Home News Saturday News, December 24th

Saturday News, December 24th

Estrada-Martinez Pleas Not Guilty To Stabbing Charges

(Orange City) — A Hull, Iowa man has pleaded not guilty to stabbing his roommate and also using a fake identity to secure employment. 42 year old Jose Estrada-Martinez entered his written plea Thursday in Sioux County District Court to charges of assault with intent to inflict serious injury, identity theft, obstruction, unlawful possession of a license or ID card and three counts of forgery. According to court documents Estrada-Martinez got into an argument with his roommate at their Hull residence on December 4th and stabbed him in the
arm with a knife-sharpening steel rod. During the investigation, authorities discovered that Estrada-Martinez had provided a false name and Minnesota identification card and had been working at B&M Concrete in Hull under another identity. Estrada-Martinez had been arrested and prosecuted in Sioux County previously and had used a false identity at that time, according to court
documents.

estrada-martinez

 

Installation Of Oil Pipeline To Stop Until Spring

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The company building an oil pipeline across four Midwestern states says it is halting land restoration work in Iowa until spring.
In a letter to the Iowa Utilities Board on Monday Dakota Access says it had hoped to be finished with land restoration over the completed pipeline in Iowa by Dec. 31 but a regulatory delay this spring and “several incidents of trespassers interfering with construction work” prevented it from finishing land
restoration which is 80 percent done in Iowa.
The company says it plans now to complete the remaining restoration work next spring. The board Wednesday ordered interested parties to comment on the plan by Jan. 6.
The $3.8 billion pipeline is stalled while the developer and the Army clash in federal court over permission for the pipeline to cross under the Missouri River in North Dakota.

 

Branstad Wants A 2% Increase For School Funding

(Des Moines) — Governor Terry Branstad is signalling that he’ll ask his fellow
Republicans in the legislature to provide a state funding boost for Iowa’s K-
through-12 public schools. Branstad’s FORMAL state budget recommendations will
be made on January 10th, the second day of the 2017 legislative session — but
the governor’s suggesting he’ll probably recommend a two percent increase in
general state aid for schools.

The official estimate of state tax collections has been lowered for the CURRENT budgeting year by 100 million, forcing Branstad and legislators to make cuts.
The prediction of state tax revenue for the following year has been pared down as well, but Branstad says he wants to make school funding a priority.

 

Branstad Says Personnel Changes Were Made At Dept. Of Human Services Following Death Of Teenage Girl

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad says the state has made personnel changes at the Department of Human Services following the death of a West Des Moines teenager who was left in an allegedly abusive home despite reports made
by a neighbor.
According to a medical examiner, 16-year-old Natalie Finn died from denial of critical care. A neighbor reported to police that Natalie had regularly asked for food before her death.
Her mother, Nicole Marie Finn, is charged with first-degree murder, three counts of kidnapping and several other counts of child endangerment and neglect. Natalie’s father, Joseph Finn II, is charged with three counts of each of kidnapping, child endangerment and neglect.
It wasn’t immediately clear of the couple has an attorney.
The Des Moines Register reports that Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will release more information about the changes once the criminal trials are underway.

 

Iowa Ranks Low In Credit Card Debt

(Des Moines) — A new analysis concludes Iowans have the second-lowest amount of
credit card debt in the country.
The new study finds the average American household with credit card debt has racked up more than 16-thousand dollars worth of charges this year. The analysis compared average credit card debt with the median income of each state. It found
North Dakotans carried the least amount of credit card debt, followed closely by Iowans. Experts recommend using 15 percent of your income to pay off credit card debt. According to creditcard.com, the “typical Iowa resident would get out of
debt in 13 months” using that formula.  The average Iowa household is carrying about 44-hundred dollars in charges on their credit cards.

 

Ron Paul Campaign Chair Violating Probation

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign chairman, who was convicted this year of conspiracy and charges related to false campaign reporting, is now accused of violating his probation while trying to arrange an
illegal donation to President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign.
Court documents filed in federal court in Des Moines last week say Jesse Benton traveled to New York in October in violation of his probation agreement.
While there he was videotaped as part of an undercover investigation by the British newspaper The Telegraph offering to illegally funnel a donation from someone he believed to be a wealthy Chinese businessman into a political action
committee supporting Donald Trump’s campaign.
Benton’s attorney, Angela Campbell, said in an email to The Associated Press this week that she and Benton would have no comment.

 

D-C-I Identifies Bettendorf Police Officer Involved With Shooting

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have released the name of a Bettendorf officer who shot a man who was holding a toy gun in a store.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation on Friday named the officer involved as Lt. Kent Keeshan, a 22-year veteran of the department. He is on administrative leave while authorities investigate the matter.
The shooting happened Monday night when Bettendorf officers were sent to a Home Depot to check a disturbance. Officers confronted a man with what appeared to be a handgun but turned out to be a realistic-looking air gun.
Keeshan shot the man, identified as Joshua Price, of Bettendorf. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

 

Iowa Sets Record With Hog Production

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the number of hogs and pigs on Iowa farms has reached a new record high.
As of Dec. 1 Iowa had 22.4 million hogs and pigs, the largest inventory ever reported. That is up 1 percent from the previous quarter and 7 percent higher than the same date a year ago.
Iowa is the nation’s leading hog producer by far. North Carolina had 9.3 million head, Minnesota was at 8.3 million and Illinois had 5.1 million as of Dec. 1.
The national inventory was 71.5 million, 4 percent higher than a year ago.

 

Fire Destroys Dairy Farm Operation

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – An 82-year-old dairy farmer says he’s unsure whether to rebuild after a massive fire destroyed his dairy barn south of Dubuque.
Leonard Schuster says he tried to douse the flames himself after
discovering that the milking parlor was on fire Wednesday.
Schuster tells the Telegraph Herald that he’s grateful for his
neighbors’ help and that all of his 110 cows and calves escaped safely.
Neighbors helped move the animals to a farm 13 miles away near Zwingle.
The farm’s milking equipment and tanks were not damaged.
Key West Fire Chief Brian Arnold says the cause of the fire may never be determined because of the extent of the damage.