(Radio Iowa) – Three policemen have been honored for saving a man from a burning apartment in downtown Oelwein last February. Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Bayens says the officers were first to arrive at the scene of an apartment building fire, went door to door to evacuate residents and rescued a man after they heard his feeble call for help.

“These three officers showed exceptional courage and judgment knowing that immediate action was necessary,” Bayens says. “They disregarded their own safety by plunging into a smoke-billowing apartment without the benefit of safety equipment to preserve life.”

Oelwein officers Gage Voshell, William Ward and Codi Wurzer were treated for smoke inhalation. Their Awards of Valor are named for the five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo who were killed in action during World War II when the U-S-S Juneau was sunk by Japanese torpedoes. Kelly Sullivan, the granddaughter of one of the siblings, attended yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) ceremony at the Capital and handed each officer their honorary medal.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Henningsen Construction in Atlantic announced Wednesday night that the company’s third-generation owner, Mike Henningsen, died Tuesday, at the age of 72. In addition to his business leadership and vision, the company said in his obituary, that Henningsen had served as president of the Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2015.

He was a long-time board member of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and served for 20 years on the Atlantic Airport Commission. Henningsen owned a P-51D Mustang, “Big Beautiful Doll,” that was frequently heard in the skies over Atlantic until it was sold in 2014. He also owned a North American T-6 Texan.

A funeral service to celebrate the life of Mike Henningsen will be held on Tuesday, December 17, at 1 p.m. at the First United Presbyterian Church in Atlantic, Iowa.

(Iowa DNR News) – Iowans can buy 2025 resident hunting, fishing and other licenses on Dec. 15.  Licenses purchased for 2024 expire on Jan. 10th. The menu of license options includes the popular Outdoor Combo annual resident hunting/fishing/habitat combo license for $55; the Angler’s Special three-year fishing license for $62; and the Hunter’s Special three-year hunting license with habitat included for $101.

Also available is the Bonus Line option for $14 letting resident and nonresident anglers to fish with one more line in addition to the two lines allowed with the regular fishing license. Upgrade your paper license to a durable hard card with custom art from Iowa artists for only $6.

Download the GoOutdoorsIowa mobile app for iPhone and Android devices to buy and access your license information, no matter where you are. Sync your hunting and fishing licenses on the app to show in the field. You may download multiple customer licenses to offer one secure digital license document location for families, groups, and more.

Licenses are available at 600 locations across the state, and on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/GoOutdoorsIowa.

The Iowa DNR says “Hunting and fishing are often enjoyed with family and friends. A fishing or hunting license makes a great stocking stuffer. “

WOODWARD, Iowa [KCCI] – Woodward police have filed charges against four employees at the Woodward State Hospital following an incident involving the assault of a dependent adult.

Woodward police Chief Jim Graham said the charges stem from an event captured on video in August, where a then-staff member, Mercedes Denise Wilson, assaulted a 21-year-old resident diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability. The incident reportedly occurred when the victim was in a chair.

A report filed with the Department of Inspections and Appeals details that the victim was trapped underneath the chair, and the staff member pressed down on it. The assault lasted about 15 minutes, according to criminal complaints, during which the victim was pushed out of different chairs multiple times.

Graham said three other staff members were present in the room but did not intervene. These staff members have been charged with neglect of a dependent adult. At least one of these cases has been dismissed, while another still has a warrant out for their arrest.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Woodward Resource Center. In a statement officials said  “Iowa HHS takes the safety of our staff and clients very seriously, including reporting and conducting internal investigations into any reported incidents. The individuals involved in this incident are no longer employed by Iowa HHS.”

(Sidney, Iowa) – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports the following arrests:

(Radio  Iowa) – Jim Leach, a Davenport native who represented Iowa in congress for 30 years, has died at the age of 82. Leach — first elected to the U-S House in 1976 — rose to be Republican chairman of the powerful House Banking Committee. Dave Loebsack — the Democrat who defeated Leach in 2006 — calls Leach a statesman.

“As I said many, many times — I wasn’t running against Jim Leach. I was running against total Republican control of Washington, D.C. at that time,” Loebsack said. “…I respect him for what he did in office. I respect him for breaking with his party as much as he did. I often tell people he was one of only six Republicans who voted, at the time, against the Iraq war resolution.”

That vote was in 2002. In 2008, Leach, a Republican, endorsed Barack Obama and the following year Obama appointed Leach to be chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2022 during an Iowa Public Radio interview, Leach said he’d become a registered Democrat and was backing Democrats running for the U-S House to make congress more functional.

“We have to come together as a society and if we don’t come together as a society, we’re going to have a very difficult time leading ourselves, let alone leading the world,” Leach said. Leach moved from his hometown of Davenport to Iowa City when congressional district lines changed for the 2002 election. Secretary of State Paul Pate served as mayor of Cedar Rapids from 2001 to 2005 when Leach was representing the city. “He truly listened and tried to do right by us,” Pate says.

Leach, a three-sport athlete in college, won a state wrestling title in 1960 as a high school senior and was elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. After graduating from Princeton, earning a masters from Johns Hopkins University and studying at the London School of Economics, Leach entered the foreign service and, for a time, shared an office with Dick Cheney. In the past decade, Leach served in several academic roles. Leach briefly led the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School at Harvard and taught at Princeton. He’d also been a visiting professor and a senior scholar at the University of Iowa.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) today (Wednesday), called for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to support commerce on the Missouri River instead of removing 36 of its Aids to Navigation (ATONs) north of Blencoe, Iowa.

Navigation on the Missouri River is an integral part of moving Iowa’s inputs and goods both domestically and worldwide. In recent years, navigation up to Sioux City, Iowa has increased, and planned development projects are expected to further increase traffic in years to come.

“In Iowa, we are proud to feed, fuel, and supply consumers around the globe with products straight from the heartland. Our beautiful rivers are integral to sharing those products with the rest of the world.” said Senator Ernst. “The removal of this infrastructure on the Missouri River threatens the livelihoods of Iowans in our manufacturing and agricultural communities. I urge the Coast Guard to reconsider this decision.”

Read the full letter here.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Governor Kim Reynolds and Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens honored heroic citizens and first responders at the 2024 Sullivan Brothers’ Award of Valor and Governor’s Lifesaving Awards ceremony held this (Wednesday) morning in the Iowa Capitol Rotunda. A total of seven individuals from communities across the state were recognized for their courageous responses.

“Today’s award winners met moments of sudden, life-threatening danger or severe hardship with inspiring courage and presence of mind,” Governor Reynolds said. “They are true heroes who represent the very best of our state, and it was a privilege to recognize them this morning.”

Added Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens, “These Iowans intentionally and selflessly provided aid and assistance in times of need. It’s an honor to celebrate those who placed the needs of others above their own and answered the call to serve.”

The Governor’s Lifesaving Awards Program recognizes recipients in four different categories, including:
Meritorious Service, which is awarded to those individuals in recognition of courageous and unselfish service rendered during a time of distress.
Outstanding Service, which is presented to persons who have performed a courageous act in an attempt to save an individual who was in danger of losing his or her life or to individuals who unselfishly rendered service in a time of emergency.
Lifesaving, which is awarded to those individuals who have attempted to save the life of another individual, but did not put their own life in jeopardy.
Lifesaving with Valor, which is awarded to those individuals who at the risk of their own life, attempted to save that of another.

The Governor’s Lifesaving Awards honored four civilians:

• Randy Hartley, Adel – Outstanding Service Award
  

  Randy Hartley, Adel – Outstanding Service Award

• Tyler Borneman, Waterloo – Lifesaving Award
• Evan Scheck, Spirit Lake – Lifesaving with Valor Award
• Joseph Salmon, Spencer – Lifesaving with Valor Award

The Sullivan Brothers’ Awards of Valor honors the memory of George, Frank, Joe, Matt, and Albert Sullivan – all in their 20s – who served together on the USS Juneau in the Guadalcanal naval battle in the fall of 1942. All five brothers died together in a tragic attack when two Japanese torpedoes struck their ship.
Kelly Sullivan, the granddaughter of Albert Sullivan, participated in this year’s ceremony. Kelly is a third-grade teacher in Waterloo who sits on the commissioning committee of the new USS Iowa and also commissioned the USS The Sullivans. A total of three first responders, all with the Oelwein Police Department, were honored at today’s ceremony:

• Officer Gage D. Voshell
• Officer William E. Ward
• Officer Codi R. Wurzer

Click for event photos 
Click to visit the web page for lifesaving summaries and recipient photos

To make future nominations, or for general information on the Sullivan Brothers’ Award of Valor and Governor’s Lifesaving Awards, visit the DPS website.