DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — A prominent Iowa brewery is pseudo-suing its former head brewer. A legal action filed by Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. seeks to stop Chris Flenker from helping run a new brewery in Cedar Rapids, alleging he is violating a non-compete agreement. Toppling Goliath is known for its popular Pseudo Sue pale ale and other beers that have made it one of the nation’s top ranked breweries. Flenker worked at the Decorah-based company from 2015 until his departure in January 2017. Flenker is now working at Thew Brewing in Cedar Rapids, which opened earlier this year.

Toppling Goliath says Flenker agreed not to work for a rival business within 150 miles of Decorah for two years after his departure. The company says Flenker had access to its proprietary recipes, formulas and techniques and is using those trade secrets for gain. The lawsuit seeks an injunction blocking Flenker’s work at Thew.

Democrat Sara Ramsey, from Corning, was at the Cass County Fair, Monday, talking with voters about her bid for Iowa Senate District 11, which encompasses Adams, Pottawattamie and Union Counties, as well as most of Cass County. Republican Senator Tom Shipley, of Nodaway, has served as the District 11 since he was elected in 2014. He’s running for re-election in November. Ramsey’s bio says she’s running “As an alternative for those who are unsatisfied with the Iowa Republican Party’s performance.” She currently works as a psychiatric technician in Douglas County, Nebraska. She said she decided to enter the race for District 11 because she disagrees with Shipley on the several issues and some of the actions he’s backed in the Senate.

Sara Ramsey, candidate for IA Senate D-11

She says in her visits with district constituents, she’s heard their concerns on issues ranging from poverty to mental health care and healthcare in general. Being a psychiatric technician, Ramsey says mental health care has been affected by decisions made in the Iowa legislature, especially with regard to the closing of two out of four mental health institutions in Iowa. “When they closed down [the] Clarinda and Mt. Pleasant [mental health institutes] for financial reasons, they also took away 80 jobs…then they gave tax cuts to Apple to create 500 something temporary jobs and maybe 50 long-term jobs in a suburb of Des Moines. Policies like that are impacting [rural Iowa], areas that need services desperately, like mental health beds.”

Ramsey says if they were brought back, those services would bring in licensed professionals to staff the institutes and hospitals, creating good paying jobs. Other issues she supports include raising the minimum wage, ensuring consumer protections, protecting reproductive rights, supporting LGBTQ issues, and enforcing environmental protection. She says the rural area needs to make its voice heard by electing leaders who listen to their concerns and act upon them, and she believes she can be that voice in Iowa Senate District 11.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Monday (today) said as the result of an ongoing investigation, on or about July 20^th, deputies arrested on Sheriff’s Office warrants: 32-year old Stephen Kenneth Sheeder, of Anita, on a felony charge of Sexual Abuse 3^rd Degree. Later, nine more counts of felony Sex Abuse 3^rd Degree were added to Sheeder’s charges as well as three charges of Lascivious Acts with a child, also a felony offense. And, Dana Walker was charged with Child Endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor. Sheeder was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $100,000 bond; Walker was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $25,000 bond. On July 24th, Deputies in Cass County arrested 48-year old Sean Patrick Ryan, of Anita, on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for felony Sexual Abuse in the 2^nd Degree, and a felony charge of Lascivious Acts with a Child. Ryan was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $25,000 bond.

On July 24th also, Robert John Rasmussen was arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear, and a Sheriff’s Office warrant for Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registry 2^nd Offense (a Class D Felony). Rasmussen was also arrested on a new charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Rasmussen was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $15,000 bond.

Last Friday, Cass County Deputies arrested 38-year old Jared Eldon Finnell, of Cumberland, after he turned himself in at the Cass County Jail on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Finnell was released the following day on his own recognizance.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Another trial date has been set for an eastern Iowa woman accused of letting seven children live surrounded by garbage, rotten food and feces. Dubuque County records say 35-year-old Tiesha Martin has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of child endangerment. Her trial originally was scheduled to begin March 19 but was delayed until April 23, then June 11, June 25 and now Sept. 5.

The records say police and a social worker checking on the children at Martin’s residence Jan. 2 found the squalid conditions and say the children were sharing just one bedroom and bed. Thirty-four-year-old Jermaine Watson is the father of Martin’s youngest child, and he pleaded guilty to child endangerment and two drug counts. He’s been given two years of probation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will be holding a judicial conference in Des Moines next month. Organizers say U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be among the speakers at the Iowa Events Center, Aug. 15-17. Also speaking will be Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-Va. They are chairmen of the Senate and House judiciary committees, respectively.

The conference is open only to judges, attorneys, law school students and court employees.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — An October trial in Sioux City has been scheduled for a man accused of ramming police cars on a chase that began in northeast Nebraska and ended in western Iowa. Woodbury County court records say 43-year-old Larry Johnson II pleaded not guilty Friday to assault on an officer. His trial is set to begin Oct. 2. The Nebraska State Patrol says the incident occurred July 6 when a Nebraska trooper tried to stop a pickup truck being pursued by South Sioux City police. Officials say the truck rammed the trooper’s car, which had maneuvered in front of it, from behind before crossing into Iowa.

The trooper and a Dakota County sheriff’s cruiser following the truck onto Interstate 29 before it went out of control and became stuck in a median. Officials say the truck then rammed both the trooper’s car and the sheriff’s vehicle before Johnson was arrested.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The director of the Iowa Board of Medicine has abruptly retired following a personnel investigation in which he says he was treated unfairly by state administrators. Mark Bowden announced his retirement on Monday morning, following the board’s decision to reinstate him to his position on Friday. He had been on paid leave during an investigation into unspecified allegations.

Bowden says state lawyers and staff at the Department of Public Health and Department of Administrative Services treated him in a “grossly unfair way” during the inquiry. He says the treatment “broke the trust and confidence I need” to stay at the agency, which he had led for 10 years.

The board is responsible for licensing physicians and acupuncturists and investigating claims of misconduct.

A rural Atlantic woman is vying to become the Democratic representative for Iowa House District 21, which covers Adams, Union, Cass, and West Pottawattamie Counties, and is currently held by incumbent Republican Tom Moore, of Griswold.

Denise O’Brien

Denise O’Brien, who has farmed in the County for over 42-years, says she’s running for the Iowa House because she wants the voice of rural Iowans to be heard. She said she decided to run in the November General Election when she learned her opponent was going to go unchallenged. She said she had no intention of getting into politics again (She ran for Secretary of Agriculture in 2006), but she felt women, rural Iowa, and Democrats were under-represented in the House of Representatives and Governorship. O’Brien said also she would the same thing if she were an incumbent, because “It’s how democracy works.”

She says she’s always sought to find answers for how rural communities and farmers can survive and thrive. O’Brien says losing a small farm base to large farms has been a big detriment, but there’s still opportunities for small farm operations. Working on economic development issues in conjunction with technology can help people live in rural areas and participate in the rural economy yet be worldwide in their influence. And, while the population in Iowa tends to trend toward the urban areas, O’Brien says some people who’ve left rural Iowa are becoming disenchanted with the urban life for various reasons, and look to return home. She’s said it’s very good for people to leave and experience the big city life, and then to come back once they’ve had their fill of the rush and headaches associated with traffic, crime and crowds.

O’Brien left Iowa as a teenager, but came back, found love and decided to stay. The wider-world experiences she had allowed her to bring back fresh ideas to help the community. She says the next big challenge Iowa faces, is agri-business/agriculture, including issues caused by climate change. Some people she says some accept the premise of climate change, while other deny it, but her experience tells her things have changed, and Iowa needs to be better prepared for it.

And, as other candidates for office have said, Iowans are concerned about healthcare, education and the farm economy. O’Brien says she’ll work to address those issues in the Iowa House, if elected in November.

IA House District 21