While influenza spread in Iowa remains low, surveillance indicates activity is increasing and the number of flu-related deaths in Iowa now stands at two. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) today (Tuesday) confirmed the influenza-related death of an elderly (81 years of age and older) Central Iowa male who had underlying health conditions. In addition, surveillance indicates all four of the flu viruses covered by the 2016/2017 vaccine are circulating in Iowa.

IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk says “This year’s influenza vaccine appears to be a good match to the virus strains being seen in Iowa. With flu season potentially lasting at least another two months, it’s certainly not too late to get a flu vaccination.”

The flu is a respiratory illness caused by viruses. The flu comes on suddenly and may cause severe illness or even death in people such as the very young or very old, or those who have underlying health conditions. Symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. Illness typically lasts two to seven days, and often puts healthy people in bed for days.

Contact your health care provider or local health department to find out where the flu vaccine is available in your community or use the Flu Vaccine Finder at https://vaccinefinder.org.

Police in Council Bluffs report a man was arrested this (Tuesday) morning, on Eluding and other charges, following a foot chase that began with a traffic stop for a seat belt violation, at around 8:10-a.m. Officials say a front seat passenger in the vehicle, 25-year old Gary A. Schultz, of Council Bluffs, took off on foot, after it was learned the driver, had a valid No Contact Order against Schultz.

Gary A. Schultz

Schultz ran north through a field and into the Indian Creek ravine. Due to the frigid temperature of the water, Schultz surrendered and was assisted out of the water. He was transported by Council Bluffs Fire and Rescue to Jennie Edmundson Hospital, where Schultz was treated for hypothermia.

He was later released from the hospital and transported to the Pottawattamie County Jail, where he was charged with Violating a No Contact Order, Eluding and failure to wear a seat belt.

Atlantic Police report seven arrests over the past couple of weeks. Yesterday (Monday), 28-year old Kayla Millam, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Failure to Appear (in court). On Sunday, 32-year old Adam Morris, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense.

Last Friday, 29-year old Ryan Juhl, of Atlantic, was arrested on Cass County warrants for two counts of Possession of Drugs with Intent to Deliver, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana w/the intent to deliver, and a Drug Tax stamp violation.

On Dec. 27th, 35-year old Aaron Latus, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Probation Violation. On Dec. 24th, 23-year old Austin Alff, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. And on Dec. 23rd, 18-year old Skyler Peters, of Atlantic, was arrested after he turned himself-in on charge of OWI/1st offense and Possession of a Controlled Substance. That same day, 26-year old Devin Register, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Probation Violation.

All subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad says it “makes sense” for Iowa to consider legislation that would require voters to show identification when casting an election ballot. The Republican governor told reporters Tuesday that such a requirement would ensure voters are valid and aren’t voting in more than one state. State officials do not track voter fraud statewide, but cases of fraudulent voting are exceedingly rare in Iowa.

Branstad says the state Secretary of State’s Office is working with members of the Iowa Legislature to introduce legislation that could make changes to Iowa’s voting system, though details are still being sorted out. Branstad says the goal is voter integrity, though it’s still unclear if voter identification will be included in any proposed legislation.

The new GOP-majority Legislature convenes Monday.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports numerous arrests over the holiday weekend. Officials say 23-year old Brandon Bradley Pospisal, of Avoca, was arrested Friday night following an investigation into a reported disturbance at a residence in the 200 block of N. Maple Street, in Avoca. The caller advised the man was threatening them with a kitchen knife and acted like he was going to harm himself. Pospisal placed under arrest without incident at around 11-p.m. for Domestic Assault with Intent or weapon.

Saturday afternoon, 40-year old Daniel Patrick Campbell, of Walnut, was arrested in Walnut for OWI/1st offense, Eluding and Driving While Revoked, after a deputy saw Campbell driving a moped without registration or a required flag. When he attempted to stop the moped, Campbell refused to stop, and eventually dumped the machine in the yard of a residence in the 700 block of Pacific Street. He then fled on foot into his home, where he was apprehended. In addition to the arrest charges, Campbell was cited for no registration, failure to provide proof of insurance, and failure to maintain control.

Just before 2-a.m. Sunday, a Deputy in Pottawattamie County arrested 21-year old Drew Michael Mohr, of Oakland, for OWI/1st offense, and Possession of a Controlled Substance, following a traffic stop south of Oakland, near the intersection of Highways 59 and 6. Authorities say Mohr was in possession of 2.8-grams of marijuana at the time of his arrest.

A man who had residences listed as being in Omaha and Harlan was arrested Sunday night for OWI/2nd offense and Harassment in the 2nd Degree, after a 2000 Pontiac he was driving allegedly tried to run a man over in the 100 block of N. Chestnut Street, in Avoca, and that the occupants of the vehicle was threatening or harassing the resident. The vehicle was located after it broke down on the road. As the driver, 38-year old Joseph Duane Cue, was being questioned, the deputy noticed the man had an odor of alcohol, bloodshot and watery eyes. He acknowledged his license had been suspended. In addition to the charges, Cue was cited for careless driving, operating a vehicle without registration, and driving while suspended.

And, a Council Bluffs man was arrested at around 1:30-a.m. today (Tuesday), for Possession of a Controlled Substance with intent to deliver, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. 29-year old Joshua M. Brizendine was pulled over for failure to have a functioning license plate light. Brizendine was arrested after he was found to be in possession of 15 grams of methamphetamine and a meth pipe.

Atlantic, IA – The Cass County Memorial Hospital Obstetrics (OB) Department will be hosting the first “Love Steps Up” Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Group on Thursday, January 5^th at 7 pm. Kate Nachtman, RN, says “As OB nurses, we work directly with patients who suffer miscarriages and still births. But we’re also moms who have experienced losses, too, and we know how critical it is to feel supported and loved when you are grieving the loss of a baby.”

The support group will meet every other month. Nachtman said “We hope that parents will come and make connections to other parents and resources.”  The group will meet in Conference Room 7. Attendees are asked to use Parking Lot C and come in through the Emergency Department Entrance. All parents and those affected by a loss are welcome to attend.

There is no fee required, and registration is not necessary. Questions can be directed to the CCMH OB Department at 712-250-8862.

Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson reports two arrests took place over the holiday weekend. At around 11-p.m. Monday, 50-year old Timothy Nathan Turner, of Kimballton, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/3rd offense, following an investigation into an incident that allegedly took place at his residence. Turner was brought to the Audubon County Jail and later released, after appearing before the Magistrate.

And, Saturday night, 23-year old Jarrett Douglas Christensen, of Exira, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense and Possession of Marijuana. His arrest was the result of a traffic stop at around 8-p.m. on Littlefield Drive. Christensen was also later released from custody, after appearing before a Magistrate.

Popular new transportation services like Uber face new state regulations, which backers say will help protect drivers and passengers alike. Under a law that took effect January 1st, the companies will have new requirements for insurance, background checks, and zero tolerance for drug and alcohol use. Acting Iowa D-O-T director Mark Lowe says Uber and the other companies will no longer have to negotiate standards with every city or town that signs up for the service.

Lowe says, “The specific thing that this legislation did was that it made those regulations apply statewide and it really eliminated the city’s right under their home rule authority to independently regulate transportation network companies.”

The new transportation option uses a smart phone app to connect riders to a taxi-like service. Under the new law, cities can still regulate taxis but they can’t require tougher standards for drivers than the new Uber standards. Lowe says the new law spells out insurance requirements which up until now have been unclear.

“If I get in this car, I may not be covered if the car has an accident or if that car hits another motorist,” Lowe says, “or even to the protection of the driver themselves who might be unaware that although they had insurance, it wasn’t going to be available to protect them.”

The law mandates certain equipment on each vehicle and background checks for drivers, and bans discrimination against riders. Under the bill, Uber and the other companies will face the same standards in every Iowa community that adopts the service, instead of negotiating separate rules in every town.

(Radio Iowa w/thanks to Joyce Russell at Iowa Public Radio)

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports one, recent arrest. As previously reported, on Sunday afternoon, 31-year old Jared Wayne Gatlin, of Bellevue, NE., was arrested by Montgomery County Deputies on a warrant for Failure to Appear. Gatlin was transferred to Mills County Deputies and was being held in the Mills Jail on $2,500 bond.

Sheriff’s officials said also, late Saturday night, a Pacific Junction man reported an incident of Attempted Burglary in the 3rd degree and Theft in the 3rd. No other details were provided.

And, one person was injured during a single-vehicle accident Monday morning, in Mills County. 23-year old Randall Dexter, of Thurman, was transported by Glenwood Rescue to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, after the 1999 Chrysler he was driving went out of control on a curve. The vehicle went off the road and hit a sign before crashing through a fence and rolling onto the driver’s side. The accident happened just before 6-a.m. on 221st Street/Deacon Road.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors held their annual administrative meeting this (Tuesday) morning, in Atlantic. Two newly-elected members of the Board, Steve Baier of Griswold and Steve Green, of Atlantic, began their duties after having been sworn-in, earlier. The first order of business was to elect a Board Chair and Vice Chair.

Cass County Board of Supervisors (clockwise, from left to right): Steve Green; Frank Waters; Gaylord Schelling; Dale Sunderman (Auditor/Board Secretary); Mark Wedemeyer and Steve Baier.

The Supervisors unanimously re-elected Gaylord Schelling as the Board Chair, and Frank Waters as Vice-Chair, following a recommendation by Schelling. In other business, the Board approved the appointment of deputies for the Auditor and Sheriff’s Offices, the appointment of Township Clerks with current incumbents, with the exception of Brighton Township, where the current clerk asked not to be re-appointed. To fill the position, the Board appointed Tonia Larsen.

The Board made no changes in the dates and times of their regular, future meetings. The meetings will continue to be held on Wednesday’s, beginning at 8:30-a.m., with the exception being the last week of the month, when they are normally held the last business day of the month.

They also made no changes (other than changing the date) in the 2017 annual livestock construction facility resolution, commonly known as the Master Matrix.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors approved the following appointments:

Mary Anstey            Deputy Auditor

Sheri Karns            Deputy Auditor

William Ayers          Deputy Sheriff

Benjamin Bartholomew   Deputy Sheriff

Ryan Johnson           Deputy Sheriff

Corey Larsen           Deputy Sheriff

Joshua McLaren         Deputy Sheriff

Kyle Quist             Deputy Sheriff

Tyler Shiels           Deputy Sheriff

John Westering         Chief Deputy Sheriff

Joni Knudsen           Sheriff’s Assistant

Billie Taylor-McLaren  Sheriff’s Assistant

Stephanie Witzman      Civil Process Server

A township clerk and a township trustee in each of 14 townships were to be appointed.  Only the clerk in Brighton Township filed a request to not be re-appointed and one application for that position was received. Motion by Green, second by Waters to make the following appointments:

Township Name Township Trustee 4 yr term ends  Township Clerk 4 yr term ends

Bear Grove  Joe Herbert       (12/31/2020) Jeff Schuler       (12/31/2020)

Benton      Vicki Sanny       (12/31/2020) Linda L. Olsen     (12/31/2020)

Brighton    Judy Sandbothe    (12/31/2020) Tonia Larsen       (12/31/2020)

Cass        Duane Weirich     (12/31/2020) Max R. Potter      (12/31/2020)

Franklin    Ray Zellmer       (12/31/2020) Virginia Eilts     (12/31/2020)

Grant       Clifford Merk     (12/31/2020) Tom Schultes       (12/31/2020)

Grove       Robert Vernon     (12/31/2020) Shirley Jacobsen   (12/31/2020)

Lincoln     Kathryn Russell   (12/31/2020) Linda Harms        (12/31/2020)

Massena     Joy Scanlan       (12/31/2020) Joyce Bower        (12/31/2020)

Noble       Rod Sindt         (12/31/2020) Tim Steinbeck      (12/31/2020)

Pleasant    Kenneth Cousins   (12/31/2020) Luanne Steffens    (12/31/2020)

Pymosa      Glen R. Smith     (12/31/2020) Kristy Pellett     (12/31/2020)

Victoria    Duane Ortgies     (12/31/2020) Linda Edwards      (12/31/2020)

Washington  Alan Zellmer      (12/31/2020) Duane Winston      (12/31/2020)