(Radio Iowa) – A Republican state senator from Davenport will not seek reelection in 2022 and is running for state treasurer instead.

Roby Smith has been a member of the Iowa Senate since 2011 and he recently led the debate of election law changes. Smith intends to challenge Democrat Michael Fitzgerald’s bid for a 11th term as state treasurer. Fitzgerald, who is 70, is the country’s longest-serving state treasurer.

A Republican state senator from Davenport will not seek reelection in 2022 and is running for state treasurer instead.
Roby Smith has been a member of the Iowa Senate since 2011 and he recently led the debate of election law changes. Smith intends to challenge Democrat Michael Fitzgerald’s bid for a 11th term as state treasurer. Fitzgerald, who is 70, is the country’s longest-serving state treasurer.
Smith, who is 44 years old, said in a written statement that the economy, “especially banking, is undergoing changes and Iowa needs a treasurer who understands the challenges of the 21st Century.” Smith worked as a banker in the Davenport area before he was elected to the state senate. In 2016, Smith joined the group that owns the Quad City River Bandits and he also runs a small business.
The legislature approved a redistricting plan in late October. Smith and incumbent Democrat Jim Lykam currently live in the same state senate district.

Smith, who is 44 years old, said in a written statement that the economy, “especially banking, is undergoing changes and Iowa needs a treasurer who understands the challenges of the 21st Century.” Smith worked as a banker in the Davenport area before he was elected to the state senate. In 2016, Smith joined the group that owns the Quad City River Bandits and he also runs a small business.

The legislature approved a redistricting plan in late October. Smith and incumbent Democrat Jim Lykam currently live in the same state senate district.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa inmate whose conviction for killing an Independence police officer sparked a call for an end to the death penalty has died. The Iowa Department of Corrections says 84-year-old Warren Nutter died from natural causes Wednesday in hospice at the Iowa State Penitentiary. The current Independence police chief, David Niedert, says Nutter killed Independence police officer Harold Pearce at the Buchanan County Courthouse on January 5th of 1956 while trying to escape.

He says Nutter and two other boys and two girls were taken to the courthouse after a short chase. Nutter got out and got a shotgun from their car and came back in and shot officer Pearce. Nutter was from Freeport, Illinois and the case got national attention because of his age. Nutter was saved from hanging when the governor commuted his sentence from death to life in prison in 1957. Chief Niedert says it’s important to remember the officer, not Nutter.

Warren Nutter. (screenshot from the documentary, The Fort.)

“Mister Nutter had become more famous or infamous I guess due to some online documentary shows about the state of Iowa prison system that had aired. He was profiled on that as one of the inmates. Obviously, he was paying for his crimes as the court prescribed — but we would like to remember officer Pearce as the one who gave his life in service to the city of Independence,” Niedert says. Pearce was 52 when he was killed. Niedert started his career at the police station in the Buchanan County Courthouse and his superiors told him of the story of Pearce.

“It was always a cautionary tale to a young patrolman back in that time to always be on guard — to stay safe at all times. That was why it was passed down to me by my sergeants and above at that time,” Niedert says. He says the recent deaths of state troopers in the area are another reminder. “It just shows us as time goes on the job stays just as dangerous as it was,” Niedert says. Niedert says there is a plaque remembering officer Pearce at the police stations.

The Iowa Department of Corrections shows Nutter began serving his sentence in February of 1956 — and had been the longest-serving prisoner in the system. His story was part of the drive behind ending the death penalty in Iowa, which happened 9 years later. Nutter was interviewed in the documentary “The Fort” which chronicled the history of the original Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison — which was closed after 177 years — when the new facility opened.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – On Monday, October 25th, the Cass County Youth Mental Health Symposium was held at Atlantic High School. The event, open to all middle-school and high-school students, parents, and community members, included time for attendees to visit booths of over 20 organizations that provide mental health and wellness resources to Cass County.

Students visit a booth at the Cass County Youth Mental Health Symposium

Short presentations were given on issues affecting students today, including anxiety, healthy relationships, and mental health awareness; and motivational speaker Joe Beckman talked about the importance of human connection.

A parent of a high school student who attended the event shared, “The Mental Health Symposium was such an awesome opportunity for me and our community. I was pleasantly surprised at how many vendors were there representing services in our area. Mental Health continues to be a very difficult subject for so many, yet so many of us are affected by it on a daily basis!” She further commented on keynote speaker Joe Beckman, who presented to Atlantic Community School District students during the school day and again at the community event in the evening.

“The speaker brought a simple message to a difficult subject. He addressed issues affecting our kiddos that have taken over our daily living like cell phone use. He was energetic and empowering. I felt his message was well received by those in attendance. Whether you are living with mental illness in your life or someone you love, you walked out with a renewed sense of purpose and the energy to continue to move in the right direction.”

Her enthusiasm was shared by many in attendance. Atlantic High School Teacher Allison Berryhill was thrilled to be able to pass along resources she obtained at the symposium with parents of her students. “I shared many of the resources with parents at conferences as we talked about the importance of mental health,” commented Berryhill.

Atlantic High School Principal Heather McKay expressed deep gratitude for sponsoring organizations that made the event possible. The free event included a meal, door prizes, and free childcare. A large donation was made by the Atlantic Community School Foundation to cover the cost of the keynote speaker, and several organizations donated to cover the cost of meal, including Full Circle Therapy, Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services, Therapy Place, Cass Health, and Atlantic Bottling Company.

Gift cards and other door prizes were donated by the Family Crisis Support Network. Local organizations providing resources at the symposium included Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services, Therapy Place, Full Circle Therapy, Cass County PROSPER, Cass Health’s Senior Life Solutions, and Cass County ISU Extension, among others. Participating regional organizations in included Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region, Employee and Family Resources, Boys Town with the Hope4Iowa Crisis Line, COVID Recovery Iowa, Catholic Charities, the Eating Disorder Coalition of Iowa, Iowa Healthiest State Initiative featuring the program Make It OK, and NAMI Southwest Iowa, in addition to many more.

Organizations that helped plan the event, including Atlantic High School, Cass County Extension, Cass County PROSPER, Green Hills Education Agency, and Healthy Cass County, continue to look for opportunities to make mental health resources known and accessible to all people in Cass County.

Free mental health resources available to people in Cass County 24/7 include:
• Your Life Iowa: For problems with alcohol, drugs, gambling, suicidal thoughts or mental health. (855) 581-8111, www.yourlifeiowa.org.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255), suicidepreventionlifeline.org
• Iowa Concern: For stress counseling, legal education, and financial concerns. www.extension.iastate.edu/iowaconcern/
• COVID Recovery Iowa: (800) 447-1985, Spanish: 531-800-3687, www.covidrecoveryiowa.com
For

For information on community wellness events or resources, follow Healthy Cass County on Facebook @HealthyCassCounty. Healthy Cass County is a community-focused volunteer network formed to promote the health and well-being of Cass County residents. Reach out to Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at bhoegh@iastate.edu or call 712-249-5870 for more information. Healthy Cass County welcomes participants from across Cass County.

The Glenwood Police Dept. reports two arrests. On Wednesday, 38-year-old Kevin Wendt, of Pacific Junction, was arrested for OWI/3rd offense. His cash or surety bond was set at $1,000. And, on Thursday (today), 41-year-old Michael Davis, of Omaha, was arrested for Possession of a controlled substance and poss. of drug paraphernalia. Bond was set at $1,300 (C/S).

ATLANTIC- Officials with Cass Health in Atlantic have announced that Atlantic Medical Center is moving into the first half of their new clinic space on Friday, December 10 and Saturday, December 11. During the move, limited appointments will be available.

Beginning Monday, December 13, the new clinic space will be open to patients. Construction on the second half of the clinic will begin immediately and is expected to last through summer 2022.

Each of the waiting areas in the new clinic space features Cass County inspired murals.

An exam room in the new Atlantic Medical Center.

(Neola, Iowa) –  A man from Nebraska was injured during a single-vehicle rollover accident late this (Thursday) morning, in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa State Patrol says 66-year-old Russel Gillaspie, of Bellevue, NE., was driving a 2008 Jeep Liberty SUV eastbound on Interstate 880 at around 11:15-a.m.  Gillaspie left the interstate at Exit 8 and went out of control on the curve. The Jeep entered a ditch and rolled multiple times.

Gillaspie – who was wearing a seat belt – was trapped in the vehicle and extricated through the use of mechanical means by Neola Fire Department personnel. He was then transported to the UNMC by Neola Fire/Rescue.

(12-p.m. News/Des Moines) – The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the State Hygienic Lab (SHL) confirm detection of the first case of the COVID-19 variant, Omicron, in an Iowa resident. The case involves an unvaccinated individual under the age of 18 who resides in Black Hawk County. The individual remains asymptomatic, however because of travel exposure; the family sought testing based on public health guidance.

Black Hawk County Public Health acted quickly to initiate contact with the family and remain in contact to monitor the health of the individual. Proactive measures taken by the involved family, leadership of the county health department along with support provided by SHL underscore the strength of our public health process. It is because of this process that Iowans are informed about virus activity in the state. As always, COVID-19 infected individuals are advised to isolate in accordance with IDPH and CDC guidance.

SHL maintains a strong statewide genomic surveillance program and the lab will continue to prioritize sequencing of test samples that look suspicious for the Omicron and other variants.

“There is emerging evidence that a booster dose of vaccine offers protection against Omicron, which is great news. Vaccinated Iowans who have not yet received a booster should do so as soon as possible,” said IDPH interim Director Kelly Garcia. “I want to emphasize how grateful I am to Iowans who have chosen to get vaccinated, thank you. To those who haven’t been vaccinated for COVID-19 yet, I urge you to speak with your health care provider about the vaccine’s benefits for you and those around you”.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa man has pleaded guilty to mis-branding an injectable vitamin solution as a weight loss drug. Court documents indicate 46-year-old Brady Tomlinson of Des Moines sold an injectable vitamin B-12 solution online, starting in 2015. Nineteen months later, the Food and Drug Administration notified him he was violating federal law by selling the product without a valid prescription. Records show Tomlinson shut down the business, then created a new website to sell the same kind of mis-branded B-12 injections for 28 more months.

A special agent in the Food and Drug Administration’s Kansas City office says selling prescription drugs online with no medical supervision can cause serious harm and put the purchaser’s health at risk. Tomlinson pleaded guilty to a felony charge of selling a misbranded drug across state lines with the intent to defraud or mislead.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), said there were four arrests over the past nearly 36-hours. Tuesday afternoon, 23-year-old Blaine Michael Clark, of Omaha, was arrested at the Lancaster County, Nebraska Jail,, on a Mills County warrant for Driving While Barred. Nearly two-hours later, 44-year-old Edward Leon Milton, was arrested in Mills County for Theft in the 1st Degree, and Open Container. Bond for both men was set at $10,000.

Wednesday night, 27-year-old Aysia Lariee Leibert, of Bellevue, NE., & Justin Kyle Volentine, of Council Bluffs, were arrested following a traffic stop on Bunge Avenue. Leibert was charged with two-counts Possession of a Controlled Substance. Volentine was charged with three-counts Possession of a Controlled Substance, and five-counts of Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp. His bond was set at $47,000. Bond for Leibert was set at $2,000.

(Red Oak) – Snow or no snow, a “Winter Wonderland” event will take place this weekend, in Red Oak. Montgomery County Family YMCA Director John Blomstedt says this will be the third time in the last four-years they’ve held the event designed for children and their families. Last year, COVID precautions dictated the extent of the fun.

Blomstedt said their “Third/fourth annual Winter Wonderland” will take place from 1-until 5-p.m., Sunday. It’s free and open to all families to help people get “Into the holiday spirit.” That includes fire truck and hay rides.

Santa will be there also, and possibly, Mrs. Claus, along with treats.

A craft table will be set up in the Montgomery County YMCA gym, also. Blomstedt said persons interested in participating in the fire truck and hay rides, need to pre-register at www.MCYMCA.com. Several spots for the fire truck ride are already filled, but there’s still time to get your child’s name on the list.

He said they are not taking phone registrations for the rides, but the forms can be e-mailed or handed out directly at the Y, if you don’t have internet access. Blomstedt says the event is make possible thanks to their sponsors: Red Oak Fareway and Hy-Vee Stores, for donations of cookie decorating supplies, the hot dogs and buns, and hot chocolate and the Red Oak Greenhouse, which has donated about 30 poinsettias for display around the YMCA.

He said they also appreciate Dave and Debbie Gammell, of Elliott, for providing being generous with their time in handling the fire truck rides, and Tony Johnson for the hay rack rides. For more information, call 712-623-2161.