ALERT :
- 5/24/13;Reminder that the Forest City CSD will have a one (1) hour early dismissal on Friday, May 24th.:
Iowa News
ROMNEY-BATTLEGROUND STATE IMPACT Romney’s comments ripple across battleground map DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Mitt Romney’s comment that he doesn’t worry about the 47 percent of Americans who pay no income tax has quickly entered the bloodstream in the presidential campaign’s most hard-fought states. His remarks are prompting expressions of shock – but also shrugs – from Nevada to Florida to Iowa and the handful of battleground states in between. It all underscores the campaign’s focus on the economy and stokes questions about the government’s role in Americans’ daily lives. Will the controversy sway a close election? If so, by how much? Those are still questions for the next seven weeks.
IOWA ST-PLAYER CHARGED Iowa St.’s Palo pleads not guilty to abuse charge AMES, Iowa (AP) – Suspended Iowa State basketball player Bubu Palo has pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual abuse. Palo was suspended September 7th after being charged with sexually abusing a woman he was driving home earlier this year. Online court records say Palo’s attorney, Matthew Boles, filed a written plea of not guilty on Tuesday. Palo and another man, 21-year-old Spencer Cruise, of Ames, were charged with second-degree sexual abuse. The criminal complaint says the men offered to give a woman a ride home on May 18, but instead drove her to a home owned by Cruise’s family and “committed a sex act by force against the victim’s will.” Online records show that Cruise hasn’t entered a plea. Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg has suspended Palo, a reserve guard.
DROUGHT AID-COUNTIES USDA expands counties eligible for disaster loans DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Farmers in 22 additional Iowa counties now may qualify for low interest emergency loans from the federal government as a result of this summer’s drought. With the latest designation announced Wednesday, farmers in all Iowa counties now could qualify for drought-related emergency assistance. Six counties added by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as primary natural disaster areas include Clarke, Emmet, Madison, Taylor, Union, and Warren. In addition farmers in 16 contiguous counties may qualify for the loans and other assistance. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. The emergency loan interest rate had earlier been reduced to 2.25 percent from 3.75 percent by the Department of Agriculture.
PRISON ESCAPE-IOWA Escaped Iowa prisoner apprehended in Missouri DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An escaped prisoner from Iowa has been apprehended in southeast Missouri, where he was found driving a stolen vehicle. The Iowa Department of Corrections says Steven Adcock was arrested Wednesday and was being held in the Stoddard County Jail in Bloomfield, Mo. He was scheduled to appear for an extradition hearing Thursday. Adcock was driving a vehicle stolen from Kansas City and was arrested after a short chase. He escaped Monday from a work detail in Keokuk. Adcock went to prison in January 2011 to serve time for burglary, theft and drug possession. He was sentenced after committing crimes in Muscatine, Johnson, Clayton and Polk counties. Adcock led police on a chase through Des Moines in September 2010. He was arrested after his truck became stuck in a ditch.
MOTORCYCLE FATALITY-CHARGES Fort Dodge man charged with homicide by vehicle ROCKWELL CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Fort Dodge man involved in a motorcycle accident in June has been charged with homicide by vehicle when operating while intoxicated. The Messenger in Fort Dodge reports that 20-year-old Jacob Glesne also is charged with operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. The charges are filed almost four months after the June 9th accident on the east side of Twin Lakes in Calhoun County. Iowa State Patrol reports say the motorcycle Glesne was operating struck another motorcycle operated by 19-year-old Jonathon Spencer of Fort Dodge. Both men fell from the bikes and while Glesne later recovered from injuries, Spencer died. Glesne was released after an initial court appearance on Tuesday. SEXUAL EXPLOITATION-SENTENCING Mount Vernon man gets 40 years for child sex abuse
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A Mount Vernon man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to child sex abuse and child pornography charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 38-year-old Kenneth Pappas was sentenced Tuesday following his June 6th guilty plea to sexual exploitation of a child and possessing child pornography. The Attorney’s Office says evidence introduced at the sentencing shows Pappas produced videos showing his sexual abuse of a child. Besides his 40-year sentence, Pappas must serve a 10-year term of supervised release.
FARMHOUSE HOMICIDE Fairfield man’s murder trial set for November FAIRFIELD, Iowa (AP) – A Fairfield man charged with the slaying of another man in August is scheduled for trial in November after asking the court for a trial as soon as possible. The Ottumwa Courier reports that 33-year-old Tyler James Webster’s trial is scheduled for November 27th after he filed a written plea of not guilty and asked the judge for a speedy trial. A judge on Monday set a pre-trial conference for November 6th and asked attorneys to estimate how long a trial would last. Webster was charged August 27th with first-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Buddy Frisbie. Authorities say Frisbie died from multiple gunshot wounds at a rural farm house near Fairfield.
EAST CENTRAL SCHOOLS-MERGER East Central-Preston merger votes canvassed MILES, Iowa (AP) – The merger of the Preston and East Central school districts seems all but sure now that county officials have canvassed the votes from the November 11th school election. The vote count shows East Central voters approved the measure 620 to 598, or 50.86 percent, which barely exceeds the simple majority needed. The Clinton Herald reports opponents of the merger may seek a recount. Preston needed 450 votes to pass. It received 776. Combining the eastern Iowa districts has been contentious since a community group asked the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency in 2010 to authorize a merger vote. The AEA did so but was sued by merger opponents in East Central. In May the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the AEA had the authority to seek a merger vote.
LIBRARY FOR SALE Le Mars seeks buyer for former campus library (Information in the following story is from: Daily Sentinel, http://www.lemarssentinel.com) LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – The Le Mars City Council hopes someone in the northwest Iowa town has always wanted to own a library. The council has set a deadline for Oct. 11 for people to make an offer for the vacant Charles Mock Library building on the former Westmar College campus. The Le Mars Daily Sentinel reports the library was one of the last Westmar College buildings that hasn’t been sold or demolished. The college closed in 1997. The council appears eager for any offers. As council member Delana Ihrke put it, “If you’ve been waiting for the last 15 years to make an offer on Mock Library, now is the time.”
IOWA ST-KNOTT & KLEIN LBs Knott, Klein lead revitalized Iowa St defense AMES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa State’s program has come to be defined by the fiery, passionate persona of coach Paul Rhoads. The on-field identity of the Cyclones has been forged by seniors Jake Knott and A.J. Klein, a pair of once-overlooked linebackers who’ve blossomed into one of the top defensive duos in the country. The Cyclones are off to their second straight 3-0 start behind a defense that’s been better than most expected. They’re 13th in the nation in scoring defense at 10.7 points allowed per game and they haven’t allowed a touchdown in two weeks. The performance of Iowa State’s defense so far has only solidified Knott and Klein’s reputation as program changers.