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Huckabee speaks of political “revival”

February 24, 2010 By

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was back in Iowa Wednesday, helping raise campaign money for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats and raise funds for a group that has endorsed Vander Plaats.

During a meeting with reporters in Cedar Rapids, Huckabee said Vander Plaats and other Republican candidates should benefit from the so-called “Tea Party movement.”

“I think the Tea Party has energized a whole new political group of people,” Huckabee told reporters in Cedar Rapids. “I think it’s been 100 percent positive.”

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

Braley says Toyota hearing was “informative and productive”

February 24, 2010 By

Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, says he is happy with some of the things he heard after questioning the president of Toyota in a hearing Tuesday. Braley says in general the recall by Toyota for braking and acceleration problems is not a lot different than recalls by other manufacturers.

Braley says it was unusual in the sense that Toyota has had a “great history for product safety in the past and has not been subjected to the same amount of recalls as some other manufacturers.” He says this recall drew attention and the hearing because of the large number of vehicles recalled.

Braley says one thing they’ve found is that U.S. safety officials were not prepared to deal with the problems because of the complex nature of today’s vehicles. He says they don’t have any electrical engineers, or computer engineers who are capable of addressing some the concerns about potential electrical interference that caused the acceleration problem.

Braley says they have to be sure they have enough qualified people in the federal safety administration to be able to address the oversight they need. Braley says he was happy to learn that the car company is being open about what they’re finding.

Braley says there were specific tests performed to try to create the interference problems, and Toyota and some independent experts did the testing, and they are going to try and share information and get to the root cause of the problem and try to take steps to try and eliminate it. Braley says the hearing was “very informative and productive” as the president of Toyota admitted that more needs to be done.

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

Des Moines officer fired for alleged assault in squad car

February 24, 2010 By
Maynard Richardson

Maynard Richardson

A Des Moines Police officer who was arrested earlier this month on charges of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and non-felonious misconduct has been fired. Police Chief Judy Bradshaw says Maynard Richardson was informed of the decision this morning.

Bradshaw says the action followed an internal review of the case and recommendations from Richardson’s supervisors. The 35-year-old Richardson is accused of assaulting a 22-year-old woman in the back of his patrol car while on duty and in uniform.

The alleged victim came into contact with Richardson after the officer responded to a fight at an apartment complex at around 3 a.m. on February 5th. The woman reported the incident at 6:30 a.m.

Bradshaw says the internal investigation did not include an additional interview with the victim. “Her statement was very thorough and as command staff looked at it, we didn’t see a need to bring her back in,” Bradshaw said. The woman claims Richardson touched and kissed her in the back of the squad car before driving her home.

Richardson joined the Des Moines Police Department in December of 2008. “It’s not easy to become a police officer and not just anybody can do that. So, I’m really confident in our hiring process,” Bradshaw said. “There are just certain things that a hiring process will not predict. Something like this…you can’t imagine that this would potentially happen.”

Officer Richardson was previously suspended from the force for two days in 2009 for making inappropriate comments to a female citizen. Chief Bradshaw refused to provide more details about that incident, but said she felt Richardson had made amends. “We hadn’t received any other complaints since he served his suspension,” Bradshaw said. “He did indicate remorse about making that former comment and said he was going to turn himself around. He appeared to be doing that.”

Richardson is the third officer dismissed from the Des Moines Police Department in the last year. Two other officers resigned rather than be fired after they were accused of using excessive force during a traffic stop. Bradshaw says the incident involving Richardson has “embarrassed all employees of the police department.” Richardson, who had been on paid leave since February 5, can appeal his termination to the Des Moines Civil Service Commission.

Bradshaw says the decision to fire Richardson was based on the finding that he violated six departmental policies:

  •  Chapter 1, Personnel Conduct, paragraph (a) Standard of Conduct: All employees of the department shall conduct themselves in a manner that will reflect credit on themselves, the department and the City of Des Moines.
  •  Chapter 1, Personnel Conduct, paragraph (d) Obedience to Laws and Orders: Employees shall obey the law of the United States and the State of Iowa, as well as the ordinances of Polk County and the City of Des Moines.
  •  Chapter 1, Personnel Conduct, paragraph (s) False Reports: Employees shall not knowingly make a false report, either verbal or written.
  •  Chapter 2, General Conduct on Duty, paragraph (g) Leaving Area of Assignment: Employees shall not leave their area of assignment without the approval of their supervisor unless necessary for official business. SOP
  •  Chapter 8-2, Radio Operations, paragraph (d) Vehicle Stops: The Communication Center will be notified of the location, license number, or description of the vehicle each time police action is initiated. SOP
  •  Chapter 4-6, Police Officer Responsibilities, paragraph (g): Adherence to high standards of ethical conduct is expected at all times.
Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Still no new clues in disappearance of ISU student

February 24, 2010 By

It has been over one month since Jonathan Lacina of Grinnell was reported missing from Iowa State University in Ames. A  $10,000 reward has been offered by Lacina’s family but I.S.U. Police Chief Jerry Stewart says they’ve been unable to develop and clues to his whereabouts.

Stewart says no substantive leads have been generated yet, but he says they appreciate people continuing to call in with suggestions of where to search. The 21-year-old student was last seen leaving a party on January 22nd. Stewart says the continue forensic electronic work on computers, but says that takes time.

Stewart says they’ve been getting a lot of help in trying to find Lacina during the past month. He says they have been fortunate to have the assistance of other agencies across the state, including research from the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s intelligence bureau on links to other possible cases. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jon Lacina is asked to contact I.S.U. Police at 515-294-4428.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With:

Some students seek college credit on spring break

February 24, 2010 By

While thousands of Iowa college students will head for tropical islands over Spring Break, a few hundred are making plans for some off-campus R-and-R that’ll also bring them college credit. Doug Lee, a dean in the University of Iowa’s Division of Continuing Education, says they offer 16 classes for academic credit during Spring Break, including a scuba diving course in Florida.

“The scuba diving is popular,” Lee says. “We’ve been doing that for three years now. It’s a great trip for the students who want to get away from the dismal Iowa weather, head south and learn some new scuba diving skills.” Other trips include a backpacking tour of the Grand Canyon, or closer to home, a prairie restoration camping trip to the Loess Hills region of western Iowa. Lee says many U-of-I students are signing up for these alternative Spring Break trips.

“Two-hundred-twenty right now and we’re still climbing,” Lee says. “Most of the classes are filling up or are already full so we’re getting good participation.” While some college students chose to spend the week of March 15th doing little more than working on their tans, Lee says there’s a lot to be said for this sort of educational adventure.

“They do get the benefit of going away, getting off campus and taking a trip,” Lee says, “but along with that come the benefits of earning university credit and advancing towards their degree.” He says it’s also organized by the university, so all of the planning is taken care of for the student, plus, it’s often done less expensively than if they’d tried to plan it themselves. A host of on-campus for-credit courses are also being offered during Spring Break in Iowa City, including: ballroom and salsa dancing, lifeguard training and yoga.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With:

Class 1A: Hallie Christofferson, Exira

February 24, 2010 By

The senior center averaged 27 and a half points and 21 and a half rebounds in two victories. Christofferson scored 28 points, hauled down 27 rebounds, added four assists and five blocked shots in a win over AHST (Avoca). She also had a 27 point, 16 rebound effort in a win over Coon Rapids-Bayard.

Filed Under: INS Player of the Week, Sports

Iowa Tuskegee Airmen honored at Simpson College

February 24, 2010 By
Tuskegee Airmen class that included Iowan James Bowman.

Tuskegee Airmen 1945 class that included Iowan James Bowman.

The 12 Iowa natives who became part of the famed Tuskegee Airmen of World War Two were honored at Simpson College Tuesday evening with the 2010 George Washington Carver Medal.

The Tuskegee Airmen were an all black fighter group that led the way in overcoming segregation in the military. Four of the five surviving Iowans visited the Indianola campus for the ceremony.

Robert Martin, who is originally from Dubuque, said the honor was exciting because of its link to Carver. “I never thought that my name would ever be mentioned in the same breath with Dr. George Washington Carver, he being so great, and my being so small,” Martin said.

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Filed Under: Education, Human Interest, Military
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