MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) — A state audit says a Henry County employee who faked having an intern collected nearly $219,000 in improper payments. The Des Moines Register reports that the audit report says 43-year-old Jodi Sutter was fired in February 2018 as Henry County’s environmental specialist after she was unable to produce documentation for expenses and admitted lying about having an intern for whom she sought reimbursements. Sutter has sued the county for wrongful termination and unpaid wages.

Sutter said Tuesday in a statement released by her attorney that she’d “discovered substantial gaps in the (audit) report, which call into question its findings.” The audit report says the county’s board of health didn’t review Sutter’s claims for reimbursement and wages, erroneously believing that county supervisors were handling the oversight.

A traffic stop late Tuesday night in Red Oak resulted in the arrest of the driver. At around 11:36-p.m., Red Oak Police arrested 33-year old Sara Sue Batten, of Red Oak, for Driving While Barred. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.

A Shelby County man died in a crash Tuesday afternoon, east of Harlan. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office reports 71-year old Dale Hemminger, of Harlan, died, after the 1994 International semi he was driving, left the road for reasons unknown and rolled into the south ditch, leaving him trapped in the vehicle. The accident happened on Nishna Avenue, at around 4-p.m.

Hemminger was extricated from the vehicle by mechanical means. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office was assisted on scene by the Harlan Police Department, Harlan Fire Department, Medivac Ambulance, Kirkman Fire Department, Westphalia Fire Department, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Motor Vehicle Enforcement, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, who responded to a possible agricultural-related chemical spill from the truck.

For the second time in about two-months, voters in the Riverside School District failed, Tuesday, to pass a 10-year Physical Plant and Equipment Levy and a PPEL surtax. According to unofficial results from the Pottawattamie County Auditor’s Office, the measure, which required a 50 plus 1 simple majority to pass, received 438 NO votes and 405 Yes votes, or 52% to 48%. 843 of the 2,783 registered voters cast their ballots, for a voter turnout of 30%. The majority of the No votes came from Oakland, where 229 voters said they were opposed to the measure, and 216 said yes. (See the breakdown below)

The Public Measure had essentially asked if the District would be permitted to impose the levy for 10-years, at a tax rate not to exceed $1.34 per $1,000 taxable valuation, beginning with the levy of property taxes for collection in the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2021, and a not to exceed 2% income surtax effective December 31st, 2020. The first proposal presented to District patrons was defeated April 2nd , with 56.4% opposed and 43.6% in favor.

School officials say if it had been approved, the PPEL would generate an estimated $3.7 million over the 10-year period for capital improvement projects, such as the aging HVAC system at the Elementary and Intermediate schools. Revenue raised from the surtax would have been used to pay down the property tax levy to an estimated $1.29 per $1,000 of valuation.

Unofficial results:

Absentee: Yes 95, No 51

Carson: Yes 103, No 80

Macedonia: 42 Yes, 78 No

Oakland: 216 Yes, 229 No.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a 17-year old male was arrested at around 1:40-a.m., Tuesday, following an incident in the 90 block of Main Street, in Elliott. The unidentified teen was taken into custody for (Simple) Domestic Assault, and transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs.

Officials with the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines reports the ARL Mobile Response Team deployed today (Tuesday) to Audubon County, to help remove 13 dogs from a residential property in Exira. When the ARL team arrived, they found the dogs outside in a muddy, chain-link dog run, covered in a tarp that was sagging with water collected from the overnight rain.

Animal Rescue League newsletter photos

The ARL said in a social media post, “We could tell instantly that many of these dogs had not been well-socialized, but what we heard next broke our hearts: some of these dogs, all adults, had never even had names. They were extremely shy and many appeared to have never walked on a leash before, so we worked slowly and carefully with each one to load them into the ARL Rescue Van for their drive back to a fresh start.”

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Pottawattamie County residents suffering damages or losses due to the flooding events of 2019 must register for FEMA assistance by July 1. Doug Reed, Director of Emergency Management for the county, said “Even if you don’t think you would qualify or are unsure if you want FEMA assistance, you should register. Registration in the FEMA system does not obligate you to anything and if you have held back because you are unsure you need assistance or if you have eligibility concerns, it’s better to register now than try and get picked up after the deadline.”

Any residents within Pottawattamie County suffering losses or damages due to the ongoing flooding are eligible to register. Your damages or losses must have occurred within the incident period of March 12th through June 16th. The original declaration was only for damages up to May 16th but that closing date has since been extended due to the ongoing flooding and damages.  Reed said “There are several homes, especially in Council Bluffs, that have flood damage and losses that occurred after May 16th – you are now eligible all the way through the 16th of June due to the extension.”

Flooded basements, collapsed or buckled foundations have been a common report in Council Bluffs. Anyone who was previously told they weren’t eligible to apply for federal assistance due to not being in an active declaration is now eligible and should apply immediately. If you have friends, relatives or neighbors who have suffered flooding impacts you are encouraged to let them know to apply before it’s too late.

Property owners, renters, and business owners can register for federal assistance by following three simple steps.

1. Report your damages to Emergency Management on the county website at https://pottcounty-ia.gov/departments/emergency-management/flood-2019-march-12thcontinuing/ and then;

2. Register for FEMA Assistance online at www.disasterassistance.gov OR call FEMA at 800-6213362.

A truck rollover accident with possible entrapment has occurred just east of J-J Jensen Park, near Harlan. Harlan Fire was on the scene. Midwest Medical Helicopter out of Audubon was said to have been enroute at around 4:20-p.m.  The truck was reportedly carrying chemicals. No other details are currently available.

CRYSTAL LAKE, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says zebra mussels have been found in Crystal Lake in north-central Iowa. The invasive species are native to eastern Europe and are voracious eaters that gobble up plankton many native freshwater fish need to survive. The mussels can attach themselves to boat motors, bait buckets and dam mechanisms and cause damage to motors and facilities.

The Iowa department says juvenile versions of the small black and white species were discovered in a recent water sample. No adult zebra mussels were found in a follow-up survey. Officials say the mussels probably arrived on or in a boat that had been in an infested water body, such as nearby Clear Lake.

Boaters are urged to clean, drain and dry watercraft to prevent the spread.

POLSON, Mont. (AP) — Authorities have released the names of three people who died in a two-vehicle collision in northwestern Montana. Lake County Sheriff Don Bell says 66-year-old Audrey Moran of Polson died along with David and Benjamin Temte — 20-year-old twins from Bloomington, Minnesota. The Montana Highway Patrol says the car with the Minnesota men inside left U.S. Highway 93 south of Ronan and hit a guardrail Monday morning before colliding head-on with a car driven by Moran.

Dordt University in Iowa said Tuesday that David Temte was a junior on the school’s track and cross country teams and was part of a relay team that won an NAIA national championship in May. The university said he and his twin brother, Ben, died in a crash in Montana.