Sioux City Police Shoot Homicide Suspect
(Sioux City) — Sioux City Police have released the name of the suspect shot by an officer at a Morningside apartment Tuesday morning. Authorities say 29 year old Felix William Navarrete of Sioux City was shot by a member of the Sioux City Police SWAT team when he refused to surrender. Police Chief Doug Young says officers began surveilance at an apartment building at 2728 South Helen Blvd. around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. Navarrete was seen inside with several females and two small children.
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Navarrete was armed with a handgun and was being sought by police for the shooting of two people Saturday on the city’s west side. One of those victims had died.
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Navarrete jumped out of the second story window and was taken into custody. He was transported to Mercy Medical Center where he died from his injuries. Young says the officer involved in Navarrete’s shooting has been placed on administrative leave, and the D.C.I. has been called to investigate the incident. Both moves are standard procedure in an officer involved shooting.
Soderberg And Anderson To Hold Legislative Forum On Saturday
(Le Mars) — State Representative Chuck Soderberg and State Senator Bill Anderson have scheduled legislative forums in Le Mars on Saturday. The two lawmakers will first meet with school officials of the Le Mars Communitiy School District at 8:30 a.m. at the Le Mars School Administration Building. It is expected the legislators will be asked about school funding, the Iowa Core, and the educational reform bill that is now in effect. Following the meeting with the education officials, the two legislators will hold a public forum at the Le Mars Public Library beginning at 9:45 a.m. The lawmakers will discuss the issues and actions involving the 2014 legislative session.
King Not Impressed With President’s “State of the Union” Address
(Washington) — In last evening’s State of the Union address, President Obama did not mention ethanol, and that bothered Iowa fourth district Republican Congressman Steve King.
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The Iowa Congressman calls the President’s address as tepid and predicable. One aspect the President advocated is an increase of the minimum wage to more than ten dollars an hour, and King says that was not a surprise.
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King says President Obama did not show any willingness to compromise with Congress on key issues, and in fact, was perhaps making the division between Democrats and Republicans even wider.
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Simon Estes To Visit With Legislators
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Acclaimed opera singer Simon Estes will visit the Iowa Capitol to advocate for arts education.
Estes is scheduled to visit the legislature Wednesday. He’ll sing in both the state House and state Senate, as well as meet with top lawmakers and speak before the Senate Education Committee.
Estes is making the visit with the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education. The group is seeking to have fine arts included in the Iowa Core Curriculum.
A native of Centerville, Estes has had a world-renowned career as an opera singer. He’s performed with the Metropolitan Opera and other international companies.
He has also focused on philanthropic work, awarding college scholarships through many namesake organizations.
Lawmakers Looking To Ban E-Cigarettes To Minors
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Lawmakers in the Iowa House and Senate are granting preliminary approval to bills that would prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.
Subcommittees in both chambers approved similar measures Tuesday, which will now move on for full committee-level review.
Currently there are no restrictions on selling e-cigarettes to those under 18 in Iowa.
Industry groups expressed support for the proposals. But public health advocates said that while they support barring sales to minors, they also want e-cigarettes to be classed as tobacco products, making them subject to additional restrictions and taxation.
Republican Rep. Chip Baltimore, of Boone, says e-cigarettes were not the same as tobacco products, because they typically offer nicotine vapor, and not the cancer-causing chemicals found in cigarettes.
E-cigarettes heat liquid and nicotine into a flavored, smokeless vapor.
Legislators Wanting New Policies For Limiting Restraints For Pregnant Inmate Women
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A legislative panel has approved a measure limiting the use of restraints on pregnant inmates.
A subcommittee approved the bill Tuesday on a 2 to 1 vote, and it now goes to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The bill would ban correctional institutions from using restraints on known pregnant women, particularly during labor, delivery and postpartum recovery, except under certain circumstances.
Democratic Sen. Janet Petersen, of Des Moines, says the bill would make it more clear the level of care inmates were receiving.
Petersen gave supporters and opponents of the bill another two days to offer amendment to the bill.
Last year, lawmakers opted not to move forward with a similar bill when the state Department of Corrections updated its policy on the matter. That policy remains confidential.
New Regulations Mean Air Service Cuts To Small Cities
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Great Lake Airlines will be ending Minneapolis flights from Fort Dodge, the only commercial airline service available at the north-central Iowa airport.
The company says it also is suspending service to Mason City in northern Iowa and in Devils Lake and Jamestown, N.D.; Ironwood, Mich.; and Thief River Falls, Minn. The airline is based in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Great Lakes Chief Executive Officer Charles Howell has blamed the moves on a federal requirement that pilots at small airlines have 1,500 hours of experience. That’s up from a previous requirement of 500 hours.
The airline says it had 304 pilots a year ago and now has 98, leaving it unable to staff its routes.
Ethanol Industry Vows To Fight EPA Ruling
ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) – The ethanol industry is digging in its heels for a protracted fight to keep federal regulators from cutting current levels of biofuels blended into the nation’s gas supply.
The annual conference of Iowa ethanol manufacturers and supporters held in Altoona Tuesday would normally be an upbeat event celebrating the past year’s victories and planning strategies to expand markets. Instead, the industry is sharply focused on trying to persuade the EPA to reverse plans to reduce ethanol use in gas.
Failing that, ethanol’s leading Washington lobbyist, Bob Dinneen, says the issue will end up in the courts. He’s the keynote speaker at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, where attendees remain upbeat about the future but see a difficult fight ahead to maintain ethanol’s share of the nation’s gas supply.
Ames Man Charged After Displaying Road Rage
AMES, Iowa (AP) – An Ames man has been accused of displaying a handgun during an argument with a driver near Iowa State University.
ISU police say 22-year-old Patrick Allen Stall followed a car Monday to a parking lot near the Lied Recreation Athletic Center on campus.
Witnesses told police that Stall flashed his car lights, honked his horn and gestured toward the other vehicle. When the car he was following stopped, Stall is accused of displaying a handgun from under his coat.
The driver in the other car fled, and reported the incident to ISU police. Stall later turned himself in to county authorities.
Stall has been charged with third-degree harassment, aggravated assault and carrying a weapon. It is unclear if he has an attorney.
Iowa State Universityi Professor Confesses To Making False Statements
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A former Iowa State University professor has pleaded guilty to making false statements to a federal agency.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that Palaniappa Molian, of Ames, pleaded guilty Friday to two felony counts related to making false statements to the National Science Foundation.
Molian acknowledged in a written plea agreement that in December 2009, he was working as a principal investigator on a National Science Foundation grant to Iowa State when he submitted a reimbursement expense voucher containing false statements. Molian sought reimbursement for travel to Boston, which he said was for grant research but actually was for an unrelated reason.
Molian also acknowledged submitting a report to the National Science Foundation that contained false statements.
U.S. District Judge James Gritzner will sentence Molian on April 25.
