A 73-year-old woman died during a crash early Monday morning in east central Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol reports Hazel Ann Griffiths was driving a 2015 Lincoln MKC westbound on Tama County Road E-66, and failed to stop at a posted intersection with Highway 30. Her SUV entered eastbound traffic of Highway 30 and collided with the front of a 2006 Acura TL. The accident happened at around 6:50-a.m.

Griffith died at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle, 21-year old Molly Elizabeth Watt, of Melbourne, was injured and transported by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids. Both women were wearing their seat belts.

(Radio Iowa) – A 33-year-old man was stabbed to death in a Residence Inn in Cedar Rapids at around midnight, Sunday. A suspect — 39-year-old Victoriano Dias-Barrera — was arrested on first degree murder and other charges. A second man, 29-year-old Anthony Diaz, was arrested on a Texas warrant charging him with murder in a separate case in that state.

According to a news release from Cedar Rapids police, the victim and Dias-Barrera knew one another and had been arguing before the stabbing, which occurred in a room at the Residence Inn. Arriving officers and paramedics found a 33-year-old man who had been stabbed in his upper torso. The man, whose name was not immediately released, died at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – The Camanche School Board recently voted five-to-one to retire the school’s “Indians” mascot at the end of this school year. Meg Schebler, the district’s activities director, says for several decades Native American tribes and associations have been asking institutions to change this kind of imagery. “It really just came to a point where more and more asks were happening and it couldn’t be avoided as far as the conversation taking place,” she says. “…I think the Camanche School Board and School District did a fantastic job of really doing their research and determining the right move.”

The goal is to have a new mascot in place when school starts in the fall. A committee made up of current students, teachers, coaches and staff, community members and alumni met for the first time last week to start the process. “A fantastic, diverse set of people who are going to represent the community of Camanche, I think, exceptionally well,” she says, “to kind of whittle down from the list of names that have been recommended and we’re going to go from there.”

This Wednesday is the final day for submitting ideas to the committee. About 90 different nicknames had been submitted by the end of last week. Blue and white will remain the school colors. According to the website for the city of Camanche, the town was founded by a man from New York who named the city in honor of the Comanche Native American tribe, but he misspelled the tribe’s name.

ATLANTIC—Officials with the Atlantic Golf and Country Club (AGCC) report, Sheryl Dusenberry, AGCC General Manager, was recently recognized by the Iowa Golf Association as the 2020 Club Manager of the Year. Bill Eby, IGA President, presented the award at the IGA annual banquet in Des Moines on March 26th. Lucas Mosier, 2020 AGCC President, said “We are so pleased for Sheryl to be honored with this award. She does an outstanding job every day keeping AGCC running smoothly, and we all truly appreciate her dedication!”

Sheryl Dusenberry, AGCC Manager

Dusenberry was nominated for the award by AGCC members. In their announcement of her selection, IGA shared some of the comments that brought her nomination to the top. Dusenberry has been praised by the members and AGCC for her attention to detail, selfless service, and her people skills. This past spring, she stepped up to find innovative ways to safely serve their members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dusenberry coordinated with the kitchen staff to provide takeout dining services to members, many times delivering the meals herself. Additionally, she coordinated with all other club personnel to implement safety protocols and make sure all club functions were in accordance with public health proclamations to ensure the safety of their members and guests.

Annually, AGCC hosts the Tournament of Champions, an event where golfers flock to Atlantic from across the state. IGA veteran Ron Peterson spoke highly of the way Dusenberry represents the club while hosting the event. “You can tell she takes great pride in presenting and representing the Atlantic Golf & Country Club in the best way possible,” Peterson said. “She works tirelessly before and after the event to ensure the participants have the best experience possible.”

One member noted that Dusenberry exemplifies the attributes of an excellent manager. “If a golf course were to hire a new manager, I would recommend they spend a week or two with Sheryl to see how a course should be run,” said member Allan Hjelle.

A search warrant executed early Sunday morning at residences in the 900 block of Green Street, in Glenwood, resulted in the arrest on drug charges, of two women. The Glenwood Police Department says officers, Mills County Sheriff’s Deputies, and the Iowa State Patrol took part in the raid. Authorities say 62-year-old Karen Saunders, and 45-year-old Mandy Croson, both of Glenwood, were arrested at around 4:30-a.m., on charges that include:

• Possession with the Intent to Deliver/Methamphetamine (A Class B Felony for Saunders and a Class C Felony for Croson)
• Possession of Meth
• Possession of Marijuana
• and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Saunders was additionally charged with Failure to have a Drug Tax Stamp. Her bond was set at $32,000. Bond for Croson was set at $12,000.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a call at around 1:30-a.m. Monday (Today) about a suspicious vehicle parked in a rural driveway off Sumac Road, resulted in the arrest of 38-year old Andrew S. Leisure, for OWI/1st offense. He was taken into custody after a Pott. County Deputy located the vehicle in question, a 2004 Chevy Suburban, and conducted a traffic stop at the Casey’s Store, in Crescent.

At around 8:30-a.m., Sunday, a Deputy on patrol conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with no license plates, in Council Bluffs. The driver, 36-year-old Ryan Mitchell Thomas, of Crescent, was taken into custody for Driving While Barred. His bond was set at $2,000. A little before 2-a.m. Sunday a Deputy came upon a vehicle upside down in a ditch along Railroad Highway. After the Deputy made contact with the driver, 23-year old Spencer Bud Hardesty, was arrested for Failure to Maintain control of a motor vehicle, and OWI/1st offense.

A little before 1-a.m. Saturday, 38-year old Adam Joseph Browning was arrested following a traffic stop at Highway 92 and 230th Street, in Council Bluffs. Browning was charged with OWI/1st offense.  And, at around 11:15-a.m., Friday, 18-year old Jacob Aaron Anson and 18-year old Caden Thomas Souther were arrested following a traffic stop on a speeding vehicle. They were taken into custody on charges that include Possession of drug paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense. A 17-year-old male was cited, and released to the custody of his mother.

(Radio Iowa) – Two southwest Iowa counties that were swamped by flooding two years ago show different trends in their economies as they continue to recover. Economic data shows Fremont County gained businesses from 2019 to 2020 while Mills County lost businesses. The flood-ravaged towns of Hamburg and Pacific Junction largely mimic those trends. Iowa State University economist Dave Swenson says Hamburg — in Fremont County — will likely be able to bounce back because it was not substantially destroyed like the Mills County town of Pacific Junction. “Small communities that get hit hard never come back the way they were before,” Swenson says. “It just depends on how much was destroyed in terms of built capital.”

A few new businesses have popped up in Hamburg and more are on the way. Swenson says that’s a sign of restoring parts of the lost economy, but it doesn’t necessarily signal economic development. Kayti Hayes co-owns specialty coffee shop Relax and Unwind with her husband, Josh. They started off as a mobile business, but opened a shop in Hamburg last October.  “Josh was really wanting to come back to his hometown because he doesn’t want to see Hamburg die. He wants to see it thrive,” Hayes says. “So we can be another business that adds a couple more employees to help out around town.”

Hamburg is also getting a golf simulator and there are plans for a hotel, since the town’s only motel closed and is for sale.

(By Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

The 8:05-a.m. newscast w/Ric Hanson.

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