Nearly 77 years after leaving for a patrol in present-day Papua New Guinea during WWII, Pvt. Laurel W. Ebert is returning home to Iowa. Ebert, a 27-year-old Blairstown, Iowa native serving with Company I, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, was last seen Nov. 26, 1942 when he and a team of eight other U.S. Soldiers went on a patrol to find and silence an enemy machine gun position in the Cape Killerton area of the Australian Territory of Papua. Ebert and five others failed to return from the mission and were listed Missing in Action (MIA).

Laurel Ebert Photo

In January 1943, the remains of an unidentified American Soldier were interred at the U.S. Temporary Cemetery Sanananda #3. The remains, later designated X-3127, were moved to U.S. Armed Forces Cemetery Finschhafen #2 in 1945, then to the Central Identification Point at the Manila Mausoleum in the Philippines in 1947. Unable to be identified, X-3127 was interred at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Due to new historical investigations and new technology that could link an identification to Unknown X-3127, the remains were disinterred in May 2017 by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Dental and anthropological analysis, as well as mitochondrial DNA analysis, were used in the identification of Ebert’s remains in 2019.

Ebert’s military awards and honors include Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star, World War II Victory Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Combat Infantryman Badge, and Honorable Service Lapel Button-World War II.

A graveside service will be held at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, 21st Ave., Blairstown, Iowa on Friday, Sept. 20 at approximately 10:45 a.m., with full military honors provided by the Iowa National Guard. The public is welcome to attend the memorial service.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady has removed himself from considering a lawsuit challenging a new law that shortens his term as chief justice and gives the governor more power over the commission that selects supreme court and appeals court judges.

In an order signed Friday, Cady says the new law challenged in the lawsuit reduces his eight-year term as chief justice by three years, forcing him to step down as chief in 2021 and cutting his pay by about $8,000 a year.

He says a reasonable person could conclude he has a personal interest in the outcome and the case must be resolved in a way that ensures public trust in the courts.

The law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May was challenged by several Democratic lawmakers and a member of the judicial nominating commission. A judge appointed by Reynolds dismissed it in June, saying the legislators don’t have standing to sue. The Supreme Court must decide whether to uphold that decision or allow the case to proceed.

The other six justices on the court declined to recuse themselves.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities suspect that two cybersecurity workers charged with breaking into an Iowa courthouse were also responsible for a late-night entry into the courthouse in Des Moines.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that based on surveillance footage, investigators believe 43-year-old Gary Demercurio, of Seattle, and 29-year-old Justin Wynn, of Naples, Florida, entered the Polk County Courthouse the night of Sept. 9. The men were charged with burglary after being found early on Sept. 11 in the Dallas County Courthouse, about 25 miles west in Adel.

The men told Dallas County deputies they worked for the cybersecurity firm Coalfire and had been hired to test the courthouse alarm system. The state court administration acknowledged hiring the firm but only to test the security of electronic access to court records.

Polk County investigators say a small electronic device baring the Coalfire logo was found in the Polk County Courthouse. No charges have been filed in Polk County.

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. (AP) — A 43-year-old St. Joseph man could face up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in a Lake of the Ozarks boating accident that killed a man.

Cletus Barsch pleaded guilty on Sept. 10 to one count of boating while intoxicated resulting in a homicide and two counts of boating while intoxicated resulting in serious physical injury. Sentencing will be March 11.

The accident happened during the 2018 Memorial Day weekend. Authorities said Barsch was driving a boat that struck another boat. A passenger in the second boat, 20-year-old Alec Potthoff, of Van Meter, Iowa, suffered a serious head injury and died in August 2018 at a care facility in Des Moines, Iowa.

Barsch’s 14-year-old daughter and two other passengers on the second boat suffered minor injuries.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque woman who authorities say stole more than $48,000 from her elderly aunt has been given two to five years of probation. Dubuque County District Court records say 54-year-old Kathryn Billmeyer was sentenced last week and was ordered to pay back the money to her aunt’s estate. Billmeyer had pleaded guilty to theft and dependent adult abuse-exploitation.

Prosecutors say Kathryn Billmeyer used her aunt’s money to make more than $48,000 in purchases from November 2016 to May 2018. Kathryn Billmeyer held a power of attorney and had control of her aunt’s accounts. Prosecutors say Billmeyer’s daughter, Anna, used the woman’s credit card to buy nearly $1,600 worth of items. She, too, was sentenced to probation.

Empowering Adair County Foundation’s (EACF) annual grant application deadline is fast approaching. Completed grant application forms, along with ten copies, are due to Adair County ISU Extension, 154 Public Square, Suite C, Greenfield, Iowa 50849, by 4:30pm on October 15, 2019. Completed application forms can be dropped off to the office or mailed. Mailed forms must be post marked no later than October 15th for the grant application to be accepted.

Grant applications will be scored and reviewed by the Empowering Adair County Foundation Committee members. Applications are scored on the following criteria: Completeness of Application; Benefit to Adair County Residents; Support of Entrepreneurial Activity, Community and Leadership Development; Identification of Community Needs; and Addressing Community Needs. EACF’s Strategic Plan emphasizes entrepreneurial development, community development and volunteer leadership and training. In conjunction with the primary areas of focus, foundation grants will be considered in the following areas: Tourism/Beautification; Public Services; Economic Well-Being; and Recreation/Entertainment/Arts/Culture.

EACF makes grants to the following eligible organizations/groups:

• I.R.S. 501(c)(3) ‘tax exempt’ organizations
• 170(b) ‘unit of government’ organizations
• Organizations providing services within Adair County (operating and organized in compliance with applicable laws prohibiting discrimination)

EACF was formed in 2005 to coordinate and provide philanthropic support for community betterment and to enhance the quality of life for communities in Adair County. The Foundation is governed by a 9-member board representing all areas of Adair County. EACF has one grant cycle annually with an October 15th application deadline. For more information and links to forms and grant details, visit the website http://www.extension.iastate.edu/adair and scroll down the homepage to the EACF logo and links. A Six Month Progress Report must be completed by all grant recipients within six months of receiving grant funds. A Grant Final Report, along with the completion of the project/program, must be submitted within twelve months. All Grant Final Reports must include photos of each project/program in progress, along with the completed result.

If you have received EACF grant funding in the past, that project must be completed and a Final Report must be submitted before you can apply for more grant funds. For more information regarding EACF’s grant program, contact Deena Wells, Adair County ISU Extension at 641-743-8412 or dwells@iastate.edu.