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Eastern Iowa college announces $5 million gift

News

February 13th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Loras College in Dubuque has announced receiving its largest one-time cash gift ever: $5 million. Officials at the Roman Catholic liberal arts college say the gift from Bill Miller, of Camarillo, California, will help the school complete campus upgrades. “Today is a transformational day for Loras,” said college Vice President for Advancement/Treasurer Mike Doyle in a news release.

Loras will rename its Academic Resource Center as the Bill and JoAnne Miller Academic Resource Center in recognition of the gift. Miller was a 1952 graduate of Loras Academy, which then was an all-boys Roman Catholic high school.

Glenwood man arrested on a drug charge

News

February 13th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report 33-year old Troy Edward Grindle, of Glenwood, was arrested at around 1:45-a.m. today (Wednesday), following a traffic stop. Grindle was charged with Posession of Drug Paraphernalia, the bond for which was set at $300.

Jurors considering fate of Dubuque man charged with murder

News

February 13th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

MAQUOKETA, Iowa (AP) — A jury is expected to resume its deliberations Wednesday on a murder charge against a Dubuque man. Jackson County District Court records say Drew Mangler is accused of killing 59-year-old James Remakel. Police found Remakel’s body after being called to a house in Bellevue on Dec. 25, 2016. An autopsy showed Remakel had been stabbed nearly three dozen times in his upper body, neck and head. He was believed to have been dead for several days before police found him.

The Telegraph Herald reports that defense attorney Derek Jones said in his closing arguments Tuesday that investigators ignored other potential suspects. Prosecutor Andrew Prosser said Mangler had “the means, the motive and the opportunity to commit this crime.” Investigators say they found a shoe with Remakel’s blood on it during a search of Mangler’s house.

(Podcast) KJAN 8-a.m. News, 2/13/2019

News, Podcasts

February 13th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

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

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Heartbeat Today 2-13-2019

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

February 13th, 2019 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with Dawn Marnin and Dave Chase about the Cass County Health System fundraising gala.

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(Podcast) KJAN Morning Sports report, 2/13/2019

Podcasts, Sports

February 13th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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Man faces 2 felony charges in drug overdose death

News

February 13th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa man faces two heroin charges connected to the overdose death of another man. Scott County court records say 38-year-old Bettendorf resident Michal Spencer is charged with distribution of heroin and conspiracy. Spencer is scheduled to be arraigned March 7. He remained in Scott County Jail on Wednesday, pending $10,000 bail.

The Quad-City Times reports that Spencer prepared two syringes of heroin on April 7 that he’d bought with money given him by 23-year-old Tyler Ekstrand. A court document says Spencer injected the contents of one of the syringes to one of Ekstrand’s hands. The document says Ekstrand soon overdosed and died on the floor of Spencer’s apartment.

(Podcast) KJAN Morning News & Funeral report, 2/13/2019

News, Podcasts

February 13th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Afton man arrested on an assault charge in Creston

News

February 13th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Police in Creston report the arrest Tuesday afternoon of a man on an assault charge. 39-year old Aaron James Riepe, of Afton, was taken into custody for Domestic Abuse Assault. Riepe was later released from the Union County Jail on a $700 bond.

ISU professor predicts another opiod overdose epidemic

News

February 13th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — An Iowa State University researcher says the successful effort to cut prescription drug abuse could lead to an epidemic with illegal drugs. Professor David Peters says the measures taken to cut back on prescription opiod abuse have led to fewer deaths. “It’s been falling pretty steadily and so that’s kept Iowa’s overall rate of opiod deaths relatively stable,” according to Anderson. “But more worryingly what we find is that deaths from heroin — which is a type of opiod — and synthetic opiods like fentanyl have been steadily rising since 2012.”

Anderson says a new crisis is on the way. “I believe that this temporary stability we have is going to be short live and we are going to find our opiod deaths increasing in the next few years from these elicit opiod substances — not the prescription pills,” Anderson says. He says as the prescription supply of opiods dry up, a switch is underway. “People who are long-term addicts are just simply switching to heroin, which is cheaper and more easy to attain,” Anderson says. “And this heroin is often mixed with these synthetic opiods — which can be a hundred to several hundred more times more potent than morphine. And that’s where you get this spike in overdose deaths as people aren’t use to taking these highly-potent heroin-synthetic mixtures.”

The efforts to cut back on the number of prescription drugs and get people to turn in unneeded prescription drugs has worked to stem the supply. Anderson says new tactics will now be needed. “Really efforts have to turn to drug enforcement. Particularly targeting criminal organizations, gangs, particularly Mexican gangs are the ones that bring those illegal substances into the country and distribute it,” Anderson says.

He says things are going to return to the way drug issues used to be. “The opiod crisis is looking more like a traditional drug problem like cocaine was several years back. And it’s less of an administrative issue like we had with the prescription problems,” Anderson says. He says Federal law enforcement will have to do more to enforce borders and local drug task forces will have to go after those who distribute drugs in local communities. Anderson is an associate professor of rural sociology, and says the new wave will hit the larger cities first. “Because heroin and synthetics are illegal substances, they tend to be easily distributed where there are drug organizations or criminal organizations that distribute drugs. But they will eventually make their way to rural counties,” Anderson says.

He says eastern Iowa will be the first to see an influx as the illegal drugs come from Chicago.