CLARINDA, IOWA, February 23, 2026: The Page County Attorney’s Office announced today (Monday) that 52-year-old Gary Wayne Hilgerson, of Shenandoah, entered pleas of guilty to one count of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, a class C felony, and one count of Indecent Contact with a Child, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Judge Maggie Reyes sentenced Hilgerson, in accordance with his plea agreement, to a 10-year sentence of incarceration for the sexual abuse charge and a 2-year sentence of incarceration for the indecent contact charge. These sentences will be served consecutively, for a total of up to 12 years of incarceration in the Iowa Department of Corrections. Hilgerson will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.

This case was investigated by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, with help from the Shenandoah Police Department, and prosecuted by the Page County Attorney’s Office.

Gary Wayne Hilgerson

(Atlantic, IA) – Officials with Vision Atlantic, today (Monday, Feb. 23rd) report the Knights of Columbus recently donated $3,000 in support of Vision Atlantic’s transformative community development project, which includes a new housing development, child development center, and YMCA expansion. “The Vision Atlantic Project, involving building a child care center and renovating the YMCA, fits well with the Knights of Columbus’ principles of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity,” shared member Phil Hascall.

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Vision Atlantic, through extensive research and surveying of the community and surrounding region, identified three areas that will help increase Atlantic’s population: expanded childcare, quality housing and quality of life amenities. Infrastructure for the 142 mixed unit Camblin Hills housing development and 300 capacity child development center is almost complete, with construction of 48 homes currently underway. Construction of the child development center and YMCA expansion is slated to begin in 2026.

Pictured: Doug Leonard, Trustee; Gary Richter, Treasurer; and Tim Ellis, Grand Knight.
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Vision Atlantic has a fundraising goal of $39 million, which will be used to construct the YMCA expansion and child development center. To date, they have raised $34.1 million of that goal, thanks to an $8.6 million lead grant from the Charles E. Lakin Foundation and significant support from local donors. In addition to their grant support, the Lakin Foundation has created a separate investment fund of $23 million that will be used to construct homes in the Camblin Hills housing development. The capital will be used as a line of credit, and as the dollars are paid back, the Foundation will donate up to 5% of the interest paid back to Vision Atlantic, who will use those dollars to operate the child development center.

Vision Atlantic’s Project Committee is actively working to secure the remaining $4.9 million needed to meet their fundraising goal. If you are interested in helping transform Atlantic, whether it’s through monetary donations or acts of volunteerism, please contact Vision Atlantic at visionatlanticiowa@gmail.com. Visit www.visionatlantic.org and follow on Facebook for behind-the-scenes access to project updates and in-depth information of the project scope.

Vision Atlantic is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to empower growth, enhance lives, and build a thriving community together through the economic development of Atlantic, Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is part of new daily national lotto game along with 30 other states. Lottery C-E-O Matt Strawn says the “Millionaire for Life” game kicked off Sunday and you pick five numbers. “And then there is one millionaire ball that you need to choose between the numbers one and five. And in the game, there are nine different ways to win,” Strawn says. The game cost five dollars to play and starts with a prize of eight dollars, and has a second prize of 100-thousand dollars. Strawn says this is the first new lotto type game in several years. He says it is like other lotto games where you can take a lump sum, or play it out as long as you can.

“It is for life, but the floor, if you will, there is a guarantee, I believe it’s a guaranteed 20 year minimum payment. So for life means 20 years or longer,” he says. Strawn says some players wanted a game with a large prize that has better odds than the games where the jackpots get into the billions, and that’s what this gives them. “Take Powerball, for example, one in 292 million to one to win the jackpot. In Millionaire for Life, it is one in 22-point-nine million chance to win that one million dollars a year for life top prize. So significantly, better odds on the grand prize,” Strawn says”.

The drawings for the Millionaire for Life game are that 10:15 p-m central time every night.

(Sioux City, IA) – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa reports a former Iowa paramedic from western Iowa who tampered with vials of narcotic pain medication was sentenced on February 17, 2026, to more than two years in federal prison. Teresa Marie Johnson, age 53, from Manilla, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 5, 2025, guilty plea to one count of tampering with a consumer product.

Johnson was a licensed paramedic who took fentanyl from her employer, a county ambulance service. The ambulance service used the fentanyl to alleviate the serious pain that patients were suffering in car accidents and other emergencies. Beginning in late 2024, Johnson tampered with the ambulance service’s fentanyl stocks on three occasions in order to take it for her own use. After investigators analyzed one of Johnson’s tampered vials from the county ambulance service’s inventory, they discovered it contained only 9.6% of its declared value of fentanyl. They also reported evidence of an adhesive-like material on the flip-off cap, vial crimp and top stopper surface, at least two punctures on the bottom stopper surface, and other breaches to the vial. One of Johnson’s fellow paramedics reported occasions when medication was administered “and the desired response did not happen.”

Before committing her tampering crime, Johnson had a criminal history. Johnson has five prior misdemeanor theft convictions in state court. She also received a deferred judgment in state court after pleading guilty to a felony forgery crime. As a part of her plea agreement, Johnson agreed to forfeit her State of Iowa paramedic license to the United States.

Johnson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Johnson was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment and fined $5,000. She was also ordered to repay $6,000 in court-appointed attorney fees and costs. Johnson must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Johnson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

(Radio Iowa) – The leaders of Iowa’s private colleges and universities oppose a plan to have community colleges start offering four-year degrees in some fields. Iowa has three state supported universities, 15 state funded community colleges and 26 private colleges and universities. Mark Putnam, President of Central College in Pella, is chairman of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He says that map shows there are no so-called “education deserts” in Iowa. “The fact that we may have a workforce need does not create students,” Putnam says. “That’s what I think is a fundamental flaw.” Drake University President Marty Martin says the reality is the number of high school graduates is declining and there’s no proof Iowa has education deserts.

“A lot of the rhetoric around it has to do with differential and cost of tuition, but of course in once instance you’ve got the state underwriting the program,” Martin said, “and in another instance you’ve got us operating as private, entrepreneurial, innovative institutions.” Martin says Iowa’s private colleges already have agreements that allow students to transfer with the community college credits they’ve earned. “We can figure this out without creating a whole new infrastructure that’s going to require a lot of funding from the taxpayers and put a lot of our institutions at risk,” Martin said. Under the plan being developed in the Iowa House, community colleges would get 20 million dollars in each of the next five years to set up four-year degree programs. The bill says a community college within 50 miles of Iowa, Iowa State, U-N-I OR a private college cannot offer four year degrees. Putnam says that does not address the existence of the satellite campuses community colleges operate.

“You take the example of Buena Vista,” Putnam says. “…In Storm Lake, Iowa Central (Community College) has a campus and so they would be able, under this bill, to open up baccalaureate programs in the direct fields that Buena Vista offers, so this is education, business, agriculture, computer science — down the list of all those that would be approved, so we have a fundamental concern that this is opening up a pathway where we don’t see an end to what that appetite might be.”

Putnam and Martin made their comments this weekend on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

(Guthrie Center, IA) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Dallas County suffered suspected serious/incapacitating injuries last week, when he lost control of the motorcycle he was driving. The accident happened on Koala Avenue, just north of 300th Street, at around 12:35-p.m., on Feb. 16th. The Sheriff’ Office says 79-year-old Charles Leroy Thompson, of Adel, was riding a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle as he was traveling south on the gravel road. The machine lost traction as it traveled down the hill, and began to fishtail towards the west ditch. Thompson over-corrected, causing the cycle to fishtail towards the east ditch before it entered the ditch and over-turned. Thompson was flown from the scene by Mercy One helicopter to Mercy Hospital in downtown Des Moines. The cycle sustained $7,500 damage.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports also, the weather and road conditions played a role in three separate accidents late Thursday afternoon. A 10-year-old male passenger in an SUV driven by 45-year-old Jose Manuel Santana-Rodriguez, of Des Moines, was injured, when the vehicle went out of control on Redwood Road and entered the west ditch before coming to rest on the driver’s side. The juvenile was wearing a seat belt. The accident happened at around 4:30-p.m., Thursday. Authorities say the road was icy when the accident occurred. The juvenile was transported by ambulance to Mercy hospital in downtown Des Moines. Jose Santana-Rodriguez was cited for Failure to provide proof of insurance/financial liability – accident related.

No injuries were reported following the other two accidents.

(Radio Iowa) – The touring Broadway production of “The Outsiders” will make one stop in Iowa, opening this week in Des Moines. Actress Emma Hearn, who has family ties in Iowa, portrays Cherry Valance in the show which won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The coming-of-age story is based on a best-selling 1967 novel that was also a hit movie in 1983 with an ensemble cast. Hearn says it’s a timeless tale of class division that remains very relevant to today’s audiences. “That’s something we experience to this day is class divides and certainly coming of age, so it’s told through pretty extraordinary events, as told in the book and the movie. Everything you know and love from both of those are all in the musical. And now it’s just elevated with folk Americana music by Jamestown Revival and some pretty epic choreography and staging, so it really just elevates the story you know and love.”

Hearn made her Broadway debut in the musical “Diana” and also toured nationally with “Cats.” She says this role in “The Outsiders” brought her some welcome challenges — and rewards. “It’s very physically sustainable in a way that I found really challenging with shows like ‘Cats’ and ‘Diana!’ You know, in ‘Cats,’ it’s such a physically demanding role and in ‘The Outsiders,’ I’m one of the very few women in the show, and all of the guys have to do all the hard work,” Hearn says, laughing. “I’m glad to get to do something that is easier on my body eight times a week, that’s for sure, and a story I really love telling.” The Pennsylvania native went to college in Texas and lives in New York, but she’s spent many summers and holidays in Iowa.

Hearn’s mother lives in Cedar Rapids along with her grandparents, while a raft of cousins and other relatives are all Iowans, so she’s expecting a sizeable cheering section. “Oh, yeah, we go a few times a year at least, and our relatives would come out and visit us out east as well,” Hearn says. “I’ve spent a lot of time in Iowa throughout my childhood and adulthood, so it’ll be fun. I’m a little nervous. I haven’t had that many people at once at the show, but it’ll be so fun.” After being on tour with the theater company for many months, Hearn says she’s looking forward to seeing familiar faces in the audience — and after the show. “So much of why I love coming to Iowa is because of family. So I’m just really excited to get to spend some time with them,” Hearn says. “Being out on the road for a year, it’s hard to, obviously, take time off and get to see family, so anytime I can be in a city or a state that is within driving distance to them, I love getting to see them.”

“The Outsiders” runs tomorrow (Tuesday) through Sunday at the Des Moines Civic Center.

www.civiccenter.org

(Creston, IA) – The Creston Police Department reports two women were arrested on separate charges, Saturday. Authorities say 46-year-old Brenda Ellen Williams, of Creston, was arrested Saturday morning for Theft in the 5th Degree  – Possession or Control/Under $300. She was cited and released from the scene on a promise to appear in court. And, late Saturday Creston Police arrested 36-year-old Robyn Liane Blazek, of Prescott, for OWI/1st Offense.

Authorities say Blazek was driving a 2024 Chevy Traverse (SUV) southbound on S. Maple Street at around 7:20-p.m., Saturday, when her vehicle struck a trailer parked on the side of the road. Blazek took-off from the scene. Her vehicle was located a few blocks away. Police say the woman returned to the scene shortly thereafter. She told police she had been looking at her phone when the accident occurred. Officers observed Blazek has an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from her breath, that she admitted to drinking, and had bloodshot/watery eyes. The police report says Blazek refused all testing before she was taken into custody.

Blazek was transported to the Union County Jail and later posted a $1,000 cash-only bond before being released. Damage from the collision amounted to a police-estimated $6,500 altogether.