Iowa News

ELECTION TURNOUT        Data: Record turnout in Iowa for presidential race        (Information in the following story is from: Quad-City Times, http://qctimes.com)        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A record number of Iowans cast their vote this year in the presidential election.        The Quad-City Times reported Monday that more than 1.5 million people in Iowa voted in the 2012 election for president and vice president. That includes another record for early or absentee voting, which brought in more than 688,000 votes.        The data shows more people voted on Election Day for Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s ticket, but President Barack Obama had an early voting edge over the former Massachusetts governor.        Fayette County had the highest turnout in the state with more than 84 percent of registered voters casting a ballot. Fremont County had the lowest with just over 61 percent.

TEEN SHOOTING        Judge orders treatment for Iowa teen in shooting        (Information in the following story is from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com)        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A judge has ruled a 16-year-old Des Moines teenager convicted of killing his friend will be sent to a residential treatment facility before undergoing an evaluation.        The Des Moines Register reports Judge Colin Witt ordered Monday that Dontavius Sharkey be sent to the Woodward Academy for counseling and other services. Sharkey will then undergo a 30-day evaluation to determine where he should go next.        Sharkey pleaded guilty in adult court on Thursday to felony charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless use of a firearm. He was 15 on Oct. 12 when he shot 16-year-old Corey Hamilton Jr. Investigators say Sharkey apparently was unaware the gun was loaded.        Sharkey will remain under the juvenile court system until he is 18. He will be sentenced in adult court in October 2014.

IOWA DISTRICT-AUDIT        Ex-Iowa school official to avoid prison for theft        (Information in the following story is from: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, http://www.wcfcourier.com)        WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) – A judge has declined to give prison time to a former Iowa school district administrator caught stealing tens of thousands of dollars.        The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that prosecutor Rob Sand asked for prison time Monday for former Starmont School District business manager Vicki Vanter. Sand said prison was appropriate because her long-running theft amounted to “a number of crimes over a number of years.”        Judge Richard Stochl instead ordered Vanter on probation for up to five years, citing the 61-year-old’s age and remorse. He says he’s mindful that she’ll be more likely to pay restitution of $150,000 if she isn’t jailed.        Vanter was arrested after a June audit alleged she wasted $229,000 paying off personal expenses such as credit card debt and improperly inflating her salary and benefits.

IOWA MOVIE PROGRAM-LAWSUIT        Film financier sues Iowa over unpaid film credits        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A man who financed movie projects is suing the state for more than $4.5 million for failure to pay tax credits on four film projects.        Anthony Gudas, of Rhode Island, says he borrowed money to finance the films before the state suddenly ended its film tax credit program in September 2009. A state audit had uncovered more than $26 million of improper tax credits issued to several filmmakers prompting then-Gov. Chet Culver to halt the program.        Gudas says his business was ruined because the state failed to pay and he’s seeking monetary damage plus interest and costs.        The Iowa Department of Economic Development is named as defendant and will be represented by the Iowa Attorney General’s office, which did not immediately have a comment on the lawsuit.

PEEPING LANDLORD        Trial set for Iowa landlord accused of peeping        (Information in the following story is from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/)        IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A trial has been set for next year for an Iowa City landlord accused of spying on his tenants.        The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports Elwyn Miller is scheduled to go on trial in February. He faces nearly a dozen counts of invasion of property.        Police arrested Miller on Halloween after one of his tenants reported the 63-year-old man was peeping into her apartment. Police say Miller watched the woman through a hole he made next to a vent fan in the ceiling.        Court documents say Miller spied on several nude female tenants in their bathrooms or bedrooms.        A message left for a number listed to Miller was not immediately returned on Monday.

DEAD CATS        Iowa woman pleads guilty after 15 dead cats found        (Information in the following story is from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com)        STORM LAKE, Iowa (AP) – A woman in northwest Iowa has pleaded guilty to animal neglect charges after more than a dozen dead cats were found in a Storm Lake home.        The Sioux City Journal reports authorities arrested Dawn Williams on Saturday while they responded to a possible burglary report at the home.        Police say that’s when they discovered the skeletal remains of 15 cats along with a large amount of feces. Police say Williams locked the cats inside the house about six months ago.        Online records show Williams was released from the Buena Vista County Jail on Saturday after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charges.        Contact information for Williams was not available.

 

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