You’re invited to join Cass County Conservation Staff at Atlantic’s Schildberg Recreation Area- Lake 4, on Saturday, January 4th 2020. Staff will be giving ten-minute presentations regarding the Trumpeter Swans every half-hour beginning at 11:00 a.m. with the last one being presented at 2:00 p.m. There will also be time to view the swans through spotting scopes and witness random swan feeding sessions. Hot chocolate, cookies, grilled hotdogs, and other snacks will be provided free of charge with donations being accepted (for swan care).

The Schildberg Recreation Area is located on the northwest edge of Atlantic, Lake 4 is on the north side of Highway 83. Atlantic is celebrating 20 winters of the Trumpeter Swans wintering here. The event is not to be missed! IF THE WEATHER IS “BAD” OR THE SWANS ARE NOT AT THE PARK…the program will be held at the Atlantic American Legion Memorial Building from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. with a light lunch available.

The event is being sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board, Atlantic Parks and Recreation, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and ARISE.

(Radio Iowa) — Officials at Des Moines University are seeking continued state funding for a class that’s helping doctors-in-training feel more comfortable caring for patients with a mental illness. Dr. Lisa Streyffeler is a professor at the osteopathic school. She says in the spring of 2018, D-M-U became the first medical school in the country to offer the course.

“We have always taught how do you diagnose mental illnesses, how do you treat them — so does every other medical school in the country,” she says, “but that doesn’t necessarily make our students emotionally comfortable with sitting with someone who’s in the middle of an acute psychiatric crisis and feel like they really know what that patient will want in that situation or what that patient’s family members’ needs are.”

Forty-two students completed the course in 2018. Dr. Streyffeler says surveys of those students found their approach to caring for patients was more collaborative with both the patient and the patient’s family. “In particular, we found that students who did this 15-hour course felt less anxious about interacting with folks with mental illnesses,” she says.

“They felt more comfortable about being around them, in general. They had more positive attitudes towards folks with mental illnesses.” Dr. Streyffeler says people with severe mental illnesses have a significantly reduced life expectancy due to untreated conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure that are unrelated.

“We’re trying to get physicians more comfortable engaging with patients who might have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, even if they’re not psychiatrists, to say: ‘Ok, I understand really what this patient and this family’s needs are,” Streyffeler says, “that it’s really an unbelievably stressful experience.” And she says that kind of interaction will make the patient more likely to show up for regular check-ups, so their overall health is better monitored.”

The class is now required for all third-year students at Des Moines University. Iowa lawmakers provided 250-thousand dollars to the medical school to finance the class this spring. D-M-U officials were in the governor’s office earlier this month, asking Governor Reynolds to support continuing that state funding for the next academic year.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque man has been arrested in connection with a car crash in November that killed a pregnant woman and injured a child. The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office says 69-year-old John E. Hoffman was charged Tuesday with homicide by vehicle-operating under the influence, non-consensual termination of a pregnancy and serious injury by vehicle.

The charges stem from a Nov. 9 crash on Highway 52 southeast of Key West that killed 20-year-old Hannah Ruggeberg and injured a 3-year-old child. Ruggeberg was pregnant at the time of the crash. Hoffman is being held on a $250,000 cash bond.

FRUITLAND, Iowa (AP) – A service club intends to build a memorial for veterans in the Muscatine County community of Fruitland. The Fruitland Community Lions Club wants to place it near Fruitland Community Center instead of at a cemetery. A club committee decided the location near the center would allow more people to see it and would deter vandals. The Muscatine Journal reported that the memorial will have black granite walls, seating, a flag and lighting. The memorial space will be available to all honorably discharged men and women, living or dead, of any military branch, regardless of whether the veterans were originally from Muscatine County.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, received reports from County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon, and Interim County Engineer Charlie Marker. Kennon spoke about ISICS (pronounced “eye’six”), the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System. The system is a 700/800 Mhz (mega-hertz) standards-based P-25 Phase 2 compliant trunked radio system for first responders throughout Iowa. The ISICS platform allows users to seamlessly roam and communicate throughout Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol is currently using the 700 mhz band, while Pottawattamie County has been using the 800 mhz band for several years.

According to Kennon, two radios on the ISICS 700 mhz frequency, were installed at the Communications Center. He said there will be a law enforcement talk group and a fire talk group which will allow those emergency personnel who were issued the radios. The system as it is now, will allow the County to see what coverage the radios will provide, and where the strength and weaknesses are)

The next step will be to determine how to address those weaknesses. Kennon said Montgomery County has three new communications towers erected and the equipment ready to be installed, but they aren’t expected to come on-line until sometime in March. Kennon said Cass County is in the process of buying additional dual-band radios (VHF/700 mhz). He said if the State Patrol has something going on, such as a pursuit, Cass County can switch on the 700 mhz system and work with them. Right now though, the County has mainly starting dipping its toes into the system, which allows the dispatchers to monitor State Patrol communications traffic.

Kennon says the State Patrol is “Quickly moving towards just going to the 700 side of broadcasting.” He said also, Shelby County is also on the “fast track” with their 700 band operations. Supervisor Steve Baier said he’s anxious to see how the new towers and communications system works out in Montgomery County, and how good the coverage is. The ISICS equipment is not cheap, but Kennon has applied for grants and other forms of cost sharing means to help pay for it.

In his report to the Board, Interim Cass County Engineer Charles Marker made a recommendation for a Motor Grader operator’s wage increase. That person has successfully completed their six-month probationary period of employment. He said also they are also working on some EWP [Emergency Watershed Protection] projects, the funds for which have been approved by the Iowa DNR. He said they have 220-days [or, by July 4, 2020], to complete the projects which are designed to protect culverts and dams by use of rip-rap and rocks.)

In other business, the Board approved a Class-C Beer Permit for the Griswold Dollar General Store, but tabled action on appointing a Brighton Township Clerk until the have a candidate for the position.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office say five people were arrested on separate charges over the past five days. On Dec. 26th, 20-year old Cortez Dajuan Washington-Moore, of Raytown, MO. was arrested following a traffic stop on I-29. He was charged with Theft in the 1st Degree, Possession of Burglary Tools, Reckless Driving, Felony Eluding and Fugitive from Justice. Bond was set at $20,000. That same day, 58-year old Darrell Alan Klahn, of Omaha, NE., was arrested on Highway 34, for Driving While Revoked and Operating Non-Registered Vehicle. (Bond: $1,000).

On Dec. 27th, 41-year old William Jackson Busby, of Bellevue, NE. was arrested  during a traffic stop on Highway 34, for Possession of Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. (Bond: $1,300). On the 28th, 32-year old Richard Douglas Henry, also of Bellevue, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense, Possession of Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Bond: $3,300).  And, Monday morning, 21-year old Malik Kyle J, of Omaha, NE, was arrested during a traffic stop on Highway 34. He was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. (Bond: $300).

Authorities said also, two people were transported to area hospitals following a collision Dec. 24th at W. 7th Street and 2nd Avenue, in Malvern. A 2001 Mazda driven by 81-year old Susan Rosario, of Malvern, was traveling east on W. 7th Street, while a 2005 Pontiac driven by 31-year old Angela Blain, of Council Bluffs, was traveling south on 2nd Avenue. Officials say Blain failed to yield the right of way, causing her car to be struck on the passenger side, by the Mazda. Rosario was transported by Malvern Rescue to Mercy Hospital. Blain was transported to Bergan-Mercy, also by Malvern Rescue.

Sheriff’s officials in Union County say one-person suffered what were described as “suspected minor/incapacitating” injuries, Monday, during a collision between two pickup trucks. The crash happened at around 8:50-a.m. at the intersection of State Highway 25 and 130th Street, west of Green Valley Lake State Park. Authorities say a 2002 GMC pickup driven by 17-year old Kaden Bolton, of Creston, was stopped at the stop sign and proceeded into the intersection. He didn’t see an approaching southbound 2000 Chevy pickup driven by 28-year old Dillon Harry, of Orient, and pulled out in front of him.

Harry tried to avoid the collision, but his pickup hit the other pickup. Both vehicle ended-up in the southwest ditch. Dillon Harry was transported EMS to the hospital in Creston. Officials say both drivers were wearing their seat belts. Damage from the collision amounted to $13,000. There were no citations issued.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – One of two men accused of killing a man in Cedar Rapids wants their trial moved out of Linn County. Thirty-four-year-old Drew Wagner cited pretrial publicity in his request filed Sunday. Wagner and 32-year-old Drew Blahnik have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other crimes in the slaying of 31-year-old Christopher Bagley. He went missing from his home in Walker in December 2018. Investigators have said Blahnik has confessed to stabbing Bagley in retaliation for his robbery of a large-scale marijuana trafficker. The court records don’t show that Blahnik also has requested that the trial be moved.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Creston Police, Monday afternoon, arrested a man for Violation of a No Contact Order. 34-year old Steven Bochniak, of Creston, was arrested at around 2-p.m., in the 400 block of N. Pine Street.  He was being held in the Union County Jail, while  awaiting a bond hearing.