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Investigators say Miller case is not cold

June 27, 2006 By

It has been nearly one year since the death of five-year-old Evelyn Miller– and while there’s not been an arrest in the case — Floyd County authorities say they’re keeping a positive attitude about the investigation. Floyd County Attorney Marilyn Dettmer says they’re still looking at every lead that comes into her department.

Dettmer says citizens and the media ask her if this is a “cold case” and she says “nothing could be further from the truth.” Dettmer says the beginning of the investigation made it difficult for authorities to immediately begin searching for the killer. Dettmer says they were operating against two competing issues, was Miller missing, was she harmed. Dettmer says by the time they started accumulating evidence, the were already behind.

Dettmer says it has been an emotional case because it deals with the death of a small child. Dettmer says, “I don’t think anybody on the outside could put any more pressure on us than we do to ourselves.” Dettmer says “it’s akin to a rollercoaster ride” as they get excited with new leads and let down when they don’t pan out.

Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Director Gene Meyer says his department is always looking into new tips that come in. Meyer says they not only look at new leads, but the also look back at what they’ve already done. He says some of the new information proves to be good, some of it doesn’t.

Meyer says investigators aren’t letting up. He says it’s “still a very active investigation.” Meyer says it won’t become a cold case until there are not “good solid investigative leads to pursue.” Meyer says if anyone thinks they may have some information in Miller’s case, they need to step forward and tell authorities.

Meyer says it’s a well known case across the state, but he says often people may not come forward because they think their information isn’t important. Meyer says you should let police decide if the information is relevant, as the information might be a piece of a bigger puzzle that helps them solve the case. Miller turned up missing last July 1st and her body was found five days later in the Cedar River. Police say foul play was involved, but have not revealed any of the details on the cause of Miller’s death.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Ethics Board leader says CIETC should spur changes

June 27, 2006 By

The head of the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board is recommending Iowa’s ethics laws get a thorough review in the wake of the pay scandal at a central Iowa job training program. Charlie Smithson says lawmakers should also provide training for people who serve on government boards.

Smithson says some educational materials would be a good idea for people who serve on boards and commissions, especially information about open records and open-meetings laws and the concept of public trust, “so they know up front some of what’s required of them.” Smithson says it’s not clear if the current laws cover “quasi-governmental” agencies like the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium that aren’t part of state government, but are to be overseen by a state agency.

Smithson says it should be clear who’ll enforce laws and operating standards. Current rules and regulations are “kind of obtusely written,” according to Smithson, who says lawmakers should make sure they’re understandable. “When you’re dealing with ethics, I don’t think you want grey areas,” Smithson says. “I think we need to know everyone knows the rules up front and I think that ensures compliance.”

Representative Clel Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, says the next step should be writing legislation that bans all bonuses for people hired to work at government and quasi-government agencies. “If they want to use (bonuses) as a new tool, they can find a new tool,” Baulder says. “This is creating an atmosphere in state government that, quite frankly, the taxpayers look at as wrong.”

Baudler knows a bonus was part of the agreement when Mike Blouin was hired to be state economic development director and Bauder concedes it’s a challenge to hire good state agency leaders when the private industry offers higher pay than the state’s allowed to offer. “If some people say they’re worth more, we pay ‘em more right up front, we don’t go in the system and dance around the subject and come up with a phony in my opinion job-retention bonus,” Baudler says. He labels Vilsack’s practice of awarding a million dollars worth of bonuses over the past two years “bogus.”

Baudler says he’d like to see anti-bonus legislation drafted in time for a special session this summer, but if it’s not he still wants it on the table for the regular legislative session in January.

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Anti-smoking advocates say Surgeon General report backs their effort

June 27, 2006 By

Anti-smoking forces in Iowa are hoping a new U.S. Surgeon General’s report on the dangers of second-hand smoke bolsters their efforts to get anti-smoking initiatives made law around the state.

Cathy Calloway of the Iowa Tobacco Prevention Alliance says it’s time to change state law so Iowa cities can pass anti-smoking ordinances. “The Surgeon General’s report is very clear: second-hand smoke is hazardous and we need laws to protect people and protect their health and everyone’s right to breathe clean air,” Calloway says.

Current Iowa law forbids cities from enacting anti-smoking ordinances which are tougher than state law, and attempts by cities like Ames and Iowa City to forbid smoking in bars and restaurants were successfully challenged in court.

According to Calloway, over two-thousand communities in the U-S have local smoke-free ordinances. Calloway says Iowa anti-smoking advocates “call on the Iowa legislature to clarify Iowa’s current Clean Indoor Air Law and return local control to Iowa communities and allow them to pass local ordinances to protect the rights of everyone…to breathe smoke-free air.”

Mark Murphy owns Splash, a Des Moines restaurant and bar that went smoke-free on April 3rd. Murphy says he hasn’t seen a drop in business and he believes once word-of-mouth spreads, he’ll get more customers who prefer a smoke-free environment.
“It’s been a great thing for us and I hope that this is a trend of the future,” Murphy says.

Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, the current president of Des Moines University, says his institution along with a number of Iowa hospitals will become “smoke-free” campuses on July 1st. “The decision to be tobacco-free was right for us. As medical providers and educators, we are committed to providing a safe environment for our patients, visitors, employees and students,” Branstad says. “We want to set a good example.”

Iowa Department of Public Health director Mary Mincer-Hansen says the newly-released Surgeon General’s report finds second-hand smoke puts non-smokers at great health risk. “There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke,” Mincer-Hansen says. “We also know that 88 percent of Iowans agree that people should be protected from second-hand smoke.” The Surgeon General’s report found children exposed to second-hand smoke are at greater risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, ear infections and ever-increasing asthma.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With: ,

U-N-I’s Stout hurt in freak accident

June 27, 2006 By

A freak accident has left Northern Iowa basketball player Grant Stout with a broken wrist and the injury may require surgery. U-N-I athletic officials say Stout slipped and fell while pulling a branch out of a tree during a backyard fire Saturday night.

The New Sharon native, who was a first-team Missouri Valley Conference selection last season, broke two bones when he landed on his left wrist. Stout will be examined this week to determine if surgery is needed. Stout is expected to see a specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The six-foot-eight-inch forward average over 12 points and nearly nine rebounds per game while helping lead the Panthers to their third straight N-C-A-A Tournament appearance last season. Stout’s injury is expected to take about eight weeks to heal. U-N-I officials believe the senior-to-be will be ready to play when the season begins in November.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Iowa libraries get busier

June 27, 2006 By

More Iowans are using the state’s public libraries, and nearly 63 percent of Iowans have a library card. Data released this (Tuesday) morning along with a national report shows that over the past decade there’s been a 10 percent increase in the number of books Iowans annually check out of a public library.

State Librarian Mary Wegner says the new national “Long Overdue” report finds nearly three-quarters of Americans believe libraries spend public funds well. “Large majorities of Americans see public libraries as critical institutions in their communities,” Wegner says. “The public library continues to play an essential role in communities both large and small in Iowa and nationally.”

There are five-hundred-43 public libraries in Iowa. In the past five years, two-hundred of those libraries have either undergone major renovations or have moved collections into completely new buildings.

“Library visits and library check-outs both are up nationally and in Iowa,” Wegner says. “Public libraries in our state are well-loved and well-used. By any measure, use of public libraries is up over the past 10 years so don’t let anybody tell you that people aren’t using their public libraries anymore.” Iowa is 12th among the states in check-out rate and 29th when it comes to funding.

First Lady Christie Vilsack and her husband, the governor, did get state money for libraries doubled since 1999. “But most important to me and to the work that we’ve been doing the last eight years is that a public library is a commitment to community,” Mrs. Vilsack says. “I can take you to any one of those 475 to 500 libraries that I’ve visited and give you an example of community.”

Mrs. Vilsack, who confesses that she used to get thrown out of the Mount Pleasant Library as a teenager for giggling, says Iowa libraries are no longer quiet places, but places where kids, teenagers and senior citizens can go to socialize with their neighbors. “We need that sense of community. People need to be connected,” she says. “With the demise of many small-town schools, a public library serves as the soul of that community.”

The number of public library card holders in Iowa is up 15 percent in the past 10 years. Mrs. Vilsack calls libraries “solution centers.” The first lady says Iowa’s future is directly connected to supporting public libraries emotionally and financially. State officials set aside just over two-and-a-half million dollars that’ll be handed out as grants to public libraries this coming year.

And the private foundation set up by Microsoft founder Bill Gates is providing three-quarters-of-a-million dollars to Iowa libraries this year which will be used to give high-speed access to computers in Iowa libraries.

Filed Under: Education, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Jogger hit by car in Cedar Rapids dies

June 27, 2006 By

A woman jogger who was hit by a car last Friday in Cedar Rapids has now died from her injuries. According to Cedar Rapids police, 52-year-old Patricia Ann Schulte of Cedar Rapids died at University Hospitals in Iowa City.

An autopsy will be performed, however according to police it appears the cause of death is related to the injuries Schulte sustained in the accident.

Schulte was not carrying identification with her, so police gave a description of her to the media in hopes of identifying her.

A postal worker recognized her description, and also noted that Schulte had not picked up her mail. Schulte was struck Friday morning by a vehicle driven by 31-year-old Terra Lashelle Bracy of Cedar Rapids. No charges are being filed.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Grassley to hold hearing on repealing telephone tax

June 27, 2006 By

A so-called temporary federal tax that’s survived into three centuries is long overdue to be abolished, according to Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. He says the telephone excise tax, which has added three-percent to our phone bills for decades, needs to be eliminated.

Grassley says “It’s an opportunity to do away with quote-unquote a temporary tax, which means nothing, because this tax has been around since 1898.” Grassley, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, has scheduled a hearing Wednesday (at 9 A.M./Central) to consider killing the telephone excise tax.

Grassley says “It was used to pay for the Spanish-American War because it was meant to be a tax on the rich because back in 1898, only the wealthy had telephones.” Legislation to phase the tax out was passed by Congress in 2000 but the bill that contained it was vetoed.

Last month, the U.S. Treasury Department moved toward refunding three years of the taxes on long-distance calls, which prompted Grassley to suggest legislation to scrap the entire tax, including on local calls.

Grassley says “It does away with a temporary tax and because seniors tend to be more dependent upon telephones than other people, it’s going to be a financial help to seniors by eliminating this tax that’s no longer justified.”

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,
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