From the daily archives:

Monday, October 5, 2009

Judge rules Becker competent to stand trial

by O. Kay Henderson on October 5, 2009

in Crime & Courts, Uncategorized

A judge today ruled the Parkersburg man accused of shooting legendary high school football coach Ed Thomas to death is competent to stand trial [Compentency Ruling PDF].  A trial date for Mark Becker will be set later.

Becker is accused of first degree murder.  Witnesses say Becker walked into onto Aplington-Parkersburg school grounds early June 24, 2009, and shot Thomas at point-blank range in a temporary weight-lifting room set up for the football team.

The judge ruled Becker is able to “appreciate” the charge against him, understand what will happen in his upcoming trial and assist in his defense.

During a competency hearing last month, two psychiatrists who had examined Becker said he suffers from paranoid-schizophrena and hallicinates.  Becker, a former Aplington-Parkersburg football player, has a court-appointed attorney for his upcoming trial and she indicated several weeks ago that she would argue her client was insane at the time of the murder.

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Des Moines man charged after running down police officer

by Pat Curtis 10/5/09 3:45 PM

The man who is accused of running over a Des Moines cop with his pickup truck is now facing a long list of charges. Radio Police say 37-year-old Elvin Redmond drove directly over Officer Nick Lloyd’s head and body Sunday afternoon outside an apartment complex on the city’s southeast side.
Lloyd and fellow Officer Jason Noble [...]

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It’s national 4-H week

by Radio Iowa Contributor 10/5/09 3:36 PM

A decades-old program that aims to build life skills in kids from grades K through 12 is celebrating its rural roots this week. Cheryl Entriken is the 4-H youth leader in central Iowa’s Hamilton County and says there are special activities and promotions underway as part of National 4-H Week.
“We’ve encouraged our 4-Hers to make [...]

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Iowa Red Cross official part of national panel

by Radio Iowa Contributor 10/5/09 3:34 PM

The leader of an Iowa Chapter of the American Red Cross has been named to the President’s Advisory Council on the national Red Cross. Iowa Rivers chapter executive director, Mary Dooley, says 21 chapter representatives from across the country are meeting. Dooley is the only Iowan in the group, and will present the view of [...]

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Radio Iowa high school football poll 10/5/09

by Todd Kimm 10/5/09 2:01 PM

Class 4A
1. Iowa City High (6-0), LW #1 @ CR Prairie
2. Dowling Catholic (6-0), LW #2 @ #9 Urbandale
3. Marshalltown (6-0), LW #3 @ Ames
4. Clinton (6-0), LW #4 vs Pleasant Valley
5. Linn-Mar (6-0), LW #5 vs Cedar Falls
6. Bettendorf (5-1), LW #6 @ Davenport Central
7. Ankeny (5-1), LW #8 @ Indianola
8. Dubuque Hempstead (5-1), [...]

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Key legislator says film office audit “mind-boggling”

by O. Kay Henderson 10/5/09 1:56 PM

A key state legislator says an auditing firm’s review of the state Film Office is “mind-boggling. “The review released this morning found, for example, that state tax credits for in-state purchases were improperly awarded to film makers for out-of-state activity.  Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City who is chairman of the Senate Ways [...]

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Film Office audit finds “questionable” activity

by O. Kay Henderson 10/5/09 12:12 PM

State officials have just released an auditing firm’s review of the state’s tax credit program for film makers  — a review which found a variety of “questionable” actions in the Iowa Film Office.  The Attorney General has issued a statement, saying a criminal investigation is underway, as there are “several” instances when state law was [...]

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