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Ernst pressing for Global War on Terror Memorial to get spot on National Mall

News

September 21st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa)  – Republican Senator Joni Ernst says the proposed Global War on Terrorism Memorial in Washington, D.C. should be built in a place of prominence, near the iconic memorials on the National Mall honoring soldiers from Vietnam, Korea and World War II.  “How could we put the memorial for our nation’s longest war anywhere else?” she asks. Ernst is urging senators to override a 2003 federal law that prevents new memorials from being built in an area of the National Mall known as The Reserve.

“While nothing will ever restore the lives we’ve lost, this memorial would serve as a tribute to those brave men and women and their loves ones who have sacrificed in defense of our freedom,” Ernst says. “…This national memorial will provide all Americans a permanent place of reflection in the heart of our nation’s capitol.” In 2017, congress passed bipartisan legislation creating a Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation to begin planning for construction. Last (Monday) night, Senate Democrats blocked a vote on Ernst’s proposal to require construction on the National Mall.

Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, says erecting a memorial in D-C to honor soldiers who’ve served since 9/11 is a high priority, but Manchin says a law passed in 2003 prevents it from being located in “The Reserve” where 17 other memorials, monuments and museums are located. “I believe this precedent would reopen the fight to locate other memorials on the National Mall and create more controversy that will ultimately delay the construction of this memorial, which is much needed,” Manchin said.

Manchin says the Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial to honor soldiers who fought in the first Gulf War will be built in a high profile area near the Lincoln Memorial, but not in the area of the mall that’s been designated as The Reserve.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Board agrees to end memorandum w/the YMCA over Sunnyside Pool operations

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Board met Monday evening at a cool and windy East Ridge Park. During their meeting, Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen brought up one of what he called “A hot topic”: A Memorandum pertaining to the City of Atlantic taking over operations at the Sunnyside Pool. That includes the hiring of life guards and their job duties. The YMCA currently runs the facility. Rasmussen said their Aquatics Director handled all the scheduling of the lifeguards and other such matters.

The Board passed a motion saying the City wishes to take over the day-to-day operations of the pool. Rasmussen said he doesn’t think that will step on any toes at City Hall.

The Parks and Rec Board will hold an open meeting 5-p.m. Oct. 4th at City Hall in Atlantic, separate from the previous meetings that have been held within the community, under the direction of YMCA Director Dan Haynes.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Board: Director Bryant Rasmussen (Left), John Krogman (Center,away), Stuart Dusenberry (Center, near), & Erin McFadden (right); Not visible, Jolene Smith.

Already several representatives have come through to look at the pool and discuss the options that are available, and what the associated costs might be. Currently, he said there are multiple options and price ranges that are being examined. In other business, Rasmussen said construction is finished on the washed-out part of the Schildberg Recreation Area trail, with the installation of rip-rap, but Heuton Construction said additional dirt work was necessary to remove and add-in. Their recommendation was to wait until spring to replace that trail, in order to allow the dirt to settle. Rasmussen said he is working to get on the calendar with some concrete workers to get the trail finished as soon as possible in the spring.

And, he said the City’s plan for shoring-up Bull Creek was approved by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Recidivism rate in Iowa prisons drops

News

September 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The leader of the Iowa Department of Corrections says the number of people who have been released from prisons and committed another crime in the last three years has dropped by almost one percent. Department director Beth Skinner says it’s a breakthrough after the increases in recidivism have been slowing.  She says it is the first decline in recidivism they’ve seen in six years.

Skinner tells Radio Iowa the results come out of numerous efforts to make a change in the individuals who come to the state’s prisons. )”It’s called building social and human capital — we have to address the reasons why people came into the system in the first place,” according to Skinner. “And we know that there’s major risk factors that drive people into criminal behavior. And that has been established in research for over 30 years.”

She says part of the program is to help prisoners deal with their negatives.”Such as antisocial behavior, impulse control, deficits in employment, in school, or poor leisure activities — things such as that that we can find our through a risk assessment that we can target our resources to reduce that risk,” Skinner says. She says they also try to build on the person’s positives — like family support — which can help them on the outside. “Historically mostly we just focus on deficits, like what’s wrong, and we have to do that, because we do need to address those issues that bring people to us and back to use again,” Skinner explains. “But at the same time, we also need to be building these protective factors that help mitigate that risk.”

Skinner says building up all these things makes the inmates more attractive to employers once they get released. “What we’re finding is that more and more we are developing a pipeline between our prisons and local employers who know there is such a high demand in some of these skilled fields that they are actually asking for these people before they even get out of prison,” she says.

Skinner says the employers see the benefit in the prisoners who have been given job and life training. “They know they are going to show up, they know they have certified skills in high-demand areas. They’re learning soft skills by coming to work every day and things like that,” Skinner says. “It’s a really great opportunity with us here at our institutions — and then what’s available on the outside for these individuals.”

The three-year recidivism rate was 38-point-seven percent — down point-nine percent.

Woman arrested in Missouri on a Page County warrant

News

September 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Courtney Marie Wright

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman wanted on a Page County warrant, was arrested Monday (Sept. 20) at the Atchison County Missouri Sheriff‘s Office in Rock Port, Missouri. 38-year-old Courtney Marie Wright was arrested on the warrant for a Controlled Substance Violation and Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd or subsequent
offense. Her cash or surety bond was set at $10,000.

WWII sailor’s remains coming home Tuesday – public asked to pay tribute

News

September 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Audubon, Iowa) – The family of a sailor who died in the attacks on Pearl Harbor, says his remains will be arriving in Omaha, Tuesday, and then transported to Audubon in preparation for his funeral service that takes place Saturday, Sept. 25th. The remains of Eli Olsen will leave Offutt Air Force Base at around 9-a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21st, and should arrive at Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon, by around 10:30-a.m. His family invites the public to line the highways and interstate overpasses to welcome him home.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Eli Olsen, of Exira. KIA Dec. 7, 1941 on the USS Oklahoma.

Eli was a 23-year old Navy Petty Officer onboard the USS Oklahoma, when it sank during the bombing of the Hawaiian island naval base. He served as a storekeeper on the vessel.

Funeral services for Eli Olsen will take place Saturday, September 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Exira Lutheran Church, which burial in the Exira Cemetery. The family invites everyone to the Exira American Legion Park for a luncheon following the committal service. There will be some seating available, but everyone is encouraged to bring their own chairs.

Sioux City woman sentenced to prison for stealing unemployment benefits

News

September 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A Sioux City woman has been sentenced to six months in prison for making false claims for unemployment benefits during the first couple of months of the pandemic. Fifty-nine-year-old Linda Bosquez pleaded guilty to stealing at least 24-thousand dollars in unemployment benefits she was not entitled to receive. Prosecutors say she used her name and others to file for unemployment benefits in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio in May and June of 2020.

Court records indicate Bosquez has three previous theft convictions and two prior convictions for fraud. She’s been ordered by a federal judge to repay the states of Georgia, Michigan and Ohio for the unemployment benefits she illegally received last year.

Update: Iowa DNR releases name of falling victim fatality at Bellevue State Park

News

September 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

BELLEVUE, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports authorities have identified 36-year-old Iris Merfeld, of Zwingle, as the woman involved in the fatal fall at Bellevue State Park this past weekend. According to authorities, Merfeld had been visiting an overlook known as Pulpit Rock in Bellevue State Park in the early morning hours of Sept. 18, when she fell an estimated 150 feet from the bluffs to the rocks below. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities believe alcohol may have played a role in the incident. No foul play is believed to be involved. The Jackson County Sheriff, Bellevue Police Department, Bellevue Fire Department and Maquoketa Police Department assisted the Iowa Department of Natural Resources with the incident.

Bellevue State Park remains open for visitors.

Injury accident in Mills County last week

News

September 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s said Monday (Today), one person was injured during an accident Thursday evening. Authorities say a 2008 Dodge driven by 32-year-old Nicholas Carlson, of Council Bluffs, was found to have gone out of control, entered a ditch, went over a culvert, and struck a power pole before crashing into a residential yard in the area of 221st and Barrus Road.

During the incident, the vehicle struck two trees, causing minor damage to one of them, while the other was split in-half and rolled onto its side. Carlson initially claimed to have no injuries, but was assessed by EMS personnel and transported by Silver City Fire and Rescue to the hospital to be checked out.

Mills County Sheriff’s report, 9/20/21

News

September 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Sept. 15th, of man from Cass County (IA). 42-year-old Shawn Glen Wolverton, of Atlantic, was taken into custody at the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $2,000.  On Sept. 17th, 53-year-old Mark David Clemmer, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault w/intent, and interference with official acts. Clemmer was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

On Sept. 18th, 47-year-old Timothy Wesley Ford, of Omaha, was arrested in Mills County on a U-S Marshal’s warrant. He was being held without bond. Also on the 18th, 27-year-old Shawna Marrie Watson, of Glenwood, was arrested for Assault w/bodily injury (Bond $1,000). There were two people arrested late Sunday night, in Mills County: 28-year-old Mariah Kay Bernita Swanson, of Mead, NE and 51-year-old Richard Dean Weaver, Jr., of Creston, were each arrested for a Controlled Substance Violation and Possession of Controlled Substance (Bond $6,000 each).

26 GOP governors, including Reynolds, seek meeting with Biden on border security

News

September 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds and 25 other Republican governors are asking to meet with President Biden to discuss security at the U-S/Mexico border. Governor Reynolds says what’s happening at the southern border is affecting all 50 states. Reynolds says Iowa’s dramatic increase in meth and fentanyl seizures this year is connected to drug smuggling from Mexico.

This summer, Reynolds sent 28 Iowa State Troopers and Department of Public Safety officers south for two weeks to assist Texas authorities. Reynolds says Biden Administration policies have led to a border crisis and the federal government has a duty to solve it. The governor of Vermont was the only Republican governor in the country who did not sign the letter.