Author: Theresa Rose

On December 7, 2022, Wapello County law enforcement officers attempted to apprehend Charles Hall, 35, of Ottumwa on an arrest warrant for robbery. Hall fled from officers on multiple occasions and across multiple jurisdictions.

Iowa State Patrol Trooper Jeremy Cole located Hall near the intersection of 118th Street and Dewberry Avenue in rural Blakesburg. While attempting to arrest Hall, he brandished a weapon. Trooper Cole discharged his duty weapon striking him.

Law enforcement provided Hall on-scene medical care. He was airlifted to a Des Moines hospital, where he remains in serious condition.

Trooper Cole, a three-year veteran of the Patrol, was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.

Per the policy of the Department of Public Safety, Trooper Cole has been placed on critical incident leave.

The Division of Criminal Investigation will forward their investigative findings to the Davis County Attorney for review.

No additional information will be released.

December 7, 2022

Blakesburg, Iowa – On December 7th, 2022 the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was called to an officer involved shooting near rural Blakesburg. The incident occurred at the conclusion of a pursuit of an armed robbery suspect. The suspect is being treated for an apparent gunshot wound(s) at an area hospital.

No further information is being released at this time.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Winfield, Iowa – December 14^th, 2022 – Sunrise Terrace Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Winfield, Iowa has been recognized as a Best Nursing Home for long-term care for 2022-2023 by U.S. News & World Report.

The annual Best Nursing Homes ratings, now in their 13^th year, assist prospective residents and their families in making informed decisions in consultation with their medical professionals about where to receive short-term or long-term care. Only 16% of U.S. skilled nursing facilities earned the “best Nursing Home” designation this year.

Sunrise Terrace is a CMS rated 5-Star facility and a top 10 ranked skilled nursing facility, out of 423 facilities, in the State of Iowa.

“To make the top 16% out of 15,000+ skilled nursing facilities across the United States is something we are very proud of. Our staff works hard each and every day to ensure Sunrise Terrace is able to provide a high quality skilled nursing facility to Winfield, Henry County, and Southeast Iowa” says Lindsay Remick, Administrator. “In the past, most residents and their families choose nursing homes based on location. However, as it should, this is changing and it is important to choose a facility where you or your loved one will receive the care they have earned and most importantly, deserve.” “Before choosing a skilled nursing facility, I encourage you to do your research on Medicare.gov’s Care Compare website, make a visit to the facilities you are considering, chat with the individuals who will be caring for your loved one, see how the residents are treated, judge how clean the facility looks, and just get that sense of what it would be like to live there.”

For 2022-2023, U.S. News rated more than 15,000 nursing homes on care, safety, infection rates, staffing and health inspections. For the first time, the Best Nursing Homes rating feature a new measure on weekend staffing and another new measure on infection rates that led to hospitalizations.

“Choosing the right nursing homes based on care needs and comfort is a critical decision for prospective residents and their families,” said Zach Adams, health data engineer at U.S. News. “The Best Nursing Homes ratings highlight nursing homes that excel in short-term rehabilitation and long-term care needs.”

The Best Nursing Homes methodology factors data such as resident care, safety, and outcomes. To calculate the Best Nursing Homes rating, U.S. News evaluated each nursing home’s performance using a variety of data obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Both short- and long-term ratings include data on consistency of registered nurse staffing, use of antipsychotic drugs, and success in preventing ER and hospital visits. The long-term care rating also includes measures of whether a home changed ownership and how well they were staffed on weekends. The short-term rehabilitation rating also includes measures of a home’s success in preventing falls, preventing serious infections, and making sure residents are able to return home.

About Sunrise Terrace

Built in 1975, Sunrise Terrace is a 46-bed, privately owned, skilled nursing facility located in Winfield, Iowa. A top provider in Southeast Iowa, Sunrise Terrace has been a CMS rated facility for 8+ consecutive years and has been a top 10 ranked facilities in the State of Iowa by American Health Care Association’s Top Line Report. We offer long-term care, short-term rehabilitation with our “Get Well…Go Home” program, short-term respite care, contracted hospice services, and outpatient therapy in our 1,000 square foot therapy gym that has state-of-the-art therapy equipment unique to Southeast Iowa.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News, Real Estate and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice, and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has awarded $146,000 to 29 County organizations. An estimated 25,000 people will benefit from the 18th round of grants to be made by the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation.

The 29 grants were announced at a special celebration and media advisory event held at the Union Block Building in Mt. Pleasant on December 13th beginning at 11 am. The event was open to the public, all grant recipients, public officials from throughout the county and community leaders.

This was the 18th time that the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has engaged in grantmaking. The foundation applied for and received funds from the County Endowment Fund legislation.

“Our foundation received a total of $160,670.00. Twenty five percent of this was restricted to permanent endowment and 75 percent was required to be released through local competitive grantmaking. In addition, we took $32,042.24 from our endowment earnings and granted them as well.” said Robert Meyer, Foundation President.

“We received grant applications totaling $482,151.80. We only wish that we had more resources at the foundation because we know there are many needs and worthy projects throughout the county.”

The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation was organized by representatives from throughout Henry County.  “Our mission involves helping the communities and non-profit organizations of the county,” said Robert Meyer.   “We want to partner with communities and non-profit organizations to help them with programs and projects that might otherwise not be available to the individuals, families and visitors to our county.”

As an affiliate foundation, the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation can assist donors who wish to make outright and testamentary gifts of support to our foundation or other charitable organizations in the county.  “It’s even possible for local charitable organizations to establish their own funds and benefit from special tax credits and the professional expertise and investment management we help provide,” said Robert Meyer.

Further information about Enhance Henry County Community Foundation is available by contacting, Lora Roth at 319-385-8728.

For more information contact:

Enhance Henry County Community Foundation

Lora Roth

Foundation Administrator

319-385-8728

lora@kilj.com

On December 10 at approximately 4:25AM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office did a traffic stop on a Tractor/Semi for no rear lamps/taillights being displayed. After an investigation, it was found that the driver, Jerad Dean Peach of Stendal, Indiana, stole the semi from the Quincy, Illinois area. Further investigation determined that Peach was also operating the semi while under the influence of narcotics. He was subsequently placed under arrest and transported to the Henry County Jail without incident where he was charged with Theft in the First Degree (Class C Felony), Operating While Under the Influence Second Offense (Aggravated Misdemeanor), and Driving Under a Suspension (Simple Misdemeanor). Peach also received citations for Driving without a Valid License, Driving Without a Commercial Motor Vehicle License, Improper Rear Lamps, and Failing to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle.

Southeastern Community College and the Southeastern Community College Higher Education Association have agreed to meet for the first negotiations session regarding a 2023-2026. Collective Bargaining Agreement at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, in the Board
Room (Room #AD-1) at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, Iowa. At this time, the Southeastern Community College Higher Education Association will present their initial proposal and Southeastern Community College will present their counter proposal. Iowa law requires this meeting to be open to the public. The notice is given pursuant to Chapter
21, Code of Iowa.