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Wapello teen arrested for alleged threat involving prom

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Wapello Police have charged a 16-year-old with a felony count of threat of terrorism for an alleged threat involving prom.

Wapello Police responded to a report of a possible threat Thursday, when they received word that an individual may be coming to prom to shoot another individual. After an investigation by the Wapello Police, Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, Louisa County Attorney and the Juvenile Detention Office a warrant for the arrest of the teen was obtained.

Police say there are no active threats at this time. Extra law enforcement will be on hand at the Wapello prom as a precaution.

(By Steve Putney, KBUR, Burlington)

 

Third trial ends in sexual assault conviction for Charles City man

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Doug Lindaman

A Charles City man accused of molesting a teenager has been convicted of the crime again in a new trial.

Sixty-two-year-old Doug Lindaman was convicted of assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse. This was the third trial for Lindaman. His first conviction was over turned by the Iowa Supreme Court and the second one ended in a mistrial after Lindaman’s criminal history was mentioned by a witness.

Lindaman is accused of sexually abusing a 17-year old boy in 2011. Lindaman’s trial was moved to Cerro Gordo County from Floyd County. His sentencing is scheduled for May 11.

Lindaman was a convicted sex offender and a candidate for the Charles City School Board at the time of his arrest in 2015. He was convicted in 1988 on two counts of lascivious acts with minors.

(By Chris Berg, KCHA, Charles City)

 

AAA offering program to keep teens from drinking and driving during prom

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Many thousands of Iowa teens are getting ready to celebrate two of the biggest events of high school — prom and graduation — but the occasions can have deadly consequences.

Gail Weinholzer, spokeswoman for AAA-Iowa, says the motor club is sponsoring the “PROMise” program that runs from now until school lets out for the summer.

“Teens are going to a lot of parties during that time frame,” Weinholzer says. “We’re encouraging them to drive or ride with people who are not impaired by others’ drinking or any type of drug use.” A AAA survey conducted in January showed 39% of teens between 16 and 19 admit they or their friends would likely be under the influence of drugs or alcohol sometime during the prom or graduation season. While one teen may be staying away from temptation, perhaps the friend who’s behind the wheel didn’t, which puts both lives — and others — at risk unless the sober one speaks up.

“What we really want to emphasize with the program is to encourage a conversation between parents and teens,” Weinholzer says. “Oftentimes, teens are afraid to call home for a safe ride for fear of getting into trouble.”

As part of PROMise, should the teen be in danger of driving impaired or riding with someone who may be impaired, parents can pick their teen up and AAA will tow the family car home for free, member or not.  Free PROMise toolkits are available to high schools interested in helping protect their students from the dangerous consequences of impaired driving.

(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)

 

Iowa NASCAR driver pays tribute to hockey team

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Des Moines NASCAR driver Michael Annett paid tribute to a junior hockey team in Canada last weekend at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Annett’s car had a sticker to honor the Humboldt Broncos in his Xfinity Series race. Sixteen players and staff lost their lives earlier this month in a bus crash on the way to a playoff game. Annett grew up playing hockey in Des Moines.

“I can remember back when I was a rookie with one team and how they seat the bus”, said Annett. “Veterans in the back get the good seats so they can play cards. Rookies are smashed together in the front then you have the broadcast team, the trainers and the coaches. It is amazing that stuff like that affected who was caught up in the accident.”

Annett is currently 16th in points in the Xfinity Series. His next race in Friday night at Richmond Raceway for the ToyotaCare 250.

story by Steve Richards, Performance Racing Network.

 

Farmers in waiting mode until weather lets them start planting

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Joel DeJong

Many Iowa farmers are anxious to start their spring field work, but Mother Nature has other ideas, with recent snowfalls and continued cold weather.

Iowa State University Extension crops specialist Joel DeJong says due to the frigid soil temperatures, farmers are limited on what they can do. “I’ve heard of a little manure being hauled, but past that, very little other activity out in the fields,” DeJong says. “I’m not sure it’s really been fit for the activities to go on. We know it’s going to take a little while for that soil to warm up. It’s going to take a few days of average to above-average temperatures to get us there.”

DeJong says soil temperatures need to be at least 50 degrees — and climbing — for suitable growing conditions for corn and soybeans, and we’re nowhere near that. “Soil temperatures are still in the low 30s, just over 32 degrees, and actually looking at temperatures all the way at our sites that measure to 50 inches, it’s only about 35 to 36 degrees at 50 inches,” DeJong says. “That’s a big chunk of slab of soil that we’re going to have to warm up before it’s really fit for the crop growth.”

If we would start having outside air temperatures in the 60s for a period of about a week, we may begin to see the soil temperatures rise enough to germinate corn seeds. However, DeJong says farmers may be lacking in patience. “We’re probably not going to see people wait that long, because more than likely, if we had that scenerio, we’re going to be drier, so, we’re going to see a lot of those other activities start,” he says. “There’s a few producers that probably will, if it’s early next week, that’s typically the week that most people really want to get going and going hard. So, if the soil conditions are fit, they’re going to go out there and plant and they’re are just going to trust that it’s going to warm up.”

He notes, the good news farmers can take away about this year’s field conditions is that we do have either adequate — or surplus — levels of moisture.

(By Dennis Morrice, KLEM, Le Mars)

 

Strong demand keeps gas prices higher

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Iowans who are filling up the gas tanks of their cars — and their snowblowers — are paying more lately.

Gail Weinholzer, at AAA-Iowa, says gasoline prices are higher than usual. “We’ve had a strong demand throughout the winter,” Weinholzer says. “We’re exporting a lot of crude oil. Crude oil is trading up above $65 a barrel and all of that formed a confluence of reasons why prices have stayed high through the winter and are a bit higher than they were last year at this time.” The average price for gas in Iowa is $2.58 a gallon. That’s up 20-cents from a year ago.

Last weekend’s U.S.-led strike on Syria likely isn’t to blame, at least not much. “Syria is not an oil exporter, not directly,” she says. “There’s some nervousness within the market about any continuing hostility and that’s keeping crude oil prices high. Crude oil prices have been high throughout the winter so it’s not having that significant of an impact.” While the weather is still wintry, we’re almost a month into spring, which usually means an upturn in gas prices.

“We’re most of the way through the switch-over from the winter to the summer grade of fuel, even though we’re not actually experiencing summer at this point,” Weinholzer says. “The summer grade fuel burns cleaner and costs more to refine so we always see prices rise in the spring, although I wouldn’t expect them to rise any more than a nickel or a dime between now and Memorial Day.”

The daily AAA survey shows Iowa’s most expensive gas is in Dubuque, averaging $2.65 a gallon, while the cheapest gas is in Council Bluffs at $2.49.

(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)

 

Des Moines County Sheriff investigating woman’s death

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A woman’s death and a car fire are under investigation in southeast Iowa.

Des Moines County Sheriff’s deputies and a fire crew from Mediapolis were called Tuesday evening to the scene of a car on fire in a field. Upon arrived, the found a woman – dead – lying on the ground near the burning vehicle. Her name has not been released. An autopsy was scheduled for today.

Deputies said 57-year-old Bradley Wischmeier, who lives on the property, admitted to driving the vehicle in the field when it got stuck and caught fire.

 

Man dies in farm accident near Rock Valley

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A accident on a farm in northwest Iowa left a man dead.

Fifty-two-year-old Bradley Peetsch, of Baxter, Minnesota, was killed when he was run over by a payloader being operated by 17-year-old Joey Van Ginkel of Rock Valley. According to the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, Peetsch was walking behind the payloader as Van Ginkel was backing it up on a farm four miles west of Rock Valley.

The accident, which happened Monday afternoon, remains under investigation.

(By Mark Buss, KSOU, Sioux Center)

 

House GOP plans ‘status quo’ budget for justice, public safety agencies

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Lawmakers of both parties are expressing concerns about staffing levels in state public safety agencies, but Republicans on a House committee have approved what they’re calling “status quo” funding for Iowa’s justice system which covers the highway patrol, prisons and the state crime lab.

Representative Gary Worthan, a Republican from Storm Lake, said there’s no extra money to hire more troopers or crime scene investigators.

“Not to try and gloss it over or anything, this is kind of holding our own in the Department of Public Safety,” Worthan said. “We’re not going to be able to increase numbers.”

In most cases, the agencies would receive about as much money as was planned for the current year, before a round of budget cuts last month. Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, said the state prisons, in particular, are understaffed.

“It’s endangering some of our state workers,” Hall said. “It’s endangering our taxpayers and families across the state.”

The House GOP’s overall state budget plan is drafted around a tax cut of $100 million. Republicans in the Senate have proposed significantly deeper tax cuts.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Joyce Russell)

Waukon man charged with murder of stepdad

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A family member is jailed after a fatal shooting in northeast Iowa.

Second-degree murder charges have been filed against a Waukon man in the shooting death of his stepfather Monday afternoon. The Waukon Police Department says 32-year-old John Micheal Quanrude is accused of accidentally killing 60-year-old Dean Elliott Russell at a Waukon trailer park.

Quanrude is being held in the Allamakee County Jail on $10,000 bond.

(By Darin Svenson, KDEC, Decorah)