DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines police officer has been
hospitalized after being struck by a pickup while directing traffic
at the Iowa State Fair.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines police officer has been
hospitalized after being struck by a pickup while directing traffic
at the Iowa State Fair.
The police department says Phoukham Tran was among several
officers assigned to help pedestrians cross an intersection when he
was injured just before midnight Saturday. He’s hospitalized in
critical condition.
Police say the driver of the pickup, 37-year-old Keith Terry of
Belews Creek, North Carolina, was arrested on suspicion of serious
injury by motor vehicle and operating while intoxicated. He’s being
held today in the Polk County jail.
Iowa motorcyclist dies soon after van collision
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – A Davenport man has died after his motorcycle collided with a van.
The Scott County sheriff’s office says 36-year-old John Dale
Nicol died at a hospital soon after Thursday night’s crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
12 displaced in fire at Iowa apartment complex
CEDAR RAPID, Iowa (AP) – Twelve people have been displaced after
a fire at a Cedar Rapids apartment complex.
Fire crews were called to the complex about 5 a.m. Saturday.
Fire officials say the blaze took the roof off the building. The
complex was destroyed.
Iowa AG wants review of tossed murder conviction
(Information in the following story is from: The Hawk Eye,
https://www.thehawkeye.com)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has
asked the state Supreme Court to review an appeals court ruling
that throws out the conviction of a Burlington, Iowa man.
Office spokesman Geoff Greenwood told The Burlington Hawk Eye
(https://bit.ly/ooAhqS) that the request was filed Thursday in the
case of 61-year-old Dennis Richards. He was convicted of murder in
a 2007 death of his ex-wife. The high court has no deadline to
decide whether to review the case or issue an opinion.
Last month, the Iowa Court of Appeals reversed Richards’
conviction because a Des Moines County District Court judge
excluded testimony from a defense witness who would have suggested
Richards wasn’t strong enough to strangle 46-year-old Cyd Richards.
A new trial was ordered.
21 laptops taken from Council Bluffs school center
(Information in the following story is from: The Daily
Nonpareil, https://www.nonpareilonline.com)
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Authorities are investigating the
theft of laptop computers from a Council Bluffs school building.
The Daily Nonpareil reported (https://bit.ly/qz72Tn) that 21
laptop computers valued at $20,000 were stolen from the Tucker
College and Career Center between Wednesday night and Thursday
morning.
School district spokeswoman Diane Ostrowski says the theft will
affect the district’s short-term ability to use technology in the
classroom and that the replacement of the computers is costly.
Des Moines closes school to deal with mold
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines school officials have closed
a school due to mold found in a second-grade classroom.
District spokesman Phil Roeder tells The Des Moines Register
(https://bit.ly/mUqDg7) the mold was found last week in a room at
Moulton Extended Learning Center, which serves elementary and
middle school students.
Workers found water damage behind a wall. Although they repaired
and cleared the area, Roeder says mold spores could still be
detected in the building.
School officials decided to close the school until Aug. 29 to
allow for more cleaning. Repairs also might be made to the
building’s ventilation system.
Moulton operates year-round, and the five days will be made up
during breaks.
Wapello City Council fires longtime city clerk
(Information in the following story is from: The Hawk Eye,
https://www.thehawkeye.com)
WAPELLO, Iowa (AP) – The Wapello City Council has fired its city
clerk for failure to perform her job duties.
The Burlington Hawk Eye (https://bit.ly/pU01Lw ) reports the
council voted 5-1 Thursday to remove Celia Drayfahl from the
position she’s held for the past 10 years. Her son and council
member Josh Drayfahl was the dissenting vote.
The order for Celia Drayfahl’s firing cites five reasons for her
termination, including failing to close accounting books in a
timely manner and failing to keep balanced books. City officials
say there was no illegal activity.
Celia Drayfahl wasn’t present at the meeting. She can appeal the
council’s decision.
Celia Drayfahl declined to comment on Saturday to the Associated
Press, citing her attorney’s advice.
Missouri River remains off-limits to boaters
HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) – The swollen Missouri River remains
off-limits to boaters even as floodwaters recede.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says boating won’t be
allowed until the river is back in its banks.
The Missouri River has been overflowing for months because of
heavy Rocky Mountain snowpack and a rainy spring. Flooding has
forced residents from their homes and submerged thousands of acres
of farmland.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been reducing releases from
upstream reservoirs and the river has slowly been receding.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
