FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has filed a lawsuit alleging that a physician assistant engaged in a sexual relationship with her while treating her for mental health problems. The lawsuit alleges that physician assistant Mervin Casey IV of Fort Dodge sexually exploited the patient and mishandled prescription drugs. Casey is serving a one-year suspension after reporting himself to the Iowa Board of Physician Assistants for an inappropriate relationship with a patient outside the clinic. But he has applied for license reinstatement. A hearing’s set for July 17.

The lawsuit filed Friday alleges Casey began texting the woman and the two developed a relationship after he started treating her at a UnityPoint clinic in November 2017 for panic attacks, depression and other illnesses.

Casey pleaded guilty last year to misdemeanor charges of obstructing a prosecution and unlawfully possessing Adderall. He was sentenced to probation. The lawsuit alleges Casey, 32, improperly administered oxycodone to the woman outside his practice.

One person suffered minor injuries and was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic this (Tuesday) morning, following a rollover accident off eastbound Interstate 80, just east of the Marne westbound off-ramp/eastbound on-ramp. Iowa State Patrol Trooper Ryan DeVault told KJAN News the accident is still under investigation.

Trooper DeVault said the driver was alert and conscious when he was being transported to the hospital. The driver wasn’t sure what happened when he was initially questioned.

Ric Hanson (photo)

DeVault said the man was fortunate to come out of the crash with minor injuries, considering it was a multiple rollover accident. The man’s not was not immediately available. Marne First Responders, Atlantic Fire and Rescue, Medivac Ambulance and Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene.

Atlantic, Iowa, June 28, 2019- Atlantic’s summer shopping event, Crazy Daze, is getting a new look to promote moving forward and to celebrate something new. Crazy Daze Reimagined: A Carnival of Savings will be Sat., July 13, 2019 and will have free games and family activities. The games will be located down Chestnut Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will give shoppers the opportunity to win additional discounts. There will be bounce houses provided by the Nishna Valley YMCA in Atlantic City Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as well as face painting, chalk art, a temporary tattoo station, and more.

A-Town SmokeShack will be in City Park serving their regular menu as well as kid-sized meals. Randy Burk, Jason Reed and The High Crest, of Des Moines, will provide entertainment for the day. Shoppers will have the chance to win $250 in AtlantiCash by bringing a receipt from any of the participating businesses to the Chamber’s table in City Park from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. that day. They can also bring their receipts to the depot Monday, July 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The winner will be drawn Tuesday.

Reimagined was added to Crazy Daze to revitalize it without forgetting its history. Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bailey Smith said “Crazy Daze has been a community staple for over 30 years. But, 30 years ago, Crazy Daze was the only big sale of the year. Fast forward, and the way we do business and how consumers spend money is different today. Our goal is to help change the mindset of what Crazy Daze can be without diminishing what it was.”

A complete list of participating businesses can be found on the Atlantic Area Chamber’s Facebook page or at atlanticiowa.com

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Monday, of 33-year old Jonathan Terriell Steele, of Clarinda. Steele was arrested on a charge of Public Intoxication at the Page County Courthouse, in Clarinda. He was at the courthouse for court proceedings and was found to be intoxicated. Steele was transported to the Page County Jail where later posted $300 bond, and was released pending further court proceedings.

Marne First Responders, Atlantic Fire and Rescue and Medivac Ambulance were dispatched at around 8:51-a.m. today to an unknown injury, rollover accident involving a mini-van. The crash happened off eastbound Interstate 80 near mile marker 51, or just east of the Marne Exit. The vehicle was said to have ended-up in the median. Additional details are currently not available.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says U-S agencies on the southern border are becoming “really strained” by trying to accommodate the “skyrocketing” numbers of immigrants. Grassley, a Republican, says the dramatic increase in immigrants is resulting in a corresponding rise in cases of their exploitation and death. Grassley says, “We must do more to enforce our immigration laws, but we must also meet the humanitarian needs in this ongoing crisis.”

Grassley says he joined a majority of his colleagues last week in voting for legislation designed to bring relief to the beleaguered masses on the U-S/Mexican border. Grassley says, “Congress passed a really bipartisan humanitarian aid bill to provide an additional $4.6 billion for migrant housing, medical care, and essential supplies, including diapers and things that babies need.”

Grassley says he’s supporting several bills aimed at keeping migrant families together and to prevent the abuse or exploitation of children who arrive at the border unaccompanied by an adult. “I’ve been investigating the treatment of migrants at housing facilities,” Grassley says. “I’ve also pushed agencies to complete background checks on potential sponsors before placing migrant children in their care.”

Grassley says the crisis at the border involves both security and humanitarian issues. “Republicans have taken the humanitarian crisis seriously,” Grassley says. “I wish Democrats would take border security as seriously.”

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police say another body has been found in Iowa City. The first body was found in Ralston Creek around 6:45 a.m. Monday, and police say the second was found around 2:45 p.m. Monday. The second was found at a makeshift campsite under a U.S. Highway 6 bridge. Authorities haven’t released the names of either person or other details about the deaths. No arrests have been reported.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds, Monday, received word Iowans impacted by flooding and severe weather now have until July 16 to apply for federal recovery assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) granted Iowa’s request for an extension of the registration deadline for the federal Individual Assistance Program. This will give those impacted by flooding and severe weather between March 12 and June 15 additional time to register. Homeowners and renters in nine counties now have until July 16 to apply for Individual Assistance. The nine counties are: Fremont, Harrison, Louisa, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, Scott, Shelby, and Woodbury. The deadline had been July 1st.

The deadline for residents and businesses to apply for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans has also been extended to July 16. To register for FEMA assistance, visit www.disasterassistance.gov or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Information on how to apply for low-interest SBA loans for businesses and residents is available online at SBA.gov/disaster or by calling 800-659-2955.

For more information visit www.floods2019.iowa.gov.

(Radio Iowa) — The June survey of business leaders in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states signals positive growth for the region over the next three-to-six months. Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University, says while things are starting to pick up after several down months, international trade troubles continue to cloud the regional and national outlooks “Tariffs restrict buying from abroad,” Goss says. “A lot of our supply managers are finding it more expensive to buy from abroad. Likewise, selling into Chinese markets where the Chinese have retaliated, that’s been a real challenge.”

The Creighton survey found the regional economy expanded at a slower pace than the rest of the nation for the first half of 2019, Goss says, but overall, hiring for the region’s manufacturing sector for June was up significantly.  “The number-one challenge over the next 12 months is finding and hiring qualified workers due to almost-record low unemployment rates in most of the region,” Goss says. “Forty percent of supply managers indicated that was their number-one challenge.”

Still, according to the June survey, better than 71-percent of supply managers supported continuing current tariffs on China or even raising them. Finding workers to fill open positions remains a daunting chore. “Both the U.S. and the region’s employment growth are slowing down, and that’s somewhat troubling, but that’s what we’re seeing,” Goss says. “Some of that is related to finding and hiring qualified workers, but there have been negative impacts from floods and from trade.”

Goss says the recent surveys indicate both durable and non-durable goods producers in Iowa are seeing positive gains in economic activity. Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show Iowa workers have experienced a solid 3.6 percent increase in hourly wages over the past 12 months, above the national gain of 3.1 percent over the same period of time.