Borchers Arrested For Burglary
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County authorities have arrested 34 year old Justin Borchers of Le Mars on warrants for burglary in the third degree, a class D felony, and failure to appear on a charge of domestic assault, a simple misdemeanor. Borchers is being held on a $5,500 bond.
Langel Clarifies Theater Purchase And Explains “Quality Of Life” Projects
(Le Mars) — Last week the Le Mars City Council gave approval for the purchase of the Royal 3 Theater in Le Mars. City Administrator Scott Langel says the theater is identified as one of this community’s “quality of life” projects. He says the city is overseeing the potential transaction, but it is not using taxpayer dollars to make the purchase. Rather, the city is using private donations for the potential purchase.
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The city official says the burden to raise the funds falls on the shoulders of the Community Betterment Project Leadership Committee.
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Some of the community projects that have been funded and were also identified as providing quality of life for Le Mars includes the recreational trail, the Community Wellness Center, also known as the YMCA, including both the indoor and the outdoor Aquatic swimming pools, and even the skate board park. Langel says the committee has since identified some future projects that include the expansion of the Olson Cultural Events Center, a dog park, a skate park, and even a BMX course, and the city municipal park.
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Grassley Opposes The Release Of CIA Report
(Washington) — Reactions are mixed in Washington D.C. concerning the release of the Central Intelligence Agency report on torture and interrogation. Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says he believes any report relating to the nation’s intelligence should have been bi-partisian. However, the Senate report on the CIA was presented only by the Democrats.
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Grassley fears the report may jeopardize the lives of Americans, and especially those people that work with the CIA. He says the report was issued without even conducting any interviews.
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Finance Authority Releases Grants For Local Housing Agencies
(DES MOINES) – The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors today approved a total of more than $7.3 million in grants to 27 Local Housing Trust Funds to support local affordable housing initiatives, which will assist 2,336 Iowa families. The funding is provided from the State Housing Trust Fund’s Local Housing Trust Fund program.
The grant funds will be used for initiatives such as preserving aging housing stock, subsidizing local down payment assistance programs, providing low-interest loans or grants to assist Iowans in home rehabilitation, financing construction of new single-family housing for low-income Iowans and supporting housing for persons with disabilities and homeless assistance programs.
The State Housing Trust Fund was created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003. Since its inception, the program has provided $49.8 million in affordable housing assistance that has benefited more than 15,200 Iowa families. This funding has leveraged another $152.4 million in other funds or $3.06 for every dollar of State Housing Trust Fund investment. The Northwest Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund, serving Buena Vista, Emmet, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola and Sioux Counties will receive $339,392. The Western Iowa Community Improvement Regional Housing Trust fund that serves Cherokee, Ida, Monona, Woodbury and Plymouth counties will receive $280,673.
World War II Weapon On Display At Camp Dodge Museum
JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) – The National Guard will install a World War Two era howitzer outside a military museum at Camp Dodge in Johnston.
Members of the Iowa National Guard’s Field Maintenance Camp Dodge shop on Friday will bring the 155 mm artillery piece to its new location on the north side of the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum.
The public is welcome to attend the relocation at 10 a.m. today.
The weapon, built in 1944, was acquired from the U.S. Army Infantry Museum at Fort Benning, George in 2013. It was refurbished by the Camp Dodge field maintenance soldiers.
The 15-ton howitzer could be moved and set up quickly. It fired a 95-pound projectile up to 15 miles at a rate of 40 rounds an hour.
University Of Iowa Athletic Administrator Re-assigned
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A former University of Iowa athletic administrator has been reassigned to the school’s construction staff amid potential litigation brought by her partner.
The school said Thursday that Jane Meyer, a senior associate athletic director since 2001, will start in the facilities management office next week.
Athletic director Gary Barta announced last week that Meyer would be reassigned because the school faces a likely lawsuit by her partner, fired field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum.
Barta says that keeping Meyer in the department’s leadership presented challenges and the reassignment came at the advice of legal counsel.
Griesbaum’s attorney has said the reassignment, which doesn’t affect Meyer’s $173,000 annual salary, smacks of retaliation.
The move does not affect Meyer’s $173,000 annual salary.
Paula Jantz will replace Meyer as the department’s senior woman administrator.
Bodies Found In Coralville Motel Have Been Identified
CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) – Police in Coralville, Iowa, have identified the bodies of two people found in an extended stay hotel as Florida residents in town for a construction project.
Police Chief Barry W. Bedford announced Thursday that the bodies found Tuesday evening at a Suburban Inn hotel were 44-year-old Penny L. Herman and 41-year-old John J. Tromba. Both were from Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Hotel staff found the bodies in a hotel room and called police.
Investigators determined Herman and Tromba had been staying in Coralville for several months for work related to a construction project.
An autopsy done Wednesday showed no trauma and the deaths appeared unintentional. It could take several weeks before toxicology reports can determine why they died.
Iowa City Man Poses As Victoria Secret Representative
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa City man has been arrested after police say he posed online as a Victoria’s Secret representative to trick women into sending him pictures of them in lingerie.
Twenty-nine-year-old Sean Boies was booked and released Thursday at the Johnson County Jail. He is charged with unauthorized computer access and two counts of identity theft.
University of Iowa police say Boies created surveys between December 2013 and May 2014. They say he offered to invite aspiring models to a Miami photo shoot in a January survey. Two women submitted photos.
Police say he used stolen university IDs and passwords from two students to create the surveys. It’s unclear if Boies is a student.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Boies has an attorney.
