w/ Chris Parks

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The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Bartlett man after determining he shot a Glenwood man in the face.  Deputies first received a call of shots fired at 2028 11th Street in Bartlett at 4:30am on October 31st but were unable to determine at that time if shots were fired and if anyone was injured.

The next day Fremont County Deputies were called to Grape Community Hospital in Hamburg for a male who had been admitted to the ER with possible gunshot wounds.  Deputies were able to determine that 24-year old Dyson Tobin of Glenwood had non-life threatening injuries to his face from a shotgun.

Tobin then explained that he was fired at several times by 40-year-old Tim McCollum of Bartlett while he was asked to move a vehicle from McCollum’s property.  A search warrant was then conducted on McCollum’s residence and firearms and ammunition were located.

McCollum was arrested on charges of Willfull Injury Causing Serious Injury, a Class C Felony; Possession of a Weapon by a Felon, a Class D Felony; Intimidation with a Weapon Causing Injury, a Class C Felony; and Going Armed with Intent, a Class D Felony.  He is being held at the Fremont County Jail on $30,000 cash only bond.

The investigation is ongoing.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Federal officials reviewing Iowa’s plans to switch its Medicaid services to private care say they have concerns about the state’s timetable for implementing the changes. Timothy Hill, deputy director of the Center for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Services, says in a letter dated Friday that officials for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have concerns that the transition could risk the quality of Medicaid access.

The letter is addressed to Mikki Stier, who oversees Medicaid services for the Iowa Department of Human Services. DHS spokeswoman Amy Lorentzen McCoy says the department is working closely with federal officials to demonstrate the state is ready for the changes.

Iowa’s $4.2 billion Medicaid program provides care to poor children, families and disabled people, as well as some low-income adults.

Officials with Deter Motor Company and The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce have announced nominations for the 15th annual ATHENA Award in Atlantic, are being accepted now through Dec. 4th. The Athena Award will be presented on Saturday, Jan. 23rd, 2016 at the Cass County Community Center. The award will be presented to an exceptional individual who has achieved excellence in her/his business profession, has served the community in a meaningful way and has assisted women in their attainment of professional goals and leadership skills.

Athena Award

The ATHENA Award was first presented in 1982 in Lansing, Michigan and has grown to include presentations to more than 6,000 individuals in hundreds of cities across the globe. Locally, past winners include Lanette Plambeck in 2015, Pat Markman, Dolly Bergmann, Wendy Richter, Ann Pross, Janell Hansen, Jan Kinison, Carole Schuler, Glenda Farrier, Margaret Slepsky, Denise O’Brien, Leanne Pellett, Judy Marnin, and LaVon Eblen.

Deter Motor Company believes in the values underlying ATHENA’s philosophy of incorporating talent and expertise of women into the leadership of our businesses, our communities and our government. The spirit of the ATHENA Award Program is captured in a quotation from Plato, “What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.” By honoring exceptional leaders, others will be encouraged to excel.

Those interested in nominating an individual can pick up a nomination packet at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, 102 Chestnut Street, or by visiting www.AtlanticIowa.com. Nominations are due by December 4th, 2015 at noon at the Chamber Office.

Police in Council Bluffs say more than 140 grams of methamphetamine were found during a traffic stop Thursday. The Daily NonPareil reports three people – 23-year old Angelic Peterson, of Peterson (in Clay County); 50-year old Douglas Straight, of Dunlap; and 24-year old Joshua Currier, of Lake Park (in Dickinson County) – were arrested at roughly 10 p.m., after nearly 5 ounces of meth were found in their vehicle at the 0-mile marker on Interstate 29 near the state line with Nebraska.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A group opposed to a lawsuit filed by Des Moines Water Works says the utility company’s bill of $40,000 for water quality studies and other records that the group has requested is unprecedented. The utility company says the bill is a “good-faith estimate” for the extensive effort required to meet the Iowa Partnership for Clean Water’s request, part of which includes records dating back to 1974.

Des Moines Water Works filed a lawsuit against Calhoun, Buena Vista and Sac counties in March, claiming draining districts in the counties are funneling nitrates from farm fields into the Raccoon River. The river is a drinking source for 500,000 residents.

The Des Moines Register reports the group claims the utility company has pushed to seal court documents pertaining to the case and is purposely delaying fulfilling the records request.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Waterloo-area veterinarians say they’ve noticed an uptick in dogs suffering from an unknown respiratory illness. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that doctors haven’t been able to pinpoint the illness, but they say dogs respond well to antibiotics and cough suppressants. The symptoms generally pass after about 10 days. Doctors say well-vaccinated dogs suffer from a cough, but show no other signs of distress.

Dr. Tom Taylor of Den Herder Veterinary Hospital says about 25 dogs have been treated in recent days. Doctors say owners should avoid taking their pets to places with lots of other dogs for the next few days. In addition, pet owners who have been in contact with dogs other than their own should wash their hands and change clothes before touching their dog.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An abundance of ladybugs is creating headaches for Iowa’s wine industry. The Des Moines Register reports that multi-colored Asian lady beetles are burrowing into clusters of grapes destined for wine barrels. The beetles secrete a foul-smelling chemical when crushed, which can ruin large quantities of wine.

Steve Larson, the owner of Trainwreck Winery in Algona, says he plans to ask the federal government for permission to dump 250 gallons of wine after the bugs were found floating in his supply. Had the batch been bottled and sold in stores, it would have been worth nearly $19,000.

Ken Holscher, an associate entomology professor at Iowa State University, says the beetles thrived this year because of a near-record soybean crop that fed them and the absence of a hard freeze.

The Council Bluffs Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a suspect in a hit and run accident in which two pedestrians were injured. The incident took place just after 3-p.m. Thursday, at 25th and Ave G.

Bluffs Police Sgt. Jason Bailey said 37-year old Sherry Dmyterko-Tramp, of Council Bluffs, and a 5 year old boy were crossing 25th street eastbound. The suspected hit and run vehicle was westbound on Ave G turning south onto 25th street. When the victim realized the vehicle was not going to yield to them, she grabbed the child and turned away from the vehicle. The vehicle struck the victim’s right leg causing visible swelling and bruising. She was treated at Jennie Edmundson hospital and released. The child suffered a minor injury to his knee.

The driver of the vehicle drove a short distance, exited his vehicle, appeared to check for damage and then left the scene without checking on the welfare of the woman and child. The vehicle was described as being a gold or tan colored newer Chevy Colorado, mid-sized pickup. The driver was a white male, possibly in his 20’s. He may have a dragon tattoo on one or both arms.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Council Bluffs Police Traffic Unit at 712-328-4948.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and U.S. Department of Agriculture today (Friday) announced that all of the 72 commercial poultry farms that had a confirmed case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) have had the quarantines on their facilities lifted and they are eligible to restock birds. All sites have completed the cleaning and disinfection process and had negative environmental tests. They also had to undergo a 21 day fallow period following disinfection before the quarantine could be lifted.

Five backyard operations remain under quarantine. Backyard facilities must undergo a 180 day fallow period following depopulation before the quarantines can be lifted and birds brought back to the farm. It is anticipated that these sites will be able to come off of quarantine in the next month.

Now that fall migration of wild waterfowl is underway, bird owners are again reminded to exercise biosecurity to prevent the return of the disease. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a report last month on its planning and preparation for a potential recurrence of the disease. APHIS’ fall plan focuses on four major areas: preventing or reducing future outbreaks; enhanced preparedness; improved and streamlined response capabilities; and preparing for the potential use of AI vaccines.

APHIS’ fall planning report not only discusses planning and preparedness activities but also contains links to updated policies, guidance documents, and background information, including a biosecurity self-assessment for the poultry industry, criteria for using ventilation shutdown as a depopulation method and a plan for how vaccine could potentially be used.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, together with USDA, partner state agencies and industry stakeholders have conducted after-action reviews and preparedness planning. USDA’s Avian Influenza page, which includes a link to the Fall Plan can be found here: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=avian_influenza.html