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Southwest Iowa shooting victim credits his survival to military training

May 19, 2010 By
MATT HERRING

Matt Herring

A southwest Iowa man who was shot three times Monday afternoon by an intruder says he noticed something strange when he got home from work.

Matt Herring left his construction job in Atlantic early and got home at about six o’clock, but the doors of his home near Corning were locked. They’re usually unlocked.  Then he saw something in a window.

“I didn’t see a face.  I just saw like a silhouette of a person in there and I thought, ‘Well, somebody is in the house and that’s kind of crazy and then there was like a split second and he fired three rounds and I caught all three of them, I guess,” Herring says, “two in my arm and one in my flank.”

Herring, a 28-year-old Iraq War veteran, spoke with KMA Radio about the ordeal.  After he’d been shot, Herring ran for cover in some nearby trees.

“He tried following me through the timber.  I supposed he was going to try to finish me off or whatever,” Herring said during the telephone interview.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Education, Human Interest, Military

Clarke County Attorney indicted

May 19, 2010 By

The Clarke County Attorney is accused of taking out two mortgages on a home in Ankeny and falsely claiming he intended to make the house his primary residence.  

Clarke County Attorney Ronald Lee Wheeler of Osceola is accused of making false statements to a bank. Wheeler, who is 68, entered a plea of “not guilty” today in federal court. His trial is scheduled to start at the end of June. 

Prosecutors charge Wheeler was a “straw buyer” for a home in Ankeny.  He allegedly applied for and received two separate mortgages for the propery and claimed he planned to make the property his primary residence.  The indictment also claims Wheeler made false statement on the loan application about his assets and annual income. 

Wheeler was elected Clarke County Attorney in 2006.  If he’s convicted on the fraud charges, he could be fined up to a million dollars and sent to a federal prison for up to 30 years.

A second man who owns a company called “International Acquisitions, Incorporated,” has also been indicted in the case. He’s scheduled to make his initial appearance in court within the next several weeks and that’s when the other man will enter a plea.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Politics & Government

Additional mumps cases in northwest Iowa raise concern

May 19, 2010 By

The Iowa Department of Public Health say three more cases of mumps have been identified in northwest Iowa — two in Sioux County and one in Plymouth County. Department medical director, Patricia Quinlisk, says it’s a concern because it indicates the disease hasn’t stopped spreading.

Quinlisk says while there are only three more confirmed cases, that means there are other people who were ill but didn’t get diagnosed or go to the doctor. She says they want to remind people to get fully vaccinated against mumps. Dr. Quinlisk says the total number of confirmed mumps cases in northwest Iowa is now 11.

“If we know about 11 cases, there’s probably, oh I don’t know, 20, 30 maybe even 40 or more cases that are really occurring, and all of those people could be spreading it,” Quinlisk says.

Quinlisk says mumps is spread through the air and by droplets of saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat of an infected person, usually when the person coughs, sneezes or talks. The virus can also be spread through shared use of drinks or cups, or when someone with mumps touches an item or surface without washing their hands and someone else touches the same surface and rubs their mouth or nose.

She says people usually get sick in about 16 to 17 days, but you can get sick as early as 12 days all the way up to 25 days. Quinlisk says getting the vaccine is the best way to avoid mumps. Quinlisk says there are still some people who get mumps even though they’ve had two doses of the vaccine, but the vaccine takes care of most people. She also says it’s important to call ahead and let your doctor know you think you may have mumps, so you don’t expose other people while you’re waiting to be seen.

Quinlisk says the last big outbreak of mumps a few years ago had some 2,000 cases, and they are hoping to avoid reaching that level this time.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Most gay couples getting married in Iowa are from other states

May 19, 2010 By

A report from the Iowa Department of Public Health shows nearly  60% of the same sex couples married in Iowa over the last year were from out of state. An Iowa Supreme Court ruling in April of 2009 made Iowa the first state in the Midwest to legalize gay marriage.

Josh Schamberger, president of the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, says he’s not surprised by the numbers. “Since the ruling occurred in April of 2009, we were immediately flooded for the first month with phone calls from around the country, wanting to get the particulars as it relates to being married in Iowa,” Schamberger said.

Groups from other states have brought busloads of same-sex couples to Iowa City to be married, according to Schamberger. He says his staff has worked with local hotels and other businesses that provide wedding services.

Chris Diebel runs a website to help same-sex couples find caterers and other wedding-related vendors. He’s also not surprised with the number of couples coming to Iowa to wed. “There’s the ease of travel and the ease on the wallet of doing that in Iowa,” Diebel said. “Certainly planning a wedding in the Midwest, regardless of your sexuality, is going to be cheaper in a city like Des Moines or a state like Iowa than it would be in a major metropolitan area.”

Overall, 2,020 same-sex marriages were recorded in Iowa between April 2009 and March 2010. Only 815 of the couples were from Iowa. Most of the gay couples from out-of-state came from Illinois (199), Missouri (158) and Nebraska (111).

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:

Special Olympics summer games begin Thursday

May 19, 2010 By

Nearly 3,000 Iowans with intellectual disabilities are heading for Ames to compete in the Special Olympics Iowa State Summer Games. The event opens Thursday and will feature 22 Olympic-type sports for adults and children, according to Joyce Allard, spokeswoman for Special Olympics Iowa.

Allard says, “We have 2,800 athletes from all across the state that will be coming to Iowa State University to compete and be part in the opening ceremonies and a number of different activities.” She says Ames is also expecting 1,200 coaches and chaperones and another two-thousand volunteers to help make the big event a success. Allard says one of the emotional, inspirational highlights is the kickoff, which starts at 7 P-M Thursday.

“All the teams parade into Hilton Coliseum and they’re welcomed by the Knights of Columbus and all their friends and families,” Allard says. “Also, part of the opening ceremonies is the official flame-lighting ceremony where the Law Enforcement Torch Run officers and an athlete will run in and light the cauldron to officially start the games.” Allard says the competition runs three days and is wide-ranging in scope.

Events include: swimming, track and field, bocce, cycling, soccer, tennis and rollerskating. For more information about the event and the Special Olympics, visit: “www.soiowa.org“.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment, Sports

CJC, $1.5 million; TEB, $1.6 million; BVP, $284,000 so far this year

May 19, 2010 By

The current governor and a former governor have raised over $3 million in the past four and a half months for the election battles ahead.  

Candidates were required to publicly disclose how much they’ve raised from January 1 through May 14 of this year.  Governor Chet Culver, a Democrat, raised nearly $1.5 million during that period.  Former Governor Terry Branstad, a Republican, raised over $1.6 million during the same time frame, although he’s currently spending money on his primary battle against two other Republicans who are contesting for the 2010 G.O.P. nomination for governor. 

Culver has about $3.3 million in his bank account for his reelection effort. Branstad had roughly a third that much as $1.2 million was left in Branstad’s campaign account last Friday. 

Governor Culver with Lt. Governor Patty Judge, his wife Mari and his children.

Governor Culver with Lt. Governor Patty Judge, his wife Mari and his children.

At least one of the other two Republicans who’re running for governor has raised far less than Branstad.  Rod Roberts, a state representative from Carroll, raised about $54,000 in the first four-and-a-half months of the year. 

Bob Vander Plaats, a Sioux City business consultant, reports raising over $284,000 during the period.  He had roughly a quarter of a million dollars in cash on hand for the “stretch run” to the June 8 G.O.P. Primary.

(This story was updated at 3:47 p.m.)

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

West Des Moines says charges in Governor’s stop up to state patrol

May 19, 2010 By

The Iowa Department of Public Safety continues to investigate whether a state trooper made a legitimate traffic stop Sunday while driving an unmarked SUV carrying Governor Chet Culver and Culver’s 7-year-old son John. Trooper Michael Clyde said another vehicle cut him off and a passenger made an obscene gesture.

Clyde turned on flashing red and blue lights and pursued the car, driven by Edwin Allen. Allen did not pull over until three West Des Moines police cars became involved. Allen was not ticketed. West Des Moines police spokesperson Lieutenant Jeff Miller says any citations would come from the Iowa State Patrol.

“It’s a State Patrol case. We just helped the State Patrol. If they want to ticket (Allen), they sure could. I don’t know what they would ticket him for since I don’t know what violations, if any, he was guilty of,” Miller said.

Allen admitted to a Des Moines TV station that his wife flipped off the trooper, who was in plain clothes. Allen claims the trooper was driving erratically and caused him to swerve into a curb. Lieutenant Miller says the West Des Moines police officers were called by Iowa State Patrol dispatch to help stop the car and they did not witness Allen violate any traffic laws.

“He never tried to elude the police,” Miller said of Allen. “He just didn’t want to stop for this unmarked car with somebody driving in plain clothes. When he saw our marked cars, he stopped right away.”

Allen filed a formal complaint about the trooper’s actions on Monday with the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Governor Culver has not spoken with the media about the incident.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad was asked today at a campaign event if the state trooper who drove him when he was governor ever tried to pull someone over.

“No nothing like that ever happened,” Branstad said. He said he was not there during the incident with Governor Culver, and he doesn’t feel it is appropriate to make any more comment on the issue. Branstad is hoping to win the June primary and challenge Culver in November to try and win his fifth term.

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