Iowa News

BRANSTAD-MEDICAID        Branstad: High Medicaid costs complicate expansion        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa officials are asking the Obama administration for flexibility in complying with the federal health care act because of Medicaid cost increases expected even before the new law takes effect next year.        Republican Governor Terry Branstad told reporters Monday that Iowa’s relatively low unemployment and expected increases state revenue have prompted federal officials to increase the share Iowa must pay for Medicaid, a state and federal health insurance program for the poor.        Iowa officials say insuring existing Medicaid recipients is expected to go up $35 million in the current budget year, $57 million in the year that starts in July and another $31 million in another year.        Branstad says those extra costs complicate Iowa’s ability to finance the new federal law, which requires states to cover additional low- and middle-income people.

MISSING COUSINS        Autopsy confirms bodies found are missing cousins        EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) – Evansdale police say an autopsy has confirmed that two bodies found last week in a wildlife area are those of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook.        Police Chief Kent Smock says he received confirmation Monday from the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office that the bodies were the two cousins, who had been missing since July 13th. The full autopsy hasn’t been released to police.        Elizabeth was 8 and Lyric was 10 when they went for a bike ride in the northeastern Iowa community and didn’t return.        Hunters found their bodies last week in the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area in Bremer County, about 25 miles from where they were last seen.        Authorities closed the park while they searched for evidence connected to the case but now have reopened the area.

BODY FOUND        Officials identify Iowa man found in woods        (Information in the following story is from: The Gazette, http://www.gazetteonline.com/)        CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have identified a man whose body was discovered under a bridge east of Cedar Rapids over the weekend.        The Linn County Sheriff’s office says there are no obvious signs of foul play in James Ralls’s death. Authorities had originally said the death was considered suspicious.        Authorities say they’re not pursuing any suspects. They also say they don’t know how and when Ralls died.        A hunter found the 47-year-old’s body Saturday morning under the Squaw Creek Bridge.

FLOODING-IOWA COLLEGE        Officials: Cold linked to Iowa school flooding        (Information in the following story is from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com)        SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in northwest Iowa say freezing weather may have caused a pipe at a community college to break and flood some classrooms.        The Sioux City Journal reports students and staff were evacuated after the Monday morning flooding at Western Iowa Tech Community College.        Officials say the pipe spewed water into a hallway and later spread into a manufacturing lab. The broken pipe also activated the building’s fire alarm because of a drop in pressure to the school’s sprinkler system.        Classes were canceled for rooms affected by the flooding. They were expected to resume Tuesday.

IOWA ATHLETICS OFFICIAL-INVESTIGATION        Ex-U. of Iowa official was rehired despite past        IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Records show a former University of Iowa athletics department counselor at the center of a sexual harassment scandal was rehired in 2002 without mention that he had been fired from another university for performance or had earlier worked at Iowa.        The university released records Monday related to Peter Gray, who resigned last month after being accused of sexually harassing athletes through improper touching that allegedly dated back to his employment at Iowa from 1993 to 1995. His case prompted the university to reassign his supervisor, associate athletic director Fred Mims.        Records show Mims considered Gray the top candidate out of 28 applicants in 2002. Mims touted Gray’s experience at Coastal Carolina University – where he was fired in 1999 – and made no mention of his prior Iowa employment.

DAVENPORT CASINO-CONSULTANT        Davenport hires consultant for casino purchase        (Information in the following story is from: Quad City-Times, http://www.qctimes.com/)        DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – Davenport has hired a gaming consultant to assist the city with its purchase of the Rhythm City riverboat casino.        The Quad City-Times reports the city will work with Gary Buettner, the former executive vice president and chief financial officer of Jumer’s Casino and Hotel. His services will be used on a task-by-task basis and his fee is $150 per hour.        The newspaper reports Buettner will review the $46 million asset purchase agreement for the Rhythm City casino. He also will assist with the review of land-based casino proposals.        The Isle of Capri owns the casino. The nonprofit Riverboat Development Group holds the gambling license.        The City Council voted in favor of the purchase in October.

CAR CHASE        Iowa man faces several charges in car chase        (Information in the following story is from: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, http://www.wcfcourier.com)        DUNKERTON, Iowa (AP) – A man in northeast Iowa faces several charges after police say he led them on a car chase spanning three counties.        The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Brian Bert Turner will be taken to the Fayette County Jail on a $10,000 bond when he’s released from the hospital. His charges include operating while intoxicated and reckless driving.        Authorities say the car chase Friday night took them through Fayette County, Buchanan County and Black Hawk County. At one point a sheriff’s deputy from Fayette County tried to strike Turner’s car in an attempt to stop it. Another squad car was damaged but no injuries were reported.        The chase ended when Turner’s pickup went into a ditch near the city of Dunkerton.

IOWA ST-LUCIOUS        Iowa State confident in senior PG Korie Lucious        AMES, Iowa (AP) – Senior point guard Korie Lucious was supposed to bring stability to Iowa State after transferring from Michigan State.        Instead, Lucious has been as inconsistent as any player on Iowa State’s roster this season.        Lucious has committed 41 turnovers in 10 games – more than any other player from a major-conference school in the country. Lucious committed seven turnovers – or six more than his freshman counterpart, Iowa’s Anthony Clemmons – in an 80-71 loss to the Hawkeyes last week.        Third-year coach Fred Hoiberg has put control of his offense in the hands of Lucious, and he isn’t about to bail on his senior now.        Lucious has shown signs of improvement. He’s averaging over 13 points and seven assists over his last four games.

 

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