(Radio Iowa) – A Bettendorf chiropractor who pleaded guilty to insurance fraud has been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay 22-thousand dollars. According to the Iowa Insurance Division, Joshua David Blunt had submitted false insurance claims to Wellmark on two previous occasions and had repaid the company, but he continued to file factious bills for chiropractic care which was never provided.

Blunt has been ordered to repay Wellmark nearly 21-thousand dollars and pay a civil penalty. Investigators also discovered that in 2017 Blunt paid eight-thousand dollars for a recreational vehicle, but claimed he bought it for a dollar to avoid the registration fee. He’s been ordered to pay that 425-dollar fee on the R-V as well.

(Radio Iowa) – Former Vice President Mike Pence says the F-B-I search of Donald Trump’s Florida home is troubling, but he’s urging Republicans to tone down the anti-F-B-I rhetoric. Pence, who is at the Iowa State Fair this (Friday) afternoon with Senator Chuck Grassley, says the Republican Party stands for law and order.

Senator Grassley has said there’s evidence of political bias in the F-B-I. Grassley and Pence support release of more information to explain why it was necessary to conduct a court-ordered search of a former president’s home.

(Radio Iowa) – A celebration is planned Saturday morning to name the Jasper County bridge over the Skunk River on Highway 117 the Staff Sergeant Herschel F. “Pete” Briles Memorial Bridge.

Colfax city administrator Wade Wagoner, says Briles was a Colfax native and World War Two Medal of Honor recipient.
“His grandson — a guy by the name of Brian Briles who was the former mayor of Monroe — presented me with this idea to rename the bridge in Colfax which is just north of our downtown in honor of his grandfather,” Wagoner says.

Sergeant Briles braved German gunfire in 1944 to rescue men from a tank destroyer in his platoon that had been hit and set on fire. The next morning, Briles used his machine gun to pour fire into the enemy ranks — which led to 55 Germans surrendering and the opening up of a junction between American units which had been held up for two days. Later the same day, when another of his destroyers was hit by a concealed enemy tank, he again with the help of another soldier, evacuated two wounded under heavy fire and, braved death from exploding ammunition to put out the flames.

Sgt. Herschel “Pete” Briles. (photo from City of Colfax)

Wagoner says there is another honor for Briles as well. “In addition to the bridge, we’ll be raising a flag in his honor kind of on our cell tower. It’s quite a large flag. We’ve had a flag up before but it’s been down for quite a while and we were able to get another flag,” he says.

Wagoner says Briles survived the war and returned to his hometown. “He was presented his Medal of Honor by President Truman and he decided to make his life here in Jasper County. And he, I believe raised three boys and a lot of them are still in the area,” Wagoner says.

Briles didn’t talk about the things he did in the war with even his own family. “By all accounts, he was a very humble man and very rarely spoke of the war or his medal or his accomplish

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic resident Kathy Somers, Friday (today), officially filed her nomination papers to run for Cass County Auditor in the November General Election. On Monday, the Cass County Republican party held a special nominating convention, and elected Somers to be the party’s candidate to be placed on the ballot for the November election.

Somers has local government experience, having served on the Atlantic City Council for 12 years.  She has served on the Atlantic Personnel & Finance Committee, the Landfill Board, and the Cass County Public Safety Commission. She has experience with human resources, labor laws, payroll, employee benefits, and insurance.  She has been an active volunteer in the community and the Republican party.

Somers has been employed as the HR & EEO Officer/Safety Coordinator at A.M. Cohron & Son, Inc. for 13 years. In April, 2022, the Cass County Board of Supervisors appointed Sara Harris to the post, following the resignation of long-time Auditor Dale Sunderman.

Harris’ term expires at the end of the year.

DES MOINES – Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) applauded two new grants to update and replace Iowa’s aging statewide bus fleet. Currently, nearly 63% of the state’s public buses exceed the federal standard for use of life, according to the Iowa Public Transit Association.

The $27.8 million provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation includes a $12M grant for the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) to purchase 90 new buses, cutaways, and vans for 26 of the state’s transit systems. The project is intended to improve transit system conditions, service reliability, and lower maintenance costs for providers across the state.

The new funding also includes a $15.8 million grant to IDOT for local transit agencies to purchase battery electric buses and charging equipment, as well as transit facilities construction and workforce development activities.

That $15.8 million grant will support the following agencies in the Third District:

5 replacement buses for Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA)
1 replacement and 2 expansions for Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA)

“Many Iowans rely on dependable and safe bus systems to be connected to jobs and services and to contribute to our economy,” said Rep. Axne. “Our state’s transit agencies serve all 99 counties, providing millions of rides to Iowans across the state. I’m glad to see this investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law come to Iowa and I look forward to seeing how this project will connect our communities. I will continue working across the aisle to secure additional investments to bring our state’s infrastructure into the 21st century.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $375.7 million in FY22 funding for the bus and bus facilities grant program that awarded these funds. Rep. Axne was the only member of the Iowa House Delegation to vote for the landmark infrastructure legislation that will provide at least $5 billion in critical infrastructure investments to the State of Iowa.

(Griswold, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports a Montgomery County man was injured during a rollover accident early Wednesday morning (Aug. 17). Rescue personnel responded at around 2:28-a.m. to the area “North of the Fish Farm” on 550th Street, for a single vehicle accident.  An investigation by the Cass County Sheriff’s Office concluded that a 2003 Buick Lesabre being operated by John Mullenix, of Red Oak, was traveling South on 550th Street.

The vehicle entered the west ditch and rolled approximately 4 or 5 times. Mullenix was ejected as the car rolled. Due the extentof his injuries, Lifelight was called to the scene of the accident for direct patient care and rapid transport to a medical facility.  The accident remains under investigation at this time.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Griswold Fire and Rescue, Cass County EMS and Lifelight 1.