(Radio Iowa) – An Elma man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a New Hampton man. The Howard County Sheriff’s Office says 26-year-old Sayvonne Jordan is accused of killing Jonathan Esparza on October 20th in Elma. Authorities executed a search warrant at Jordan’s home on November 30th and human remains were found.

The sheriff’s office says Esparza was listed as a missing person and his car was located on November 11th. Jordan is being held in the Howard County Jail on one million dollars bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Recent data published by the Centers for Disease Control show the most recent bivalent COVID-19 booster is very effective in preventing hospitalizations of older Iowans. Some of the state data came from the University of Iowa and it shows that people over 65 who got the bivalent booster were 73 percent less likely to be hospitalized with COVID than those who have just received doses of a monovalent vaccine. U-I emergency medicine professor, Nick Mohr, says the elderly aren’t the only ones who can benefit from the bivalent booster. “Being vaccinated is important not only for those people, but for the people who are in their families and their loved ones and friends to protect the people who are most likely to have bad outcomes from COVID 19 infection,” Mohr says.

He says the bivalent booster is also effective against the new highly transmittable XBB.1.5 subvariant. “The vaccine is still especially effective at preventing hospitalization and death and COVID-19. And even with the new variant, it looks like the bivalent vaccine is still an effective tool in the toolbox,” he says.

Information from the C-D-C shows just more than half of Iowa seniors who are 65 and older have received the bivalent booster.

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg says the State of Iowa will be testing a smart phone app that could improve emergency response times in rural Iowa.) “Last year on a trade mission to Israel I learned about the United Hatzalah model for EMS. Hatzalah is the Hebrew word for rescue,” Gregg said. “Think of it as Uber, but for EMS, allowing us to crowd source emergency responders. When an emergency occurs and 911 is called nearby trained volunteers are alerted through an app on their phone, allowing them to respond quickly and stabilize the patient until an ambulance arrives.”

Gregg says the system could be adapted to address the lack of ambulance services in rural Iowa. “As it stands today, too many rural Iowans have limited access to timely, lifesaving intervention in an emergency,” Gregg says. In Jerusalem, the Hatzalah E-M-S app is used by 62-hundred trained volunteer medics who respond on specially equipped motorcycle ambulances.

“This Israel model has driven down response times in Jerusalem to 90 seconds on average,” Gregg says. “We believe this concept can be adapted to help address our EMS challenges in rural Iowa and we’ll be funding a pilot program to do just that.” The Hatzalah model is being used in some areas of the United States, but mostly in urban areas.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 1:50-p.m., Saturday, of 75-year-old Dennis Leroy Vanderhoof. The Red Oak man was arrested for operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, criminal mischief in the 2nd Degree, and driving while barred. Vanderhoof was being held on a full cash bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

A few area school districts will hold their regular monthly meetings on Monday, January 16th (2023):

The Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton Board meets at 5-p.m. in the Conference Room in Elk Horn. Discussion items include 2023-24 Sharing Agreements. Action items will include: Setting the date/time for a public hearing on the 2023-24 School Calendar; ’23-’24 Elementary School Counselor Sharing Agreement with Coon Rapids-Bayard CSD; and the hiring of Randy Kelly as Head Baseball Coach.

The Griswold CSD Board of Education meets at 5:30-p.m. in the Conference Room at the Griswold Building, and includes a public hearing on the ’23-’24 District Calendar, beginning at 6-p.m. The rest of their agenda includes:

Old Business:

• Board Policies – Second Reading (D.R.) – 507.2E2, 600, 601.1, 602.4, 705.1.;
• Discussion And Possible Action On Retirement Benefits For Non-Certificated Staff Member(s) (I or D.R.)

New Business:

• Peer Mentoring Program Presentation (I)
• Consider Approval Of Early Graduation Request (D.R.)
• Approval Of Chemical Application Specifications (D.R.)
• Consider Approval Of Modified Supplement Amount (MSA) And Plan For Dropout Prevention And At-Risk Programs (D.R.)
• Consider Approval Of 2023-2024 School Calendar (D.R.)
• Consider Approval of MS/HS Student Handbook Changes (D.R.)
• 14. Board Policies – First Reading (I) – 603.1, 603.2, 603.3, 603.4, 603.5, 603.5E1

An Exempt Meeting will be held following the regular Jan. 16, 2023 Griswold Board of Education meeting, for “…to discuss strategy in matters relating to employment conditions of employees not covered by the collective bargaining law,” per Iowa Code.

The Audubon CSD Board of Education will hold a Work Session at 7-p.m. Monday in their Board Room at the High School, for the purpose of determining Board Goals. Their regular meeting starts at 7:15-p.m. Action items are as follows:

• Approve Sharing Agreements with Coon Rapids – Bayard
• Approve New Board Committee Structure
• Approve Change Orders
• Approve Seeking Bids for Electric School Bus
• Personnel

Communication & Updates:

• Superintendent Report
• Building Project Updates
• Legislative Update
• Principal’s Reports
• Adjournment

Rural Schools Video

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office reports the County’s ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) Committee, will meet 1-p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in the EMA Building Meeting Room.

The Committee will: review ARPA funding; proposed projects and expenses; a possible additional project; fund balance to date; and other items to discuss, including the possible scheduling of another ARPA meeting, if necessary.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic’s City Administrator John Lund reports a Special meeting of the City Council will take place in a closed session 4-p.m. Monday, Jan. 16th, in the Council’s Chambers  at City Hall. The purpose of the meeting “Is to discuss issues of concern to the Police Department.”

The Code Section reads the Council may enter into a Closed Session, “To avoid disclosure of Specific Law Enforcement Matter, Such as allowable tolerances or criteria for [the] selection, prosecution, or settlement of cases, which, if disclosed, would facilitate disregard to requirements imposed by law, as allowed under 21.5(1)(h).”

No other information was provided.

(Stanton, Iowa) – A City of Stanton boom truck and a light fixture was damaged Friday morning, when the legally parked truck began rolling backwards after a worker adjusted the boom’s height. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred near 301 Broad Avenue at around 8:10 a.m. Authorities say Stanton city maintenance personnel were removing Christmas lights from fixtures along Broad Avenue when the City’s unoccupied 1995 Dodge Ram 3500 bucket truck began traveling backwards.

The bucket and boom struck the light pole fixture – shearing it off. The truck continued over the curb and into the grass. The bucket and boom then struck the right side of a car wash building’s roof, causing a mechanical failure in the rotator portion of the bucket truck. The boom and bucket swung from the roof to the north and struck brickwork on the building’s southeast side. The occupant of the bucket, Bret W. Sheppard, was not injured.

Damage is estimated at $3,500 to the city’s light fixture, and $20,000 to the city’s boom truck. The car wash building owned by Eric Anderson sustained approximately $2,500 damage. No one was injured.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two people were arrested Friday night on active Mills County warrants for Failure to appear in court. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 26-year-old Summer Brooke French, of Red Oak, and 35-year-old Jessie Bruce Fitzwater, of Villisca, were arrested. French was charged with FTA on an original charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, while Fitzwater is charged with FTA on an original Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense, charge.

Both were being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Rec Department Board of Directors will meet in their regular monthly session, Monday afternoon at City Hall. Their meeting begins at 5:15-p.m., and will include an update on the Parks and Rec Director’s position, the recommendation for which will come after a final interview on Tuesday.

The Board will discuss an increase to the Hotel/Motel tax intended to be prioritized for the proposed new splash pad and improvements to the Sunnyside Pool. Ali Pieken will provide the Board with an update on the project itself. The Board will then discuss and vote on designs for the splashpad, and hold discussion with regard to replacing trail lake #1 on the southwest corner. Assistant Parks Director Jeff Christensen will provide the Parks and Rec Board with a painting update, with regard to the Ross Camblin shelter.

Among new business items, is discussion/update with regard to building planters for Mollett Park, and games for a block party.