U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan of the Northern District of Iowa and U.S. Attorney Marc Krickbaum of the Southern District of Iowa announced Tuesday, nearly $662,000 in Department of Justice grants to the Iowa Department of Public Safety to fund crime laboratories, decrease DNA backlogs, support basic and applied forensic research, and help law enforcement identify missing persons. The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), are part of $192 million in funding to advance forensic science nationwide.

OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan said “Developments in forensic science have given investigators an extraordinary array of tools that can be enlisted to solve crimes and bring answers to victims and survivors, often after many years and even decades. These investments in crimefighting technology, from DNA analysis to drug toxicology to forensic anthropology, will help identify and convict perpetrators, ensure justice for innocent victims and keep communities safe by deterring future criminal activity.”

Attorneys Deegan and Krickbaum said “Our offices are committed to prosecuting dangerous and violent offenders. This investment in the Iowa Department of Public Safety will allow our state and local law enforcement partners to better investigate violent crime and bring justice to victims across the state.” Since 2004, the Office of Justice Programs has received an annual appropriation for DNA and other forensic science activities. The funding, administered through OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and National Institute of Justice, supports DNA analysis, laboratory capacity enhancement and forensic science research that provides knowledge and tools to improve the quality and practice of forensic science.

For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and more information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – Several people are in custody after a shooting early this (Wednesday) morning in Carroll. Police Chief Brad Burke reports the incident occurred right around midnight in the 500 block of E. 18th Street. One male victim was transported to St. Anthony Regional Hospital and later transferred to a Des Moines hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

More details will be released later today.

(Radio Iowa) – A three-member state panel agrees the Iowa economy is headed in a positive direction, but the group cautions state tax revenue won’t quite rebound to pre-pandemic levels over the next three quarters. Holly Lyons of the Iowa Legislative Services Agency says the pandemic and damage from the derecho as well as uncertainty about the election and another federal stimulus payments are all a drag on the Iowa economy. “How do you adjust to an ever-changing situation where the new normal seems to be indefinite uncertainty?” Lyons asks.

Lyons and two other members of the Revenue Estimating Conference predict state tax collections will be down two-tenths of a percent in the current state fiscal year. David Roederer, the governor’s budget director, says there are modest signs of strength in Iowa’s economy, helped by the unprecedented six BILLION dollars in direct federal aid to Iowa businesses. “I think the key is at what pace will the economy reenergize and rebound from a pandemic that refuses to leave us or be vaccinated away,” Roederer says. “All wonder when our lives are going to get back to normal, but maybe better yet how are we even going to define normal.”

David Underwood, a C-P-A from Clear Lake, says there’s reason for optimism. “The adaptability of Iowa’s businesses and non-profit organizations to adapt to the new abnormal has just been tremendous,” Underwood says. The group acknowledges losses in the restaurant, bar and hospitality industry, but cites increases in e-commerce and spending to outfit home offices. The panel predicts state tax revenue will surge four percent higher in the NEXT state fiscal year.

Officials with the Creston Police Department Wednesday (today), report the arrest at around 5:40-p.m. Tuesday, of 32-year old Corry D. Johnston, from Creston. Johnston was arrested in the 800 block of Laurel Street, on the charges that include Driving While Barred and Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Offense. He was later released from the Union County Jail on a $3000 bond.