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Ames man charged in fatal February wreck

August 25, 2011 By

An Ames man who ran a stop sign causing a fatal traffic crash earlier this year is now facing felony charges. Authorities say 42-year-old Jeffrey Clendenen was driving drunk when the crash occurred at 4:20 p.m on February 17 in Ames.

A passenger in his vehicle, 39-year-old Amy Rogers, died at the scene. Story County Sheriff’s Captain Barry Thomas says Clendenen was arrested this morning, six months after the crash.

“We want to make sure, especially when there’s a death involved, the investigation is thorough,” Thomas said. “Through the course of time, we made sure we covered all our bases and looked at all the evidence. Once we had that in hand, we made sure we made the proper decision when it came to charging him.”

Clendenen’s pickup was hit in the passenger side by another vehicle driven by 62-year-old Richard Diltz of Madrid. He suffered serious injuries.

Clendenen is charged with homicide by vehicle and serious injury by vehicle. Rogers, a mother of two children, worked at Iowa State University as a budget analyst for the graduate college. She was married to Marc Rogers, the assistant hockey coach at I.S.U.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Vilsack proposes increasing federal support of apprenticeships

August 25, 2011 By

Congressional candidate Christie Vilsack suggests shifting federal job training money around to try to double the number of apprentices working in businesses throughout the country. Vilsack is a Democrat who hopes to face Republican incumbent Steve King in Iowa’s new fourth congressional district in 2012 and she went to Sioux City today to unveil her proposal.

“There’s been a study done that shows that a person who has an apprenticeship actually makes about $269,000 more over their lifetime than if they do if they just have an associate’s degree,” Vilsack says.

Right now there are about 480,000 apprentices in the United States, according to Vilsack. Vilsack says apprentices get “hands on” experience from a mentor who can help steer them through a new career.

“It’s a very practical way to learn and it makes a lot of sense,” Vilsack says. “It builds confidence among young people and I just think it’s really important that we consider the young people in these programs as our best and brightest and that we invest in them.”

Vilsack would offer businesses a $2500 income tax credit for each apprentice hired for two years by shifting money out of other federal job training programs.  

“I’m suggesting that we take a look at those 47 programs,” Vilsack says, “that we make sure we fund the ones that work, maybe find those that don’t work so well and make sure that we take some money and put it behind apprenticeship programs because we know that they work,” Vilsack says.

The National Republican Congressional Committee got wind of Vilsack’s announcement and issued a statement before Vilsack released the details of her proposal and her call to shift money around in federal job training programs. The Republican pre-buttal blasted Vilsack for favoring “massive spending” plans that would “destroy jobs and make our economy worse.” The Republican National Congressional Committee’s email urged reporters to ask Vilsack if she supports abortion rights and whether she would “endorse Obama for reelection in 2012.”

Vilsack’s husband, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, works in the Obama Administration.

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

Great Ape Trust looking for new funding source

August 25, 2011 By

An Iowa based ape research center is facing a bit of a financial crisis after receiving notice that the sole benefactor will be cutting off his support. Ted Townsend, who founded the Great Ape Trust, informed the center’s staff of his decision Wednesday to cease funding the center at the end of this year.

The Great Ape Trust opened in Des Moines in 2004 and currently has up to a dozen staff members who study and care for several bonobos. The center’s spokesman, Al Setka, says the Great Ape Trust has begun the process of seeking more traditional research funding sources to stay afloat.

“We’re confident that the funds can be raised so the pioneering work that is done here in Iowa with these bonobos will continue for many years to come,” Setka said. The center’s budget has been cut by 25% of what it once was. Setka says the center’s scientific team has been aggressively pursuing research dollars from foundations, granting institutions and other organizations for the past year-and-a-half in anticipation of Townsend’s announcement.

“They feel confident that funding will come about, but it likely won’t be obtained until the back half of 2012,” Setka said. So, the center is seeking what Setka is calling “bridge funds.” He says donations are needed to carry the Great Ape Trust from the end of this year through the time those research grants begin.

Setka says several potential donors – both individuals and organizations – have been identified in Iowa and outside the state. The center’s research has received national attention in Time magazine and has been featured on “Oprah” and “Anderson Cooper’s 360.”

Setka says a film crew from the BBC recently visited the Great Ape Trust as well.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Human Interest

Breach reported in Mills County levee

August 25, 2011 By

Another levee breach is reported along the flooding Missouri River in southwest Iowa. Mills County Emergency Management authorities have announced a 30-foot breach in the south berm of St. Mary’s Drainage District located south of Allis Road and west of 182nd Street in northwestern Mills County.

On Tuesday afternoon, a 30-foot section of the berm gave way due to saturation from ongoing flooding and recent heavy rains. Yesterday, 182nd Street and Gaston Avenue were closed due to fast-moving water over the roads. Residents in the area were contacted and advised to make preparations to evacuate.

Mills County Emergency Management Coordinator Larry Hurst says this breach is not a part of the main Missouri River levee system. Hurst says levee district personnel and the National Guard continue to patrol the main levee to assure its integrity and there are no active repair projects underway at this time.

By Mike Peterson, KMA, Shenandoah

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

President approves disaster declaration for 6 counties

August 25, 2011 By

Tree damage in Vinton from July storm.

The President has approved a disaster declaration, freeing up federal recovery money for six Iowa counties.

Iowa Emergency Management Division spokesman, John Benson, says the declaration covers two events from July ninth through the 19th.

He says the first was the windstorm that went through Benton, Marshall Story and Tama counties, and the second was the flash flooding in Clay and Dickinson counties. The declaration provides help for public infrastructure repair and the costs of disaster recovery.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government

Childrens’ theatre group raises funds for cancer camp

August 25, 2011 By

Kids’ theatre groups usually put on plays like “The Music Man,” “Oklahoma” or “Hair Spray,” but young actors and actresses in a central Iowa town are tackling a much tougher subject — cancer. Katie Short, at the Webster City Community Theater, is directing a cast of 16 children in a dramatic production of “Zink,” opening in a few weeks.

“The play’s about Becky, a young girl who is struggling with leukemia,” Short says. “She goes through rough times but she has a guardian angel herd of zebras who help her and talk about the message of tolerance and acceptance of others no matter what we’re going through. They also talk about treating others with cancer as an equal.” She says it’s a difficult subject but the young cast is handling it like professionals.

“It’s a very tear-jerking kind of message,” Short says. “The profits we raise from this are going to the Children’s Cancer Connection which sends children with cancer in Iowa to camp.” The camp is located near Boone. “Zink” will run September 1-3 at the Webster City Community Theater.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Another benefit for the Children’s Cancer Connection is planned for September 11th in Des Moines, the Flapjack 5K and 10K.

Learn more at: www.childrenscancerconnection.org

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Human Interest, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Cedar Falls begins season as #1 in 4A

August 25, 2011 By

Cedar Falls opens the season at the top of the Class 4A ratings. The Tigers were a state semifinalist a year ago, and return two of the state’s top playmakers in running back Barkley Hill and receiver James Harrington.

But Cedar Falls co-head coach Pat Mitchell says that the Tigers will be relying on a lot of inexperience players around Hill and Harrington. He says while they will depend on the veterans, it will be important to have the younger players mesh with them and that will determine how well they play as a team.

Mitchell says some first games make you wonder if you can run one play, but then you come back and work on it to improve as fast as you can. The Tigers are still unsure who will be taking the snaps when they open up at Dubuque Hempstead on Friday night. Mitchell says they plan to utilize both junior Ike Boettger and transfer student Grant Grainger.

Mitchell says with the heat they will play a lot of players and will have tape of what they did so they can make corrections.

Cedar Falls’ other co-head coach Brad Remmert says they know that Hempstead will test their players from a physical and a mental standpoint.

He says Hempstead is always physical and hard nosed and will test you with the Wing-T offense and you have to be locked in on the right keys and be disciplined.

As the preseason #1, the Tigers will be getting the best shot from every team on the schedule, but Remmert says that Hempstead always plays Cedar Falls especially tough.

By Jesse Gavin KCNZ Cedar Falls

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:
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