KEOSAUQUA, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa prosecutor whose behavior was described as “egregious” by the Iowa Supreme Court will resume his duties after the court ordered him reinstated. Abraham Watkins announced Tuesday he intends to resume serving as Van Buren County attorney. The all-male Supreme Court last month found Watkins shouldn’t have been removed as county attorney in January 2017 despite allegations of sexual harassment. In a 4-3 ruling, the court found that Watkins’ conduct wasn’t enough to remove an elected official. Allegations included that he commented on an employee’s breasts, repeatedly appeared in underwear in his home office and displayed nude photos of his wife.

Watkins says he hasn’t decided whether to seek re-election this fall. Former Van Buren County Craig Miller is the only person running so far.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa recently sent a letter to Department of Defense Principle Deputy Inspector General Glenn A. Fine seeking answers on why the department is wasting $10,000 of taxpayer money on individual toilet seat covers and whether he and his investigation team are looking deeper into this and other possible examples of egregious and wasteful spending. More than a month later, Grassley is still waiting for a reply from Fine and the DoD. In a May 29th interview published by Defense One, Dr. Will Roper, the current Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, confirmed that “the price to buy a new” 3D-printed toilet seat cover used in a C-17 cargo plane “is $10,000.” Though the cost to print one toilet seat cover is $300, the total price tag to taxpayers is $10,000 due to process costs.

“If Dr. Roper’s information is accurate, I would be very discouraged, indeed. It would tell me that we have not made much progress in the war on waste. In fact, it would tell me that we may be losing ground,” Grassley wrote in the letter. “Moreover, the DoD should view this revelation with alarm, because it could be used to cut the defense budget – as it was in the 1980’s. It seems to me that there is no way to justify a $10,000.00 price tag for a toilet seat lid. It’s just not credible. It needs scrutiny.”

This disturbing report comes nearly four decades after a similar report came to light during the Reagan administration, in which the Defense Department spent $640 on a C-5 toilet seat. It is also another example in the ever-growing list of flagrant abuses of taxpayer dollars at the Pentagon. Grassley’s extensive oversight work throughout his career has included a dogged pursuit for answers from the Pentagon over decades of wasteful spending and its inability to produce a clean financial audit. Most recently, he has worked to hold the Defense Department accountable for its excessive and largely unaccounted for spending in Afghanistan, including a $43 million gas station.

The text of the letter can be found here: https://www.grassley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/constituents/10,000%20dollar%20toilet%20seat.pdf

The Glenwood Police Department reports two people were arrested Monday, and two were taken into custody this (Tuesday) morning. 24-year old Patrick Giesting and 20-year old Alex Lauenroth, both of Glenwood, were arrested today (Tuesday), for Disorderly conduct. Their bonds were each set at $300 cash or surety. On Monday, 45-year old Andrew Schoening, of Glenwood was arrested on two counts of Assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. Bond was set at $4000 cash or surety. And, 31-year old Alexander Slater, of Glenwood was arrested Monday on a Mills County warrant failure to appear on an OWI 2nd charge. Bond set at $5000 cash or surety.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’ll likely use the opportunity of chairing the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s U-S Supreme Court nominee to forward a personal crusade. For years, Grassley has pushed to have videocameras in federal courtrooms and the Republican says he’ll probably quiz Judge Brett Kavanaugh for his opinions on the topic. “They aren’t the most important questions I ask, but I usually bring it up when I get an opportunity to,” Grassley says. “Sometimes, it brings a chuckle about because I’ve been on this kick for so long of a period of time.”

Grassley says he’s tried to make the argument for cameras in the courtroom with several previous nominees who’ve come before his Judiciary Committee. “You kind of get an answer like, ‘Well, what would you expect me to say to you,'” Grassley says, laughing. “I’m not sure whether they give me a candid answer or not.” He maintains allowing cameras in the courtrooms will make the federal judiciary more transparent, accountable and accessible. “It’s something that I’m going to continue to promote,” Grassley says. “I might not be successful at it, but every opportunity, I bring it up and I’ll probably bring it up with Judge Kavanaugh and if I don’t bring it up in our oral discussion, I’ll probably submit a question for answer in writing.”

Last week, Grassley asked the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court to make court proceedings more open by immediately releasing audio from oral arguments. Audio from those arguments is now released at the end of the week.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Downstream residents can breathe a little easier, now that the water level is dropping in the reservoir that protects Des Moines from Des Moines River flooding. Dayne Magneson is assistant operations project manager for Saylorville Lake, and he said Tuesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake crested overnight less than 4 feet below full, reaching around 89.5 percent of capacity. He says the level was the sixth highest in the lake’s 41-year history. He says the figures are allowing officials to let loose “a minor sigh of relief.” Magneson also says the water will drop slowly on its way to the normal level of 11.5 percent of capacity.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education is expected to act Wednesday, on resignations, and Superintendent suggested Contract and/or Letters of Assignment recommendations. Their meeting takes place 5:30-p.m. in the High School Media Center, during which the Board will act on the resignation of Joe Brummer as Head Freshman Football Coach, and his hiring as Assistant J-V Football Coach. Other hiring recommendations or Letter of Assignment recommendations include: Cole Renken, High School P.E. Teacher; Caroline Madsen, 5th Grade Teacher; Dan Vargason, Head Girls Basketball Coach; Brad Rasmussen, High School Assistant Cross Country Coach, and Jeremy Blake, JV Volleyball Coach. Each of those appointments are subject to Board approval.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on the purchase to two COMBI Ovens from Martin Brothers, in the amount of $33,652. The ovens would be paid for from the Nutrition Equipment Fund, and would be used to replace two ovens that are 45-years old, and can only be used currently, to warm food. The Board will also act on their Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) Priorities, which include: Early literacy; Teacher Leadership and Development; Alternative Licensure; Labor/Employment Laws; School Funding Policy; SAVE (Secure an Advanced Vision of Education), and Sharing and Recognition.

Other action items include: School Insurance Renewal ($91,621 for liability insurance premium through EMC Safety Group – a $10,000 increase from last year); and, firming-up the 2018-19 Board Master Calendar, which consists of a list of actions and discussions that will take place throughout the school year. Other items may be added as the year progresses, as needed.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will meet 8:30-a.m. Wednesday in their Boardroom at the Cass County Courthouse, in Atlantic. During their session, the Board will act on a request for permission to hold a Bible Reading Marathon on the courthouse block grounds. The event, if approved, would take place Saturday, July 21st, and is similar to the past two-years, except that it will be held one-day only, instead of two. It’s estimated to take two-hours for multiple individuals to read different sections of the Bible at the same time.

In other business, the Supervisors will act on a Secondary Roads Employee wage adjustment. Other, regularly scheduled reports may be received from the County Engineer, Attorney, and Mental Health/General Assistance Director.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The thought that, some of the newness of setting off fireworks might wear off in the second year of their legal use, hasn’t seem to be the case in some of the state’s larger cities. A spokesman with the Des Moines police department says calls about fireworks nearly doubled this year — despite a ban on their use in the capital city. Calls went from 270 to 521 and there were no arrests or citations issued. The Davenport Police Department responded to 480 fireworks calls — which was a nearly 27 percent increase from the same period last year. Davenport police reported 11 arrests or citations from fireworks calls. Cedar Rapids banned the use of fireworks after there were 948 fireworks complaints last year. Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman Greg Buelow says the complaints they had this year did drop closer to the number recorded in 2016 before fireworks became legal.  “Our most problematic days were 63 complaints on July 1st, 80 on July second, 117 on July third, 216 on July Fourth,” Beulow says.

He says once all the numbers are tallied it will be around 600 or so complaints. He says there were some cases where there were several calls about one person. “That’s one of the issues that you are going to have — it doesn’t mean that a majority of the people didn’t follow the ban — it just means that those who didn’t obviously were problematic, disrespectful of their neighbors and thwarted the law,” according to Beulow. Police issued eight citations this year for illegal fireworks use in Cedar Rapids, and he says it can be tough because an officer often has to see the act taking place. Buelow says another issue is the law doesn’t allow for the ban on the sale of fireworks in cities that have banned the use of them. “The analogy that we’ve used several times with people is like taking your kid to the ice cream store, putting an ice cream cone in their hand and telling them them not to lick it,” Beulow says. “I mean, very difficult when they are being sold right in your community and it’s not illegal to possess.”

Cedar Rapids does have a nuisance ordinance where they can charge someone for the cost of sending police to their home multiple times for fireworks complaints. Beulow says the department will be looking at some other tools they can use next year. “Hopefully the issue will be involving more of a community awareness campaign. Again, we can’t reiterate enough that it’s problematic to have fireworks in a community. We hear this all the time ‘well teh state gave us this right.’ Well, the state was also wise enough to say local jurisdictions should have some control,” he says.

Beulow says his biggest disappointment is people who don’t have enough respect for their neighbors and will shoot off fireworks that send debris onto other homes and yards. And shooting them off without thinking about how the noise might impact neighbors. “That’s the problems that we’re having — and it’s caused a number of disturbances in our community — some confrontations even that officers have responded to,” Beulow says.  He says they know of at least six fires that started this year as a result of fireworks — including one where a car was destroyed in a garage.

(Radio Iowa)

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A Missouri man already given a life sentence for murder in Iowa has given 12 years for attacking two guards in the Des Moines County Jail in Burlington. Court records show 24-year-old Jorge Sanders-Galvez, of St. Louis, was sentenced Monday. He’d pleaded guilty to willful injury and to assault on a correctional officer. Sanders-Galvez was given a life sentence for his role in killing a gender-fluid Burlington teenager, Kedarie Johnson.

The two officers were attacked Dec. 10 by Sanders-Galvez and two other inmates. Court records say the two other inmates, Earl Booth-Harris and Bobby Morris, also pleaded guilty. Each also was given to 12 years.
Booth-Harris is serving a life sentence in a different slaying.