Lee Enterprises Purchases Omaha World Herald
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Billionaire Warren Buffett is giving up on the newspaper business. He’s selling all of Berkshire Hathaway’s publications to Lee Enterprises for $140 million. The deal announced Wednesday covers 31 daily newspapers in 10 states, including the Omaha World Herald, as well as 49 paid weekly publications with digital sites and 32 other print products. Buffett is a lifelong fan of newspapers but he has said for several years that he expects most of them to
continue on their declining trajectory, save for a handful of national papers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Lee has been managing the BH Media publications since July 2018. Berkshire Hathaway is providing about $576 million in long-term financing to Lee. The Sioux City Journal is owned by Lee Enterprises.
Residents Oppose Construction Of Chicken Farm
MINEOLA, Iowa (AP) – Neighboring residents and other people opposed to the construction of a chicken confinement facility in western Iowa filled a meeting at a church and roundly criticized the plan as better suited to an industrial park. Eight barns would be built on a property that sits about a mile north of Mineola, and plans are to raise 200,000 or more chickens there
every eight weeks. Last week the Pottawattamie County supervisors voted to recommend that the state deny approval. The opponents’ concerns aired at Monday’s meeting in Mineola included the potential smell, the impact on the water table and extra road traffic.
Authorities Release Name Of Robbery Suspect On High School Student
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Police have released the name of a suspect in the armed robbery of a student at a Cedar Rapids high school. Cedar Rapids police said Wednesday that 18-year-old Jovon Ellis Jr. remained in custody and is charged with robbery. His attorney in a previous case didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press. The robbery was reported a little after 3:30 p.m. Monday in a parking lot at Kennedy High
School. The 18-year-old student was nearing her vehicle when confronted by the robber. Police say he displayed a handgun and took only her cellphone. She was not injured.
Florida Senator Rick Scott Releases Television Ad Criticizing Democrats
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Senator Rick Scott of Florida is injecting himself into the 2020 presidential race, airing an attack ad in Iowa days ahead of that state’s crucial caucus. In his ad, Scott criticizes the Democratic-led impeachment trial against President Donald Trump and accuses former Vice President Joe Biden of corruption. The ad buy by the wealthy and politically
ambitious Republican U.S. Senator isn’t just a volley into the current race but also further signals his own presidential ambitions for 2024. As a U.S. senator and former governor of Florida, Scott would have instant name recognition in his crucial battleground home state.
Nurse Sentenced To Prison For Fraudulently Obtaining Painkillers
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A nurse has been given four years in prison for fraudulently obtaining painkillers from her patients in eastern Iowa. Katie Boll, from Manchester, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. She’d pleaded guilty to tampering with a consumer product resulting
in injury and acquiring the painkiller oxycodone by deception. Federal prosecutors dropped 12 other counts in exchange. She also was ordered to forfeit her nursing license. Authorities said Boll was a nurse for the Good Neighbor Society in Manchester when she schemed to acquire hydrocodone, morphine and other painkillers from at least 14 patients in her care.
