From the daily archives:

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A 50-year-old man imprisoned on a sex abuse charge will get an early release from prison, but state officials say he’ll have to wear an electronic bracelet on his ankle so his movements can be monitored.

Michael McGill was arrested at Valley West Mall in West Des Moines last April for grabbing a 21-year-old man. McGill was charged with assault with intent to commit sex abuse and he’s spent eight months in prison. McGill is eligible for early release due to good behavior behind bars and he’ll be released this Saturday, but Fred Scaletta of the Iowa Department of Corrections says McGill be transferred to the Fort Des Moines Correctional Center — a halfway house — and will be forced to wear that bracelet monitor.

"With the ankle bracelet, if there was any attempt to move away from that facility to any amount of distance we would know that very, very quickly," Scaletta says.

McGill was sentenced to two years in prison and the Department of Corrections asked a judge to declare him a sexually-violent predator so he could be held beyond his sentence, but a psychologist determined McGill did not meet the criteria. While McGill is being released from prison, authorities may "supervise" his movements for the next 10 years, according to Scaletta.

 

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Ferentz will take no disciplinary action toward Adrian Clayborn

by admin 03/25/09 4:22 PM

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says he is not going to take disciplinary action against defensive end Adrian Clayborn. The native of St. Louis has been accused of punching a cab driver during an incident in January.
Ferentz says, "Sometimes you have enough evidence in front of you where you’re pretty sure something has [...]

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Iowa football opens Spring drills

by admin 03/25/09 4:21 PM

The Iowa football team opens spring drills with high hopes for next season. The Hawks won six of their final seven games last season, including a blowout of South Carolina in the Outback Bowl to finish with a record of 9-4.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says the outcome of the game was good as [...]

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Governor signs bill expanding unemployment benefits

by admin 03/25/09 4:18 PM

Governor Chet Culver has signed a bill into law that will expand unemployment benefits for many Iowans who’ve lost their job. Laid-off workers who’re training for a new job will be eligible for 26 more weeks of unemployment benefits.
The governor says state unemployment figures released this week highlight the need. "More than 82,000 [...]

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It’s "Kick Butts Day"

by admin 03/25/09 4:10 PM

Teenage anti-smoking activists in Iowa are spreading the word today about how smoking kills as part of the 14th annual Kick Butts Day. Danny McGoldrick, vice president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, says the young Iowans are finding all sorts of creative ways to relay their message.
Across Iowa today, kids are holding [...]

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NWS says five tornadoes touched down Monday

by admin 03/25/09 4:09 PM

The National Weather Service has determined that a total of five tornadoes touched Monday in western Iowa. Meteorologist Jeff Johnson helped survey some of the damage. He says an E-F-2 tornado struck just west of Missouri Valley in Harrison County, while two E-F-0s hit Montgomery County and two more E-F 0’s landed [...]

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Argument for eliminating business tax credits rather than making budget cuts

by admin 03/25/09 1:30 PM

Labor leaders and consumer advocates say the legislature should consider eliminating a host of state tax credits before slashing the state budget.
A Department of Revenue report shows tax credits have increased nearly five-fold since 2001. Lana Ross of the Iowa Community Action Association says that amounts to half a billion dollars in [...]

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