IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Disease causing bacteria have been found at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Hospital, but officials have not informed patients about the problem.  The Des Moines Register reports  the VA is planning to spend $6.5 million to address the legionella bacteria that has been found in the hospital’s water pipes.

VA pathologist Stacy Klutts says the bacteria are at low levels, so there is little risk of infection at this point. And officials say they have been able to control the problem. But critics say patients should be informed so they can make their own decisions, especially because so many VA patients are elderly.

Vietnam War veteran Dick Allison, who used to work at the hospital, says he’s upset administrators aren’t being upfront with the public about the bacteria.

Two people died in separate crashes Sunday morning in Central Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol says 26-year old Scott A. Trimble, of Davenport died in a crash near Colfax at around 2:50-a.m., on Interstate 80 westbound, in Jasper County. He was not wearing a seat belt.

Authorities say Trimble was traveling eastbound and fleeing from law enforcement in a 2014 Lincoln, when he lost control of the car after it hit stop-sticks that were set down earlier, by Mitchellville Police. The car vaulted through the median and into the westbound lane, where it collided with a 2013 Freightliner truck driven by 52-year old Michael T. Grodoski, of Lake in the Hills, IL. Grodoski was not injured. Steve Miller, a passenger in Trimble’s vehicle, was injured and transported by ambulance to Skiff Hospital. Police didn’t say why they were pursuing Trimble.

The other accident happened in Polk County, at around 8-a.m., Sunday. The State Patrol says a 2014 Chevy Cruze driven by 55-year old Linda Neubauer, of Des Moines, was traveling north on northeast 56th Street and failed to yield for a stop sign. Her car was hit by a 2013 Ford Taurus driven by 64-year old Nancy Bein, of Bondurant, as she was traveling west on northeast 78th Avenue.

Neubauer, whose car was hit on the passenger side, died later at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. Bein was injured in the crash and also transported to Methodist. A report on her condition was not immediately available. The accident remains under investigation.

The Atlantic City Council will meet this Wednesday (October 1st) at 5:30-pm, in the Council Chambers at City Hall. On the agenda is an order to approve a resignation and severance agreement between the City of Atlantic and the City Administrator Doug Harris.  An option is also included on the agenda to enter into executive session upon the written request of the City Administrator to discuss the resignation and severance package. The Mayor and Personnel/Finance Committee reviewed and recommended the agreement be approved last week

Harris and the council have been at odds over recent tax abatement plans and he was asked to resign. An order to appoint his assistant John Lund as the Interim City Administrator is on the agenda as well that would be effective October 4, 2014.

Other agenda items include: Approving a change order on improvements on 17th street project;  Addressing an EPA request to move forward with the nomination of the former dry cleaner site as a National Priorities List Site; A Public hearing on, and order for the disposal of, 1200 Birch Street and 1106 Poplar Street; and, an Order to authorize the Mayor to enter into an agreement with FOX Engineering related to the potential industrial discharge of MAHLE Engine Components to the city’s wastewater system.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will meet on Tuesday, September 30th at 8:30am in the Board room at the Cass County Courthouse.

The agenda includes a report from the Cass County Attorney.  Atlantic Park and Rec Director Roger Herring will report on a bike rack at the Courthouse. The Cass County Engineer will provide a secondary roads update. The final scheduled report is from the Cass County Mental Health and General Assistance for the month of August.

There will also be an open time for comments and approval of claims.

Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will make a stop in Atlantic on Thursday, October 2nd to tour Echo Concrete.  The event is set for 4:00pm at Echo Concrete at 50748 650th Street in Atlantic.

The Cass County Democratic Party has announced that its headquarters is now open at 511 Chestnut in Atlantic. Open seven days a week, the office has candidate information and yard signs available. Residents of Iowa can also register or re-register to vote in addition to signing absentee voter request forms.

Several candidates have already visited the headquarters—Steve Roe who is running for the Iowa House in District 20, Tim Ennis who is running for Iowa House District 21, and Sherrie Taha, candidate for the Secretary of Agriculture. A grand opening is planned for later in the election year.

w/ Chris Parks

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A fight on Thursday, September 25th at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln High School ended with a 17-year-old student being sent to the hospital in critical condition. The Council Bluffs Police Department reports that a Council Bluffs School Resource Officer responded to a fight between two students at the school at approximately 7:45am Thursday.  During the course of the fight that occurred in a common area just outside the cafeteria, 17-year-old Dakota Escritt fell to the ground, striking his head on the tiled floor, which rendered him unconscious.  Staff intervened in the fight and rendered aid and upon arrival the officer requested ambulance assistance due to the serious nature of the injuries.

Escritt was transported to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs and later transferred to Children’s Hospital in Omaha, where he remains in Critical condition at the time of this report Friday evening.

The other student involved in the fight was identified as 16-year-old Gregary Teer whom was arrested after the incident.  Teer was charged with Assault Causing Serious Injury, a class D felony and was later released into the custody of his guardian.

Detectives are still working with school officials on the case and anyone with information regarding the incident are asked to contact the Council Bluffs Police Department, Criminal Investigation Division at 712-328-4765.

The Red Oak Police Department responded to a fight that occurred at the South Casey’s Store on Broadway Street in Red Oak around 5:00pm Friday (9/26) afternoon.  After investigation officers arrested 23-year-old Michael Eugene Sickels of Red Oak for Serious Assault which is a Serious Misdemeanor.  Sickels was taken to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility and is being held on $1,000 bond.