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Member of band Slipknot found dead in Urbandale hotel

May 24, 2010 By

Police in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale say a member of a popular Des Moines band was found dead today in a local hotel. A news release from Urbandale police says they were called to the hotel in Urbandale just before 11 A.M. on the report that hotel employees had found a guest dead in one of the rooms.

Officers identified the dead man as 38-year-old Paul Gray of Johnston. Gray is the bass guitarist for the heavy-metal band Slipknot. Police say there was no evidence of foul play, and the Polk County medical examiner will conduct and autopsy Tuesday.

Police say toxicology tests will also be performed on Gray’s body to determine in there were any contributing factors to his death.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Recreation & Entertainment

Story of wayward dog with Iowa ties not over yet

May 24, 2010 By

The story of that lost-and-found dog doesn’t have a happy ending — not yet, at least. The female German Shepherd-mix was found stray near Battle Creek, Michigan, but thanks to a microchip, was traced to a shelter in Paton, Iowa.

To keep the dog from being euthanized, a relay team of volunteers brought the 80-pound pooch from Michigan back to Paton over the weekend. Linn Cipperley-Price, the head volunteer with the Animal Protection and Education Charity in Paton, says a farmer in Stuart had the dog microchipped shortly after it was born in 2007.

That farmer later let a family in Michigan adopt the puppy but kept no record of the transaction. Cipperley-Price says they’re trying to come up with the family’s name. Cipperley-Price says, “Right now, the farmer that we sponsored the litter for is literally going through her attic, looking for her Christmas card box because she’s hoping she kept the Christmas card that this family had sent them so we have some means of getting a hold of them.”

If the owners in Michigan aren’t found, she says the dog will be put up for adoption — again. Cipperly-Price says, “We’re going to exhaust all avenues before we re-home this dog but we’re hoping for the best turnout and that these people are truly still looking for their dog.” Using the social networking website Facebook and a network of devoted volunteers, the canine was transported car-to-car-to-car from Battle Creek all the way to Paton over the past few days.

Cipperly-Price says, “There were eight different ladies that helped with that that I know of off the top of my head and there was probably more out there, sending out Facebook announcements and stuff.” She says the kindhearted dedication of so many people just shows the lengths some people will go to — and drive to — in order to return a pet to its human family. If the dog’s owners are located in Michigan, she says it’s possible this well-traveled hound will be taken -back- to Michigan by the same method. Then again, the family drove to Iowa once before to claim the dog, she says, so maybe they’ll do it again.

The Animal Protection and Education Charity in Paton is a “no-kill” shelter. Reach the shelter at: (515) 460-SPAY or on-line at “www.goape.info“.

Filed Under: Human Interest

Governor frustrated with lack of action on national renewable energy standard

May 24, 2010 By
wind turbine

wind turbine

Governor Chet Culver says he’s frustrated with the lack of action on a national renewable electricity standard (RES) that could boost development of Iowa’s wind energy industry.

Culver says Iowa is leading the way when it comes to wind energy research and development, but federal legislation should require states and utilities to generate more electricity from renewables.

 ”We’ve invested $100 million in 30 different R and D projects across the state of Iowa. Many of them could have potential benefits related to all forms of renewable energy, but wind energy in particular,” Culver told reporters by telephone Monday.

[Read more...]

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

DNR says incident at Clear Lake a reminder to use electricity properly

May 24, 2010 By

A Department of Natural Resources conservation officer says people need to remember to be cautious when they get electricity near the water when using it on their boat docks. An Ankeny man and his dog were shocked in Clear Lake over the weekend near the hoist of a neighbor’s dock.

Ben Bergman says it’s a good reminder to regularly check out the electrical wiring around a dock, even if it looks like it’s in good shape. He says the appearance of the wiring may look good, but as was the case in Sunday’s incident, something was wrong. He says it’s an uncommon event, but the combination of water and electricity can end in tragedy.

Bergman recommends hiring an electrician to make sure a dock is properly wired. He says D.N.R. rules say that electrical service to docks must comply with federal wiring standards, including ground fault circuit interrupter for protection. Bergman says while incidents like this are rare, people shouldn’t take the issue of electricity being around water lightly. He says the waters are for everybody, and the D.N.R. has to make sure everybody remains safe.

Thirty-one-year-old Nickolas Greiner was injured Sunday morning while a family dog was killed when both were shocked near a boat hoist on Clear Lake’s north shore.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Fires/Accidents/Disasters Tagged With:

Fiegen attacks business dealings of Conlin’s husband

May 24, 2010 By

There was a flashpoint during today’s debate among the three candidates who are seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate, as one of the male candidates challenged the business practices of a rival’s husband.  Tom Fiegen, a lawyer from Clarence, directly questioned rival Roxanne Conlin, who is a lawyer from Des Moines.

“I understand that you and your husband own a company called  ‘Conlin Properties’ and you received last year and this year $20 million in tax credits,” Fiegen said. “How can you credibly ask Charles Grassley to give up $270,000 in farm program benefits when you’ve collected yourself $20 million in tax credits?” 

A Conlin campaign spokesman says Fiegen’s figures are off, as Conlin Properties received 15 million in tax credits over 10 years rather than the 20 million over two years which Fiegen claimed.

“My husband builds low-income and moderate-income properties,” Conlin said. “The money, the tax credits that are provided for that are part of our effort nationally to provide housing to low-income people.” 

The exchange happened as the three U.S. Senate candidates were given a chance to question a competitor.  Conlin said she and her husband are “proud” of the properties they own and manage. “The properties house families, for the most part,” Conlin said. “We provide playgrounds and computer rooms and security and do everything that we can to be helpful to the people who live in the buildings that we build.” 

Fiegen attacked the rental rates for the apartments. ”I understand on your properties low-income people pay rent between $400 and $700 a month,” Fiegen said. “I’ve got to say in Clarence, Iowa, I don’t think that that’s necessarily affordable housing for low-income people.” 

Conlin, in reply, suggested rent in Iowa’s largest city were higher than in Fiegen’s hometown of Clarence, which has a population of about a thousand.  “The low-income housing properties are rent controlled in the sense that they’re based on the local in which they are,” Conlin said. “And a $400 apartment in Des Moines, Iowa, is — in fact — a very low-income property.” 

Fiegen’s other beef was that Conlin Properties sold the tax credits they were awarded. “I don’t know how selling tax credits for cash helps low-income (people),” Fiegen said. 

Conlin said it was “clear” that Fiegen didn’t understand how the tax credits for low-income housing development work.  “You always sell tax credits,” Conlin said. “That’s the purpose of tax credits is to sell (them) and provide equity in the building.”

When Conlin got her turn to ask a rival a question, she chose to ask candidate Bob Krause a question about veteran’s issues rather than question Fiegen.  The three candidates are competing for the chance to face Republican Senator Chuck Grassley on the November ballot.

Today’s debate will air at 9 a.m. Sunday on WHO-TV. You can watch it on-line now at www.DesMoinesRegister.com.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Northeast Iowa man charged with sexually assaulting a child

May 24, 2010 By

A northeast Iowa man is accused of sexually assaulting a child. Fourty-two-year-old Ricky Lee Putman of Arlington was arrested Sunday by Fayette County Sheriff’s deputies.

He’s charged with first-degree sexual assault in connection with an assault of a child. Authorities say they searched two homes and collected several bags of evidence. The child was taken to Mercy Hospital in Oelwein for treatment of injuries and later transported to University Hospitals in Iowa City.

The child’s condition is unknown. Investigators say more charges could be filed in the case.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Effigy Mounds superintendent fired

May 24, 2010 By

The superintendent of a national park in eastern Iowa was fired Friday over what one official calls “regrettable events.” The Effigy Mounds National Monument was established in 1949 to protect significant Native American burial mounds in northeast Iowa, near Harpers Ferry.

On Friday, Effigy Mounds superintendent Phyllis Ewing was “relieved of her duties” — officials won’t comment further because it’s a personnel matter. Park Service officials say someone “from outside the park” will be named acting superintendent this week.

The “regrettable events” involve construction of a boardwalk trail and maintenance building, as they were built without proper review of whether the construction would disturb the Native American burial grounds. The Effigy Mounds National Monument is on the National Register of Historic Places. There are more than 200 burial mounds on the site, constructed between 700 and 2,500 years ago. The deep holes dug for the support piers of the boardwalk may have damaged the archeological features of the mounds.

On Tuesday, an advisory council including members of the 12 tribes who have ancestors buried in the area will meet with park service staff and archeologists to discuss what should be done at the site. The regional director of the Park Service will be at Effigy Mounds  this Wednesday to meet with the park staff.

There are at least 30 “effigy” mounds in the park in the shape of bears and birds and they’re considered sacred grounds by the tribes.

The following 12 tribes will have representatives at Tuesday’s meeting:
Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska
Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Otoe-Missouri Tribe of Oklahoma
Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
Upper Sioux Community of Minnesota (Granite Falls)
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota
Lower Sioux Indian Community of Minnesota
Prairie Island Indian Community of Minnesota
Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa
Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Politics & Government
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