Boulevard, when he saw a Ford F-250 pickup occupied by an adult male and female. A check of the license plate revealed the male owner, 37-year old Danny Davidson, of Council Bluffs, was wanted on a warrant for Conspiracy to Commit a Forcible Felony, and Theft in the 1st Degree. A traffic stop on the vehicle was initiated, and the warrant confirmed. Davidson was taken into custody on the warrant and transported to the Pott. County Jail, where bond was set at $10,000. His passenger was authorized to remove the vehicle from the scene.

And, at around 4-a.m. Wednesday, an investigation into a property damage accident in the 24,000 block of Pioneer Trail, resulted in the arrested of 24-year old Sabriena R. Bruce, of Omaha. The woman was charged with OWI/1st offense, and transported to the Pott. County Jail.

Posted in News |

Increase in Methamphetamine Use by Iowans

November 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Public Health report from 2014-2017, there was a 38 percent increase in methamphetamine treatment admissions in Iowa. Similarly, the IDPH reports there was an eight-fold increase in Iowa deaths related to amphetamines, which includes methamphetamine. November 30 is National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. IDPH is using the observance as an opportunity to remind Iowans that methamphetamine continues to be a serious concern.

Katie Bee of the IDPH Bureau of Substance Abuse, says “Meth is now the second most reported drug by adults at admission to treatment, moving ahead of marijuana for the first time. Alcohol remains number one for adults, while marijuana remains the number one drug of choice for juveniles. It is important for Iowans to know help is available from Iowa’s treatment network, which can be found at yourlifeiowa.org.”

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant and is most commonly a white, odorless powder. In the short term, its effects include increased attention and activity, decreased appetite and a rapid heartbeat. In the long term, consequences include paranoia, hallucinations, brain structure changes, memory loss, aggression and severe dental problems. If you are concerned about your own methamphetamine use or that of someone you care about, free and confidential help is available every day, around-the-clock. Visit www.YourLifeIowa.org for help by text, chat and phone (855-581-8111).

Posted in News |

AP College Football Top 25 11/25/2018

November 26th, 2018 by admin

The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 24 total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:

	Record	Pts	Pv
1. Alabama (61)	12-0	1525	1
2. Clemson	12-0	1458	2
3. Notre Dame	12-0	1409	3
4. Georgia	11-1	1336	5
5. Oklahoma	11-1	1266	6
6. Ohio St.	11-1	1229	10
7. UCF	11-0	1146	8
8. Michigan	10-2	1058	4
9. Texas	9-3	959	11
10. Washington	9-3	897	16
11. Florida	9-3	876	13
12. Washington St.	10-2	818	7
12. LSU	9-3	818	8
14. Penn St.	9-3	751	15
15. West Virginia	8-3	672	12
16. Kentucky	9-3	602	17
17. Utah	9-3	536	18
18. Syracuse	9-3	475	19
19. Boise St.	10-2	409	21
20. Mississippi St.	8-4	324	22
21. Northwestern	8-4	322	20
22. Texas A&M	8-4	283	NR
23. Army	9-2	169	23
24. Iowa St.	7-4	116	25
25. Fresno St.	10-2	102	NR

Others receiving votes: Utah St. 92, Missouri 88, NC State 39, Cincinnati 33, Stanford 10, Iowa 4, Appalachian St. 1, Buffalo 1, Oregon 1.

Posted in Sports |

ISU hoops to play in Battle 4 Atlantis in 2019

November 26th, 2018 by admin

AMES, Iowa – Fresh off a trip to Maui, the Iowa State men’s basketball team will participate in the 2019 Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis from Nov. 27-29 in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

The tournament takes place at Atlantis Resort and will feature a premiere field, which includes Iowa State, North Carolina, Oregon, Michigan, Gonzaga, Seton Hall, Alabama and Southern Mississippi.

The tournament bracket will be released at a later date.

The 2018-19 Cyclones are 5-1 following a 2-1 trip to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Iowa State is 13-3 in regular season tournament play dating back to the 2013-14 season, winning tournament titles three times.

Posted in Sports |

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