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Nebraska legislators look to Iowa’s stricter ban on texting

News

July 22nd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker says Iowa’s strengthening of a ban on texting while driving could be a model for legislation after years of unsuccessful legislative efforts to crack down on distracted driving.

State Sen. Merv Riepe, an Omaha area Republican, says Iowa shows how enforcement can be increased. The Iowa State Patrol says citations for texting while driving have increased sixfold in the past year since Iowa lawmakers allowed officers to begin pulling over drivers for texting.

Nebraska is one of four states that ban texting but require a second traffic violation for an officer to stop a motorist. Iowa legislators strengthened a ban on texting in 2017 in a bipartisan bill that extended the ban on using smartphones while driving to include social media and games. Iowa lets drivers use phones for navigation.

Posted in News |

Iowa State players offer help in storm-ravaged Marshalltown

News, Sports

July 22nd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State football team showed up in storm-ravaged Marshalltown to help residents clean up two days after a destructive tornado swept through the city. The entire Cyclones roster traveled from Ames to Marshalltown, making quick work out of a number of tasks on Saturday before catching a breather at a local schoolyard, The Marshalltown Times-Republican reported.

Players did everything from clearing tree limbs and debris, raking yards, moving remnants of houses, rooftops and garages, and removing furniture from damaged homes and businesses.

“I don’t have words for it, you know what I mean?” said redshirt freshman offensive lineman Colin Newell. “You just put yourself in that position for a second and you’re like, ‘wow.’ “We had some guys come up here (Friday) and help out, and they said we’ve got to get more guys up here and do what we can to help out. We’ve got a lot of people with us, so we can bring a lot of manpower with us and get out here and help these people out.”

One of the group’s first undertakings of the day was to help a family move its car out of the driveway and a truck out from under a garage that fallenon it. A tearful owner offered hugs to any Cyclone football player who crossed her path — and some pledged their fandom to Iowa State, even if only for a day. “Just doing it for the community makes it all worth it, too, just helping out Iowa and Marshalltown get back to where they were at,” said redshirt freshman offensive lineman Alex Kleinow.

Both Newell and Kleinow have dealt indirectly with flood damage to their own hometowns, but that was nothing compared with what Marshalltown experienced during the tornado. “This is really eye-opening,” Kleinow said.

Posted in News, Sports |

Creston man arrested on drug & weapon charges in Adams County

News

July 22nd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a Union County man was arrested on drug & weapon charges following a traffic stop at around 4-a.m. today (Sunday), in Kent. 37-year old Briankeith Andre Whitfield, of Creston, was arrested for Dominion and Control of Firearm by Felon, Dominion and Control of Ammunition by a Felon, Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Offense, and Driving Under Suspension. A passenger in the vehicle, Janelle White, of Saint Charles, was placed under arrest for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Carrying Weapons.

Their arrests took place following a traffic stop on Highway 25 and 240th Street. Authorities determined that both occupants of the vehicle had suspended driver’s licenses. The Adams County K9 “Baxo” was deployed on the vehicle and indicated to the presence of narcotics. A probable cause search was conducted and marijuana, marijuana wax, and a loaded Smith and Wesson M&P .40 Caliber handgun were located in the vehicle.

Numerous types of ammunition and magazines were also located in the vehicle.

Whitfield

White

Posted in News |

Adams County Sheriff’s report, 7/22/18

News

July 22nd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports two, overnight arrests. At around 1:50-a.m. today (Sunday), Deputies arrested Jacey Glynn, of Lenox, at 500 4th Street in Nodaway. Glynn was placed under arrest for Domestic Abuse and Possession of a Controlled Substance (methamphetamine). Deputies were assisted on the scene by deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Jacey Glynn

And, at around 11:37-p.m. Saturday, Adams County Deputies arrested Zackary Haley, of Villisca, on two Adams County arrest warrants for Operating While Intoxicated and Gathering where Controlled Substances Unlawfully Used.

Zackary Haley

Posted in News |

Iowa early News Headlines: Sunday, 7/22/18

News

July 22nd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:15 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The proliferation of digital tools that can make text and email messages vanish may be welcome to Americans seeking to guard their privacy, but open government advocates fear they are being misused by public officials. Some are using them to conduct business in secret and evade transparency laws. Whether communications on those platforms should be part of the public record is a growing but unsettled debate in states across the country.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Workplace safety officials are investigating the fatal injury of a man at a manufacturing plant in north-central Iowa’s Fort Dodge. The Messenger reports that the man died after being hit by and pinned under a steel beam Thursday evening. Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokeswoman Deborah Babb says the beam was being erected as part of a construction project at CJ Bio American in Fort Dodge when the accident happened. Babb declined to release the victim’s name.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Businesses and volunteers are pitching in to provide more than cleanup in the wake of the destructive tornadoes that swept through three cities in central Iowa earlier this week. Organizations were helping and housing injured pets and a meatpacking plant was providing hot meals to residents in need Saturday in Marshalltown. The city of 27,000 people suffered the most damage during the Thursday storms, which surprised residents and weather forecasters.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A newspaper’s analysis shows Iowa has spent nearly $500 million in public money in the past decade to support private schools and home-school programs. The Des Moines Register found that state money goes toward supporting private-school operations through busing assistance, textbook purchases, special education funding and scholarship support. The state also offers a tax credit for those who pay private-school tuition.

Posted in News |

Federal safety officials investigating death at Iowa plant

News

July 21st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Workplace safety officials are investigating the fatal injury of a man at a manufacturing plant in north-central Iowa’s Fort Dodge. The Messenger reports that the man died after being hit by and pinned under a steel beam Thursday evening.

Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokeswoman Deborah Babb says the beam was being erected as part of a construction project at CJ Bio American in Fort Dodge when the accident happened. Babb declined to release the victim’s name, but said he was an employee of a contractor at the site.

Babb says agency officers were on the scene Friday morning. She declined to comment further. CJ Bio American produces the amino acid lysine, which is added to feed for poultry and swine. A $51 million expansion project is underway to allow the plant to make another amino acid, L-Threonine.

Posted in News |

1 seriously hurt in Ringgold County motorcycle vs. golf cart crash

News

July 21st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

A man on a 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle was seriously injured during a collision with a golf cart Saturday afternoon, in Ringgold County. The Iowa State Patrol reports an EZ Go golf cart driven by 30-year old Brett W. Cannon, of Mt. Ayr, was turning left from U-S Highway 169 in Mt. Ayr onto E. Monroe Street, when the motorcycle, driven by 54-year old Dewayne A. Clark of Mt. Ayr, passed the Cannon on the left.

Neither Cannon nor his passenger were hurt. Clark, who was not wearing a helmet, was injured and transported by Mercy Air Care to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. The accident, which happened at around 1-p.m. Saturday, remains under investigation.

Posted in News |

Newspaper: Iowa used public funds for private schools

News

July 21st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has spent nearly $500 million in public money in the past decade to support private schools and home school programs, according to a newspaper’s analysis.

The Des Moines Register found that state money goes toward supporting private-school operations through busing assistance, textbook purchases, special education funding and scholarship support. The state also offers a tax credit for those who pay private-school tuition.

The state’s annual spending on nonpublic education grew from about $34 million in 2008 to roughly $53 million in 2018, according to figures from the Legislative Services Agency reviewed by the newspaper.

Mike Beranek, president of the Iowa teachers union, said public schools are hurt when private education gets state money. “Any increase they receive would come out of the coffers that would be set aside for public schools. We don’t understand why you would be taking money” away from public schools, he said.

Republican Rep. Walt Rogers, chairman of the Iowa House Education Committee, said there’s a growing trend to support people who choose different options. “I would say that that’s a good thing,” he said. “We want to give as many options for parents and students as we possibly can.”

The state has also provided funds to home-school assistance programs, which pair families with a teacher who provides instructional supervision. The programs can also provide field trips and other resources.

Posted in News |

Former, current Winnebago Tribe members plead guilty

News

July 21st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — In a story July 21 about current and former members of a Nebraska-based tribe pleading guilty to misusing federal money, The Associated Press erroneously reported their tribal affiliation. Former councilman Amen Sheridan and current member Jeff Miller are members of the Omaha Tribe, not the Winnebago Tribe.

A corrected version of the story is below:

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A current and a former member of the Omaha Tribal Council’s governing council have pleaded guilty to misusing federal money to pay themselves bonuses. The Sioux City Journal reports that former councilman Amen Sheridan entered his plea Friday in Omaha’s federal court. Current member Jeff Miller pleaded guilty to the same charge on Thursday. As part of agreements that both signed with prosecutors, Sheridan and Miller are both expected to be sentenced to five years of probation on Oct. 19. Miller must repay $40,213, and Sheridan must repay $13,404. The two are part of a group of nine former council members charged with giving themselves bonuses out of $388,972 in federal money intended to provide health care to tribal members. The Omaha Indian Reservation is located in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

Posted in News |

Volunteers provide food, care also in wake of Iowa tornadoes

News

July 21st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Update 2:45-p.m.) MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Businesses and volunteers are pitching in to provide more than cleanup in the wake of the destructive tornadoes that swept through three cities in central Iowa late this past week. A meatpacking plant provided hot meals to those in need Saturday, in Marshalltown, a city of 27,000 people that was hardest hit, the Times-Republican reported . The Animal Rescue League joined with local emergency management officials and a veterinary clinic to care for animals hurt or displaced.

The tornado that hit the city was among a flurry of unexpected twisters on Thursday that injured at least 17 people and flattened buildings in Marshalltown, Pella and Bondurant. Residents and weather forecasters were surprised by the storms, which left gaping holes in the sides of factories and homes. Vehicles were buried under topped buildings. Among the buildings hit in Mashalltown was the city’s historic, 132-year-old courthouse. The Marshalltown Historical Society said Saturday that despite the exterior damage, “there was miraculously little damage to our collection.” The organization will temporarily move its headquarters to a nearby location.

The JBS pork processing plant in Marshalltown also suffered extensive damage. Trailers and railcars were flipped and a static freezer that held 24 million pounds of pork was heavily damaged. General Manager Todd Carl said “We will probably lose all of this product,” but added that he expects production to resume next week. Alliant Energy said it hopes to have power in Marshalltown fully restored by mid-week. About 4,000 customers remained without power as of midday, Saturday.

Posted in News |