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Two eastern Iowa men sentenced for federal crimes

January 29, 2010 By

A Cedar Falls man who used two underage females to make a sexually explicit video has been sentenced to more than 24 years in federal prison. Twenty-nine-year-old Ryan Dean Heath pled guilty in March to one count of production of child pornography.

In a plea agreement, Heath admitted that he had a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old girl engage in sexually explicit conduct in April of 2007 so he could make a video. Heath was sentenced in Cedar Rapids and also fined 20-thousand dollars.

A Marion, Iowa, man who sent an e-mail threatening to blow up a California school was sentenced Thursday to five years in federal prison. Twenty-five-year old Andrew Schrock was sentenced after pelading guilty to one count of making a threat involving fire and explosives.

According to court information disclosed in court Schrock sent threatening e-mails to a teacher at a Los Angeles, California, high school using the e-mail of a female student at the school he had dated on-line. The court information says Schrock started harrassing the girl and her family after they broke up.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Iowa Lottery begins selling Mega Millions Sunday

January 29, 2010 By

Iowa Lottery players will be able to buy tickets in another big jackpot game starting this Sunday. Mega Millions is currently sold in 12 states while Powerball is sold in 30 states, including Iowa. U.S. lottery directors reached an agreement in October to cross-sell the games.

Iowa Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says the deal is of particular interest to lottery customers living near the Mississippi River. That’s because Illinois is the only neighboring state with the Mega Millions game. “So when the Mega Millions jackpot has been big in Illinois, you see folks from Iowa driving over there to buy tickets and when the Powerball jackpot has been big here in Iowa, you see folks from Illinois coming across the river to buy tickets,” Neubauer said.

“Now, everyone is going to be able to stay home and buy their tickets at home.” The addition of a new big jackpot game should boost profits at the Iowa Lottery and bring more money to the state. “We can’t for sure tell what the impact of Mega Millions will be on Powerball and vice-versa, but the bottom line is we anticipate this will be a positive for lottery sales in Iowa as well as proceeds for the state of Iowa,” Neubauer said.

Mega Millions drawings are held at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. Powerball drawings are at 10 on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Tonight’s Mega Millions drawing is for an estimated 144-million dollars ($144 million) while tomorrow’s Powerball drawing is for nearly $90 million.

“The change is coming at a great time for players in both games because the jackpots have been growing and are really getting up there in both games,” Neubauer said. Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing will be the first to include tickets purchased in Iowa. Lottery players will also have more time to buy tickets for their favorite games.

Beginning Sunday, the sales cutoff times for Powerball and other games will be pushed back. For example, the sales cutoff for Powerball will be moved from 7:59 p.m. to 8:59 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Neubauer says customers have requested the extension for years and now the lottery is able to make the change.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

National Weather Service outlook shows risk is high for spring flooding

January 29, 2010 By

After record snowfalls and many winter storms Iowans are likely looking forward to the spring thaw — but the National Weather Service says the warmer weather could bring a new set of problems to the state. National Weather Service senior hydrologist, Jeff Zogg, says there’s a good chance of spring flooding.

“Right now we’re looking at a high risk of significant flooding, especially across the northwest half of Iowa this spring,” Zogg says, “the streams of most concerns right now are the Des Moines, the Racoon, the Floyd, the Little Sioux and Big Sioux Rivers as well as part of the Cedar/Iowa river basin.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather

Northey predicts more staff reductions in ag department

January 29, 2010 By

Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey says 50 jobs within the Iowa Department of Agriculture will have to be eliminated if the legislature endorses the governor’s budget plan for the agency. 

Governor Culver, a Democrat, proposed a general outline of state spending for all executive branch agencies this past Wednesday.  Northey, a Republican, says there’s about $800,000 less in the ag department’s budget plan for salaries.

“We’ll certainly see some reduction in force,” Northey says. “We’re down about 10 percent in the number of people compared to last year.” 

Northey predicts staff levels in the department will be down another 10 to 15 percent under this latest budget scenario, and he’ll have to lay some workers off as he won’t be able to accomplish all the staff reductions through attrition or retirements.  Two years ago, the state ag department operated with a general fund budget of about $22 million.  The governor’s recommending a budget of $16.8 million for the next fiscal year.  Northey suggests that’s a throwback budget.

“We’re actually funded at the same level we were in 1994,” Northey says. 

While the legislature “has something to say” about the level of funding Northey’s agency will receive in the next budgeting year, Northey doesn’t expect lawmakers to provide his agency with more money,

“We don’t really expect that there’s going to be more dollars in a budget that’s so upside down,” Northey says.  “…We’re going to see another 50 people out of our department not being there a year from now.”

In addition, there will be less state grant money to award for water conservation projects, for example, and there will be fewer inspectors, like the ones who ensure devices that weigh animals sold at livestock auctions around the state are accurate.  There will be fewer inspectors to oversee feed and fertilizer dealers, too.

“Generally, most folks will still not necessarily see that something is not safe,” Northey says. “But the challenge is at what level does that risk become high enough that it starts to impact regular Iowans?”

Northey made his comments late this morning during taping of the IPTV program, “Iowa Press,” which airs tonight at 7:30.

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

Three businesses in Corning damaged by an explosion

January 29, 2010 By

An explosion and fire in Corning Thursday afternoon damaged three businesses and sent two firefighters to the hospital. Fire crews were called just after 4 p.m. to Rich’s Auto Repair.

Corning Fire Chief Donnie Willett says the situation could have been much worse had the owner of the business, Richard Drake, not stepped outside moments before the explosion. “He was working on one of the cars and it was by the overhead door…he then went outside with a customer who drove up when the overhead door blew out,” Willett said.

The auto repair business sustained major damage, along with three vehicles that were inside the shop. Two adjacent businesses, Corning Auto Supply and Corning Plumbing and Heating, sustained smoke damage. Willet says it appears the problem originated with the car Drake had been working on before stepping outside.

“The gas tank blew up, blew the (overhead) door out and then gas on the floor caught on fire,” Willet said. Two firefighters from Corning were both treated for exhaustion related injuries at an area hospital.

By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Report ranks Iowa 32nd in bike safety

January 29, 2010 By

A new national report ranks Iowa 32nd in the nation in terms of bicycle safety. The report from the Alliance for Biking and Walking suggests cities and states should take steps to make their communities more bike and pedestrian friendly.

Mark Wyatt, with the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, says 8% of trips in Iowa are by bicycle or foot, but bicyclists and pedestrians account for 7% of the state’s traffic fatalities. “I think one of the biggest things that the national report shows is if we increase the amount of bicycling – safety increases,” Wyatt said. “I think that’s a big encouragement factor. The more people we can get on bikes, the safer it’s going to be for everybody.”

The report claims motorists tend to be more aware of their surroundings when there are more bicycles on the road. Wyatt is pushing Iowa lawmakers to pass a bike safety bill this session. He says the measure would require motorists, when they’re passing a bicycle, to leave at least five feet between their vehicle and cyclist.

Wyatt’s organization is holding an Iowa Bicycle Summit today and tomorrow in Des Moines. He says today’s events are directed at city planners, engineers and others who’re interested in implementing more bicycle traffic in their communities. Saturday’s session is geared more toward bicycling enthusiasts.

The Iowa Bicycle Summit is taking place at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. Wyatt says Cedar Falls, Iowa City, Davenport and Des Moines are among the Iowa cities that have begun to implement bike ways and shared lanes arrow markings. He claims those cities are seeing an increase in bicyclists and a decrease in traffic conflicts between bikes and vehicles.

See the  Alliance for Biking and Walking report here: www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org/benchmarking

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment

Passenger rail proponent optimistic about the future

January 29, 2010 By

While the state didn’t get all the funding it had hoped to get for passenger rail service, one supporter is confident things are going to happen in the future. Iowa had hoped to get funding for routes from Iowa City to Chicago and Chicago to Dubuque, but they were not included in this round of funding.

Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce C.E.O., Nancy Quelhorst, says she’s optimistic the Iowa City route will eventually get funded. “Although it wasn’t exactly what we wanted we are pleased this is continued progress and an expression of confidence the administration and Secretary LaHood have for our routes,” Quelhorst says.

Iowa did receive one million dollars to study a route from Omaha to Des Moines. Quelhorst says, “We of course would have hoped that our city was on the list but we’re optimistic about the feasibility study being funded for the extension to Omaha and are hopeful about the future.” Iowa is still in the running for another two and a half billion dollars that will likely be allocated later this year.

Thirteen rail corridors in thirty-one states received a part of the eight billion dollars for high-speed passenger rail service. The major routes getting funding were in California and Florida. A high-speed line from Chicago to St. Louis will also be built.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:
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