TWO PLEA TAKING HEARINGS SET IN WOODBURY COUNTY
TWO PLEA HEARINGS HAVE BEEN SCHEDULED FOR PENDING CASES IN WOODBURY COUNTY DISTRICT COURT.
A PLEA TAKING FOR 32-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL COUNTERMAN IS SET FOR FRIDAY AT 1:30PM.
COUNTERMAN IS CHARGED WITH 1ST DEGREE ARSON, 1ST DEGREE BURGLARY, STALKING AND ASSAULTING AN OFFICER.
POLICE SAY COUNTERMAN ALLEGEDLY BROKE INTO HIS MOTHER’S RESIDENCE IN JANUARY, VIOLATING A NO CONTACT ORDER, THEN BARRICADED HIMSELF INSIDE AND SET THE HOME ON FIRE.
COUNTERMAN WAS ARRESTED FOLLOWING AN HOUR LONG STANDOFF.
IN A SEPARATE CASE, THE SUSPECT ACCUSED IN THE MARCH ROBBERY OF THE UNITED BANK OF IOWA IN MOVILLE IS SCHEDULED FOR A PLEA TAKING ON APRIL 27TH.
42-YEAR-OLD BRENDON REED OF KINGSLEY, IOWA IS CHARGED WITH 1ST DEGREE THEFT, ELUDING, A PAROLE VIOLATION AND NUMEROUS TRAFFIC CHARGES.
THAT HEARING IS SET FOR 9AM NEXT FRIDAY.
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IMPAIRED DRIVING ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED ON APRIL 20TH
Today is an unofficial holiday for marijuana users, which has prompted an enforcement campaign from the Iowa State Patrol.
That’s Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Nate Ludwig (LUD-wig), who says drug-impaired driving is becoming a bigger issue on the state’s roads.
The Drug Impaired Driving enforcement campaign will involve more officers on roadways looking for erratic drivers who could be under the influence of drugs. Ludwig says many marijuana users believe it’s harmless to smoke-up and get behind the wheel.
The enforcement campaign involves Iowa and five other states; Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
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UPDATE COMING SOON IN SEARCH FOR MISSING NORTHEAST IOWA TEEN
An update is expected this (Friday) afternoon on the search for a missing autistic boy in northeast Iowa. Radio Iowa’s Matt Kelley reports:
Law officers involved in the search, centered in Black Hawk County, are holding a news conference at 2 o’clock this afternoon. Reports indicate there is -no- news on the whereabouts of 16-year-old Jake Wilson.
He walked away from his home in LaPorte City almost two weeks ago, the night of April 7th. Hundreds of volunteers had joined in the search, which was scaled back in recent days.
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IOWA RECEIVES $51 MILLION IN TOBACCO SETTLEMENT MONEY
Iowa received nearly $51 million Thursday from tobacco companies – the state’s annual share of a 1998 landmark legal settlement in which tobacco companies pay states for smoking-related health care costs.
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office says that in the last 20 years, Iowa has received more than $1.2 billion in payments under the settlement.
The latest payment included a regular annual sum of $39.7 million as part of a master agreement and an additional payment of $11.2 million to the state.
The state will continue to receive annual master agreement payments in perpetuity, based on the number of cigarettes sold in the U.S.
The tobacco settlement is the largest in U.S. history.
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LAWSUIT FILED IN FATAL IOWA SCHOOL BUS FIRE
The parents of a 16-year-old girl who died in a school bus fire in western Iowa last year are suing the school district.
Glen and Natalie Klindt accuse Riverside Community School District in the wrongful death lawsuit of negligent hiring, training and supervision of 74-year-old bus driver Donald Hendricks, who also died in the fire.
The Klindts say the December 12th death of their daughter Megan caused them severe emotional distress, and they’re seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
The Klindts’ lawsuit also says they and Megan had complained about Hendricks’ driving before the fire.
Hendricks used a walker and had back surgery scheduled the week of the fire.
The fire happened shortly after Klindt was picked up at her family’s farm southeast of Oakland, about 35 miles east of Omaha.
Federal investigators have said the fire began in the engine compartment after Hendricks backed the bus into a ditch and became stuck.
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IOWA LAWMAKERS CONTINUE BUDGET & TAX WRANGLING
As Iowa lawmakers look to wrap up the 2018 session, the two major hurdles left are passing a budget and tax cuts.
Republican leaders in control of the House and Senate are spending Thursday trying to get on the same page, with no other activity in either chamber.
Governor Kim Reynolds cancelled an economic development trip to New York to be directly involved in the negotiations:
In plans released last week, GOP tax writing committees disagreed on how deep to cut taxes, a move that has been a priority for Republicans.
They also don’t agree on whether to stop allowing Iowans to deduct their federal income taxes or whether to tackle corporate tax cuts this session.
House Speaker Linda Upmeyer says a deal is expected soon.
Republicans in the House have also approved what they call “status quo” funding for the state’s prison, highway patrol and crime lab.
Democrat Chris Hall of Sioux City is concerned, stating that the prisons in Iowa remain understaffed:
Senate President Charles Schneider says once there is an agreement on taxes, the budget should “fall into place in short order.”
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INCREASED TUITION & ROOM RATES EXPECTED AT WAYNE STATE
Students can expect higher residence hall room rates and increased tuition at three Nebraska colleges.
Mandatory fees, tuition and room and board rates will likely rise at Chadron, Peru and Wayne State Colleges in the fall.
Chadron State’s residence hall room rates will likely increase by 3.6 percent at Edna Hall. Peru State’s rates for a two-person room at Morgan and Delzell Halls may rise by 5 percent and students at Wayne State could see two-person room rates at Terrace Hall increase by 1.4 percent.
Chadron State and Wayne State are expected to raise mandatory fees by nearly $8 per semester for full-time students. Peru State’s fees will increase by nearly $38 per semester for full-time students.
Spokeswoman Angela Melton says the state college system hasn’t set tuition rates.
