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La Porte City police plan news conference for update on search for Jake Wilson

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Jake Wilson

Authorities leading the investigation into the disappearance of an autistic La Porte City teenager are planning to give an update on the search later today.

Officials have scheduled a 4 P.M. news conference at the La Porte City Fire Station. In a morning press release from the Black Hawk County sheriff’s department announcing the news conference, authorities said they “will be doing a significant update on the Jake Wilson case.”

La Porte City Police Chief Chris Brecher and Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson have been leading the investigation into Wilson’s disappearance, but neither has indicated what information is being released at the briefing. The 16-year-old Wilson has been missing since April 7th, when he went for a walk to nearby Wolf Creek and didn’t return home. Since then, investigators have been trying to find out what happened to him.

(By Elwin Huffman, KOEL, Oelwein)

 

Former Sioux City senator ends short retirement and is running once again

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Rick Bertrand

A Sioux City businessman’s retirement from Iowa politics lasted about four months.

Rick Bertrand retired in April after finishing his second term in the Iowa Senate — but was nominated Tuesday evening by Sioux City Republicans to run again for the District 7 Senate seat. Bertrand was nominated by Steve Stokes, the former GOP candidate who dropped out of the race earlier this month for family and business reasons.

Bertrand says he decided to run again after several Republicans, including Governor Reynolds and Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, started asking him to reconsider his retirement. “When you’re asked it’s a good feeling,” Bertrand says, “and the community asked. And when your governor asks and when the party asks, it’s a good place. It’s a good thing for Sioux City. And I think this is a win-win for Sioux City when we win this.”

Bertrand says if he is re-elected, he will continue to be a champion for Sioux City. “That’s probably the thing that excites me the most — not just going back, that you are wanted and the community supports you — but you are going to walk back with a nice bag of capital and that means leverage, and that is power,” according to Bertrand. “And there are some things that we need to get done around here. With Highway 20 getting completed, we are going to have some infrastructure opportunities.”

Bertrand was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2010. He was re-elected in 2014 by a 20 point margin.

Jackie Smith

Former Woodbury County Supervisor Jackie Smith is the Democratic candidate for the senate seat. Smith spoke out about Betrand’s announcement at the Woodbury County Democratic Headquarters before a crowd of supporters She says Bertrand is going back on a promise he made. “His claim to fame is term limits. He had a farewell speech on April 17th — I encourage everyone to look at that — it’s on Youtube. It’s on the Senate Floor. And he actually talks about term limits and that it is time for him to go. I couldn’t agree more,” Smith says.

Smith served on the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors for eight years and is making her first run for state office. She disputes Bertrand’s claim that he will bring political capital for Siouxland to the state senate and says by reentering the senate race he is breaking a promise. Smith says she had a 96 percent attendance record on the county board, and says Bertrand missed more votes and meetings than any other state senator the past four years.

“Now wouldn’t we be fired if we didn’t show up for our jobs?,” Smith asks. “I think voters should fire him and keep him home and not in Des Moines.”

She went on to say she supports the right for Iowans to collectively bargain with their employers for wages, benefits and basic working conditions. Smith also says she will work to increase funding for education, mental health and medicaid programs if she is elected.

(By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)

(This story was updated at 3:15 to add Smith’s response)

 

Federal judge orders Burlington to release video in fatal 2015 police shooting

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The city of Burlington will have to release all video records from the 2015 police shooting death of Autumn Steel.

A federal judge made the ruling that the records should be turned over after a lawsuit was filed by the Hawkeye newspaper and later by the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. The full body cam video, dash cam and all other records will be released. Judge James Gritzner has given the city two weeks to redact personal information from the records before they are released. Last week, the same judge approved the two million dollars settlement between the city and the Steele Family.

Burlington Police Officer Jesse Hill said he was trying to shoot an attacking dog after responding to a report of a domestic fight and inadvertently shot and killed the 34-year-old Steele.

(By Steve Putney, KBUR, Burlington)

Related stories:

City of Burlington paying $2 million to settle 2015 police shooting case

Lawyers present arguments in dispute over Burlington police records

 

Man shot and killed by police officer after confrontation in Creston park

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A man was shot to death by a police officer in southwest Iowa Monday night.

The police officer and Union County Sheriff’s deputies were sent to McKinley Park in Creston just before midnight on the report of a man with a gun sitting on a bench.

According to a news release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the officers tried speaking to the man for several minutes before he rose from the bench and walked toward the officers. He refused orders to stop and show his hands, and then “advanced quickly on the officers.” That’s when he was shot by the Creston Police officer. The name of the man who was killed has not been released.

The officer is now on paid administrative leave while the shooting  is under investigation.

(By T.J. Dunphy, KSIB, Creston)

 

Controversy develops over Iowa State Fair Veterans Parade entry

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The Grandstand at the Iowa State Fair.

The Annual Veterans Parade at the Iowa State Fair turned controversial Monday when a veterans group made up of Democrats was barred from the event.

Members of the Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus say they marched in the parade in 2008 and 2015 and were issued credentials for this year, but the Iowa State Fair Veterans Committee which organizes the parade reversed that recently.

Committee member Daniel Gannon says he doesn’t recall the group’s 2008 appearance and he says they “slipped” into the parade in 2015.

“The parade can’t be about politics. It’s about supporting our veterans,” Gannon saus. “I don’t care if you’re a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent. Everybody should support our veterans.”

The Iowa State Fair Veterans Committee that organies the annual parade down the Iowa State Fair’s grand concourse is not affiliated with either the fair or state government. Governor Kim Reynolds attended the parade and stands by the committee’s decision.

“It’s never been partisan. It never should be partisan,” Reynolds says. “It should be about saluting our veterans and that’s what I saw taking place.”

Democrats say if the parade is to be non-partisan, then the anti-war group called Veterans for Peace and Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate, who is not a veteran, should not have been allowed to participate in yesterday’s parade.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Joyce Russell/Photo courtesy of the Iowa State Fair.)

Man traveling down Mississippi River to raise funds for disaster relief

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Eric Elsea

A man making a canoe trip from the beginning to the end of the Mississippi River wants to raise awareness and funds for a Rotary Club effort to help in areas of natural disasters. Eric Elsea made an overnight stop in Clinton on that journey where he met Rotary Club members and others.

Elsea says the Rotary program is known as Shelterbox U.S.A. “We preposition life-saving equipment at eleven different places around the world that we can deploy rapidly after things like natural disasters — and in some cases, man-made conflicts — for instance, the Syrian refugee crisis,” Elsea says. The Shelterbox is a key component of what they do.

Eric Elsea

“A shelterbox typically includes things like at tent, blankets, water purification system, solar lighting, mosquito netting, things like that to provide shelter, warmth and dignity to families on their worst day ever,” according to Elsea. He currently resides in Florida but grew up in the St. Louis area and helped sandbagging efforts during the flood of 1993 and that’s why he chose the journey along the Mississippi.

Elsea says he’s enjoyed meeting the people along the route. “It has been better than I ever imagined,” Elsea says, “it’s absolutely gorgeous, the weather has been great. There’s been scenery and wildlife and stuff I just never imagined. I’ve been having the time of my life.”

Elsea hopes to raise $225,200 – – or $100 for every mile of the journey.

(By Dave Vickers, KROS, Clinton)

 

Search on to find the endangered rusty patched bumble bee in Iowa

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The rust patched bumble bee.

The rusty patched bumble bee was designated last year as “endangered” and teams are fanning out in Iowa to search out the insect and determine its status here.

Seth Moore, an environmental specialist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the bee’s population nationwide has plummeted by nearly 90% in the past two decades. Moore says, “That triggered our interest in wanting to find out where it’s at in Iowa, where we do have it and searching out new areas.”

The DNR is conducting a survey to identify locations around the state where the bee is still being found. So far, it’s been identified in seven Iowa counties. Moore says teams go out for about six hours a day, armed with butterfly nets and small glass vials, trying to carefully catch any bee they spot. “We put them in the vials to determine which one they are, if it’s a rusty patch or not,” Moore says. “A lot of the times, it’s not a rusty patch, it’s another bee, maybe the common eastern bumble bee or the brown-belted bumble bee, two of the more common ones you’ll see in Iowa.”

Once identified, the bees are released. “We also look for specific plants in the field that are flowering,” Moore says. “Wild bergamot or bee balm, that one of their favorite ones that they have during the year.” Bees also gravitate toward coneflowers and Joe Pye weed. Iowans can help the struggling bee populations by planting those varieties in their yards — and by minimizing the use of pesticides.

The bees  have been confirmed in counties across mostly eastern and central Iowa. They are: Allamakee, Black Hawk, Boone, Clayton, Jackson, Johnson and Winneshiek. Learn more at www.bumblebeewatch.org.

(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City/photo by Rich Hatfield)

 

Date set to celebrate completion of Highway 20 four-lane expansion

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Work is winding down on the expansion of Highway 20 in northwest Iowa.

After years of waiting, the date has been set for the dedication of the completion of the final segment of the expansion of Highway 20 to four lanes in northwest Iowa.

The DOT’s Dakin Schultz says the Highway 20 Association has set a ribbon cutting for October 19th at three p.m. in Holstein at the new Boulders Inn & Suites hotel on the south side of U.S. 20 and U.S. 59.

Schultz says there are some final pieces being completed along the highway. “We’ve got the work between Correctionville and Holstein that we’ll be looking at completion on that. All the paving, mainline paving is complete out there. The contractors are working on shoulders and will continue to do grading work,” According toe Schultz. “From Holstein over to Early, all the pavement is down.” Crews are doing other finishing work east of Moville.

He says they are doing clean up work, putting up signs and doing work on side roads that has to be completed to connect gravel roads. Schultz says they expect to have that section open before October. The completion of the final segment will end the work that has gone on for several years to expand Highway 20 to four lanes from Dubuque to Sioux City.

More information on the completion celebration will be released as the event gets closer.

(By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)

Ambassador Branstad says Chinese trade discussions continue

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Terry Branstad (file photo)

Farmers in Iowa and across the Midwest want quick resolution to the looming trade war due to the negative impact it’s starting to have on their bottom lines.

Speaking in Des Moines over the weekend, the U.S. Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, says he isn’t sure how long the impasse with China will last. “We’re continuing to have discussions,” Branstad says. “I’m trying to keep the leaders in Washington informed and do all that we can. We’ve had several meetings and we’re going to continue to work on it.”

Branstad, a former Iowa governor, says President Trump is justified in putting tariffs on imports of Chinese goods into the U.S. He says China is in worse financial condition than the U.S. due to the drop in that nation’s stock market and currency value. “China has not treated us or other countries fairly for a long time with their stealing of technology and also not enforcing intellectual property rights, the trade deficit has gone up and up,” Branstad says. “We’re trying to get fair and reciprocal trade and we want to double ag exports over the next five years.”

Speaking at the Iowa State Fair, Branstad says it’s unfortunate American farmers have been collateral damage in the trade war and he’s unsure what it will take for China to finally cut a deal with the U.S.  “What the United States has done, we’ve focused on the areas that they’ve been unfair on, stealing technology and that,” he says. “They have focused on agriculture which had nothing to do with this. That’s why we think what the Chinese have done is unfair and they need to come to the realization, just as they did with sorghum, that this doesn’t make sense and they’re hurting their own consumer.”

Branstad says U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has been in talks with Chinese officials over the past two weeks, so the countries are trying to negotiate.

(By Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton)

 

Riverboat casino legal battle in Sioux City finally ending

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Dakin Schultz (file photo)

The long legal battle between the nonprofit license holder Missouri River Historical Development (MHRD) and the company which operated the former Belle of Sioux City riverboat casino is now over.

The opposing sides have filed a joint dismissal of a lawsuit and counter lawsuit in Des Moines. MRHD President Dakin Schultz says his group is ready to put the dispute behind them. “We are pleased to see this legal battle come to an end. It gives MRHD and opportunity to continue focusing on making the lives better of the residents of Woodbury County,” Schultz says.

Penn National Gaming, which owned the Belle had sued MRHD for breach of contract in 2012, alleging that MRHD sought to replace the casino with another operator before their 20-year contract expired. Each side will pay for their own legal expenses. The lawsuits had been scheduled to go to trial next month, but Schultz says a May ruling found two issues with the Belle’s lawsuit and MRHD’s counter lawsuit.

The judge ruled MHRD had the right to look for a new casino operator, but the judge also dismissed the group’s counter claim. “It’s safe to say that’s what brought about the dismissal,” Schultz says. Penn National eventually lost out in its bid for a new land-based casino in Sioux City. MRHD now partners with Sioux City Entertainment, which won the land-based license and operates the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

(By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)