The fall harvest is underway in many areas of the state. The latest stateAgriculture Department report says dry weather last week helped bothsoybeans and corn to mature and dry down at a fast rate. The report says95-percent of the corn had reached the mature stage, slightly behind lastyear’s average of 96 percent. As of Sunday, nine-percent of the corn hadbeen harvested. The soybean crop was rated at 26 percent in fair condition,48 percent good, and 17 percent in excellent condition. The report says thebean development is just slightly behind last year at this time.
Free depression screenings available
September 28, 1999 By
Free screenings for depression will be offered next week at 30 locationsacross Iowa. Senator Chuck Grassley, who is chair of the Senate SpecialCommittee on Aging, is particularly urging older Iowans to take advantage ofthe screenings.Between 12 and 20 percent of Americans over age 65 have depression & onlyone or two percent of them get treatment. Grassley says some people ignorethe symptoms of depression, thinking it’s just a case of the blues.To find the screening site nearest to you, call 800-573-4433. The freescreening day is October 7th, that’s one week from Thursday.
Four Iowa cities get federal drug-fighting funds
September 28, 1999 By
Four Iowa communities are learning today they’ll receive federal grants fordrug-fighting programs totalling more than 355-thousand dollars. IowaSenator Chuck Grassley is holding a news conference in Washington at 1:15p-m with Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey to announce the grants.Grassley says some drug-fighting money was getting lost in the red tape ofthe federal bureaucracy. He hopes this new action, under the Drug FreeCommunities Act, will turn that around.Des Moines is getting 93-thousand dollars, more than 64-thousand to MasonCity, and nearly 99-thousand to both Reinbeck and Marshalltown.
State works to keep sewage systems in line
September 28, 1999 By
State officials are working with Iowa counties to ensure proper proceduresare in place for dealing with sewage waste in newly-constructed housing”subdivisions.” Brent Parker of the Iowa Department of Natural Resourcessays too many contractors are getting county approval to build housing”subdivisions” without any plan for sewage disposal. Parker says about 90 percent of the new houses being built in Iowa areconstructed in an area which has no connection to a city sewage system.Parker says septic tanks are often the only option for that perfect home inthe country.In southwest Iowa, a lawsuit has been filed against Mills county, charginglocal officials didn’t properly inspect developers’ applications for septictank permits and allowed installation of tanks too small to handle a home’ssewage.
Two Des Moines policment shot, will recover
September 28, 1999 By
The state department of criminal investigation is helping sort out whathappened as two Des Moines police officers were shot last night, allegedlyby a 16-year-old who they’d pulled over. The officers returned fire & theyoung man remains in critical but stable condition. The officers areexpected to recover. Three other young people were arrested and 3 weapons &several bags of marijuana were seized.
Davenport policeman on leave after shooting
September 28, 1999 By
A Davenport policeman who shot a suspect in a weekend kidnapping was alsodisciplined after a 1991 shooting. Officer Thomas Lynch was demoted and suspended 30 days after firing at aspeeding truck eight years ago. On Sunday, Lynch shot a man three times whoallegedly lunged at him with a knife. Lynch is now on leave.
Mother made kids committ crimes
September 28, 1999 By
In a tale somewhat like Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist,” the mother of threeboys is accused of leading them into a life of crime. Susan Parks of Illinois & her boyfriend William Merritt of Davenport faceseveral charges for allegedly teaching Parks’ children to break intobusinesses. The couple allegedly thought if the children were caught, policewould go easy on them. The boys, ages 11, 13 and 15, also face charges.
