Body Found In Ditch
QUIMBY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say the body of a Cherokee man has been found in a
roadside ditch north of Quimby in northwest Iowa.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were sent around 10:45 a.m.
Sunday to a county road intersection to check reports of a body on a bicycle. They
found the body of 45-year-old Norman Needs.
The cause of death is being investigated.
Sioux City Council Looks At Improving Tyson Event Center
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Sioux City Council is mulling a bevy of proposals
that would amount to about $60 million in upgrades to the Tyson Events Center.
The upgrades are aimed at helping the Sioux City venue better compete with
event centers in Omaha and Lincoln in Nebraska and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
A consultant on Friday unveiled the proposed upgrades to the City Council.
They include adding everything from smartphone charging stations to a 15,000 square
foot atrium at the main entrance.
Smaller suggested additions included a walk-in convenience store for visitors
to buy prepackaged food.
Big-ticket add-ons included expansion of the building’s concourses and a
15,000 square foot lobby entry that could house more restrooms, merchandise stands
and concessions.
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Branstad Comments On Supreme Court Decision
(Des Moines) — Iowa’s Republican governor says there is no impact on IOWA laws
from today’s (Monday’s) U.S. Supreme Court ruling which struck down key parts of a
Texas law on how abortion clinics must operate.
The Texas law required abortion clinics to be near hospitals, so doctors performing
abortions can admit patients to the hospital if there are complications. The bill
was passed by the Texas legislature in 2013. It also required abortion clinics to
meet certain building, equipment and staffing regulations as well. The Iowa Board
of Medicine tried to make some of the same requirements as Texas for so-called
“tele-med” abortions and Governor Terry Branstad says he’s disappointed that IOWA’s
Supreme Court struck down IOWA’s law.
Some critics of today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling say it’s the final straw for
Texans who’re upset by federal overreach and they’re pushing the idea of having the
state succeed. Branstad says he understand the frustration, but he’s not in favor
of a Texas exit.
Branstad says people in Texas and in Iowa are upset that “state’s rights” are being
“whittled away” from the courts and the Obama Administration. Critics of the Texas
law said the rules were intended to put abortion clinics out of business. Since the
law took effect, half the 41 abortion clinics in Texas have closed.
Branstad Says He Would Not Be Trump’s Running Mate
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad says he has no intention of
becoming Donald Trump’s running mate.
When asked at his weekly news conference whether he’d consider joining a Trump
ticket he declined to answer with an emphatic no, but said he didn’t want to get
into that type of speculation. He says he’s honored to serve the people of Iowa and
“not intending to be a candidate for national office.”
Branstad says he’s offered to advise Trump on renewable fuels including
ethanol and wind energy and the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee has
indicated an interest in working with Branstad on those issues.
Branstad’s 40-year-old son, Eric, is the Trump campaign’s state director in
Iowa.
Branstad, who has endorsed Trump, doesn’t complete his current term as
governor until 2019.
Lt. Governor Reynolds To Participate On Trade Mission
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds is planning a trade mission to
Argentina and Uruguay in October, a trip designed to expand trade and investment
opportunities for Iowa businesses.
Reynolds said Monday that Argentina has recently reopened trade and is
accepting imports again after four years of closed markets. She says there’s a new
demand for technology and equipment that Iowa companies can explore.
The trip also will target Uruguay’s open trade policy in an economy that has
been growing.
Reynolds says Iowa exported a record $15.1 billion in goods in 2014 showing
the state is prospering from international trade.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority is helping organize the trip and
setting up one-on-one appointments for Iowa business owners who want to meet with
government officials in the South American countries.
State Auditor Pleased With Budget
(Des Moines) — The state’s auditor says the state budget plan written by lawmakers
and approved by the governor this spring is “sustainable and responsible.” The new
12-month state budget goes into effect July 1st and State Auditor Mary Mosiman
(MOHZ-man, like “Boseman, Montana) delivered a budget briefing in her office this
(Monday) morning.
Mosiman gives state policymakers a “B plus” grade on their budgeting.
Over the past few years policymakers have used the state’s 800-million dollar
surplus to finance property tax relief and an education reform effort. Mosiman says
that was possible as state tax revenue grew, but there’s just 80-million dollars in
surplus left today.
More than eight-and-half BILLION dollars in state tax money will be spent over the
next 12 months under the budget plan. At least seven BILLION dollars more in
FEDERAL tax dollars will support state-run programs.
Police Shoot Man After Stand-off
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says a man has
been shot and injured by Ottumwa police officers.
A DCI news release says Ottumwa police received a call about a house fire just
before 9 p.m. Saturday. The caller also told police that a man was outside shooting
a rifle into the burning home.
Officials say arriving officers confronted the man and ordered him to drop the
rifle, but he refused. Police say the man raised the rifle at officers in a
threatening manner, and officers shot him.
The man was taken to a hospital, where he underwent surgery for his injuries.
His condition is not known at this time, and his name has not been released.
Per department policy, the officers have been placed on paid administrative
leave.
Bear Killed By Vehicle In Northeast Iowa
WATERVILLE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a black bear has been killed by a truck on
a highway in northeast Iowa.
The Iowa Natural Resources Department said in a news release Monday that the
bear was struck Friday evening on Iowa Highway 76 near the Yellow River Forest in
southeast Allamakee (al-uh-muh-KEE’) County. The bear weighed around 200 pounds and
was believed to be a young specimen.
In 2015 at least three black bears were reported several times as they moved
around northeast Iowa. Experts say the bears wander into Iowa from neighboring
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri, where there are breeding populations.
People who see black bears or find signs of them in Iowa are urged to contact
the resources department or law enforcement agencies.
