IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Democratic attorney general has installed the Republican governor’s lawyer into a high-level job in which he is defending his former boss’ policy agenda and management decisions in court. Weeks after joining Attorney General Tom Miller’s staff, Sam Langholz has participated in cases defending Gov. Kim Reynolds’ coronavirus restrictions, her law requiring a 24-hour waiting period for abortions, her denial of overtime pay to some nurses, and her administration’s ouster of a longtime public health spokeswoman.

Miller and Reynolds announced Langholz’s appointment as an assistant attorney general for civil and appellate litigation in November.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports four arrests over the past week. Today (Wednesday), at around 12:35-a.m., 25-year old Alexandria Gabrielle Miller, of St. Joseph, MO., was arrested at 195th and Highway 34, for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Her bond was set at $5,000. Late Tuesday night, 35-year old Zachary Joseph Heywood, of Omaha, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, for Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $300.

Saturday afternoon, 43-year old Heith Leroy Schmitt, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. Schmitt was being held on a $5,000 bond. And, on the 17th, 36-year old Jessica Dawn Whetsel, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. Her bond was set at $2,000.

The Glenwood Police Department reports 62-year old Kevin Harmon, of Glenwood, was arrested today (Wedneday), for OWI/1st offense. Harmon’s cash/surety bond was set at $1,000.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), approved a bid of $465, 074 from Schildberg Construction, for Spring-Summer applied road rock (gravel). County Engineer Nick Kauffmann said the bid came in about $35,000 under the estimate. Kauffman said the County has received good news with regard to COVID Relief funding:

He said the another piece of good news was that the Farm-To-Market account will receive an additional $73,506. He said he’s not sure exactly when the County will receive the funds. The funds come in as State money into the Road Use account for the County to spend as it sees fit, as long as it’s on road infrastructure projects. Kauffman reported also that the shared Engineer’s Service Agreement with Union County expires in March. Kauffman has been serving the Adair-Union County Engineer since mid-September, following the resignation of Union County Engineer Zack Gunsolley at the end of August, 2020. He was told Union County has apparently lined-up their own engineer, now, and will have no further need for Kauffman’s services when the agreement concludes. The Board thanked Kauffman for be willing to work with the neighboring county in interim.

Kauffman concluded his report to the Board with an update on various bridge and other projects. And, he’s hiring for two openings in the Adair County Secondary Roads Department. In other business, the Adair County Board of Supervisors approved the renewal of an Amended 28-E agreement for the County Land Record Information System with Iowa Land Records, which was originally signed in 2005.

Recorder Janelle Schneider said the agreement is being amended due to some technical corrections discovered as a result of a State Audit. One of the corrections is to remove direct references to the Iowa County Recorders Association. The Board Wednesday, also held a Public Hearing on an FY21 Budget Amendment, during which there were no comments. The Board subsequently voted to pass a Resolution to that effect. And, a hearing was held with regard to the FY 22 Maximum Property Tax Dollars. Adair County resident Greg Cooper questioned what was being done and why. County Auditor Mandy Berg…

Cooper said he was under the impression wind turbines in the County would lower property taxes. Supervisor John Twombly explained it will be a few years before the levy goes down.

The last order of business, was setting March 17 at 9:15-a.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on the FY22 Adair County Budget.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors are set to meet both in-person and electronically on Friday (Feb. 26), beginning at 9-a.m.  On their agenda is a Public Hearing on the FY 2022 Maximum Property Tax Dollars, followed later, by action on passing a Resolution setting the FY 22 Maximum Tax Dollars, and the setting of a date for a Public Hearing on the FY22 Cass County Budget.

In other business, the Board will act on approving the appointment of a Sheriff’s Deputy, an additional member to the Cass County Local Foods Policy Council, and members to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and Zoning Commission. The appointees must be rural residents.

The Supervisors will act on approving Property Tax Exemptions (for Impoundment structures, Open Prairies, etc.) in accordance with the Code of Iowa (Chapter 427), and for Jan. 1, 2021 assessments, and, they are scheduled to receive regular reports from the County Engineer, as well as the Cass County Mental Health/General Relief Coordinator.

During their meeting last week, the Board approved a Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Sales and Sunday Sales privilege of Griswold Golf and Country Club. They also discusses how to handle leave, as it relates to COVID-19. Board Chair Steve Baier stated he had directed the payroll administration staff that starting with the pay period beginning Feb. 16th, all leave taken by an employee due to the coronavirus is to be tracked and charged to accumulated paid time off (beginning with sick leave).

Other related items, including working remotely if essential duties could be performed away from the courthouse, were discussed, but no official action was taken.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Ames say an autopsy shows the death last month of a 21-year-old woman outside an Iowa State University sorority house was caused by acute alcohol intoxication and hypothermia. Emergency responders found the body of Olivia Chutich on the ground in the parking lot of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority the morning of Jan. 22. Chutich was the daughter of Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Margaret Chutich and Allina Health CEO Penny Wheeler.

Investigators have said Chutich was last seen late the night before she was found and believe she had been lying in the parking lot for several hours before she was found. No foul play is suspected.

The Iowa Department of Public Heath, Wednesday, at 10-a.m., reported an additional 796 positive COVID-19 test results returned from the labs since Tuesday, for a pandemic total of 361,074. There were 15 additional deaths reported, for a total of 5,415. The coronavirus dashboard shows one additional death in Madison County, where the pandemic total is now 18.

Health officials say Underlying Causes deaths amount to 4,862. The IDPH says 553 deaths listed COVID as a contributing factor, while Long-Term Care (LTC) facility deaths accounted for 2,149  of the total number of deaths. Long-Term Care facility COVID-Outbreaks are unchanged from at 20. Positive cases at LTC’s account for 523 of the total number of positive results, while 355 patients/staff at those facilities have recovered from COVID.

Hospitalizations are up once again. The IDPH said as of Wednesday, there were 233 persons hospitalized with COVID, compared to 227 on Tuesday. COVID patients in an ICU are down slightly, to 57. There have been 52 COVID patients admitted to hospitals across the State (compared to 30, Tuesday), and there are 23 patients on a ventilator. Hospitals in Western & Southwest Iowa report: 14 people are hospitalized; six COVID patients are in an ICU, two people were admitted, and there was no one on a ventilator.

Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate as of Wednesday is 4.1%, while the 7-day average is 4.0%.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,321 cases; {+6}; 48 deaths
• Adair, 911; {+0}; 26
• Adams, 325 {+0}; 4
• Audubon, 482 {+0}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,160 {+3}; 28
• Harrison County, 1,787; {+2}; 69
• Madison County, 1,531; {+11}; 18
• Mills County, 1,619; {+4}; 20
• Montgomery, 1,036; {+0}; 36
• Pottawattamie County, 10,678; {+12}; 140
• Shelby County, 1,197; {+5}; 33
• Union County,  1,259; {+3}; 31

(O’FALLON, Mo.) — Officials with O’Fallon, Missouri-based Air Evac Lifeteam have announced they are increasing their  emergency air medical coverage in Iowa, by adding a new air medical base in Clarinda. The base, scheduled to open in April, will be located on the campus of Clarinda Regional Health Center, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Page County. Chuck Nordyke, CEO of Clarinda Regional Health Center, said he is excited to welcome Air Evac Lifeteam to the community. “Our EMS group is phenomenal, but the fact is that we’re very rural, and having air transport capabilities is another step in advancing exceptional care,” he said. “Our patients are our neighbors, families and friends, and this helicopter is needed in our community.”

CRHC had been without a medical helicopter on the pad since May, 2020, when officials with LifeNet pulled the LifeNet 2/3 Helicopter because reimbursement models for Medicare were not sustainable for continued operations at CRHC. LifeNet began operations at its Clarinda base in 2012 as part of an agreement between CRHC and Air Methods.

Brandon Buckman, program director for the Air Evac Lifeteam base, said the base will serve residents within a 70-mile radius. Each crew consists of a nurse, paramedic and pilot. The base brings 15 full-time jobs to the area, including pilots, medical crews, and an aviation maintenance technician. “Our crews are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide access to a higher level of care for patients who have a life- or limb-threatening medical injury or illness,” Buckman said. “We are excited to work with local EMS agencies, first responders and hospital employees. Our mission is to provide access to a higher level of emergency healthcare.”

The company currently operates 142 air medical bases in 15 states. Air Evac Lifeteam is a participating provider in the AirMedCare Network (AMCN), the nation’s largest air medical transport membership program with more than 320 air medical locations across 38 states. Members flown for a life- or limb-threatening injury or illness by an AMCN participating provider have no out-of-pocket costs for the flight. Whatever the member’s insurance – or third-party insurance – pays is considered payment in full. Annual household memberships start at $85.