Iowa's Radio News Network
Tracey Richter-Roberts
A former northwest Iowa woman was arrested on a first-degree murder charge Tuesday, nearly 10 years after she claimed she shot a man in self-defense.
Tracey Richter, formerly Tracey Roberts, is accused in the December 2001 death of 20-year-old Dustin Wehde.
At the time, Richter told investigators Wehde and another person broke into her home in Early, Iowa and she shot him multiple times to protect herself and her three children. She claimed the second individual fled.
Senator Tom Harkin is pushing to include “necessary revenue increases” in the still-elusive deal to raise the nation’s credit limit.
Harkin, who is a Democrat, says his office has been deluged with phone calls after President Obama’s Monday night speech.
“These calls have overwhelmingly supported my view that that we must pursue a balanced approach to reducing the deficit that includes both spending cuts and necessary revenue increases,” Harkin said in a recorded video message, “while continuing to make crucial investments in education, infrastructure, and research.”
Harkin warns that cutting too deeply into the federal budget would “impede” the economic recovery.
“In the interest of compromise, Senate Democrats have put together a plan that will reduce the deficit and resolve the debt ceiling standoff,” Harkin said. “Make no mistake — this is not a perfect plan, but it is the best chance for preventing a default and a downgrade in our country’s bond rating, which will be expensive to every American family.”
Top Republicans in the House have drafted their own plan for resolving the nation’s debt dilemma and it does not include tax hikes.
The Iowa Democratic Party organized a news conference to put public pressure on Republican presidential candidates to disclose the names of people who are raising large amounts of cash for the campaigns.
Many presidential candidates of the past have voluntarily disclosed the names of people, nicknamed “bundlers”, who seek out large amounts — or “bundles” — of campaign donations. Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman Sue Dvorsky admits the 2012 candidates are following the letter of the law, which does not require disclosure.
“But I think it really flies in the face of what Iowans expect and what our traditions are here,” she said during a telephone conference call with reporters this morning.
President Obama has released a list of the “bundlers” for his 2012 campaign. In 2008, both Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain disclosed his major donors and Dvorsky says the current crop of GOP candidates should follow that lead.
“This isn’t just the Iowa Democratic Party that wants to see these (names),” Dvorsky says. “These numbers and this conversation is one for Iowa voters and American voters.”
During the 2000 campaign, George W. Bush even had special names for “bundlers” who each raised more than $100,000 for his campaign. They were called “Pioneers” and an even more elite group — called Bush’s “Rangers” — each raised more than $200,000 for Bush’s 2000 effort.
Critics say these “super donors” who collect massive amounts of donations for presidential candidates are often given undue influence over federal policy once a candidate becomes president.
A central Iowa man has pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.
Twenty-seven-year-old Kent Eugene Oman of Des Moines faces 15 years in a federal prison as part of his plea agreement.
Oman has admitted that between January 31st of 2009 and November of last year 2010, he used a hidden camera to produce videos of a minor boy using the bathroom on 15 to 20 separate occasions.
Oman was caught in an investigation conducted by the Metropolitan Police Force in London, England and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations office in Des Moines.
Governor Terry Branstad signed an executive order late Tuesday to create the education advisory council that will focus on improving the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the state. University of Northern Iowa president, Ben Allen, will co-chair the council along with the lieutenant governor. Allen says the council will continue work already underway.
Allen says the Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership has already develop strategies to recruit “highly qualified” math and science teachers, and to help improve the skills those already in the classroom. He says the programs have already inspired many middle and high school students to see themselves as future STEM teachers. Allen says the new council will help share information in the STEM areas.
He says they will find pockets of excellence and make sure people all across the state know about them to spread the best practices faster across the state. The announcement of the new council came on the second and final day of the governor’s education summit. Branstad says it will take a couple of months to look over all the ideas discussed during the summit.
Branstad says that gives them the rest of the fall to hold town hall meetings and follow ups to take all that they have learned to come up with something that takes the best of what they have learned and tailor it to “meet the needs of Iowa and Iowa kids.” One theme that came up constantly throughout the two-day summit was the need for early childhood education.
Branstad has pushed for cutting back on the free pre-school provided by the state — and says he heard the comments on the issue — but wasn’t ready to say he’d change his view. Branstad says his recommendation was to “means test” the pre-school to be sure the limited resources are focused on families that have significant financial need. He says there is a need to focus on kids living in poverty.
The legislature did cut the pre-school funding by seven million dollars compared to last year in a budget compromise. When pressed again, Branstad would not say if he had changed his view on the funding.
Branstad says it’s “a work in progress” and he says everyone wants to work together to make sure the kids get the best experience through the whole spectrum of education. Branstad says we have to recognize the issue doesn’t start at pre-school, it starts even before that. Branstad says overall he was pleased with the information they discussed at the education summit.
Three Republican presidential candidates were in Iowa yesterday, each offering different approaches to the “debt ceiling” fight going on in Washington, D.C.
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has repeatedly vowed to vote against raising the nation’s credit limit and, during a news conference in Ankeny, she expressed doubts that August 2 is a firm deadline for a decision.
“No one knows what to believe is coming out of this administration,” she said.
Bachmann accused both Democrats and Republicans of giving Americans the “wrong” answer.
“They are tired of Washington, D.C. not listening to them and they are tired of how out-of-touch the politicians are who are saying we have to continue the spending,” Bachmann said, “continuing the borrowing and continuing raising the debt ceiling.”
According to former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, the country is in a “desperate” financial situation.
“I understand. I’m not like some candidates and some people who are, ‘No,’ that we don’t need to do anything, that we can let the debt ceiling not be raised indefinitely,” Santorum said in Ankeny Tuesday. “I believe at some point we need to raise the debt ceiling.”
But Santorum said Republicans should insist on starting the process of adding a balanced budget amendment to the constitution.
“The ony way you’re going to get Harry Reid and Barack Obama and the left in America to be for real reductions in spending is to put a constitutional amendment in place to make them do that,” Santorum said.
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was the third GOP candidate in the state yesterday. He issued a statement about the debt ceiling fight last night, calling on Republicans in congress to use the opportunity to “force” passage of a balanced budget amendment.
Kamrar Post Office
The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday the possible closing of 178 post offices in Iowa – mainly in small towns. Some 3,700 post offices nationwide are part of the so-called “expanded access study” after the Postal Service posted an $8.5 billion net loss in the 2010 fiscal year.
Jeannette Tempel is the mayor of the Hamilton County town of Kamrar, which is on the list for possible closures. “Nothing’s totally official until it’s official, so we’re hoping they’ll change their mind or something like that,” Tempel said.
O.KayHenderson.com