The Atlantic City Council paid tribute Wednesday evening to a young man who was one of two people to represent Iowa in the Special Olympics World Games held last month in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

Brandon Baier is recognized during an Atlantic City Council meeting 4/3/19. (Ric Hanson/photo)

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones read from the proclamation that paid tribute to Brandon Baier. The proclamation as read can be found here: Proclamation

The 27 year old Baier participated in Track & Field at the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle last July, earning a gold medal and qualifying for the World Games. Brandon won a bronze medal in the Shot Put and competed in the 100 meter dash and the 4 x 100 meter relay at the World Games in March.

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones and the City Council paid special recognition Wednesday evening to the Atlantic High School and Middle School Archery Teams. The High School Team qualified both a bullseye and 3D team, and Middle School team qualified for Bullseye.

Members of the Atlantic Sate Archery Team pose during their recognition at City Hall (Ric Hanson/photo)

The High School team finished the 3D Tournament 15th, with Lee Houser scoring 279 and finishing 21st. Zach Colton finished 22nd with a 279, and Lia Lillard finished 60th with a score of 255. The team also finished 11th out of 31 teams in the Bullseye tournament. The top girl finisher for Atlantic was Jasmyne Oasay-Waddel, ranking 158th out of 334 and scoring 266. Finishing 10th was Lee Houser, Cooper Jipsen was 11th, and Dustin Dreager at 20th.

The Atlantic Middle School Team was 19th out of 30 teams. Out of the 350 middle school girls competing, Halle Copeland was second. Of the 837 girls in the tournament she was 11th. Carter Smith was 19th out of 427, and the tops boys finisher and 97th of all the boys in the tournament. On the girls side, Mariah Hadley finished 25th. The Washington Middle School took the title with a team score of 3,278.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says former Justice Daryl Hecht has died after leaving his position to focus on his treatment for skin cancer. The court’s spokesman Steve Davis says Hecht died early Wednesday. He was 66.

Hecht, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack in 2006, resigned from the court in December while receiving treatment for melanoma in Sioux City and at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

In a statement, the Iowa Judicial Branch described Hecht as a kind, thoughtful jurist with a passion for the law and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
He practiced law in Sioux City for 22 years before his appointment in 1999 to the Iowa Court of Appeals, where he served until his appointment to the Supreme Court.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters and three grandchildren.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa Republican senator is expressing irritation at what he calls “idiotic” comments by President Donald Trump about wind energy.
Trump, at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual spring dinner Tuesday night, said noise from wind turbines causes cancer.

Sen. Chuck Grassley said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday that the comments “were first of all idiotic and it doesn’t show much respect for Chuck Grassley as the grandfather of the wind energy tax credit.” Grassley was instrumental in approving a federal tax credit 26 years ago that has spurred wind energy development.

Iowa is a national leader in wind energy, with more than 4,000 turbines. Asked about Trump’s claim, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds refused to say the president was wrong, saying it was not her place to do so. “You know how those things change. One year coffee is good for you and the next year coffee causes cancer,” she said.

“That’s what happens. We’ve got a lot of people that are driving the industry and investing in the industry and we should be proud of our position.” She noted Iowa generates 40 percent of its electricity from wind.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 48-year old Valeria Ventura Ramirez, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced Tuesday in Council Bluffs District Court, to 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to launder money.

In 2016, Ventura Ramirez was the owner and operator of Novedades Ventura, Inc., a money service business located on Leavenworth Street in Omaha. Between July and November of 2016, Ventura Ramirez utilized multiple money transfer companies, including but not limited to, MoneyGram, Western Union, Sigue, InterCambio Express, CES and Intermex, to knowingly wire drug money from the United States to Mexico on behalf of drug traffickers operating in Council Bluffs and Omaha.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Omaha Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday (today), said three people suffered minor injuries during a collision Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Highways N-28 and 92. Authorities say a 2007 Buick Rendezvous driven by 15-year old Joann Elizabeth Brahms, of Cumberland, was westbound on Highway 92 when a southbound 2018 Chevy Silverado owned and driven by 70-year old Stephen Swanson, of Essex, pulled away from a stop sign and entered the intersection, striking the Buick in the driver’s side. The Buick then entered the south ditch. The injured persons were transported to Cass County Memorial Hospital by Cumberland Rescue and Medivac. Swanson was cited for Failure to Yield at a Stop Sign. Damage to the vehicles amounted to $15,000.

On March 26th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 40-year old Justin David Altstadt, of Atlantic, on three Atlantic Police Department warrants for Violation of No Contact Order, and two District Court warrants for Failure to Appear. Altstadt was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $11,100 bond.

On March 29th, 20-year old Jacob Hoyt Way, of Audubon, was arrested on two District Court warrants for Probation Violation. Way was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $40,000 bond. That same day, 38-year old David Dewayne Thomas, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Harassment 2^nd Degree. Thomas was taken to the Cass County Jail and was released the following day on his own recognizance.

On March 30th, Cass County deputies arrested 28-year old Shari Lavon Lowe, of Creston, on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Lowe was taken to the Cass County Jail and was held pending transport to the Iowa Correctional Facility for Women.

And, on April 1st, 39-year old Misty Lynn Scybert, of Atlantic, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Violation of Probation. Scybert was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $5,000 bond.

A former City Clerk in Fremont County was sentenced Tuesday in Council Bluffs District Court to 5-years of probation for Bank Fraud. 57-year old Carol S. Jennings, of Riverton, was also ordered to pay $77,247.47 in restitution. As part of her sentence, Jennings will serve six months of home confinement.

In November 2018, Jennings pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. According to plea documents, Jennings admitted that while employed as the clerk for the City of Riverton, she opened an account with a local bank by providing a falsified document. Jennings also admitted to depositing city funds into the account and then converting almost the entire balance for her own personal use.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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