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Unlicensed Iowa hotel cited for pests, filth and fire hazards but remains open
An Iowa hotel has been operating for one year without the required state license, despite dozens of health and safety violations cited by regulators. The hotel’s owner, Gilbert Starble, says the Hartwood Inn of Charles City has served as a home for what he calls “criminals, ex-convicts, recovering addicts and poor people.” In recent months, […]
Board: Hospital ER nurse was under the influence while treating patients
The state of Iowa has suspended the license of a hospital emergency room nurse accused of working with patients while under the influence of alcohol. The Iowa Board of Nursing has also taken action against a Des Moines nurse accused of stealing painkillers from nursing home residents and a school nurse who admitted having sex […]
Judge: Nursing home resident died after worker ignored orders
A Des Moines nursing home employee who allegedly contributed to the death of a resident has been denied unemployment benefits. State records indicate that in December 2020, Richard A. Kerr began working as a cook for Des Moines’ Trinity Center at Luther Park nursing home. He remained employed there until he was fired in July […]
Property appraiser, accused of snooping in homeowner’s bedroom, forfeits license
An eastern Iowa real estate appraiser accused of snooping through a homeowner’s bedroom has agreed to surrender his license. According to the Iowa Real Estate Appraiser Examining Board, Josh Binneboese of JB Appraisal in Davenport obtained authorized, unaccompanied access to a residential property when the owners were absent. Binneboese was there to conduct an appraisal […]
Nurse accused of tying elderly woman to a wheelchair keeps her license
An Iowa nurse accused of using a bed sheet to tie an elderly woman to her wheelchair will keep her license but must complete 30 hours of education on patient management. Last month, the Iowa Board of Nursing filed a combined statement of charges and final order in a case involving Valerie Archer of Corydon. […]
Restaurant inspection update: Moldy school cafeteria cheese, ‘Not For Sale’ beef and improperly imported fish
State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations this past month, including moldy taco meat, beef marked “Not For Sale,” long-expired milk, and unskilled workers preparing sushi that failed to meet minimum safety standards. One Des Moines food store was found to be importing fish directly […]
Hospitals cited for abuse, dirty ORs and forcing a homeless vet onto the street
Over the past 12 months, Iowa hospitals have been cited for dozens of violations, including a dirty surgical suite, patient abuse, inadequate staff, and discharging emergency-room patients with undiagnosed, life-threatening conditions. In one instance, according to state records, an eastern Iowa hospital discharged a homeless, wheelchair-using veteran to the street, although the man had no […]
Nursing home was on lockdown after worker waved a gun in the air
A suspended employee of an Iowa nursing home brought a gun to work in September and waved it in the air while threatening to “take care” of a problem with a colleague, according to state inspectors. Two workers who witnessed the incident did not immediately report it but first went to another meeting and then […]
Judge awards fired newspaper editor jobless benefits
The former editor of a weekly Iowa newspaper did not commit misconduct by publicly calling for action to save the publication, an administrative law judge has ruled. Tyler Anderson, who worked for the weekly Lake City Graphic-Advocate since 2019, was fired from the newspaper in April 2022. At the time, his employer, Mid-America Publishing, cited […]
Pipeline company sues a second Iowa county over local ordinances
A company that hopes to build a carbon dioxide pipeline across Iowa is suing a second Iowa county over local efforts to regulate the placement of the controversial pipeline. Summit Carbon Solutions, which hopes to build a pipeline to transport carbon dioxide across Iowa, sued Story County earlier this week in U.S. District Court for […]
Iowa nurses sanctioned for theft, drug errors and falsifying patient records
The Iowa Board of Nursing recently sanctioned several Iowa nurses for offenses that include the theft of patients’ painkillers, medication errors and the falsification of patient records. One such case involves Joanna May of Oskaloosa, who was the focus of a complaint filed with the board in October 2020. The complaint alleged May misappropriated hydrocodone […]
Supreme Court hears arguments in wrongful-firing case against Reynolds
Lawyers for the state told the Iowa Supreme Court on Wednesday that it should reverse a lower court’s refusal to dismiss an alleged whistleblower’s wrongful-termination lawsuit against the governor. The lawsuit involves Polly Carver-Kimm, the former spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Public Health. Carver-Kimm was fired in 2020, and subsequently filed a lawsuit against […]