(Radio Iowa) – A retired lieutenant of the Fire Department of New York who was trapped twice inside the World Trade Center was the keynote speaker for Saturday night’s September 11th attacks remembrance ceremony at the Clear Lake Fire Department. Joe Torrillo was forced to retire in 2004 due to a brain injury and says while he was disappointed that his career as a firefighter was over, he wanted to help build patriotism in America.  “I wanted to be happy again. I wasn’t being selfish, but I wasn’t happy anymore. I promised myself that I would spend the rest of my life making our country the ‘Reunited States of America’.

Joe Torillo (Facebook/File photo)

Going across the country, resurrecting patriotism and keeping the memory alive of all the victims who died and those who gave their lives in the greatest rescue effort that was ever witnessed by anybody on earth.” Torrillo says he can’t understand what has happened in the 20 years since 9-11 with patriotism in the United States.

Torrillo says he wants to make sure the memory of what happened on 9-11 never fades away.

Torrillo had moved from being an active firefighter to the department’s fire safety education office in 1997 and was on his way to a press conference at the Fisher-Price headquarters in the World Trade Center when he diverted to his old fire company headquarters across the street to assist after the first plane hit. While he was involved in the rescue operation, the south tower fell, burying alive Torrillo with a fractured skull, broken ribs, broken arm, crushed spine and heavy bleeding. After finding Torrillo, he was removed from the rubble and was being treated when the north tower collapsed, burying him alive again.

(Atlantic) Officials with Cass Health, in Atlantic, Monday (today) report Dr. Seann Atkinson, DO, was recently selected as an Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) “2021 Hospital Hero.” Dr. Atkinson will be recognized in October during the IHA annual meeting, which will be held virtually. The Iowa Hospital Heroes award is presented to those who have performed a heroic deed or tirelessly given of their time, talent, and expertise to improve their organization and the world around them. These leaders exemplify honesty, integrity, humility, courage, and commitment.

Dr. Atkinson was nominated by a patient, the family member of a patient, and several colleagues. Most notably, Dr. Atkinson was recognized by Cass Health Board Chairman Ned Brown, who credits Dr. Atkinson with saving his life by quickly diagnosing an aortic dissection. Brown said “I remember him telling me that I was in trouble, but he was so calm. He didn’t seem panicked, just very straightforward. He was thorough; he was certain of the diagnosis. He saved my life.”

Dr. Sean Atkinson

Dr. Atkinson is a board-certified family medicine physician who joined Atlantic Medical Center in October 2011. Dr. Atkinson grew up in Ankeny, Iowa, and graduated from Iowa State University and Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. After completing his residency in Rapid City, South Dakota in 2004, he practiced with the Regional Health Physicians in Sturgis for seven years.

Dr. Atkinson provides the full scope of family medicine care, with the exception of obstetrics. In addition, he performs routine outpatient endoscopy procedures, including EGDs and colonoscopies.

The broadcast News at 8:05-a.m., from Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Cass/Atlantic Development Corp. and Cass County Extension have partnered together to offer a county-wide leadership program, “Leading Cass County”, that focuses on cultivating the next generation of community leaders. Bailey Smith, Executive Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, says “Leading Cass County is a program developed by ISU Extension and Outreach and the University of Wisconsin Extension. It’s designed to seek out emerging leaders within your county and teach them skills they need for interacting and working together to promote sustainable community development while also preparing them for positions of public influence and decision-making.”

The program, launched in the fall of 2019, is an 8-month course, meeting the second Tuesday of each month, that focuses on a different topic each session. Participants will interact with local leaders and learn about Cass County resources during community tours and presentations. Class sessions and tours will rotate around the county, showcasing the diversity of services the county has to offer. Class sessions will be held from 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM, followed by lunch and community tours from 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM. A certificate will be awarded to participants who successfully fulfill the requirements of the leadership program.

Topics include: Community Leadership; Agriculture & Conservation; Economic Development; Local Government, Crime & Safety; Healthcare & Social Services; State Government, and a Graduation ceremony. Tuition is $350 per participant and will cover the entire program, tours and lunch.

By the end of the program, four core skill sets will be learned:

• Understanding community leadership and your community
• Identifying issues and framing ideas
• Building social capital
• Mobilizing resources for community action

Smith says “We were really pleased with the support we received, county-wide, from businesses and participants in 2019. We graduated 18 students in March of 2020 and look forward to having a full class again for the 2021-2022 year. The goal of this course is to mold young leaders that may be “hiding” throughout the county and give them the resources and confidence to become an active member of their community, stay here for the long haul and work towards making Cass County a great place to live and do business in.”

More information and a detailed list of monthly topics and tours can be found at www.atlanticiowa.com. Applications are due by noon September 15, 2021 by email to keolson@iastate.edu. Applications can also be found at the Extension, Chamber and Cass/Atlantic Development offices. “Leading Cass County” is sponsored by Atlantic Municipal Utilities, Camblin Mechanical and Cass County Health System.

The Creston Police Department reports two arrests from over the weekend. Authorities 62-year-old Gerald Knorr (Who has no known address), was arrested 8-a.m. Friday at 200 W. Howard Street, for Disorderly Conduct and Simple Assault, stemming from an incident on Sept. 9th. Knorr was cited and released from the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Summons to Appear on both charges.

And, Sunday afternoon, 29-year-old Richie Rodriguez, of Creston, was arrested on a Polk County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original Violation of Probation, charge. Rodriguez was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, pending a hearing, and while awaiting transfer to Polk County.

The 7:07-a.m. broadcast News from Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.0MB)

Subscribe: RSS

DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines Police are working to solve the city’s seventh homicide of the year. KCCI reports officers were called at around 8:35 p.m. Sunday, to the 900 block of Randolph Street to investigate a report of a dispute. Arriving officers found the body of a 42-year-old woman.

“Observations at the scene indicated that this was not a death due to natural causes,” Des Moines police said through a news release. Police said witnesses are being interviewed and evidence is being examined in the case.

This is the seventh homicide investigation of 2021 in the city.

(Washington, D-C) – First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday, September 15th. In Des Moines, the First Lady will join Rep. Cindy Axne at Des Moines Area Community College and highlight how the Biden Administration is supporting families through the American Rescue Plan and its Build Back Better agenda.

Dr. Biden is (Tentatively) set to arrive at the Des Moines International Airport at 2:45-p.m., Wednesday. About an hour later, she Representative Cindy Axne will visit Des Moines Area Community College, in Ankeny.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections has begun photocopying all legal mail sent to inmates, due to concerns the originals could be infused with drugs. Mail has been found that’s been soaked in the synthetic drug K-2, and the inmates then smoke the papers. University of St. Thomas law professor, Gregory Sisk, says he has never encountered a policy like Iowa’s.  “In general, the states’ correctional systems have been very protective of legal mail and recognize that the right to confidentiality in correspondence between a prisoner and a prisoner’s lawyer is to be protected,” Sisk says. “The Ninth Circuit has described this right as nearly sacrosanct.”

He says the policy threatens prisoners’ rights to confidential correspondence with their attorneys.  “Setting up a system like this in which confidentiality could be severely compromised puts lawyers in the position where they may not be able to continue representation,” Sisk says.

An attorney within the State Public Defender’s Office has called on the DOC to rescind the policy, which the lawyer argues prevents them from fulfilling their ethical duties.

Iowa small business owners are encouraged to take a little time away from running those businesses this week to learn about ways they might improve their operations. Bailey DeVries, associate administrator of the U-S Small Business Administration, says this year’s National Small Business Week Summit is being held virtually with a host of learning and educational sessions. “We’ll include representatives from small businesses across the country as well as representatives from Fortune 500 companies,” DeVries says. “Small business is big business and forging those relationships that are important for strategic partnerships, customer relationships, all of this is so important in helping entrepreneurs on their path to success.”

The three-day summit opens today (Monday) under the banner “Celebrating Resilience and Renewal.” She says it will zero in on subjects that concern small businesses owners — like the outlook for the economy and how to better serve small businesses in underserved and under-invested communities. “There will be tailored events specific to different types of businesses,” DeVries says. “There will be sessions focused on access to capital for women entrepreneurs. We will also have sessions dedicated to resilience and recovery in this pandemic environment and how small businesses can adapt to the trends transforming the workforce.”

More than 95-percent of Iowa’s businesses are small businesses, which DeVries refers to as the “lifeblood” of the country. “There are over 32-million small businesses operating across the United States and they continue to be the drivers of massive amounts of job creation within the private sector,” DeVries says. “Two out of every three new jobs are with small businesses and more than half of our workforce either works for or owns a small business.”

It’s free to attend the summit, which she says will celebrate small businesses for their perseverance, ingenuity, triumphs and creativity. To register, visit http://www.sba.gov/NSBW.