The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 37-year old Jamie Lynn Opalia, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced Feb. 19th to three months in prison for Social Security Representative Payee fraud. United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey also ordered Opalia to serve three years of supervised release following her prison term and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. She must also pay restitution to the Social Security Administration in the amount of $22,552.

On October 23, 2018, Opalia pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted she applied for and was granted Social Security benefits to support another person, but converted almost all of the funds from Social Security to her own personal use. This matter was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Members of the Griswold and Lenox Boards of Education will hold a Special Joint Meeting 7-p.m. Wednesday, in the Griswold Middle School/High School Library. On their agenda is discussion, with regard to Superintendent Sharing and an Individual Contract. The combined Boards will then consider entering into a closed session to evaluate the professional competency of an employee “Whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered…”

The closed session will be followed by the resumption of an open session, whereby the Boards will consider approval of a Sharing Agreement and approval of a Superintendent Contract. Immediately after the Joint Meeting adjourns, the Griswold School Board will hold a Special meeting to consider approving an Open Enrollment request.

Members of the Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will meet during a Work Session 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27th, in the Middle School Media Center. During their session, the Board will discuss a “High School Academic Opportunity,” and discuss upcoming notable dates, including:

• Special Election (Bond-related) voting begins March 4th
• A Public Hearing for the 2019-2020 School Calendar (during the Board’s regular meeting on March 13th)
• Parent-Teacher Conferences (March 13-14)
• and a presentation by Aaron Thomas 10-a.m. March 22nd.

Following their session, the Atlantic School Board will hold a closed session (as allowed under the Iowa Code) for the Superintendent’s Annual Evaluation.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Three people died in a fire that heavily damaged a two-story house in the eastern Iowa city of Muscatine, fire officials said. Firefighters dispatched around 6:40 p.m. Monday found flames coming from several doors and windows, the Muscatine Fire Department said. One injured person found outside the home was taken to Trinity Muscatine hospital in critical condition. The person’s name hasn’t been released. Firefighters found three bodies inside the home. Fire Chief Jerry Ewers declined to say Tuesday whether the three lived there. Their names were being withheld until relatives could be notified about the deaths. Autopsies were ordered. Ewers said one of his firefighters suffered a minor burn. A pet cat was rescued.

Two other departments sent units and off-duty Muscatine firefighters also were called in to help, he said. There was heavy damage throughout the first and second floors, and smoke and water damage throughout the basement. The house will likely be considered a total loss, the fire department said. Investigators have determined where the fire started but not what caused it. The house was equipped with smoke alarms, but it’s not certain whether they were working when the fire began, the department said.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A southeast Iowa man acquitted of vehicular homicide but found guilty of operating while intoxicated has been imprisoned. The Hawk Eye reports that 58-year-old Bradley Wischmeier was sentenced Monday to two years. A jury delivered the verdicts on Dec. 17. The charges followed the April 17 death of 50-year-old Lisa Wischmeier. Deputies found the couple in a harvested cornfield not far from the Wischmeiers’ home near Burlington. Bradley Wischmeier was lying around 20 yards from a blazing vehicle and his wife was dead, near the car.

Court records say Bradley Wischmeier acknowledged driving around the field until the vehicle overheated and caught fire.