DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a western Iowa man convicted of attempted murder in the shooting of a former girlfriend. Craig Finney, of Macedonia, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and told the judge in his trial that he shot Patty Harker in June 2011, and said he took the plea because he’s guilty. Finney was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
 
He appealed saying the judge didn’t ask enough questions at his plea hearing to establish a factual basis that he committed the crime. The high court finds judges must inquire enough to provide a factual basis but in Finney’s case there is adequate evidence in the record to support the plea.
 
The decision reverses the Iowa Court of Appeals which had thrown out the conviction.

A program funded through the federal government and managed through the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls provides Iowa counties, including seven in the KJAN listening area, with native grass and flower seeds to plant along the roadways. Rebecca Kauten oversees the Roadside Vegetative Management Program, which she describes as putting native flowers and grasses back to work. “Having them not only control some of the erosion that is happening, but also having those deep root systems to be able to not only hold the soil in place, but not require as intensive herbicide application as would normally happen with a warm season grass planting that takes a different type of maintenance — a little more intensely mowed, and in some cases fertilizers too,” Kauten says. 

The seed comes in two mixes, one is called a “ditch clean out” mix that’s used when the counties go in and scrape out all the sediment from a ditch. “This mix is meant for some of your tighter soils, it sees a lot of action to put it simply,” Kauten says. “And then there is a diversity mix as well, which has a higher concentration of wild flowers and a way to really enhance you habitat. There are some plantings that counties want to do that’re really showy and have a lot of color in the fall — and so they will use that diversity mix.”

Kauten says the plants that grew wild on the prairie before it was settled can have roots that go down seven to 12 feet.  “You’re not only retaining the soil and water where these natives are planted, you are also enhancing the quality of the soil,” Kauten explains. “As these root systems move through these tighter soils, a lot of times you are able to increase the porosity of the soil, so it is not only stable because you’ve got a root to hold that soil in place, you also have the ability for the water to infiltrate through that soil.” 

Retaining soil and water runoff is only one of the benefits of planting natives along roadsides. “We’ve got the benefit also of being able to provide a food source and habitat for ground-nesting birds and for other species — pollinators especially — that are looking for nectar in plant species they don’t normally find elsewhere across Iowa,” Kauten says. The program was awarded 255-thousand dollars this year for the latest round of planting that includes 34 counties. The program has been helping reintroduce the native plants since 1988.

“We’ve provided seed to 82 different counties and we’ve planted native vegetation in over 15-thousand acres of Iowa county roadsides. And we’ve got a total of 75-thousand acres of Iowa county roadsides total. So we’ve got a ways to go. We’ve got a lot to do,” Kauten says. Those acres were planted with 12-thousand-460 pounds of native grass and wildflower seed. The program is open to any of Iowa’s 99 counties that have an integrated roadside vegetation management program. Kauten says all the counties have to do is express interest and they can get seed. Among the counties to receive seed this year are: Adair, Dallas, Guthrie, Montgomery, Pottawattamie, Sac, and Shelby.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department says five people were arrested this week. In their report released today (Friday), the A-PD said 18-year old Kray Lukehart and 19-year old Tyler Hovey, both of Atlantic, were arrested today (Friday) for being Minors in Possession of Alcohol. On Thursday, 39-year old Donna Piper, of Atlantic, was arrested for Simple Assault. 61-year old Deborah Thomas, of Atlantic, was arrested Wednesday, on a charge of Harassment, and 26-year old Stephanie Davidson, of Atlantic was arrested Tuesday, on a Forgery charge associated with credit cards.

All of the suspects were booked into the Cass County Jail.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (10.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

One person was killed during a two-vehicle accident early this (Friday) morning, in Council Bluffs. According to Bluff’s Police, officers responded to a crash off Interstate 29 and Highway 92, at around 1:20-a.m. Authorities say a van traveling east in the westbound lanes of traffic collided with a westbound vehicle carrying four people. A passenger in the westbound car died at the hospital. The victim’s name was being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Two men remain at a local hospital, while another woman was treated and released. The driver of the van was arrested. Authorities say alcohol played a role in the crash. No other details have been released at this time.

Officials with “The Lullabye Foundation” have announced that their 2013 Annual Golf Tournament has been named to honor the memories of two long-time Atlantic residents and community benefactors, James and Gertrude Hunt. The 4-person, “Texas Scramble/Best Ball” Tournament will be held on Saturday, July 20th, at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club.  Registration begins at 8:15am.  Play – with a shot-gun start – begins at 9:00am.  All players will receive a meal ticket for a picnic lunch, which will be available between 10:30-a.m. and Noon. 

Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams; those prizes being gift certificates for a foursome and two carts to Lake Panorama National in Panora, and Fox Run and Bent Tree Golf Courses in Council Bluffs.  There will be individual hole prizes on ten of the courses’ 18 holes.

All proceeds from Lullabye’s Jim and Gert Hunt Memorial Golf Tournament will be used to support the Lullabye Foundation’s mission of helping CassCounty children. Since 2007, nearly $65,000 has been given to deserving children to help them achieve a dream they might never experience without Lullabye’s intervention.

Lullabye’s Pastors Dennis and Sally Meyer, say their mission is one Jim and Gert Hunt’s family believes reflects the kind of care, concern, and personal mission their parents were committed to as they lived and served in the greater Cass County community for many years.  Gertrude was a teacher, and saw first-hand the needs of many kids and tried to address them as best she was able.  The Hunt’s were generous supporters of numerous programs that built stronger kids in the community, including the Lullabye Foundation.

Opportunities remain available to enter teams into the tournament and/or to step up to be hole sponsors for the event, or both.  Questions about the tournament can be directed to Mike or Pam Koranda at 243-2982, or at 2705 Palm Street in Atlantic.

Eight dog breeders in Iowa are being named to the national “Horrible Hundred,” a list of so-called puppy mills put out by the Humane Society of the United States. Kathleen Summers, spokeswoman for the organization, says the facilities on the list have slews of issues including thousands of dollars in fines for Animal Welfare Act violations, dead dogs and neglected puppies in need of urgent veterinary care.

“We selected 100 puppy mills that have been cited for multiple problems over the last couple of years and in some cases, over more than a decade,” Summers says. “What we’re trying to do is show the types of problems that are out there, not just with these 100 puppy mills, but actually at hundreds and hundreds of additional puppy mills across the country.” The 100 facilities listed are located in 20 states, with many of them in the Midwest, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri.

With eight, Iowa is one of the worst states on the list. Summers says the region is home to so many puppy mills because the central location is key to shipping animals to pet stores all across the nation. In most cases, Summers says the facilities listed have been cited for violations by the U-S Department of Agriculture. “The USDA regulates puppy mills that sell to pet stores but there are hundreds of additional puppy mills that sell over the internet through websites that make it look like it’s a small family breeder,” Summers says. “They sell puppies sight unseen to people across the country and many of those puppy mills are never inspected at all.”

For Iowa families who are in the market for a canine companion, Summers recommends never patronizing a puppy farm and never buying a dog over the internet.  “If you do decide to go to a breeder, make sure you visit in person and see how the puppy’s mother is living, see where the puppy was born and raised and see if it’s the kind of place you really want your dollars supporting,” Summers says. “Another fantastic option is going to an animal shelter. Your money there will be used to help save more animals instead of supporting a potentially cruel facility.”

The facilities in Iowa on the Humane Society list include: David and Joane Cline in Sully, Doug and Wendie Dettbarn at the Purple Heart Kennel in Strawberry Point, Gary Felts at the Black Diamond Kennel in Kingsley, Connie and Harold Johnson of CW’s Quaint Critters in Melvin, Kenneth and Leatrice McGuire in North English, Debra Pratt of New Sharon, Lennie and Lonnie Rumley at Tripple L Kennels in Leon, and Linda Thorpe of Sky Blue Ranch in Winterset.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — The central Iowa city of Marshalltown skipped its usual summer practice of spraying for mosquitoes last year, as drought substantially curbed the pest’s population. Not this year. Heavy rains this spring and summer have the town scrambling to control an onslaught of the bloodsucking insects. The Marshalltown Times-Republic reports that crews sprayed along the town’s streets Wednesday and into Independence Day.

WELLMAN, Iowa (AP) — Residents of a small town just south of Iowa City have been advised to drink bottled water until repairs can be made on a broken water line. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a line burst yesterday in Wellman. The water is now bypassing the reverse osmosis system used to reduce nitrates. The department says repairs are being made and that the water has to be tested to make sure it’s safe.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Davenport police have identified a man shot to death earlier this week. The Quad-City Times reports that the death of 30-year-old Zachary Thompson of Rock Island has been classified as a homicide. Thompson died Tuesday morning at Genesis Medical Center in Davenport.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A former Dubuque cafe owner who was granted the nation’s first riverboat gambling license has died. The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald reports that 78-year-old Bob Kehl died at home on Wednesday morning shortly after being released from a local hospital.