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Trial for man accused of murdering a Cass County woman to begin next week

News

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A 63-year old Oakland man is set to stand trial next week for murder, following numerous delays in bringing his case before a jury. Online court records show a pre-trial conference for Robert Arthur Reynolds will begin 9:30-a.m. Monday (Nov. 17th), in Pottawattamie County District Court. His trial is set for 9:30-a.m., Tuesday.

Reynolds faces a felony, 1st degree murder charge, in connection with the April 8th fatal shooting in his home, of 64-year-old Patricia Kinkade-Dorsey, from rural Cass County. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charge. First-degree murder is a Class A felony and carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A criminal complaint says Reynolds acknowledged shooting Kinkade-Dorsey after an argument. Last week, Reynolds’ attorney filed a request by Reynolds to confront any and all witnesses to the shooting.

BETTY LOU CLARK LEAGUE, 85, of Buffalo, MO & formerly of Atlantic – Svcs. 11/15/14

Obituaries

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

BETTY LOU CLARK LEAGUE, 85, of Buffalo, MO. (& formerly of Atlantic), died Tue., Nov. 11th, in Buffalo, MO. Graveside services for BETTY LOU CLARK LEAGUE will be held 10:30-a.m. Sat., Nov. 15th, in the Atlantic Cemetery. Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.

Visitation with her family is from 5-to 7-pm Friday (11/14), at the funeral home.

BETTY LOU CLARK LEAGUE is survived by:

Her sons – Randall Clark and Mark Clark, both of Atlantic.

Her daughter – Carolyn Braham, of Long Lane, Mo.

Her sisters – Bobbie Paulsen, of Avoca; Janice Reynolds, of Council Bluffs, & Patty, of Colorado.

6 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Omaha railroad: Use caution in winter at crossings

News

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – As a blast of wintry weather hits the Midwest, Union Pacific Railroad is reminding motorists to use caution at rail crossings during slick, cold-weather conditions.

The Omaha-based railroad says that with blowing and drifting snow, it could be difficult for motorists to see where crossing surfaces are located. When possible, motorists should use overpasses or underpasses to get to the other sides of railroad tracks.

The railroad also warns that those driving too fast for slick conditions could slide into the path or the side of a moving train at a crossing. It can take a mile or more for a moving train to come to a stop.

Unconscious driver crashes pickup into tree

News

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

An elderly man who lost consciousness while driving Wednesday afternoon in Montgomery County, crashed his pickup into a tree, but was not injured. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 76-year old David Otto Berggren, of Red Oak, was traveling east on 230th Street at around 3-p.m., when he lost consciousness. Berggren’s 2002 Ford F-150 Supercab pickup left the road to the right and entered the south ditch before it hit a power pole, snapping it in two.

The pickup continued in the south ditch, finally coming to rest after striking a tree. Berggren was transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital by Red Oak Rescue, to be checked for injuries. Damage to his pickup was estimated at $25,000 (a projected, total loss).

No citations were issued. Sheriff’s deputies were assisted at the scene by Red Oak Police and members of the Red Oak Fire and Rescue Dept.

Gates to limit access to Lake Manawa

Ag/Outdoor, News

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say gates will be installed at Lake Manawa State Park between now and next spring, to limit access to the park. The Daily NonPareil says the change, announced Wednesday, came after residents showed concern about “security issues” and “roads to nowhere.” About 20 people attended a Wednesday meeting at the Council Bluffs Fish and Game Club to discuss an October forum about two projects at the lake that, when combined, will cost more than $10 million.

Todd Coffelt, Iowa DNR Bureau Chief for the state parks, says the gates will restrict access to the park before 4 a.m. and after 10:30 p.m.  Bike trails and 24-hour overnight fishing will not be restricted.

Last month, residents were asked to gather feedback from their neighbors and bring it to Wednesday’s meeting. Residents were mostly concerned with public safety and a dredging project that would remove 5 million cubic yards of sand from the lake to promote water clarity and a healthier wildlife environment. Iowa DNR officials stressed the need for residents to address 51 proposed full-hookup campsites that would be created under the proposed plan.

Coffelt says the department has been working on renovating the park’s campsites for about 14 years, but residents were more worried about overall safety and future park usage. Many who attended the meeting echoed comments about keeping troublemakers out of the park and the effects of the dredging project slated to begin by summer 2015.

Coffelt said residents need to stay focused and agree on camping renovations before officials can move forward with the projects. The department has $400,000 set aside for the campsites, but the remaining funds must be raised by community groups.

NWS/KJAN listening area weather forecast: Thu., 11/13/2014

Weather

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

356 AM CST THU NOV 13 2014

EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SCATTERED FLURRIES. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.

TODAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 20S. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW 5 TO 10 ABOVE. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

FRIDAY…SUNNY UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON THEN BECOMING PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 20S. NORTHWEST WIND NEAR 5 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON.

FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOW 15 TO 20. SOUTHEAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

SATURDAY…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MORNING…THEN SNOW IN THE AFTERNOON. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. HIGH IN THE LOWER 30S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 80 PERCENT.

SATURDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. LOW 10 TO 15.

SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGH IN THE MID 20S. LOW 10 TO 15.

Bluffs woman conquers 100 mile Ozark Trail run

Sports

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

An administrative assistant from Council Bluffs conquered the Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run held Nov. 1st & 2nd. The Daily NonPareil reports. Annie Jobe, a divorced, single mom of three kids, was one of only six women to finish the race, her longest run ever. The route follows the Ozark Trail through the Mark Twain National Forest in south-central Missouri. The path includes several water crossings and an elevation gain of 12,000 to 15,000 feet.

Jobe’s boyfriend served as her pacer for the event. Temperatures were in the 20s when runners took off at 6 a.m. Nov. 1, Jobe said. Overnight, they dropped into the teens. There were 13 aid stations where runners could get water, food and supplements, Jobe said. Race monitors at one station took Jobe into a trailer with a heater so she could get thawed out and change her clothes and shoes.

Jobe grew up in Council Bluffs and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School, where she was on the dance team. She studied health and nutritional science at Iowa Western Community College. She started running about five years ago after the birth of her third child, as a means of losing some weight. The adrenaline rush she found in running motivated Jobe to aspire to bigger challenges, such as a half-marathon and then her first full-marathon, in May, 2010.

In June, 2014, Jobe ran a 100k in Wisconsin and a 50-miler in September in Kansas. Running is now part of her everyday life.

Iowa hospital group reports Medicaid expansion has cut visits by uninsured patients in half

News

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A spokesperson for the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) says new data shows the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program is benefiting both hospitals and patients in the state. Scott McIntyre says an I-H-A study compares numbers between January and June of this year and to the same six month period a year ago. “In 2013, we saw about 8,000 patients who were uninsured and in 2014, during the same time period, it was only about 4,000 patients,” McIntyre says.

The IHA supported the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program, using federal money provided by the Affordable Care Act. Many states with Republican governors rejected such efforts, but Iowa Governor Terry Branstad agreed to an alternative proposal dubbed the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. Federal officials granted a waiver for Iowa’s Medicaid expansion plan, which provided more than 100,000 low income Iowans with health care coverage.

McIntyre says the result is Iowa hospitals’ charity care costs fell 18.5 percent, or $32.5 million, in the first six months of this year. “Whenever we see an increase in people being covered, it’s not a surprise to see a decrease in the need for charity care. That helps hospitals be a little more prepared, flexible, and viable in terms of their finances,” McIntyre said. The decrease in charity care costs benefits all Iowans, according to McIntyre.

“Health care isn’t free and when people who aren’t insured come to the hospital and they can’t cover the cost of their care, part of that expense is passed along to people who are insured,” McIntyre said. “So, every time we insure someone, that helps everybody…that improves the situation for the entire state.” The analysis, based on data collected from 101 Iowa hospitals, also found overall inpatient admissions declined 4.4 percent over the first six months of this year compared with the same period in 2013.

(Radio Iowa)

State audit finds improvement in money handling procedures for 99 district court clerks

News

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A report issued by the State Auditor’s Office finds some issues with oversight and the handling of fees in the county clerks in the district court offices across the state. Deputy State Auditor, Andy Nielson, says the report overall is a positive one. “Every year we do a review of all 99 county clerks of court as required by the Code of Iowa, and while this year there continues to be some comments regarding segregation of duties and some items with other accounting procedures, there has been improvement over the prior year,” according toe Nielson.

One of the ongoing issues is ensuring that the same person that takes in money for fines and fees isn’t the same person who is doing the bookwork and making deposits. Nielson says it’s usually an issue in the more rural counties. “Some of the clerk’s offices only have two or three people in them and it’s very difficult to segregate duties efficiently,” Nielson says. “They are taking steps to utilize other clerk’s offices to for such things as bank reconciliations and things like that.” The clerks can have their counterparts in a nearby county go over the records to ensure everything is being handled properly.

Nielson says it’s also getting easier with the use of electronic records to have a clerk in one county use another county’s employees to check their financial statements without any travel involved. The offices handle the civil, probate, criminal,juvenile, traffic, child support and small claims for the courts. They also collect and deposit and pay out all the fees and other monies for the district court. Nielson says the nature of the operations makes it important to have the proper oversight.

“Whenever there is a lot of cash being transacted as opposed to checks and credit cards, there’s obviously more risk there, and that’s where the segregation of duties is extremely important and that’s why we focus a lot on that,” Nielson says. The clerk of courts offices went through a period where they had reduced staffing and hours due to budget issues, and Nielson says they are now benefiting from more funding.

“I think they’ve been restored to a little bit closer to normal staffing and that will certainly help with the segregation of duties issues,” according to Nielson. Nielson says the State Auditors Office provides training to the clerks in handling these types of issues and it’s good to see fewer problems in this audit.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa early News Headlines: Thu., Nov. 13th 2014

News

November 13th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The city of Council Bluffs and school district are pursuing citywide free wireless Internet services. The school board of the Council Bluffs Community School District approved a partnership agreement with the city Monday. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports the partnership will last for at least five years.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An assistant chief for a tribal police department in Iowa has been fired after making inappropriate comments about the looks of teenage daughters of two subordinate officers. Documents released yesterday show Jason Dunagan, assistant chief of the Meswaki National Police Department, commented “nice belly button ring” and “nice tan” on a Snapchat photograph posted online by a lieutenant’s 16-year-old daughter. Dunagan said Wednesday he saw nothing inappropriate in his comments toward the teenage girls, saying he was friendly on social media with one and didn’t know the other was his colleague’s daughter.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Mason City man faces multiple charges after police say his car struck three vehicles, including a school bus. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports 23-year-old Eric Sombright was behind a school bus Tuesday morning when his car slid on ice and hit the bus. Sombright is accused of driving around the bus and fleeing the scene.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say an aging giraffe at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines was euthanized due to health complications. The Des Moines Register reports 21-year-old Shani was euthanized earlier this month.