IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — After a major provider agreed to stay in Iowa’s troubled Medicaid program, state officials quietly let its hospitals and clinics keep $2.4 million in mistaken overpayments. UnityPoint Health threatened to quit Iowa’s Medicaid program a year ago, saying that it had reached an impasse in contract negotiations with the managed care organization AmeriGroup. Its departure would have disrupted health care for 54,000 Medicaid recipients beginning April 1. But UnityPoint and AmeriGroup reached a last-minute agreement to keep its provider network in the program, a victory for Gov. Kim Reynolds.

In April, Iowa Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven signed a settlement that allowed UnityPoint to keep $2.4 million in overpayments for electronic health records incentives that had been identified by auditors. The Associated Press obtained a copy under the open records law. Democratic Sen. Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City says the deal “looks fishy” and that lawmakers were never informed about it.
UnityPoint says the agreement was unrelated to its continued participation in Medicaid.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa county election official says U.S. Postal Service officials have scanned postal bar codes on 33 ballots that have not been counted in an Iowa House race and found 29 were mailed in time to be counted. A Democratic candidate the Iowa House district 55 seat who is trailing by nine votes won a court ruling Monday that gave her the right to determine whether the absentee ballots were mailed on time. Further court action will now take place to decide whether they will be counted.

Counting the ballots could flip the results of the race where incumbent Republican Michael Bergan leads Democrat Kayla Koether by just nine votes in the three-county district. Koether sued election officials who refused to count the ballots because they lacked a postmark. The ballots contain a postal bar code that Koether says can prove the mailing date. State and county election officials say Iowa law doesn’t allow postal bar codes to be used to authenticate ballots but a judge ordered them scanned.

Winneshiek County Auditor Ben Steines says in court documents that a scan revealed 29 ballots were mailed on Nov. 5, the state-mandated deadline. One was mailed Nov. 6 and no information was obtained for three.

A reception to recognize outgoing Montgomery County elected officials will take place Tuesday, December 18th, from 10-a.m. until Noon, at the Montgomery County Courthouse. Montgomery County Attorney, Bruce Swanson, has served for 27 years. Montgomery County Supervisor, Steve Ratcliff, has served 11 years. Montgomery County Treasurer, Carol Strovers, has also served for 11 years. The public is invited to extend their gratitude and best wishes to these elected officials.

One person was injured shortly before 3-p.m., Wednesday, during a collision that took place about one-half mile north of Harlan. The accident took place on Highway 59, as a 2018 Hyundai Sonata, driven by 55 year old Jean Whitfield, of Harlan was traveling northbound on Highway 59, and slowing to make a turn. A 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup, driven by 45 year old Douglas Schneider, of Panama, struck the rear of Whitfield’s car. Whitfield suffered non-life threatening injuries, and was transported to Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan by Medivac Ambulance. Damage to her vehicle was estimated at $20,000. Damage to Schneider’s pickup was estimated at $12,000. Schneider was cited with Failure to Stop in an Assured Clear Distance.

The driver of a Chevy Lumina suffered minor, unknown injuries during a collision Tuesday evening, with a tractor. The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the car driven by 31-year old Matthew Dylan Rinehart, of Creston, was traveling northbound on the High and Dry Road at around 5:40-p.m., Tuesday. Ahead of him was a 2008 John Deere 7320 tractor driven by 75-year old Walter Edward Glynn, of Creston. As Rinehart attempted to pass the tractor, Glynn turned left into a private driveway. A witness said the tractor had its left turn signal on.

The car hit the tractor on its front wheels, causing damage to the passenger side of the Lumina. The tractor was not damaged. Rinehart complained of pain, but was not transported to the hospital. Damage from the collision amounted to $1,000. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) — A Reinbeck man is accused of exposing himself to students and others around the University of Northern Iowa campus.  Cedar Falls Police have charged 35-year-old Benjamin Lewis Williams with two counts of indecent exposure and UNI Police say they’ve also filed charges for incidents on the campus. Williams was arrested Wednesday in Iowa Falls. Police issued a warrant for his arrest after investigating several reports of a motorist who would ask people for directions and when they approached his car, discovered the man was not fully clothed.

(Radio Iowa) — Newly released information from the National Safety Transportation Board’s investigation into a fatal airplane crash last month near Guthrie Center, shows a crack in an exhaust muffler that provided heat inside the plane, contributed to the crash. The report says the inner surface of the muffler heat shroud was coated in sooty tan and grey colored deposits. Similar deposits were also present on the inner surface of the cabin heat hose that ducted air from the shroud to the cabin heat distributer box assembly. Toxicology testing performed by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s office revealed elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the blood of all four occupants. Killed in that plane crash were 49-year old Ed Anderson, of Le Mars, the pilot. 36-year old Patrick Kellen of Le Mars, 15-year old Samantha Clark of Le Mars, and 28-year old Tyler Douvia of Merrill.

Read the entire report here: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20181110X83525&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=FA&fbclid=IwAR3F8avOpqlc38kV_73rioE5unn1DrCWKKdi9q83ekwh6SWhdv6eFeve-wo

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) — A special state audit report says Waukee Community School District administrators improperly used state credit cards and spent nearly $129,000 on items and services that “were not in the taxpayers’ best interest.” The report issued Thursday says the items included nearly $28,000 for lounge chairs and furniture for the superintendent’s office and more than $83,000 on district administrators’ retreats.

The report says the audit covered July 1, 2013, through Dec. 31, 2017, and was conducted in response to lawmakers’ and residents’ concerns about the district’s chief operating officer. In May the district reached a lawsuit settlement with the second of two former employees who had reported what they say was misconduct by the officer, Eric Rose. The district superintendent has denied the allegations.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Nov. 30th, of 19-year old Dakota Rain Toepfer, of Audubon. He was taken into custody on an outstanding Theft warrant and held in the Audubon County Jail on a $300 bond. And, on Nov. 15th, 27-year old Michael Paul Ives Jr., of Council Bluffs,  was arrested on a charge of Driving While Suspended. His arrest took place following a traffic stop in Hamlin. Ives was released from custody the following day.