Iowa News

HARKIN INSTITUTE        Harkin cuts ties with namesake Iowa State center        IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Sen. Tom Harkin is abandoning plans to donate his papers to a namesake institute at Iowa State University, his alma mater.        Harkin said in a letter Tuesday that he believed Iowa State leaders were trying to restrict the Harkin Institute of Public Policy’s ability to conduct some research, which they deny.        He says he agrees with its advisory board that “these proposals have damaged the institute to such an extent that it would never be able to flourish at Iowa State.”        Harkin says he and his family will decide where papers covering his 30 years in the Senate and 10 in the House end up. He says he regrets the institute didn’t work out.        The withdrawal comes after a power struggle between Harkin supporters and university leaders.

IOWA MENTAL HEALTH        Lawmakers agree to $11.6 million for mental health        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State lawmakers have reached a bipartisan deal to provide $11.6 million to counties to fund mental health services in the current budget year.        Sen. Jack Hatch says Tuesday that Republican and Democratic lawmakers have agreed to the funding plan, which will help counties with expenses as the state transitions to a new regional mental health treatment system. The funding for services through June 30 is substantially more than Gov. Terry Branstad proposed, but not as much as counties requested.        The Legislature approved changes to Iowa’s system last May, shifting from a system run by counties to a more regional approach in which counties pool their money. The new approach was meant to minimize differences between urban and rural areas.

WORK RELEASE ESCAPE        Iowa officials look for inmate who left job        (Information in the following story is from: Quad-City Times, http://www.qctimes.com)        WALCOTT, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in eastern Iowa are looking for an inmate with a history of escaping from work release.        The Quad-City Times says Roger Romero Clayton left his job site Friday and remained missing as of Tuesday afternoon. He works at the Interstate 80 truck wash in Walcott.        The 36-year-old Clayton is an inmate at the Davenport Residential Re-entry Center. He was finishing his prison sentence through a work release program.        Clayton was sentenced in 2006 to 20 years in prison for charges including intimidation with a dangerous weapon. He was released to a halfway house in February 2012 but was returned to prison in April after an escape attempt.        Officials say Clayton is not an immediate threat but is still considered dangerous.

SLEDDING LAWSUITS        Lawmakers mull bill to restrict sledding lawsuits        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State lawmakers are considering a bill designed to help protect cities from sledding-related lawsuits.        A House committee on Tuesday approved legislation that would mean cities wouldn’t be held liable if someone was injured on city property designated for sledding.  Sponsor Rep. Chip Baltimore says the law wouldn’t remove all liability for cities, but he hopes it would make city officials more comfortable letting some sledding take place.        If approved, the legislation would add sledding to a list of activities that cities are not liable for on city grounds, due to their risky nature. Those activities include skateboarding, in-line skating, bicycling and canoeing.        Baltimore says the bill will now be debated by the full House.

DAY CARE-METH        Iowa day care owner faces drug charges        (Information in the following story is from: Quad-City Times, http://www.qctimes.com)        DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – Police say a day care owner in eastern Iowa faces drug and child endangerment charges after a child under her care tested positive for meth exposure.        The Quad-City Times reports Amanda Marie Taylor’s charges include child endangerment, drug possession and delivery, and gathering for use of drugs.        Police in late December found meth-making materials inside the home where Taylor ran a state registered day care. Taylor’s live-in boyfriend, Dale Blumer, was arrested and charged with manufacturing meth.        An arrest affidavit says Taylor told police she suspected Blumer was using meth last summer.        Taylor is being held at the Scott County Jail on $10,000 bond. Blumer remains in jail on $100,000 bond.        Online records do not list attorneys for Taylor or Blumer.

NORTHERN IOWA-PRESIDENT        2 finalists left for U. Northern Iowa presidency        CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) – One of three finalists to become the next University of Northern Iowa president has withdrawn his candidacy, two days before the selection is to be made.        Chairs of the school’s search committee said in a statement Tuesday that they regretted to announce the withdrawal of Avijit Ghosh, a professor and adviser to the University of Illinois president.        The decision leaves two candidates in the running to replace retiring UNI President Ben Allen. They are William Ruud, president of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania; and Michael Wartell, former chancellor of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.        The Iowa Board of Regents is expected to conduct final interviews in West Des Moines on Thursday before announcing its pick to lead the Cedar Falls-based university.        A campus search and screen committee will meet Wednesday morning.

MISSING COUSINS-PARK        Officials to rename park, trail for Iowa cousins        (Information in the following story is from: KWWL-TV, http://www.kwwl.com)        EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) – A park and trail in northeast Iowa that’s close to where two cousins were last seen alive is being renamed in their memory.        Waterloo television station KWWL reports the park at Meyers Lake in Evansdale will now be called Angels’ Park in memory of Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins. The trail around the park will be called Trail of Angels.        The Parks & Recreation Board in Evansdale approved the name change Monday night. An Evansdale Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman says other memorials are being worked on for the girls. A fund has been established to help cover the costs of the memorials.        The cousins were last seen in July riding their bikes by the lake. Their bodies were found in December.

CHILD’S DEATH        Iowa authorities investigate toddler’s death        PACIFIC JUNCTION, Iowa (AP) – Authorities continue to investigate the death of a toddler found unresponsive in a southwest Iowa residence.        The state Department of Public Safety says the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is waiting for autopsy results to determine the circumstances surrounding the child’s injuries and death.        Police received a 911 call Friday about an unresponsive child at a residence in Pacific Junction near the Nebraska state line. The 13-month-old was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha with extensive injuries.        The child died Saturday. Authorities have not released the child’s name.

IOWA CITY-THEATER        Cinema house to open in downtown Iowa City        IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – There’s something about Vito’s, the once-popular bar in downtown Iowa City. It isn’t around anymore, but the site will soon be the new home for a movie theater.        The nonprofit group FilmScene announced Tuesday that a cinema and lounge will open this fall after extensive city-backed renovations to the building that housed Vito’s.        The group says the space will include an 85-seat theater with surround sound and high-end digital projection. It is expected to feature independent domestic and foreign films and documentaries.        The theater will fill a void in downtown Iowa City, which has been without its own movie theater since the sale and closure of one in 2007. A city-sponsored survey in 2011 found that a theater was the most-wanted entertainment addition for downtown.        Vito’s closed 2 years ago after being a popular spot for college students since the 1970s.

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