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Jurrors in Becker murder case sent home, will return Monday

February 26, 2010 By

Jurors in the Mark Becker murder trial were sent home for the day at 4 o’clock today without a verdict. Jurors began deliberating in the case Wednesday.

Becker has admitted to shooting Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas to death in June of last year, but says he was insane at the time of the shooting.

Becker’s lawyer tried to prove his insanity to the jury, but prosecutors say Becker planned out the shooting and knew what he was doing when he shot his former coach at the school weight room. Judge Stephen Carrol told jurrors they would come back at 10 a.m. Monday, and gave them the standard instructions to not talk about the case, read, watch or listen to any news reports about the case.

He also told them to not do any computer research on the case.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With:

Drake Relays to feature mile long street race

February 26, 2010 By

A new event at the Drake Relays is designed to promote fitness and attract world class competition. The Grand Blue Mile street race will be held on April 20th. Three time Olympian Suzy Favor-Hamilton says they are trying to get the public more involved in the Drake Relays so they can be out there and run the athletes.

Favor-Hamilton says she will run in the Blue Mile. She says the mile has always been one of track and field’s premier events. Favor-Hamilton says that’s the race that even elementary kids know, because it is four laps around the track and people still jog or walk a mile and it is something that is attainable by everyone.

Steve Scott ran the first sub four minute mile at the Drake Relays and has run under four minutes a record 136 times. That time still remains the standard. Scott says everyone can run a mile and find out how close they came to the magic barrier of the four minute mile. He says people are still impressed by a four minute mile.

Scott says even though the world record for the mile is just over three minutes, 43 seconds, four minutes is still viewed as a barrier. He says a four minute mile is still a very difficult time to achieve and there are still not many people every year who can break that barrier.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Legislators and governor appear to agree on reorganization bill

February 26, 2010 By

It appears legislators and the governor have reached an agreement on a state government reorganization bill that might save as much as $128 million. 

The Iowa Senate passed the package Thursday and House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy of Des Moines says the House will take it up soon. ”There is agreement from the people that have been working on this from the House and the Senate and the governor’s office and the Senate just finished their work on the bill,” McCarthy says. “We hope early this coming week to finish our work on the package.” 

A package of incentives to get long-time employees in the executive branch of state government to retire early was enacted earlier this month.  That could save up to $60 million in salaries according to some estimates.  McCarthy says those early retirement incentives, combined with the state government reorganization plan and some of the actions Governor Culver has taken through executive order add up to nearly $270 million in savings.

“That’s something we’re very pleased with because we set out at the beginning of this session with the hope of around $250 million and we’re going to exceed that,” McCarthy says. “So a quarter of a billion dollars in real savings that will help us lessen our cuts to education, health care and our other priorities.”

House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen of Hiawatha says it’s likely Republicans in the House will vote for the government restructuring bill next week when it comes up for a vote.  ”No question, it’s a step in the right direction.  House Republicans support the move,” Paulsen says. “…We don’t think it goes far enough.” 

Paulsen says Republicans have offered additional budget-cutting ideas and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of the legislative session as other bills are developed that outline spending plans for state agencies.  As for the estimate of cost savings in the government reorganization bill, Paulsen says he’ll wait ’til the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency offers its analysis of the plan next week. 

Paulsen and McCarthy made their comments this morning during taping of the Iowa Public Television program, “Iowa Press,” which airs tonight at 7:30.

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

Governor Culver visits Iowa soldiers in Iraq

February 26, 2010 By

Iowa Governor Chet Culver is in Iraq visiting soldiers today. The governor talked about that trip in a noon conference call with reporters.

Culver says he met with guardsmen and reservists from Iowa to learn about the things they are doing. “It was a wonderful day, I really had a chance to sit down and visit with a large number of Iowa soldiers,” Culver says.

Culver, a Democrat, used the call as an opportunity to push for legislation he says will benefit soldiers. He says the top priority is the “Trailing Spouse” legislation which would allow a spouse of those who are serving in Iraq or Afghanistan to receive education benefits to go to school.

[Read more...]

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

Entertainment spotlight shines on Iowan, Lenox

February 26, 2010 By

The national entertainment spotlight is shining on an individual Iowan and one an entire community. The latest zombie movie from Hollywood — is from Iowa. The film called “The Crazies” opens today nationwide.

Much of it was shot last spring in and around the southwestern Iowa town of Lenox. About 300 people from the Taylor County town attended last night’s special screening of the R-rated film in Des Moines. Also last night, on Fox TV, Iowa singer Katelyn Epperly had another great round on “American Idol.”

The 19-year-old West Des Moines native made the top 12 female performers last week, and last night made the next cut. Epperly was named to be among to top 20 semi-finalists. She’ll sing her next song on national TV next Tuesday.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment

Tentative agreement reached on nuclear energy bill

February 26, 2010 By

A bipartisan group of legislators has reached tentative agreement on a bill that would encourage the production of nuclear energy in Iowa. Under the bill, utilities would be allowed to levy a surcharge on its customers’ electric bills for three years to pay for a study that would determine whether it’s possible to build a new nuclear power plant in Iowa.

Representative Nathan Reichert, a Democrat from Muscatine, has been working behind the scenes, leading discussions on the bill. “We’ve had a conversation that’s been going on between the Office of the Consumer Advocate, the Iowa Utilities Board and primarily MidAmerican Energy,” Reichert says.

If the bill becomes law, MidAmerican could use those new customer dollars to conduct the extensive seismic, weather, and population studies that are needed before a nuclear power plant can be built. Representative Chuck Soderberg, a Republican from Le Mars, says coal and natural gas won’t meet the carbon-reduction needs of the future and nuclear is a good alternative.

“If we expect this state to grow, it’s going to be additional businesses, additional energy use,” Soderberg says. “And we do need more baseload generation in this state.” John Perkins, the state’s Consumer Advocate, says his office has “signed off” on the bill.

“Given what we need to do to start looking at nuclear energy in Iowa…this is an adequate and fair way to pay for it,” Perkins says.

The “working group” of three Democrats and two Republicans are hoping their bill gets broader support from other legislators. Environmental groups, so far, haven’t tried to stop the bill. Nathaniel Baer of the Iowa Environmental Council says his group does have serious economic and environmental concerns about nuclear power.

“We think that if the legislature is going to more forward on energy policy this legislative session nuclear power shouldn’t be a priority,” Baer says. “It should be low on the list.”

But Baer’s group is registered as “undecided” on the bill, in part because they like another portion of the bill that gives utilities incentives to turn their existing coal-powered plants into cleaner-burning facilities using natural gas or biomass. Iowa has one nuclear power plant today, the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Pheasant Fest underway in Des Moines

February 26, 2010 By

The country’s largest gathering of pheasant-hunting enthusiasts opens today in central Iowa. The 2010 National Pheasant Fest runs through Sunday at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Mike Schmitz of Greeley is president of the Iowa Pheasants Forever State Council. He says the family-friendly event is filled with activities, educational workshops and more than 900 exhibitors.

Schmitz says kids can shoot lazers, archery and do mock hunts, while a variety of outdoor vendors will be represented, from gun makers to apparel companies to ATVs and 40 breeds of bird dogs. Fifty-two firearms will be raffled off at Pheasant Fest, with proceeds going to purchase new public hunting and recreation areas in Iowa.

The Build a Wildlife Area program puts 100-percent of the funds raised into land acquisitions utilizing state, federal and other grants. Pheasants Forever, the Iowa DNR, Iowa County Conservation Boards and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched the campaign four years ago.

Since then, more than 1,000 acres have been opened to public hunting and outdoor recreation. He says that habitat land is key to providing a home for the pheasants to thrive. Schmitz says in 2007, National Pheasant Fest came to Iowa for the first time and attracted more than 25-thousand people to the event.

Single-day tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Weekend tickets sell for $30 and include a hat and an annual membership to Pheasants Forever. For more details, visit: “www.pheasantfest.org“.

By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:
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