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King uses pistol to kill raccoon

February 16, 2010 By

Republican Congressman Steve King’s getting national attention for shooting a raccoon to death last week.  King was at his rural western Iowa home on Tuesday, February 9 and posted a message on Twitter, saying he had killed a “Crazy Raccoon” trying to claw its way into his house.  He used a gun called a “Desert Eagle.”

“A Desert Eagle is an Israeli-made, semi-automatic pistol,” King says. 

In early February King’s wife told him a raccoon had tried to dig through a vent underneath the family room in their rural home.  King was standing in that family room last week when a raccoon started to scratch on the sliding-glass windows.

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Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Keokuk company to pay record fine for air pollution

February 16, 2010 By

A company has agreed to pay a one-million dollar civil penalty to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for air pollution violations at a facility in southeast Iowa. Roquette America’s plant in Keokuk produces corn-based starches and syrups used in a variety of products.

Bob Brammer, a spokesperson for the Iowa Attorney General’s office, says the one-million dollar penalty equals the largest environmental penalty ever paid in Iowa, matching the penalty paid by A.D.M. for environmental violations in the 1990s. The state alleged Roquette’s corn wet milling facility had excess emissions of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and other compounds.

In addition to the civil penalty, Roquette is required to construct a new “feedhouse” — which is where the company makes animal feed from by-products of corn processing. “This was the particular part of their facility that caused the excess emissions,” Brammer said. Roquette has agreed to build a new feedhouse and include more efficient equipment and better air pollution controls.

Brammer says Roquette has already paid the one-million dollar civil penalty and has submitted permit applications to the Iowa D.N.R. for construction of the new feedhouse. “They’re prohibited from further violations and if they should violate this court order, then they could face stipulated penalties…up to $10,000 per day, per violation,” Brammer said.

Roquette is a company based in northern France. The facility in Keokuk opened in 1991.

Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts, Environment & Conservation

UNI looks to nail down MVC title without Egleseder

February 16, 2010 By

U.N.I. can claim the school’s first-ever outright Missouri Valley Conference championship with a home victory over Creighton tonight, but the Panthers will be without their second-leading scorer in the line-up. Coach Ben Jacobsen has suspended 7-foot senior center Jordan Egleseder for three games following his arrest on drunken driving charges early Sunday morning.

Jacobsen says he’s very disappointed in what happened and in Egleseder, but he says the player also has his full support and the full support of the team as he has earned that. Egleseder released a statement on Monday, apologizing to his teammates, the fans, the university, and the alumni.

Jacobsen says no one feels worse about what happened more than Egleseder and the Bellevue native needs to learn from his mistake. He says his job now is to make good decisions going forward and to use this experience in the future when another situation arises where he is frustrated.

Lucas O’Rear, the league’s reigning sixth-man of year, will take Egleseder’s place in the starting line-up. Jacobsen says the challenge for U.N.I. now is for everyone on the team to be more productive. Jacobsen says it’s important that the rest of the team does not try to do too much more, as he says they have depth and the key is for everyone to do just a little more.

Egleseder’s absence will likely force the Panthers to alter their offensive attack, but Jacobsen is confident the that UNI’s experience will carry his team. He says they may need to do some things to free up their guards more, but he says they have the experience to run other things and get what they need offensively.

Tip-off for the UNI-Creighton game is at 7:05 tonight at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls.

By Elwin Huffman KOEL Oelwein

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Drake looks to end losing streak against SIU

February 16, 2010 By

The Drake Bulldogs try to snap a four game losing skid this evening at home against Southern Illinois. Both teams are 6-9 in the Missouri Valley and Drake coach Mark Phelps says the Salukis are a better team than when the Bulldogs won the first matchup. He says he likes their team and depth and the way they are playing.

Phelps says he is glad they are at home and will need the home advantage. Drake has lost several close games and Phelps says the Bulldogs need to play better at crunch time. He says they have not finished well and made winning plays in the last few minutes of the games, while keeping their opponents from making the plays.

Phelps says they are looking to build some momentum in the final games heading to the conference tournament.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Mixed Martial Arts bill moves ahead in senate

February 16, 2010 By

The Iowa Senate has voted to establish new rules for amateur “mixed martial arts” bouts in Iowa. Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, says fighters would have to show they’ve had a physical and they must be at least 18 years old. In addition, the bill calls for medical personnel to be on hand during an amateur mixed martial arts fight, in case someone gets hurt.

“You know, we’re not here to try to stop what’s becoming a more and more popular sport,” Dotzler says. “I know a lot of people think it’s probably a little too violent and maybe it spreads violence, but that isn’t what this is about. It’s about safety and about our youth.”

Senator William Heckroth, a Democrat from Waverly, says a teenager from Waverly was seriously injured when he fibbed, told fight promoters he was 18 and entered a mixed martial arts bout in Waterloo. “He got the living snot kicked out of him during this fight. There was nobody there from a health standpoint so his two buddies grabbed him, threw him in a car…and dropped him off at home. His dad woke up, found him, rushed him to the hospital…He had a broken eye-socket…He almost lost his eye,” Heckroth says.

“But that’s the type of stuff that’s going on here because we have no regulations.” Senator David Hartsuch, a Republican from Bettendorf, visited a gym in Bettendorf where a number of “Ultimate Fighting” champions — professionals — have trained.

“This particular bill is of importance because of safety,” Hartsuch says. “…And believe me, it is real hazardous. I would not want to get into a match.” Promoters of amateur mixed martial arts fights would have to obtain a state license, for a fee, if the bill becomes law. The Senate passed the bill on a 48-to-zero vote. It now goes to the Iowa House for consideration.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Auditor suggests more oversight of Transportation Enhancement Program

February 16, 2010 By

State Auditor Dave Vaudt is recommending the Department of Transportation do a better job of checking up on the use of money for a program that awards grants for projects like bike paths and trails. The audit reviewed what’s called the Transportation Enhancement Program.

Vaudt says they found there is some additional work that needs to be done by the D.O.T. to verify that the local match from communities is actually coming through and doing site monitoring during the construction of the projects while they are being built. The review covered the period from July of 2007 through June of 2009. Vaudt says there needs to be better oversight of the matching funds provided by local governments.

He says some of the matches were not well documented how the local governments came up with the money. Vaudt says the programs require 20% to 30% local matches and there are some restrictions on where the money can come from. Vaudt says the overall use of the money appeared to be okay.

Vaudt says they did not find any problems with the types of projects being constructed, as they all seemed to follow the federal guidelines. The program received nearly 44-million dollars in federal funds during the state fiscal years 2005 through

2009 for what are called nontraditional transportation related projects.

Filed Under: Politics & Government, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Clergy group gives legislators letter in favor of same-sex marriage

February 16, 2010 By

The Interfaith Alliance of Iowa has presented legislators with a letter co-signed by 167 Iowa clergy. The letter urges Iowa senators and representatives to support “marriage equality” and “oppose any resolution or attempt to diminish the marriage rights” of gay couples. Connie Ryan Terrell is executive director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa.

“That letter is going to the legislators today so that they hear a balance from people of faith, and particularly from clergy,” Terrell says. “What legislators have told me in the past when we have gone to them is that they don’t hear from clergy, often, from our side and so it’s important for them to hear that there’s a different voice and that there are clergy who are supportive of marriage equality.”

The Bishop of Episcopal Churches in Iowa signed the letter, as did ministers who serve on several college campuses, including Wartburg in Waverly and Luther College in Decorah. Unitarian ministers, Protestant pastors and rabbis signed the letter, too. Their letter says the clergymen and women “oppose the use of sacred texts and religious traditions to deny equal protection…for gay and lesbian couples.”

Terrell says the Supreme Court ruling which legalized gay marriage in Iowa last April allows the “fundamental right of marriage” to be granted fairly. “I think it’s an important message for the legislators to see that clergy in our state thing this is a good thing and want this to be the law of the land,” Terrell says.

Bryan English is a spokesman for the Iowa Family Policy Center, a group leading the opposition to gay marriage. English says the Bible provides insight into right and wrong. “Having read the Bible from cover to cover, on several occasions, I have found absolutely no justification for the position of the Interfaith Alliance,” English says.

Filed Under: Religion Tagged With:
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