(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley calls allegations of abuse and neglect at at northern Iowa nursing home, “heartbreaking.” Grassley demanded more information about the case last week after no action had been taken since the woman’s death in February. In a conference call with reporters this (Tuesday) morning, Grassley was asked if the fine is sufficient. “I wouldn’t want to say that it’s enough or not enough,” Grassley says. “The trouble is, a lot of this is just the cost of doing business and that’s the way some people see it.”

Eighty-seven-year-old Virginia Olthoff died in February at the Timely Mission Nursing Home in Buffalo Center. A state inspection report says Olthoff was in severe pain for days before she died, and that she went several days without water, suffering from critical dehydration. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) imposed the fine against the home on Friday. “Whether $77,000 is enough or not, I don’t want to say, but I do want to say that it’s never enough for the families and the loved ones of the victims,” Grassley says. “If you didn’t have any sort of government supervision, you can imagine how the quality of care would be.”

The state initially proposed fining the nursing home nearly 30-thousand dollars but did not do so in order for C-M-S, a federal agency, to investigate.  Grassley says, “It takes special people to work in nursing homes and everything we can do to make that a good place to deliver quality care, we ought to.”  Timely Mission officials have 60 days to appeal the fine. Reports say the C-M-S gave Timely Mission its highest five-star rating, despite the home being fined for multiple violations last year. At least eight residents at the Winnebago County facility claimed they were physically and verbally abused by staff.

BUFFALO CENTER, Iowa (AP) — The federal government has fined an Iowa nursing home nearly $77,500 over deficiencies in care for residents. The Globe Gazette reports that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services notified Timely Mission in Buffalo Center about the fine on Friday. The letter cites findings from the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, which surveyed the facility in June. Officials said they found conditions that constituted “immediate jeopardy” to resident health and safety.

Officials say 87-year-old Virginia Olthoff was dehydrated, in severe pain and weighed less than 100 pounds prior to her February death. The facility has 60 days to appeal the federal fine. The CMS letter says the fine will be reduced by 35 percent if nursing home officials waive their right to an appeal.

FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man has been given probation for running an investment scheme in northern Iowa. Winnebago County District Court records say 55-year-old Randall Finer, of Lake Mills, was sentenced last week to five years of probation and a suspended five-year prison term. He’d pleaded guilty to theft.

Prosecutors say that from 2011 to 2015, Finer solicited from customers more than $800,000 for investments. He made payments to investors from what he described as well-performing stocks when, actually, the investments were losing money. In May 2015 the Iowa Insurance Commission ordered him to pay more than $614,000 in restitution, plus interest, for offering and issuing unregistered securities.

When the Adair County Board of Supervisors hold their regular weekly meeting Wednesday morning, in Greenfield, you can expect they’ll hear more additional discussion and opposition to Mid-American Energy’s construction of 275 wind turbines. Tanya Lamb is expected to speak with the Supervisors at around 9:30-a.m., about concerns she and others in the rural area have, about light and noise, reduced property values and the death of birds. In other business, the Supervisors will hear from the County Engineer, with regard to a Step 4 Union raise for an employee, and from Paul Ehm, about the Pro’s and Con’s of County Zoning vs. County Ordinances, as it relates to the wind farms.

The Adair County Board of Supervisor’s meeting begins at 9-a.m. in the Courtroom at the Adair County Courthouse.

The Creston Police Department reports an Adair County man was arrested late Monday morning. 28-year old Spencer Leitzel, of Greenfield, was arrested at Adams/Division on a charge of Driving While Barred. Leitzel was later released from the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports today (Tuesday), 45-year old William Joseph Weis, of Glenwood, was arrested Monday afternoon. Weis was taken into custody at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Controlled Substance Violation. His bond was set at $100,000.

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

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The city council has approved a $7.5 million settlement connected to a November 2016 crash involving a Sioux City municipal bus. The Sioux City Journal reports that the council voted Monday for the settlement with Chad and Rosanne Plante, of rural Hinton. The city’s legal department had recommended approval following mediation talks with the couple.

Chad Plante suffered two broken legs and a brain injury. Authorities say a turning Sioux City Transit bus failed to yield at an intersection and struck Plante’s sport utility vehicle. The bus driver was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device. Plante spent several weeks in a coma and then had months of rehabilitation. He and his wife didn’t file any litigation.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Thursday, will recognize seven (7) individuals — including a Crawford County man — during the opening day of the Iowa State Fair, for their unselfish service to their fellow citizens. The Governor’s Lifesaving Awards Ceremony recognizes citizens who helped a friend or neighbor in critical need of assistance, and in turn, became everyday heroes. The awards take place 10:30-a.m. Thursday, at the Susan Knapp Amphitheater on the State Fairgrounds. In attendance will be Gov. Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, and DPS Commissioner Roxann Ryan.

There are four categories in which honorees are recognized: lifesaving with valor, lifesaving, meritorious service, and outstanding service. A Meritorius Service Award will be presented to Chad Reynolds, of Vail, for rescuing a disabled woman from her smoke-filled home. On February 3rd, 2018, at approximately 11:30 AM, Dorothy Huff was at her home in Vail. The 74-years  woman is wheel-chair bound, and suffers from dementia and other health issues. Her daughter and granddaughter, who normally reside with her, were not home that morning. Mrs. Huff noticed the room getting darker from thick, black smoke. The fire was in the living room, which is connected to the porch. Dorothy made her way out of the living room and fell out of her wheel chair onto the floor by the front porch. She could not get up or reach the handle on the door. Chad Reynolds, who lived across the street, saw the black smoke coming from the home. He ran over to the residence and entered the residence; immediately locating Mrs. Huff. He carried her to his residence. The Award recognizes Reynolds for unselfish service that ensured Mrs. Huff avoided serious injury.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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