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Governor, Lt. Governor warn Iowans to be ready for storm

February 28, 2007 By

State officials are warning Iowans this new storm could deliver an even bigger blow than the recent ice and snow storm that left thousands without power. Crews have been working since the weekend storm to get the power back on, but Lieutenant Governor Patti Judge says the state has not fully recovered as the storm hits.

Judge says "we are weakened" the utilities have put the repairs into place quickly to get the power back on, but she says it is "not the robust system" that was in place before the first storm, and that is part of their concern. Judge says this state is asking people to be prepared to seek shelter if things get bad.

Judge says,"We could see some very serious damage very quickly to our transmission again." Judge says Iowans are hardy people who withstand storms, but she says they want people to go to shelters if the electricity goes out again.

Governor Chet Culver says everyone should be prepared for the worst. Culver says, "We’re not trying to alarm people, but we are sharing this critically important information that will allow us to give warning to nearly three-million people in our state." Culver says the weakened electric system could be only the start of the problems with the new storm.

Culver says they’re not only worried about the temporary fix on the system, but Culver says the 39 counties that weren’t declared disaster areas could end up with the same problems as the others. Culver was asked what he’d say to people who don’t want to leave their homes.

Culver says: "This is a storm we haven’t seen in a long, long time. So, that’s the message that we have to say, that this is not a…typical winter storm." Culver says he’s seen the impact of the storm and these are "real life" situations. Culver and Judge urge people to find shelter at: www.iowahomelandsecurity.org , or  by calling the Iowa Concerns Hotline at 800-447-1985. They say if you get into an emergency situation and need to find a shelter, call 9-1-1. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Legislature rushes through disaster aid bill

February 28, 2007 By

The Iowa Legislature rushed through a disaster aid bill today as a second winter storm bears down on the state. The bill authorizes up to one million state tax dollars to be handed out as grant for low income Iowans. Iowans who meet the income restrictions would ask for state grants to cover temporary housing, home repair and food.

Senator Jeff Angelo, a Republican from Creston, says the only downside is that the money cannot be used to pay for generators. "Many of us have heard the forecasts for blizzard warnings for portions of the state that will be hitting the cities that have already not recovered from the original storm," Angelo says. "We do, unfortunately, expect some dire situations for some Iowans."

Senator Bob Dvorsky, a Democrat from Coralville, says this may help some Iowans survive the storm, financially. "This really deals with those people who don’t have insurance, people below the poverty level, the people we need to be serving," Dvorsky says.

Senator Larry McKibben, a Republican, is from Marshalltown which has been hard-hit by the storm. "(The bill) won’t meet every need and every business need that’s out there, but it will meet and I think fill in for the families that are the lowest income families that have needs," McKibben says. To apply for the state assistance, you must live in one of the 60 counties Governor Culver declared a disaster.

McKibben says there’s no guarantee federal assistance will be forwarded to Iowans who’ve been struck by the storm, and that’s why this "pro-active" bill is needed, according to McKibben. Governor Culver will sign the bill into law as soon as it reaches his desk. For more information about the grants, contact your county emergency management coordinator.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters Tagged With:

Emmetsburg ethanol plant wins federal grant to expand

February 28, 2007 By

Owners of a northwest Iowa ethanol plant are getting up to 80-million dollars from the feds to help expand the facility so it can use the whole corn plant to make ethanol. Broin Ethanol CEO Jeff Broin spoke at a statehouse news conference late Wednesday afternoon.

"While an historic day for the state of Iowa and our company, I also believe this is a momentous day for our country," Broin said. The Broin ethanol plant in Emmetsburg is expected to produce 125-million gallons of ethanol each year after the expansion is complete. A quarter of that ethanol will be made from corn fiber, cobs and stalks. Broin plans to have the plant up and running within 30 months — but that timetable wouldn’t have been possible without the federal funds, according to the company’s CEO.

"Without question, the grant will allow our company to commercialize cellulosic technology several years soon than we would have been able to otherwise," Broin said. "It definitely is an accelerator." Senator Jack Kibbie, a Democrat from Emmetsburg, is an investor in the plant. "I want to tell you the Broin Company is one of the better investments I’ve made," Kibbie said, as the 14 legislators gathered around him at the news conference clapped and laughed. "I just as tell you up front."

Kibbie is a farmer in the Emmetsburg area who sells his corn to the Broin ethanol plant, too. "It’s been an exciting two years in Emmetsburg," Kibbie said, joking that the profits from his corn sales are "going to help the State Treasurer." Governor Chet Culver says this grant helps position Iowa to become the renewable fuels capitol of the world. "This is our first step in our goal to literally be the first state in the nation to wean ourself off from our dependence on foreign oil," Culver says.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business Tagged With:

First Lady wants money to find shelter for teens

February 28, 2007 By

Iowa’s First Lady is urging legislators to spend more money to ensure there’s space in emergency shelters not just for adults, but for teenagers. Mari Culver says she’s also concerned about young children who are removed from a dangerous home and wind up — alone — in those shelters.

Mari Culver says "emergency foster care" services should be expanded "for every child who needs it." Culver visited several shelters during the last campaign and decided that any left-over money from her husband’s inaugural would be forwarded to the Iowa Youth and Shelter Services Foundation. According to Culver, there’s a shortage of trained emergency foster care families in Iowa. She says it is "unacceptable" for young children to be staying in shelters.

"Particularly so when you go to visit these shelters and you see small children in them — children under the age of 10 who are living in an emergency shelter because they have no place to go," Culver says. During testimony before a legislative committee on Wednesday, Culver read letters she’s received from kids who’re living in some of the state’s shelters.

Culver read a letter from a 15-year-old from Fort Dodge who said if he hadn’t been able to go to a shelter, he would have been placed in a juvenile detention facility. Culver is asking lawmakers to help expand the number of beds available in shelters for such teenagers. 

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:

Emmetsburg man tracked down in California on sex charge

February 28, 2007 By

Authorities have gone all the way to California to track down a 46-year-old northwest Iowa man who was charged with sexually-abusing a child, but failed to show up for his trial.

Last May, David Koenck, Senior, of Emmetsburg was charged with second degree sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12. He didn’t show up for his trial on December 19th. Tips led authorities San Francisco, California, where Koenck had been arrested on December 29th. He’s now back in the Palo Alto County Jail, facing contempt of court charges, too.


Audio: Mark Bruggom report. :35 MP3

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Woman loses bid to overturn murder plea

February 28, 2007 By

A woman who was working at a northwest Iowa nursing home has lost the latest appeal of her murder conviction for killing one of the home’s residents. Back in August of 2003, Christie Van Oort pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for causing the death of 87-year-old Dick Post, a resident of the Rock Valley nursing home where she worked.

Van Oort, who is a Canadian, told an immigration agent she became angry while she was feeding the man and shoved food down his throat until he could no longer breathe or swallow. The elderly man’s body was exhumed, and an autopsy concluded he had been asphyxiated by food. Van Oort argues her attorneys shouldn’t have let her plead guilty because she was taking medications at the time that "impaired" her mental state.

But the Iowa Court of Appeals has ruled the only issue left to decide is whether the trial court should have allowed Van Oort to be sentenced immediately. The judges on the Court of Appeals note that the victim’s relatives had protested outside the courthouse, arguing her sentence was too light, and her lawyers were worried she might face other charges if she waited to be sentenced, and talked about other crimes in jail during the wait.

The Court of Appeals ruled Van Oort’s attorneys acted appropriately and upheld Van Oort’s conviction as well as the 57-year prison sentence she received. 

Audio: Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson report. :62 MP3

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Counterfeit bills show up in Creston

February 28, 2007 By

Counterfeit currency has shown up again in the southwest Iowa community of Creston. Creston Police Chief Jamie Christensen says "scammers" aren’t just doing their dirty work over the phone these days — they’re trying to use "fake money," too.

"The denominations have been normally in the $10 range," Christensen says. "Now, we’ve seen some $100 ones." Christensen is advising businesses to get a special ink pen from their bank that can help determine whether bills are counterfeit. "If you do get (a counterfeit bill) in your business…just take note of the person, the description, the license plate on a car," the police chief advises. "…If you have the ability to contact us while they’re still in there, that’s great but do not confront anybody that’s possibly committing a crime."

Those caught trying to buy something with counterfeit currency face fines of up to five-thousand dollars and up to 15 years in prison.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
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