Deputies with the Page County Sheriff’s Office, Sunday, arrested 21-year old George William Douglas, of Osceola, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Douglas was arrested at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and transported to the Page County Jail where he was being held on $2,000 bond, pending further court proceedings.

George W. Douglas

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds has appointed a Des Moines woman to head the Iowa Department of Corrections. Reynolds on Monday announced she had named Beth Skinner as director of the department, which oversees nine correctional institutions. Skinner will replace interim director Dan Craig, who will retired in June.

Skinner has been working as the department’s director of risk reduction, in which she led recidivism reduction efforts. She also lad the department’s research division and training department.
She has bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Iowa.

Officials with the CAM School District report that on Tuesday, May 28th, seven semi-finalists interviewed with the two district school boards for the shared CAM/Nodaway Valley School District Superintendent position. The screening interviews included electronic interviews for 25 minutes with each candidate. The board reports the following three finalists that have been invited to the district on June 6th for formal interviews with multiple interview teams:

Brian Wall-Mr. Wall has served the IKM Manning School District as the High School Principal since 2008. He was the Manning High School Principal for 7 years prior. Before his tenure in school administration he served as a math teacher and coach. In 2014, he was named Iowa Association of Student Councils Administrator of the Year. He has also routinely served as a mentor for new principals through School Administrators of Iowa. One of Brian’s accomplishments is helping to lead the Irwin-Kirkman-Manilla and Manning School Districts through whole grade sharing and reorganization. He has also led the district in integration of Professional Learning Communities and the Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grant.

Paul Croghan-Mr. Croghan current serves as the Shared Superintendent between the East Mills and Essex School Districts. He has served in this role for the last 5 years. Prior, he served the East Mills District as the High School Principal and Activities Director from 2010-2013. He also served as the Assistant High School Principal and AD in Atlantic and Walnut High School Principal prior to that. His leadership efforts have expanded vocational opportunities for students, improved the financial conditions of both districts and also included multiple facilities improvements.

Brad Anderson-Mr. Anderson currently serves as the Woodward-Granger Superintendent. Prior to being named superintendent in 2011 Brad served the district and the PK-5 Principal. On top of his superintendent duties, Brad also serves the district as Special Education Director, Curriculum Director, Transportation Director, Title I Coordinator and CRISIS Coordinator. As the district leader, Brad was responsible for adding both voluntary pre-school and after school care for students, among other notable accomplishments. His prior experience includes serving as an elementary principal for United Community Schools, 3rd grade teacher in Earlham and 5th grade teacher in Gilman City, MO.

The school board will consider feedback from the formal interview teams as they decide who will be the new shared district superintendent. The new superintendent will officially begin their duties on July 1, 2019

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — A driver has pleaded not guilty to a charge stemming from the death of an 8-year-old who was struck by the woman’s car as he was walking home from school in Marshalltown. Marshall County court records say the plea was entered last week for 71-year-old Marilyn Diggins. The charge: failure to yield to a pedestrian at an intersection. Her pretrial hearing is scheduled for July 10.

Police say Christian Maxon was crossing West Main Street on his way home from Franklin Elementary School when he was hit by Diggins’ vehicle as she turned onto West Main from South 13th Street.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The former CEO of the Iowa Lottery has co-written a book about a former lottery computer programmer who is in prison for cheating lotteries in several states out of millions of dollars. Terry Rich worked with Iowa journalist Perry Beeman to write “The $80 billion Gamble,” which was released Monday. It tells the story of how Eddie Tipton altered number-picking programs on lottery computers to win jackpots in Colorado, Wisconsin, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Tipton usually had others buy tickets and collect winnings since he was ineligible to play as a lottery vendor employee, but in 2010 Tipton bought an Iowa Hot Lotto ticket using numbers he knew would win. He urged a friend to collect the $16.5 million but his scheme all unraveled.

The book tells how a yearslong investigation uncovered the scheme.

(Radio Iowa) — May rainfall ended up just a little short of being double the normal average. State Climatologist Justin Glissen says we got trapped in a pattern that wouldn’t go away. “What we were seeing is the jet stream was effectively locking in over the state, so every two or three days we would get measurable rainfall over parts of the state,” according to Glissen. “Statewide where we turned out was eight-point-two inches…and that will make it the fourth wettest May on record.”

He says average rainfall for May is four-and-half inches. The month ended up just a little cooler on average. “We were below average –not too bad, about three degrees under what we would expect. Normal temperature is about 60 degrees. We came in about 57,” Glissen says. He says with all the cloudy days, the three-degree difference from the average was a little surprising. “Not as cool as it would have seemed with all the rainfall that we had across the state,” he says.

Glisan says the climatological out early on for June showed an equal chance for both higher or lower than normal rainfall and temperatures. He says the mid-May outlook showed a little warmer and less rainfall in the outlook. “So, it looks like we might be shifting towards what we would expect climatologially across the state. June tends to be the wettest month of the year and we start to have longer days and warmers temperatures. We shall see as we move forward,” Glissen says.

The wetter than average June comes after March and April were both slightly below average in percipitation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A monthlong trial in state court has begun that focuses on whether former Iowa Republican Gov. Terry Branstad discriminated against a gay Democratic official by pressuring him to quit or was exercising the governor’s right to hire people aligned with his political philosophy.

Branstad was sued in 2012 by Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey, who alleged discrimination by Branstad and staff members who pressured Godfrey to resign in 2011.
When Branstad came into office in 2011, Godfrey had four more years before his term ended so Branstad couldn’t fire him. However, the governor could set the commissioner’s salary, so he cut Godfrey’s pay by $39,000.

A Polk County jury will decide whether Branstad’s actions were proper or discrimination based on sexual orientation, political party affiliation or both.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man died after saving his 5-year-old daughter from a dog attack in southeast Iowa. Lee County Sheriff Stacy Weber says 33-year-old Robert Quick, of Dallas City, Illinois, was one of three people attacked Friday by the dog outside a home in Fort Madison. Weber says officers had to shoot the large animal because it wouldn’t release a man who was pinned on his back in the front yard.

First responders soon found the wounded Quick lying in the home’s doorway. Weber says Quick asked medics to first help his daughter, who’d been bitten on the face. Weber says Quick “undoubtedly saved her life by his actions.” All three victims were taken to Fort Madison Community Hospital, where Quick was pronounced dead.

Weber didn’t say what actions Quick had taken or provide the names of the other man and the girl.

The Audubon Chamber of Commerce’ Flight Breakfast was held Sunday, at the Audubon Municipal Airport. Breakfast was served from 6:30-until 10:30-a.m., with the meal free to those who flew-in to the airport. 64 planes and their pilots/guests flew-in, and a total of 650 people were served ham and cheese omelets, pancakes, coffee, milk and juice. The weather was excellent, and there were bicycle clubs that rode-in on the T-Bone Trail who attended.

Twenty-one planes from Iowa were at the event, along with three from the Nebraska communities of Gretna, Omaha and Dakota City. Iowa aircraft and crew included those from: Altoona, Ames; Atlantic; Braddyville; Casey; Cherokee; Clarinda; Clive; Council Bluffs; Dallas Center; Danbury; Denison; Des Moines; Harlan; Jefferson; Jewell; Manson; Nevada; Newton; Spencer, and Red Oak.

Taxpayers can now apply for the Geothermal Heat Pump Tax Credit with the Department of Revenue for those who have a geothermal heat pump installed on their residence on or after January 1, 2019. Deadline to submit an application is May 1 following the year of installation. Taxpayers must apply and receive approval for the Geothermal Heat Pump Tax Credit with the Department before claiming the tax credit for tax year 2019 and later. Claims made on the IA 1040 without an award will be denied.

Tax credits are only allowed on residential properties located in Iowa to the resident of the home where the geothermal heat pump was installed. The Geothermal Heat Pump Tax Credit is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Completing an application does not guarantee you will be awarded a Geothermal Heat Pump Tax Credit; application approvals are contingent upon availability of tax credits in that particular tax year.

The application for the Geothermal Heat Pump Tax Credit can only be completed within the Tax Credit Award, Claim & Transfer Administration System (CACTAS). Visit the Geothermal Heat Pump Tax Credit page on the Department’s website for full details.