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Illegal immigrant from Denison sentenced in drug crime

July 13, 2009 By

An illegal immigrant who was living in Denison will spend 10 years in a federal prison for dealing drugs.

This past March, 24-year-old Soyner Umanzor pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and four counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine.

Prosecutors says he sold meth within 1000 feet of two schools in Denison. Undercover cops bought over one-quarter of a pound of meth in a deal that involved Umanzor.

He’s been sentenced to 120 months in a federal prison, plus another decade of supervised probation after he’s released.

A variety of state, federal and local law enforcement worked on the investigation which caught Umanzor — including a U.S. Department of Justice task force investigating organized crime.

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With:

Mason City man accused of "smurfing"

July 13, 2009 By

A Mason City man has pleaded guilty in a "smurfing" case.

Twenty-nine-year-old Adam James Rollins of Mason City was accused of smurfing — working with a crew who went from store to store in Iowa and Minnesota to buy large quantities of medications. The medications contained pseudoephedrine which is a main ingredient for methamphetamine.

Prosecutors say Rollins gave the pills to other meth-makers and sometimes used the pills to make meth himself. He’s pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine.

Rollins could be sentenced to as little as 10 years in a federal prison, or the judge could sentence him to serve the rest of his life behind bars.

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With:

Should U.S. apologize for slavery?

July 13, 2009 By

The Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission is sponsoring an online survey about slavery.

Commission executive director Karl Cassell says the survey asks questions such as whether the government should apologize for slavery and whether reparations should be paid to the decedents of slaves.

"The purpose, really, is to see how people really feel about race relations, if slavery or an apology for slavery is even needed this far removed," he says.

Cassell says they got the idea for the survey after U.S. Senator Tom Harkin recently successfully sponsored a government apology for slavery. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a similar apology last year though it has not voted on the Senate’s version.

Cassell says it’s important to start conversations about the issue of slavery because human trafficking is still a big problem worldwide.

"Until we acknowledge that this has been a practice throughout history in this country, it doesn’t bring attention to, you know, we’re right back in the same place today where we were 250 years ago," he says.

Initial survey results are mixed, according to Cassell. He says most people believe there should be an apology but are not so sure about reparations.

The Commission’s survey is open until Tuesday, July 14. Cassell says the results will be posted and analyzed in an upcoming newsletter.

Filed Under: Human Interest, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

Man drowns in Iowa River in Marshalltown

July 13, 2009 By

A central Iowa man drown on a weekend camping trip.

A 27-year-old Marshalltown man, Zacharyah Lee Webb, apparently drowned in the Iowa River in Marshalltown, early Sunday morning.

Marshalltown Police, the Marshall Town Fire Department and the Marshall County Sheriff’s department responded to a 5 a.m. 911 call and attempted to rescue the victim. Authorities say a group had been camping along the river when two men decided to go swimming.

It took two hours for the rescurers to locate the body. Marshall County Medical Examiner David Bethel pronounced the victim dead. An autopsy will be done by the state medical examiner. 

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Iowa banking exec killed in stunt plane crash in Missouri

July 13, 2009 By

An Iowa banking executive was killed Friday when the small plane she was flying crashed in Missouri as she practiced for an air show. Thirty-six-year-old Chandy Clanton was vice-chair of the Bank Iowa Corporation, a private holding company based in West Des Moines, with seven independently-chartered banks in 21 Iowa communities.

Clanton lived in Lincoln, Nebraska. Bank Iowa was co-founded by Clanton’s father, Harry Barr, a Clarinda (Iowa) native who’s also a pilot. Barr says he’s not sure what caused the crash.

"I don’t try to second-guess the FAA and the NTSB with their investigations," Barr says. "There was a video taken at the time. A very well-qualified fellow performer, along with the FAA, viewed the video. They have reached an analysis of their thought process and when I see the video I may come to the same conclusion."

Barr says his daughter was an accomplished pilot and had been flying since she was a teenager. He doesn’t know yet if the crash was caused by a malfunction, pilot error or something else. "She was doing her normal routine, a practice session, which we saw her do at Clarinda and Seward and the same thing she does at Offut and Oshkosh and so forth," Barr says. "It was nothing new and different from what she’d been doing for a long time."

In addition to her involvement in the banking industry, Barr says his daughter also followed his footsteps into aviation, eventually surpassing his skills in the pilot’s seat. "I soloed her when she was 16 or 17 and got her involved in aerobatics," Barr says. "Of course, in about 2000 or ’99, she passed me up and went on to be a world class performer, as opposed to myself, I couldn’t keep up."

Clanton was a three-time member of the United States Unlimited Aerobatic Team. Clanton’s plane crashed in a bean field near Tarkio, Missouri, in the southwest region of the state. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash. A coroner has confirmed, Clanton died of injuries in the crash, not from any medical condition leading to the crash.

Clanton leaves two sons, ages seven and ten. A public memorial service is tentatively scheduled for Friday in Lincoln.

Filed Under: Business, Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Grassley raises concerns about Sotomayor’s judicial philosophy

July 13, 2009 By

Senator Chuck Grassley this morning raised concerns about President Obama’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Grassley, a Republican, is a member of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, the panel that opened hearings this morning on Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the nation’s highest court.

"I’ve reviewed your record and have concerns about your judicial philosophy," Grassley said. "For example, in one speech, you doubted that a judge could ever be truly impartial. In another speech, you argued that it is a ‘disservice both to law and society’ for judges to disregard personal views shaped by one’s ‘differences as a woman or man of color.’ In yet another speech, you proclaimed that the court of appeals is where ‘policy is made.’"

Grassley said he was troubled by President Obama’s comment that judges should have "empathy" — and Grassley outlined his own view of a what makes a good judge.

"The touchstone of being a good judge is the exercise of judicial restraint," Grassley said. "Good judges understand that their job is not to impose their own personal opinions of right and wrong. They know their job is to say what the law is, rather than what they personally think that it ought to be."

Grassley said he fears Sotomayor’s "personal politics, feelings and preferences" would shape her opinions.

"The American legal system requires that judges check their biases, personal preferences and politics at the door of the courthouse. Lady Justice stands before the Supreme Court with a blindfold holding the scales of justice," Grassley said. "Just like Lady Justice, judges and Justices must wear blindfolds when they interpret the Constitution and administer justice."

Grassley told Sotomayor he would be asking her about her judicial philosophy and how she’ll deal with her biases and personal preferences when deciding cases. The hearing is expected to last most of the week. Grassley began his remarks this morning, however, with by offering Sotomayor a cordial greeting.

"A warm welcome to you and your family and friends," Grassley said. "They are all very proud of you and rightly so."

Read Grassley’s entire statement  on The Blog or click on the audio link below to listen to his remarks.


AUDIO: Grassley statement…MP3 9 min.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

School board candidates face July 30 deadline

July 13, 2009 By

Nominations are being accepted through the end of the month for open seats on the state’s 362 local public school boards.

Megan Hawkins, spokeswoman for the Iowa Association of School Boards, says they hope people who are passionate about the education system will step up and want to serve their community.

She says they want to have quality candidates who care about children and the future. Hawkins says serving on a school board is a "challenging job" which requires "leadership and vision and dedication…they’re really the link between the community and the school."

Hawkins says being on a school board can be a rewarding experience, despite not being paid. She says board members can really see the results of their work when they’re working on policies for the classroom and student achievement.

Hawkins says school board members will be dealing with a number of issues impacting education today, like implementing the Iowa Core Curriculum "to set higher standards and get more rigor into the classroom."

Interested candidates can go to their local school board secretary or to the internet to get their proper papers.Visit the Iowa Association of School Boards website at www.ia-sb.org to download the nomination papers. You’ll need to get a certain number of signatures and turn in the forms soon, as the nomination period ends July 30.

School board elections statewide will be held this year on September 8.

Filed Under: Education, Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,
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