(ORANGE CITY)–Northwestern College has appointed Kenton Pauls as its new dean of enrollment management. The director of enrollment services at the University of North Dakota since 2001, Pauls will begin his new role the first week of March.
As dean, Pauls will provide strategic leadership and vision to the admissions and financial aid staffs. He will also work closely with other Northwestern officials to design and support implementation of a comprehensive retention plan.
Kenton Pauls will replace Ron De Jong who is retiring this summer after 40 years of service in Northwestern’s admissions, external relations and advancement offices.
Floyd Valley Hospital makes sure things are running smoothly
(LE MARS) The business of running a hospital is all about checks and balances. Floyd Valley Hospital Administrator Mike Donlin says the hospital is currently going through two processes that helps ensure they’re staying on top of things.
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Donlin said that compilation of information was presented to the Board of Trustees at Tuesday’s meeting for review and approval. Approval was given.
Right now Floyd Valley Hospital is also under inspection. The Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals came to the hospital Monday for their annual review of hospital procedures. Donlin explains.
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He said things are going well so far. Following the visit the state will email a report of the inspection to Donlin and give him recommendations for changes.
Inmate who escaped custody at Iowa hospital caught
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Authorities say a suspected bank robber who escaped custody at an Iowa hospital and eluded authorities in his hospital gown and flip-flops has been captured near the Iowa-Illinois border.
Iowa City police said in a Wednesday night statement that Anthony Koehlhoeffer had been caught by law enforcement in the Quad Cities area. The Quad Cities include Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Moline and Rock Island in Illinois.
No other details were immediately released.
Koehlhoeffer was taken to University Hospitals in Iowa City on Tuesday for treatment under a court order.
Mother of missing Iowa toddler charged with murder
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) The mother of a missing Dubuque toddler is now charged with first-degree murder.
Tamelia Harris was arrested in June after police began searching for her 20-month-old daughter, Cecilia. Court records show that police found what they believe were small human bones in a fire pit in Harris’ yard. DNA tests showed the remains were those of Harris’ daughter.
Records also say Harris told multiple stories to people about her daughter’s whereabouts.
Harris, who has been jailed on a child neglect charge since June, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder.
Assistant Dubuque County Attorney Chris Corken says the neglect charge has been dropped.
Harris is being held on $750,000 bond. A court hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Harris’ attorney, Tom Goodman of the state public defender’s office, declined to comment.
Officials investigating pair of fires in Atlantic
ATLANTIC, Iowa (AP) Officials in Atlantic are investigating two separate fires on the same street in a span of three days.
Authorities arrested and charged 34-year-old Francis Jackson Jr. with one count of second-degree arson on Tuesday for allegedly setting his own home on fire on Sunday.
Jackson was released on his own recognizance Tuesday.
John Ticer, a special agent for State Fire Marshall’s Office, says authorities then responded to a separate house fire on the same street as Jackson’s house later Tuesday night.
Two adults and four children escaped the fire without injury.
Fire investigators have determined the second fire was intentionally set with a flammable liquid on the front porch.
Iowa Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Courtney Greene says both cases are under investigation.
Sioux City airplane hangar damaged by fire
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) Officials say a worker using a torch to melt ice off a door track sparked a fire at an airplane hangar in Sioux City.
Authorities say the fire started about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday at Jet-Sun Aviation.
KTIV-TV says when firefighters arrived, flames were coming out of an exterior wall. There was no one inside the hangar, which had smoke and fire damage. Seven small planes inside were not damaged.
Information from: KTIV-TV, https://www.ktiv.com
Iowa denies Alliant’s full rate request
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Iowa Utilities Board has denied Alliant Energy’s full request for a rate increase for its Interstate Power and Light subsidiary, which means customers will be getting a refund.
Alliant asked for a 13 percent increase, or nearly $150 million. Regulators on Wednesday approved an increase of $114.5 million, or 9 percent. That’s less than a temporary increase of $119 million implemented in March, which means customers will get a refund of about $4.5 million.
The board approved Alliant’s request for automatic recovery of its transmissions costs, but only if it agrees to a minimum three-year rate freeze.
Alliant spokesman Ryan Stensland says the company is reviewing the board’s decision.
Interstate Power and Light has about 525,000 customers in eastern, northern and southern Iowa.
Branstad retains Baldwin as corrections director
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Gov.-elect Terry Branstad says John Baldwin will be retained as the director of the Iowa Department of Corrections.
Branstad on Wednesday noted Baldwin’s experience in the prison system and success in keeping costs to “second-lowest in the country.”
Baldwin oversees operations of Iowa’s nine prisons, eight community-based correctional agencies and the department’s central office. He was appointed to the post in 2007.
ISU survey shows Iowa farmland up 16 percent
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An annual survey by Iowa State University shows Iowa farmland prices jumped nearly 16 percent in the last year to an average of over $5,000 an acre.
The Des Moines Register says the survey, released Wednesday, shows the average price rose from $4,351 an acre to $5,064 an acre from November 2009 to last month. The price is approaching the all-time high, inflation-adjusted average of $5,116 an acre in 1979.
The survey is based on more than 400 interviews from land brokers, farmers and lenders.
The figures are little surprise. Several sales this fall netted over $8,000 an acre.
Land values in Iowa dipped by 2 percent in the 2009 survey, but in 2010, prices have surged along with increase in corn and soybean prices.
Information from: The Des Moines Register, https://www.desmoinesregister.com
Hall of Famer Bob Feller dies at 92
CLEVELAND (AP) The Cleveland Indians say Hall of Fame Bob Feller has died. He was 92.
Feller, the winningest pitcher in club history and one of baseball’s greatest right-handers, died at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday night of acute leukemia at a hospice where he had been moved in recent weeks, said Bob DiBiasio, the Indians vice president of public relations.
Feller had been in failing health for months. He was diagnosed with leukemia this summer and underwent surgery to have a pacemaker installed.
“Rapid Robert” won 266 games in 18 seasons for the Indians.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
