DES MOINES – Today (Wednesday), Governor Kim Reynolds, Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, and the Iowa Economic Development Authority announced that three $50,000 grants have been awarded to Calhoun County Public Health, Cass County Board of Health, and Van Buren County Hospital to test an innovative program aimed at decreasing emergency response times in rural Iowa. The total grant funding of $150,000 was made available through the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative.

The program, called Iowa United First Aid, is a model that was adapted from the Israeli nonprofit United Hatzalah (which translates to “United Rescue”). The Israeli model uses technology to crowdsource nearby volunteer emergency responders and has driven response times down to an average of ninety seconds in cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and to three minutes on average across the country.

In Iowa, the program will equip trained volunteers with an app on their phone that delivers 911 dispatch alerts when an emergency occurs in their vicinity. Volunteers will be trained and supplied with the materials and equipment necessary to perform first aid, bleeding control, CPR, and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). The goal is for volunteers to quickly respond to emergencies in nearby areas and stabilize victims while an ambulance is on the way, decreasing the amount of time it takes to receive lifesaving assistance.

“I’m proud that the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative created the Iowa United First Aid program,” said Governor Reynolds. “This is what the initiative was intended to do – seek innovative ways to impact the quality of rural life in our state.  Iowans deeply value service to their communities and their neighbors, and I believe this program and its volunteers will make a tremendous difference in improving access to emergency services in rural communities and saving lives.”

“This model holds real promise in using technology and innovation to solve a serious challenge facing our rural communities,” said Lt. Governor Gregg. “I appreciate and commend the applicants who have stepped up to lead the way.”

Applicants were required to provide a minimum $25,000 local match for the grant, for at least $75,000 in total funding to support this program.  While costs vary, it is estimated that this amount can support training and equipping a minimum of 25 volunteers in each county. Additionally, the Iowa Rural Development Council has provided grant funds which will assist in the purchase of first aid supply bags, equipment, and safety identification vests for volunteers. The technology has been donated by NowForce and PulsePoint for the program’s pilot year.

For more information on Iowa United First Aid and other Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative programs, visit iowaeda.com/empower-rural-iowa.

(Atlantic, Iowa)  – Coca-Cola Days 2023 will be held September 22nd & 23rd in Atlantic. The event is the second largest collectors’ show in the United States and includes a tailgate barbecue open to the public, a Show, Swap & Sell, Coca-Cola themed raffle and many more activities for all ages. This year’s featured theme is, “Coca-Cola Days…An Iowa Classic” and will be held at the Cass County Community Center.

T-Shirts for the 2023 Coca-Cola Days celebration are now available for $20 at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, 102 Chestnut Street, from 8 AM – 5 PM, Monday – Thursday: Friday 8 AM-3PM. The T-shirts are a District Tee with a soft, polyester and cotton blend. T-shirts can be shipped for an additional fee.

Left to Right: Kurt Roberts, Bailey Smith, Kelsey Beschorner, Dolly Bergmann, Kathie Hockenberry, Jolene Roecker. (Photo courtesy the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce)

For more information on Coca-Cola Days, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com, call the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712-243-3017, email chamber@atlanticiowa.com, or pick up a brochure at the Chamber office. Coca-Cola Days is sponsored by Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company and the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission.

Cedar Falls, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety, on behalf of the Cedar Falls Police Department, say a suspect is charged in connection with a Sexual Assault that occurred last April, in Cedar Falls, and a Burglary on March 10th, in Waterloo. On Monday, May 22, 2023, the Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Criminalistic Laboratory was able to confirm the DNA obtained at both crime scenes matched 25-year-old Asante Walker-Garcia Adams, of North Liberty.  Adams has been charged with two counts of Sexual Assault 2nd and two counts of Burglary 1st, both Class B Felonies.

Both Agencies were assisted in the investigation and arrest by the Iowa City Police Department, Linn County Sheriff’s Office, University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Police Department, Cedar Valley CrimeStoppers, the DCI Major Crime Unit, DCI Sex Offender Registry Unit, and the DCI Criminalistics Laboratory.

Asante Walker-Garcia Adams

If you have any information you are asked to contact the Waterloo Police Detective Division 319-291-4340 #3, Cedar Falls Police 319-273- 8616, Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers 855-300-TIPS or your local law enforcement agency.

A Criminal Charge/Warrant is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Police in Council Bluffs report an arrest was made today (Wednesday), in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found in a ditch. 61-year-old Ivan Samuel Brammer, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody on charges that include Abuse of a Corpse, and Theft in the 2nd Degree. Brammer is charged in the death of 60-year-old Ilene Gowan, of Council Bluffs.

Ivan Brammer

Authorities say that on February 15, 2023, Ilene Gowan was reported as being missing to the Council Bluffs Police Department. According to Gowan’s daughter, her mother had not been seen or heard from since February 13, 2023. Gowan’s deceased body was located on February 26, 2023, in a roadside ditch in the area of 152^nd Street and Old Mormon Bridge Road, near Crescent, Iowa. View an affidavit for the case Brammer Affidavit

On May 23, 2023, an arrest warrant application was submitted and approved, charging Ivan Brammer with the aforementioned offenses.  The investigation into the circumstances of Gowan’s death remains active. The State of Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office, after Gowan’s autopsy, indicated an unknown cause and manner of death.

Cedar Rapids, IA – Personnel with the Cedar Rapids Fire Department safely extricated a trapped private utility contractor from a trench collapse, Tuesday morning. In the social media post, the F.D. said that at approximately 9:39-a.m., Tuesday, Joint Communications Agency Dispatchers received a call for a trapped worker in the 600 block of 1st Ave SW. Rescue teams with specialized training and equipment were immediately sent to the scene. Upon arrival, a single adult male was located trapped from the waist down in a collapsed work space where he had been repairing utility lines to a nearby business.

Crews deployed shoring tools and made their way into the 8 to 10 foot-deep hole and began the process of removing the victim while preventing further collapse. The victim was conscious and able to communicate with responders as the rescue proceeded. Ultimately, the victim was removed from the trench and sent to a local hospital with unknown injuries to his lower extremities. Firefighters then cleared the work site and removed their safety equipment. Cedar Rapids Sewer employees were dispatched to the scene and used digging equipment to remove soil from the edge to prevent further collapse. Area Ambulance and Cedar Rapids Police also assisted on-scene.

Photos via the Cedar Rapids F.D. Facebook page.

Officials say “This was a significant rescue for CRFD. Rescue teams have trained annually on these types of scenarios since 1996, but this is the first time a worker has been trapped in the City limits and required this type of specialized response.”