Authorities in Montgomery County report two people suffered minor injuries during a collision this (Wednesday) morning, in Red Oak. Officials say the accident happened at around 8-a.m.,  at the intersection of North 8th Street and Highway 34, when a 2006 Chevy Cobalt driven by 23-year old Levi Triplett, of Red Oak, stopped, but then proceeded into the intersection. His car was hit broadside by a 2011 Chevy Traverse, driven by 33-year old Corrine Jenkins, of Red Oak.

Officials say Jenkins had tried, but was unable to avoid the crash. Following the collision, Jenkins’ vehicle veered off to the left and impacted hard in a ditch before continuing into an open, grassy area and coming to rest. A 2008 Chevy Silverado pickup pulling  a cattle trailer was traveling east on Highway 34, and was hit by the Cobalt after it was struck by the Traverse.  The driver of the pickup, 28-year old Andrew Herzberg, of Villisca, was not hurt.

Triplett had to be extricated from his car by Red Oak Fire and Rescue. He and Jenkins were transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The car and the SUV were totaled in the crash, while the pickup sustained $500 damage. Authorities say Triplett was cited for Failure to remain stopped at a stop sign.

Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and crews with the Red Oak Fire Department assisted Red Oak Police at the scene.

Three Iowans are jailed in a bank robbery last week in Burlington Junction, Missouri, and the stolen money was recovered from inside a tree in southern Iowa. Nodaway County, Missouri Sheriff Darren White says perseverance paid off for investigators who finally recovered the stolen cash on Monday morning.

“Originally, when the three guys were arrested, one of them did talk when he was interviewed, but really didn’t give up any information,” Sheriff White says. “We’ve re-interviewed him several times and one of my deputies has been working with him and he’s finally just this morning led them to the location where they had actually hidden the money.” White says the money was actually in a tree at a location he described as the “middle of nowhere.”

The exact amount of the cash has not been disclosed, but authorities have indicated that between 10- and 12-thousand dollars was taken in the heist. The three suspects, all from Iowa were captured in a wooded area in northwest Missouri just a few yards south of Taylor County, Iowa. In custody are 26-year-old Joseph O’Neill, 26-year-old Donald Kestner both of Mt. Pleasant and 27-year-old Travis Davis of Fort Dodge. They are being held in the Nodaway County jail on $100,000 cash only bond.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation say their community campaign to raise funds for new equipment will begin next month. Funds raised will be used to purchase equipment for the Obstetrics (OB) and Emergency Departments at Cass County Memorial Hospital. The campaign is one portion of the Foundation’s annual drive.

Volunteers will be calling on businesses throughout Cass County from April 7th through April 21st to ask for their support. Individuals and families were given the opportunity to participate during a December direct mail campaign. The Foundation is raising funds to be used toward the purchase two new fetal monitors for the OB Department and a cardiac monitor for the Emergency Department.

The Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation was established in 1968 with a mission to provide support for Cass County Memorial Hospital. Because of the generosity of donors and the desire to continue providing the best care for you and your families, the Foundation has been able to donate over $1-million for equipment, education and services for the hospital.

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors with representatives from throughout Cass County. Current board members are: Kent Gade, President; Jane Kay, Vice President; Sid Knop, Secretary; Dave Chase, Treasurer, , Don Reinertson, Jim Mailander, Jo Ann Poeppe, Becky Hunt, Fred Hunt, John Molgaard, and Earlene Krauth. For more information about the CCMH Foundation, contact any board member or Dawn Marnin, Development Director, at 712-243-7409 or mardd@casshealth.org.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa House panel has moved forward on a bill to end greyhound racing in Iowa and pay breeders and employees in the industry up to $70 million. The bill moved Wednesday to the House Ways and Means Committee for consideration. Casinos in Council Bluffs and Dubuque, which spent $10 million to subsidize dog racing last year, say the industry is dying and the money could be better spent.

They would put up the money over six years to provide a retirement fund for dog owners, breeders, and other dog racing workers. The greyhound industry says it employs 1,200 people in Iowa and has proposed continuing racing in the state.

Lawmakers have told casinos and the dog industry to come up with their own plan or accept the Legislature’s solution.

Governor Terry E. Branstad has proclaimed the week of April as 9-1-1 Education Month in Iowa.  911 Education Month is sponsored by the Iowa 9-1-1 Communications Council and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD). 9-1-1 Education Month is an opportunity to help all Iowans recognize the importance of 9-1-1 and the role they play in ensuring effective emergency response.

Robert Kempf, coordinator for Adair & Guthrie Counties emergency management programs, says “Iowa’s 9-1-1 Education Month is an opportunity to remind citizens of the importance of this powerful safety tool.” Both the U.S. Congress and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) have recognized April as National 9-1-1 Education Month.

Information and resources about 9-1-1 are available on the Ready Iowa website and also on the NENA website at www.nena.org under the “Education” tab. Kempf says “When calling 9-1-1, remember, stay calm, and be aware of your location so you can help 9-1-1 dispatchers locate you during an emergency.”

HSEMD will post information on 9-1-1 throughout the month of April to its websites, www. homelandsecurity.iowa.gov and www.beready.iowa.gov.

A Republican candidate for U-S Senate from Red Oak got some airtime on N-B-C’s “Tonight Show” last night (Tuesday) and also received something of an endorsement from host Jimmy Fallon. “I saw this on YouTube today,” Fallon said. “It’s a commercial from a woman from Iowa named Joni Ernst who is running for the Senate, I think. Today, she released a campaign ad. Take a look at this.”

The ad plays, and Ernst is heard saying: “I’m Joni Ernst and I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm…” The ad is cut short as the audience howls and applauds, while Fallon — back on camera — cries: “Stop, stop, stop!” As the laughter continues, he adds, “I don’t know what she’s running for but just give her the job.”

Later in the commercial, Ernst said she knows “how to cut pork” and promises to make big spenders in Washington “squeal.”

(Radio Iowa)

Two western Iowa restaurants are among the top 10 finalists in the Iowa’s Best Burger Contest sponsored by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Those organizations counted the nominations which were received online, via text and paper ballots. Nominations were accepted between Feb. 12th and March 17th. Among those getting the most votes, was the Elm’s Club, in Creston, and Sam’s Sodas and Sandwiches, in Carroll.

Officials say Iowans submitted more than 9,600 nominating votes. Now in its fifth year, Iowa’s Best Burger contest received nominations for 456 Iowa restaurants. All Top Ten restaurants will be visited by judges who will evaluate the hamburgers based on taste, appearance, and proper serving temperature (160 degrees).

Last year, the 61 Chop House Grille in Mediapolis took home the grand prize. Previous winners include the Coon Bowl III (2012); the Rusty Duck in Dexter (2011) and the Sac County Cattle Company in Sac City (2010).

Giving Iowans a state tax credit for their student loan debt if they earned a degree from a non-profit university, college or community college in Iowa has been discussed at the statehouse, but the scope of the tax break might make it too pricey for legislators to even consider. Representative Greg Forristall (FOR-ih-stall), a Republican from Macedonia, isn’t ready to sign off on the concept yet. “When we get that fiscal note and we decide who qualifies for this, we may need to trim this back a little bit in terms of the portion that qualifies for the tax credit,” Forristall says.

And legislators are under pressure to expand the pool of people who could take the credit, if it is created. For-profit universities argue their students should get the tax break, too. Mike Heller is a lobbyist for Kaplan University.  “We have a concern with the definition of eligible institution,” Heller said. “We think it should be expanded to include students who graduate from for-profit institutions. The debt loan concerns are the same for the student.”

Paula Dierenfeld, a lobbyist for the University of Phoenix, says the bill as currently written would deny the credit to Iowans who earn a degree on-line from the University of Phoenix — or the University of Wisconsin. “It’s kind of a new era of learning in Iowa with these on-line courses…and we believe that those students because they’re residents in Iowa, taxpayers in Iowa, receiving their degrees here in Iowa and working in Iowa should be as eligible for these tax credits as other students,” Dierenfeld says.

Trade schools are clamoring to get their students signed up for the potential tax credit, too. Kent Hartwig is a lobbyist for the Iowa Cosmetology School Association. “We have numerous cosmetology schools in the state and we would like our students to benefit from this as well,” Hartwig said.

An official from the Iowa Department of Revenue also points out there would be “double-dipping” if Iowans could get a tax credit that’s worth to up to half of the student loan payments they make in a year. That’s because there’s already a tax break on the interest paid on student loans. Income taxpayers can claim up to 25-hundred dollars in student loan interest on both their state and federal tax returns today.

(Radio Iowa)

Residents of northwest Iowa are being warned about bogus text messages that claim to be from Wells Fargo Bank, directing people to go to a phony website and enter their account information. Angie Kaipust, spokeswoman for the bank in Sioux City, says it’s a “phishing” scam.
Kaipust says, “What these fraudsters do is they send a message to a wide audience, including customers and non-customers, and they’re hoping someone’s going to click on the link and give their personal financial information.”

She says there’s a course of action you should follow. “If you get a suspicious message, whether it’s a text message, a voice message or email and they’re asking for your personal financial information, delete it and don’t respond to it,” Kaipust says. After you delete the message, she says it’s a good idea to contact your bank and ensure your account hasn’t been compromised.

“Cardholders are protected by our zero liability protection,” she says. “That means you’re not liable for any unauthorized transactions that are made when you promptly report it to us.” The bank already has that information on its customers, she reminds, so they wouldn’t be asking for it.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Ric Hanson

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