Miller released a statement saying Iowa’s share of the settlement is just over $40-million  for relief, and to address future loan servicing. Miller says Iowa borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure through abuse by loan providers between January of 2008 and December 31 of 2011, will be eligible for $7.4-million dollars in payments.

The statement also says the state will receive a direct payment of just over $15-million. Miller and others plan to talk with the media about the settlement in a conference call later today.

The legally parked vehicles belonged to a magistrate and an Adams County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher. Hastings was booked in the jail for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license.

She was expected to make her initial appearance before the judge sometime today.

By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic

An officer heard loud barking coming from the back of the vehicle and found dozens of dogs in cramped containers, without sufficient food or water. Twenty-two-year-old Travis Wester and 49-year-old Larry Subject, both of Britt, were arrested and each charged with one misdemeanor count of failing to meet animal owner duties, plus 43 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals.

A Cook County Circuit Court Judge has ordered the pair to be held on $10,000 bail. Wester and Subject are scheduled to be back in court February 16th.

Chicago’s Department of Animal Care and Control is assisting with the investigation and took custody of the puppies.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Linda Kalin, director of the Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center, says calls concerning products such as “bath salts” or “K-2″ having been on the rise. She said in August 2010, the center received zero calls about those items.

That’s compared to 30 calls about people being hospitalized after using the drugs in December 2011. Kalin is scheduled to deliver a presentation about synthetic drugs before the state’s Drug Policy Advisory Council this afternoon.

Kalin told Radio Iowa that most people, by now, have probably heard about the physical and psychological dangers of using K-2 or bath salts. She credits the marketing practices of the drug manufacturers for the continued uptick in abuse.

“These are marketed as ‘legal marijuana’ or ‘legal highs,’ even though many states have banned them or are in the process of banning them,” Kalin said. “Never the less, when you start to slap labels that say ‘plant food, bath salts, herbal incense, potpourri, marijuana-like substance’ – that’s not at all implying how dangerous these really are.”

Products such as K-2 are now illegal in Iowa, so – for the most part – they can’t be found in stores. “Unfortunately, the Internet is a whole different story,” Kalin said. “The purchase of these can be made through a number of websites throughout the world and they give direct delivery to the purchaser.”

The substances are said to produce a high similar to meth or cocaine, but Kalin said the chemicals used to produce K-2 or bath salts can vary from one package to another. So, while one user may not experience a high, another user could have hallucinations, become violent or have a seizure.

Twenty-eight-year old T.J. Vaughn of Marshalltown, initially sought as a material witness, is now charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery as a result of the ongoing investigation. Vaughn is being held in the Marshall County Jail. Etzen and Doehler are being held in the Clarke County Jail and will be returned to Marshalltown to face first-degree murder charges.

Police were called to a Marshalltown apartment around 7 p.m. Monday on a report of a man who was shot in the head. Thirty-nine-year-old Benjamin Benda was taken to a Marshalltown hospital and then transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City. Benda died shortly before 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

By Mike Lindell, KFJB, Marshalltown

Jay Brainard, T.S.A. Federal Security Director for Iowa, says the Advanced Imaging Technology units are designed to protect passengers’ privacy while improving security and speeding up the checkpoint process. “This technology safely screens passengers for both metallic and nonmetallic threats, including weapons and explosives, without physical contact,” Brainard said at a news conference today at the Des Moines Airport.

Two of the machines were activated today in Des Moines. Brainard said the scanners enhance privacy by eliminating “passenger-specific” images. Instead, the software develops a computer generated outline of a person which is identical for all passengers.

“This new generation software detects potential threats and indicates their location, eliminating the need for passenger-specific images and streamlining the checkpoint screening process,” Brainard said. The glass framed machines utilize radio waves and take about three seconds to scan each passenger.

“This machine uses millimeter wave technology, which bounces harmless, electromagnetic waves off the human body to create a black and white image,” Brainard said. “It is safe and the energy emitted is 1,000 times less than international limits and guidelines.”

Outside the machine, a monitor displays a human form. The monitor turns green and reads “OK” if the passenger isn’t carrying any prohibited or dangerous items. If an item is detected, a yellow mark appears on the outline of the body showing exactly where the item can be found. Passengers who aren’t convinced of the claims about the machine’s privacy or safety do have an alternative.

“Passengers who do not wish to go through the unit will receive an equivalent screening, which will include a pat down,” Brainard said. There are currently more than 570 Advanced Imaging Technology units installed in 130 airports around the country, according to the TSA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbLS6jfg6kE

Battersen says two of the three suspects fled to Osceola and officers arrested them around 6 a.m. and they were charged with first-degree robbery, and booked into the Osceola County Jail. The two suspects arrested in Osceola were 27-year-old Steven Etzen and 23-year-old Shawn Doehler.

Two material witnesses were taken into custody, 28-year-old T.J. Vaughn and 44-year-old Melissa Andrews, both of Marshalltown. Batterson says a third witness is being sought. Battersen says they are still sorting out all the details of the shooting.

“We know there was a dispute before the shooting, we are still tracking down all the details of why the dispute took place. Obviously the two suspects were taken into custody for robbery first, we do believe they went there with the intent to steal something from the victim,” Batterson says.

Benda was shot in the head and was taken to University Hospitals in Iowa City, where he is reported in critical condition.

By Lance Renaud, KFJB, Marshalltown

Forty-year-old Daniel Valencia last week entered an Alford plea in Winneshiek County District Court, which means he didn’t admit guilt, but concedes evidence exists for a probable conviction. He was sentenced to two days in jail and then given credit for time served.

Valencia can fulfill the sentence by completing an OWI weekend program in Iowa. It includes an offenders drinking-and-driving course offered by the Iowa D.O.T.  He must also pay a fine of $1,250 and a surcharge of $437. 

Valencia was arrested by Decorah police at about 1:30 on a Saturday morning, after he ran a red light. He was off duty at the time. President Obama arrived in Decorah the following Monday.

(Reporting by Darin Swenson, KDEC, Decorah)

The 41-year-old man had been shot in the head. He was rushed to a local hospital, then was transferred to an Iowa City hospital. He’s in critical condition. No name was released.

By Lance Renaud, KFJB, Marshalltown

Kyle Boleyn

A man has been arrested in connection with an anhydrous ammonia incident in northeast Iowa that sent a sheriff’s deputy to the hospital last week.

 Fayette County Sheriff Marty Fisher says the female deputy was overcome by vapors coming from a broken tank at the Fredricksburg Farmers Co-op near Hawkeye.

She was attempting to arrest a man suspected of tampering with the tank. Thirty-six-year-old Kyle Boleyn of Arlington was arrested in the case on Sunday.

“He has been charged with criminal mischief in the second degree,” Fisher said. Boleyn is also charged with possession of anhydrous ammonia with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Fisher said Boleyn was identified as the suspect by both a witness and from evidence gathered at the scene.

“My deputy did see (Boleyn) and a motorist who was passing by at the time got a good look at the suspect,” Fisher said. The deputy, who has not been identified, was treated at a local hospital for exposure to the liquefied gas. She has since returned to duty.

Fisher said the investigation also revealed Boleyn, a registered sex offender, was not at his place of registry for over two weeks – so he’s facing another felony charge. If convicted of all charges, Boleyn could face up to 15 years in prison.