Hooverfest events are underway already, according to Becky Allgood, executive director of the Hoover Presidential Library Association. “We have the 22nd annual Hooverball National Championships with over 30 teams,” Allgood says. “We have the Vietnam Moving Wall, it’s a smaller replica of the National Vietnam Wall. It’s 254-feet so it’s a beautiful exhibit.” Hooverball was devised in the early 1930s for the then-president to play on the White House grounds to keep him physically fit. The game resembles volleyball but is now played by enthusiasts in eastern Iowa with a four- or six-pound medicine ball. Allgood says military veterans are welcome at Hooverfest, as all VFWs in the state have been invited, in addition to all 700 American Legion posts across Iowa. “The U.S. Honor Flag will be coming in today and that was the flag that was flown over Ground Zero,” Allgood says. “That will be coming in under guard today. We will have a special flag-raising tomorrow at noon.” Among the dignitaries, President Hoover’s great-granddaughter Margaret Hoover will be presiding over some of the events. Allgood says about a hundred exhibitors will be on the historic site throughout the day on Saturday, showcasing “Iowa’s Treasures.” “If you’re an Iowan, you’ll be very proud and you really want to come to this,” Allgood says. “These exhibits are phenomenal.” Performers at Hooverfest include the Celebration Iowa Singers and Jazz Band and the Air Force Jazz Band. Admission, shuttles and parking are all free. Saturday’s events end with a fireworks show, choreographed to music. For details, visit “ www.hooverfest.org “. 
A patriotic salute to Iowa veterans is woven into a weekend of activities surrounding the birthday party in West Branch for the town’s famed native son and Iowa’s only president, Herbert Hoover.
Hooverfest underway in West Branch
Braley: "Cash for Clunkers" phenomenally successful
The U.S. House has approved a bill that would extend $2 billion more to the "Cash for Clunkers" program which offers up to $4,500 to vehicle owners who trade in an old gas-guzzler for a new car. Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, was one of the original co-sponsors of the program back in March.
"This has been a phenomenally successful program, probably once of the most successful incentive programs in government history," Braley says. The program’s been up and running for about a week and federal officials estimate Americans have traded in a clunker and bought about 40,000 new, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
"A dealership in the Quad Cities, Lujack Automotive, has already had 127 ‘Cash for Clunkers’ transactions in less than the first week the program was in effect, so this has been a huge success — saving families money and reducing their fuel consumption and stimulating the economy which is exactly what this program was designed to do," Braley says.
Some dealers have expressed concerns, though, as they’ve been unable to register their "Cash for Clunkers" transactions on the government’s website and fear they won’t get paid. Braley says that’s why he’s sent a letter to President Obama and the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation, asking them to address some of the concerns.
"I don’t want dealers who have eligible vehicles to be left holding the bag," Braley says. "And that’s why we we’re going to move quickly to make sure that the program is improved in how it’s implemented to make sure that dealers can get prompt confirmation that they have a viable transaction."
The bill providing $2 billion more for the "Cash for Clunkers" program passed the House moments ago on a 316 to 109 vote.
"I’m also hopeful that the senate is going to act quickly on this," Braley says. "My hope is that if they don’t act today they will act early next week and we can get this bill to the president’s desk and get it approved."
Congress originally authorized $4 billion for the program, but started out by putting just a billion dollars in the pipeline to get it off the ground. Braley says the expectation was that the billion dollars "would last through November," but with manufacturers and dealers offering incentives on top of the government’s $3,500 to $4,500 for a clunker, the federal program has been "overwhelmed," according to Braley.
St. Ansgar drops plan to block cell phones at schools
The St. Ansgar school district has stopped their plan to install jamming equipment in their middle and high school buildings to block cell phone signals. The St. Ansgar School Board earlier had discussed buying such equipment as they’re frustrated over the growing problem of cell phone use during school hours. Superintendent Jim Woodward says the district has abandoned the plan to buy a jamming device after learning that federal law bans such jamming devices and prohibits the sale or operation of such machines. Sam Harding is a spokesman for the Iowa Association of School Boards and a member of the Jefferson-Scranton school board. He says there are concerns about having the jamming equipment turned on when there’s an emergency situation at the school. He says their concern is there may be times when using a cell phone, like a "Columbine situation", would be the best way to communicate with people inside and outside the school. Harding says the Jefferson-Scranton school board discussed jamming equipment previously and decided it wasn’t the best way to tackle the issue. Harding says the potential safety problems seemed to outweigh the other concerns. Harding says personal electronic devices will continue to be a growing issue with the evolution of "smart phones" and smaller laptops.
Former Black Hawk County employee a suspect in missing money
(This story was updated at 3:40 p.m.)
A state audit found over half a million dollars in cash payments made to the Clerk of Court office in Waterloo were never deposited and a former bookkeeper has been charged with four counts of first degree theft. State Auditor Dave Vaudt says the money came from people who had been convicted of a crime and who were using cash to pay fines and court fees.
"An individual was able to take cash deposits and record them as the individual working for community service in lieu of paying cash," Vaudt says. The audit reviewed records from January 1st, 2004 through the end of 2007 and identified almost 540-thousand dollars of "undeposited collections."
Tina Zieser, a former bookkeeper in the Clerk’s office, resigned on December 21st, 2007. "As in many cases, there isn’t a good track record of what happened to the cash," Vaudt says. The audit did find Zieser deposited over $28,000 in cash to her personal checking account, plus she used over $6,000 in cash to pay off her credit card bills.
The audit also found Zieser and her husband made nearly $13,000 in cash payments on their personal loans, too. Zieser was arrested Wednesday. Vaudt says there were two tip-offs that Zieser was doing something wrong. "They had a cash reconciliation problem one day and, once they investigated, they found a particular payment for $380 that they couldn’t find deposited, so that alerted them," Vaudt says.
"Previously, the office had received a call from a probation officer who indicated he was working with a particular person who said they had a receipt for a cash payment they had made, but the court on-line system said the person had done community service in lieu of paying cash, so those two things really sparked the investigation."
Many of those convicted of crime pay their fines in cash and the auditor says Iowa’s 100 Clerk of Court offices are making some changes as a result of this case.
"In this case, obviously, sometimes there’s a weakness within the control systems and it definitely identified it and the court system right now is looking at changing all those procedures and addressing the weakness that we found," Vaudt says.
Employees in the Black Hawk County Clerk of Court office shared computer passwords, so there is now strict enforcement of computer password use to be able to track who is recording transactions when fines and fees are being paid.
Get out early, big crowd expected at Nationwide race in Newton
The Iowa Speedway in Newton is preparing for what will be its biggest crowd in the four years since it opened. The track will host the U.S. Cellular 250 Nationwide series race Saturday. The Nationwide series is operated by NASCAR and is just a step below the Sprint Cup where the major NASCAR stars race. Speedway president Jerry Jauron says fans should get to the track early. Jauron says they will be well over the capacity of 55,000 people and they will open the parking lots at six A.M., nine-and-a-half hours before the race starts. Jauron says come out early and tailgate and have a good time, and the spectator gates will open at nine A.M. Jauron says they have detailed plans for getting people in and out of the race — but with so many people — fans will have to be patient. Jauron says the 55,000 is about 15 to 16,000 more fans than the Indy Corn 250 and that means six or seven thousand more cars to park. The Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Department of Transportation are working with area law enforcement to help with the extra traffic on I-80 for the race. The state patrol says it is working in conjunction with a private traffic control company, to set up signs and cones which will clearly mark travel routes for fans attending the race. Officials expect traffic to be heaviest approximately two hours before and after the race.
Charles City boys charged with making MacGyver bombs
Charles City police have arrested two boys as part of a case of so-called "MacGyver-style" bottle bombs being left on an elementary playground. Police say they took the two boys, ages 14 and 15, into custody on Thursday and charged them with having an explosive device, an aggravated misdemeanor.
Last week police on two different occasions investigated about 10 bottle bombs being left on the playground at Washington Elementary School, with at least four bombs exploding, spraying chemicals in the area surrounding the bomb. The two teens have been taken to the North Iowa Detention Center in Waterloo.
Mason City man moved from hospital to jail cell
A former Mason City man who’s accused of murdering his long-time girlfriend has been moved from a hospital bed to a jail cell and has had his next court appearance set. Thirty-seven-year-old Michael Adams is accused in the July 14th murder of another former Mason City resident, Amber Hartwig, at the couple’s home in Belton, Missouri. Police accuse Adams of shooting Hartwig in the head and then trying to turn the gun on himself, but he only suffered a superficial chest wound. Adams had been hospitalized since the incident, but earlier this week was transported to the Cass County jail, where he remains on $1 million bond. Adams appeared in Cass County Circuit Court yesterday on the charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action, with Judge Thomas Campbell setting August 27th as the date for a preliminary hearing in the case.
