DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Postal Service workers have taken to the sidewalks to protest job cuts at Des Moines’ main post office and other postal facilities across the country. About 100 people, consisting of postal workers, customers, teachers and others, turned out Wednesday afternoon in front of the post office near downtown Des Moines to protest recent cuts.

Mike Bates, president of the Des Moines Area American Postal Workers Union, says the cuts have led to long lines and delayed service for customers. Bates says 36 of approximately 300 jobs have been cut from the main Des Moines post office, and another 34 jobs are set to be cut in February. He says that amounts to a staff reduction of more than 20 percent.

Bates say the cuts are occurring across the country.

Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren wants to set the record straight about rumors flying around concerning his status and supposed recent events. He said in a statement to the media, and online, that “It’s a sad day when as Cass County Sheriff I have to address fake news and social media garbage. For those of you who do not understand what I am talking about, a social media frenzy has made it necessary for me to address a rumor racing across the area.”

McLaren went on to say that “Media outlets have been inquiring about these rumors, to a point where I found it necessary that I be direct with an answer. I am not, nor is any person in the Sheriff’s Office, under investigation by any agency for illegal or unethical activity. The rumors and accusations are false. My deputies and I are dedicated to the people of Cass County and the accusations have no merit.”

The Sheriff concluded by saying “As citizens, I encourage you to exercise due diligence by getting your news from sources you know are reputable, doing your research, and reading beyond the headlines. The most effective way to stop a false story from spreading is to not share it.”

Cass County Attorney David Wiederstein said in a previous statement to the media, that “As County Attorney, I serve as the chief law enforcement official of Cass County. In response to media inquiries about reports of investigations and illegal activity occurring within the Cass County Sheriff’s Department, I can confirm and verify that all such reports are blatantly false and unfounded.”

An investigation by the State Auditor’s office has revealed over 48-thousand dollars ($48,000), collected from events involving students in a southwest Iowa school district, were deposited into bank accounts outside the district’s oversight. State Auditor Mary Mosiman says the superintendent of Clarinda Schools started looking into the matter last year after learning of one such bank account tied to student activities. “And it was determined that there were a total of 10 bank accounts that had been established and maintained outside of the district’s accounting system,” Mosiman said.

State auditors reviewed the bank accounts covering a period between January 2015 and May of this year. According to Mosiman, six of the 10 accounts should have been maintained by the district. Those bank accounts were administered by Clarinda School District employees. “We identified that six of these bank accounts had a little over $48,000 of collections improperly deposited into the six unauthorized bank accounts,” Mosiman said. “Of those deposits, $6,200 was considered improper disbursements and $14,000 unsupported disbursements.”

Under Iowa law, money collected through school activities are public funds and should be under the local school board’s control. “By maintaining bank accounts outside of the school district’s accounting system, there’s no opportunity for the proper review and approval by the school board for the collections and the disbursements,” Mosiman said.  The auditor’s report also found district funds were commingled with one individual’s personal funds in their joint bank account. While $48,541 was the amount documented in the report, it’s possible more district collections weren’t identified. “We did state that because of the lack of documentation and available records, this is the amount of money that we could verify,” Mosiman said.

Copies of the State Auditor’s report have been filed with the Page County Attorney’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Criminal Investigation. Clarinda Schools Superintendent Deron Stender issued a statement saying the district “has consulted with its attorney to take preliminary action to address identified concerns.” Stender added the district “has implemented controls, policies and procedures to ensure compliance with acceptable accounting practices.”

(Radio Iowa)

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports that on Tuesday, November 7th, 2017, United States Senior District Court Judge James E. Gritzner sentenced 30-year old Charles Jesse Beuterbaugh, of Pottawattamie County, to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute a fentanyl analogue that caused death or serious bodily injury. Beuterbaugh will serve five years of supervised release following imprisonment and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. Beuterbaugh was part of a drug trafficking organization that was responsible for receiving and distributing fentanyl analogues obtained from a source in China to users in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

The investigation into the drug trafficking group began on June 28, 2015, when law enforcement was called to a Carter Lake residence regarding an unresponsive male. Law enforcement found the body of a 20-year-old male in Beuterbaugh’s living area. In addition, law enforcement learned that a second male had been transported to a local hospital from the Beuterbaugh residence prior to law enforcement being called, and had been placed on life support. The investigation revealed that Beuterbaugh had provided “acetyl fentanyl” to both victims, which was determined to be the cause of death of the 20-year-old male, and the reason for the hospitalization for the second male. Beuterbaugh had obtained the acetyl fentanyl through an organization that began distributing fentanyl, or an analogue of fentanyl, in November of 2014 and continued to distribute in April of 2016. All members involved in the distribution of the acetyl fentanyl have entered guilty pleas.

On October 26, 2017, Senior Judge James E. Gritzner sentenced Beuterbaughs’ codefendants, 27-year old Dustin C. Sullivan, of Council Bluffs, to 162 months in prison, and 31-year old Cody Lanus, of Omaha, Nebraska, to 144 months in prison. Both Sullivan and Lanus were also ordered to serve five years of supervised release following imprisonment. Michael David Redmond, Jr. was previously sentenced by Senior Judge James E. Gritzner to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Redmond, Jr., Sullivan, and Lanus were also ordered to pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. Amalia N. Pandis and Walter John O’Donohue, III are pending sentencing in February of 2018.

The investigation was conducted by the Carter Lake Police Department, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, the Council Bluffs Police Department, the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, the Omaha, Nebraska, Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa Division of Narcotic Enforcement, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration in Nebraska. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), approved a Resolution calling for a Special Election on March 6^th, 2018, with regard to passing an additional bond for the courthouse elevator project. Adair County Auditor Mindy Schaefer told KJAN News the need for a new elevator to replace one that was installed back in the 1980’s, became clear when officials with the State said the elevator does not meet current standards. The State says it will no longer approve the elevator for inspection. Schaefer says when it was installed in the 1980’s it was never intended for commercial use. Some of the current wheelchairs and motor scooters are difficult to maneuver into the elevator.  (Click the PDF for images of the project:   Revised 3D for SHPO

A feasibility study determined a new, bigger elevator cannot be placed inside the courthouse, to it must be attached to it from the outside. She said a Public Hearing was held last May to go out for a bond sale. $600,000 of that bond was designated for a new elevator. Schaefer said the initial feasibility studies placed the price tag for the project at $550,000. She says the County has a statutory limit of $600,000 that it cannot exceed without a special election. The County went ahead and bonded for the $600,000. The bids for the project came in two weeks ago, and were shockingly higher than expected. The lowest bid was $749,000. The highest was $1-million, $25,000. There were five bids in between. Mindy said the $600,000 limit was for the entire project, and did not take into account architects, soil surveys and other factors. The Board stripped everything possible to reduce costs, but the final answer was to ask the public for a bond to help pay for the rest.

The Special Election will ask voters of Adair County “Shall the Board of Supervisors bond for an amount not to exceed $650,000 for the purpose of installing an elevator?” The $650,000 is in addition to the $600,000 the County already has bonded for. That means the project is capped at $1.25-million, but they do not expect to reach that amount, according to Schaefer. The architects came up with a formula to derive from the high and low ends of the bids the $1.25-million figure. Schaefer says the County believes it will come in at under $1-million altogether.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) approved the latest version of Cass County Public Safety Communication Commission 28E Articles of Agreement. Mike Kennon, Cass County 911 and EMA Director, said the last time the articles were updated was 1999. He said the basic agreement was fine, much has changed since then. He said they moved across the street, the commission was rearranged from six members to four, and other, less noticeable changes.

The Cass Supervisors also discussed with Nishna Valley Cycle’s Dennis Murphy, the latest proposed a draft of an ordinance that would authorize the use of ATV’s and UTV’s on county roadways. There was some question about whether they would be allowed on Level B and Level C roads when they are wet. That issue, and some minor editing is now in the hands of the Supervisors.

Later, once the ordinance is in the final version, the Board will set the dates and times for Public Hearings.