Hinton School “Back To Normal” After Bomb Scare
(Hinton) — “It looks like a normal day, now”.
Those are the comments of Hinton Community School District superintendent Pete Stuerman after students returned to class today (Wednesday). Late Monday evening the school was notified through an email message of a bomb threat and other
weapons that had been planted in the school building. Authorities searched the school building and did not find anything. Hinton did not hold classes on Tuesday, mainly because of the icy road conditions. Law enforcement officials were able
to trace the email message to Germany.
Law enforcement officials were at the Hinton school today to check students, staff, and their belongings. Stuerman says the added security may continue for awhile.
Stuerman says the attitude of both the students and staff returning to the school building, following the bomb threat, were calm.
Congressman King Disappointed In Democrats For Boycotting Presidential Inauguration Ceremonies
(Le Mars) — At last count, one of every four Democratic congressional members have stated they will not attend the inauguration ceremonies for president-elect Donald Trump, scheduled for Friday. Iowa 4th District Republican Congressman
Steve King says he regrets seeing the action from his fellow congressional members. King says it is the Congressional African-American Black Caucus that is leading the protest.
King says he is disappointed with fellow Georgia Congressman John Lewis who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for civil rights. The Iowa Congressman says Martin Luther King Junior advocated for togetherness, not segregation
Accidental Shooting Incident At North Liberty
NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) – Police say an Iowa man who claimed he was shot by a random gunman was actually the victim of an accidental shooting.
Police in North Liberty say the victim was shot in the leg and his condition is stable.
Officers are still investigating the circumstances surrounding Monday’s shooting at the Golfview Mobile Home Court. It’s not clear whether the victim, who has not been identified, shot himself or someone else did.
Initially, the victim told police that he didn’t know the gunman. A witness reported that a man wearing a dark colored hoodie shot the victim with a handgun and flew on foot through the trailer court.
Further investigation revealed that the original report was false.
University Heights Mayor Resigns
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Iowa (AP) – The mayor of University Heights has resigned.
Wally Heitman said in a posting Sunday on the city website that he had to step down to deal with a personal issue.
Heitman was a successful write-in candidate in the November 2015 election. On Thursday the City Council is expected to discuss appointing a replacement or holding a special election.
The community of about 1,100 residents sits just south of the University of Iowa and is surrounded by Iowa City.
Iowa City Decides Not To Enforce Immigration Rules
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa City leaders have decided the city won’t help federal officials enforce immigration law.
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday for a resolution that says the city – with few exceptions – will take no law enforcement action and won’t spend any city money to aid the feds.
The council decided at a previous meeting not to declare itself a “sanctuary city.”
The resolution says the enforcement exceptions include public safety threats as determined by local police and situations in which cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be necessary to protect the public.
The resolution says the “power to regulate immigration is exclusive to the federal government” and notes that no federal law requires city police to help enforce immigration law.
First Responders Requested
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A new program in West Des Moines plans to turn members of the public into first responders who can save lives by stopping people from bleeding to death.
The Des Moines Register reports that the Stop the Bleed program was launched by the Department of Homeland Security after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, where 26 students and staff members were killed in December 2012. The program aims to train people for such emergencies and supply local businesses with bleeding control kits stocked with gauze and tourniquets.
David Edgar is assistant chief of West Des Moines’ Emergency Medical Services, and he says program wants to make knowing how to stop bleeding as commonplace as knowing CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.
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State Legislature Considers Bill Allowing Women To Sue Doctors Who Perform Abortions
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow a woman who gets an abortion to sue the doctor who performed the procedure if she experiences emotional distress later.
If approved, it would be the first law of its kind in the U.S.
The proposal would permit the woman to file a lawsuit at any point in her life, something that would go against typical statute of limitation rules. It could also make the state vulnerable to costly court challenges.
Sen. Mark Chelgren is the Republican who introduced the bill. He says the measure is about holding doctors and clinics accountable.
It’s unclear how much GOP support the idea has in the Iowa Legislature, though the state’s incoming Republican governor did not dismiss it.
