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Legislator wants Braille School closed if students leave

March 26, 2010 By

A legislator who represents the city of Vinton says she’d like to see the Iowa Braille School closed down if students no longer live there. The Board of Regents, which governs the institution, is considering the residential program’s future.

The institution was started in 1852 as a live-in school for blind students, but today most local schools offer services to blind students so they can live at home. Representative Dawn Pettengill, a Republican from Mount Auburn, says she objects to keeping the Iowa Braille School open as simply some sort of service center for the Iowa System for Vision Services.

“If those nine kids are taken out of the Braille School, there will be no kids, so if anybody here believes a school is a school with no kids in it, I want you to hold up your hand,” Pettengill says. “It’s an administration building.”

Representative Dave Heaton, a Republican from Mount Pleasant, says the Board of Regents shoudn’t be making decisions about the school’s future on its own. “The legislature should have the opportunity to make the decision,” Heaton says.

Representative Vicki Lensing, a Democrat from Iowa City, says keeping the school open as an administrative center, even if students don’t live there, makes sense. “The Braille and Sight-Saving School has a bigger vision, bigger role in serving students statewide,” Lensing says. “…Moving the children that currently are residents at the school does not close the school.”

Later this summer, the Board of Regents is to submit its recommendation about the school’s future to the Legislative Council, a panel made up of legislative leaders. Lensing says those top lawmakers — from both parties — would likely forward the matter on to the full legislature for a decision.

But Pettengill isn’t sure about that and she wants the legislature to take some action now so that’s assured. “If the recommendation comes back that there will be no students in that school, then I don’t want to pay for the school that’s really an administration building,” Pettengill says.

After nearly 40 minutes of debate this week, the Iowa House narrowly voted against following Pettengill’s lead on this issue. That means the Board of Regents will submit its recommendation on the school’s future to the Legislative Council this summer. The Iowa College for the Blind — now known as the Iowa Braille School — was where Mary Ingalls, the blind sister of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, attended school and graduated in 1889.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With:

Algona man reaches plea agreement in attempted murder

March 26, 2010 By

A Wesley man has accepted a plea deal after being accused of trying to hire an undercover agent to kill his estranged wife. Fifty-one-year-old George Bennett was facing an attempted murder charge after meeting with an undercover agent in Lake City, giving the agent money as a down payment to have his wife, Debbie, killed.

The agent testified on Wednesday in the first day of Bennett’s trial, with testimony including three telephone audio recordings with Bennett and another recording of the meeting where Bennett supposedly gave the agent the money. When the trial resumed on Thursday, a plea deal was announced with the attempted murder charge dropped.

Bennett agreed to plead guilty to four counts of solicitation to commit murder and one count of solicitation to commit felonious criminal mischief, all Class D felonies. Bennett will face up to five years on each count when he’s sentenced on April 26th.

By Chuck Shockley, KLGA, Algona

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Harkin says Democrats governed in pushing through health care

March 26, 2010 By

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat, says passage of the bill Thursday that made modifications to the health care bill is a “legislative two-fer.” The modification bill was the last step in moving the health care reform legisation forward.

“It’s been a big historic week here in Washington,” Harkin says, “despite all the talk recently about how American has become divided and ungovernable, we have proved not only that we are governable, but also that we still have the capacity to act with boldness and vision to improve the economic security of working Americans in very powerful ways.”

Harkin made his comments during a conference call with reporters and was asked how the health care bill proved the country wasn’t divided and governable if no Republicans voted for the bill.

Harkin says Democrats bent over backwards during the last year-and-a-half to try to involve Republicans every step of the way. He says the health committee he chairs had numerous open sessions, and bipartisan meetings on the issue. Harkin says the Republican opposition was purely political.

Harkin says he came to the conclusion last summer when “Republicans walked away from this” that they took up the cry of one senator who said they were going to make the health care bill President Obama’s Waterloo, and if they stopped him here they could stop him on other things. “Republicans just decided they were gonna dig in their heels and kill this reform bill rather than continuing to work,” according to Harkin.

Some Democrat house members say they have received threats for supporting the health care bill, Harkin said he has not received any such threats. Harkin says,” I just think what we really have to do, and I especially call on our Republican colleagues, to start speaking out against those who inflame passions.” Harkin says when someone caused a disruption in the gallery of the house during debate, Republicans were cheering. “I mean this is bad behavior, what are we teaching our kids?,” Harkin said.

Harkin says it’s okay to disagree, but you should do so politely.

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

Event marks 65th anniversary of battle for Iwo Jima

March 26, 2010 By

Iowa veterans are marking today as the 65th anniversary of one World War Two’s bloodiest battles in the Pacific. Events tonight and through the weekend in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area will honor veterans of the Iwo Jima assault from Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri.

Yvonne Williams is executive director of the Strategic Air & Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska, which is hosting the events. Williams says, “We have a social hour at 6 o’clock and people will have the chance to go in the B-29 which we all know dropped the bomb that finally ended the war.”

Nearly 7,000 Allies were killed in the battle and more than 21,000 Japanese. The battle of Iwo Jima is often associated with a photograph — now a statue in Washington D.C. — depicting a group of Marines raising the American flag on the rocky island.

Williams says a half-dozen members of the Marine unit that hoisted that flag will attend the events near Omaha. She says, “The six Marine veterans from the flag-raising unit will hold a question and answer session.”

There’s a dinner tonight with those Marines and the Q-and-A and autograph sessions are Saturday morning. For information, visit: www.strategicairandspace.com

Filed Under: Human Interest, Military

The waiting is over, UNI set to take on Spartans

March 26, 2010 By

The U.N.I. Panthers try to extend a magical run through the NCAA Tournament when they take on Michigan State in the semifinal round of the midwest regional in St. Louis. The Panthers advanced to the round of 16 after toppling number one Kansas last weekend while the Spartans will be playing without standout guard Kalin Lucas. He ruptured an Achilles tendon in a victory over Maryland.

U.N.I. coach Ben Jacobson says the loss of Lucas won’t change how the Spartans play. He says watching them over the last several years and getting ready for them, he knows they play hard, rebound and defend at a high level on every possession.

Jacobson says the Panthers will need to do a good job of rebounding as all the Michigan State players go after the rebound. He says they will also have to get their defense set and not let the Spartans get out onto the open floor. In their two wins last weekend the Panther’s struggled against full court presses but Jacobson expects Michigan State to stick with it’s traditional half court man.

He says they will play the way they played all year, which is mostly quarter court man-to-man defense, with many a little full court. Jacobson says they have handled the press well at times, and after reviewing their previous games, he thinks they will handle the press.

U.N.I. guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe says the Spartans are good in a number of areas from offensive rebounding to the transition game. Ahelege says even though they beat the nation’s top ranked team he expects the road to get even tougher. He says Michigan State just played in the national championship and they have a lot of experience with this situation.

Tip off is at 8:37p.m. Tennessee and Ohio State meet in the opener and the winners will play on Sunday for the right to advance to the Final Four.

By Elwin Huffman KOEL Oelwein

Photo courtesy of Patti Rust.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

More details released on Belmond-Klemme teacher’s arrest

March 26, 2010 By

More details are being released about the Belmond-Klemme High School teacher, softball and volleyball coach who’s accused of sexual exploitation. Thirty-three-year-old Jodi Barrus turned herself in to authorities on Wednesday and was released on $10,000 bond the same day.

Wright County Sheriff Paul Schultz says the alleged victim is an 18-year-old male student at the school. He says the student and Barrus had a sexual relationship between December and this month. Barrus is scheduled to make her initial appearance in Wright County District Court this coming Wednesday. Sexual Exploitation by a School Employee is a class D felony, punishable by no more than five years in prison.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Blue Grass man dies in accident

March 26, 2010 By

An eastern Iowa man has died in a traffic accident. Eighty-one-year old Charles Holt of Blue Grass died Thursday at University Hospitals in Iowa City. He’d been transferred there following the Wednesday night wreck. Troopers say Holt and a tractor-trailer he was following were southbound on U.S. 61 between Davenport and Blue Grass.

When the truck slowed to turn left, Holt collided with the trailer. The truck driver wasn’t hurt.

By Phil Roberts, Davenport

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters
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