Propane Shortages Causes Problems In The Midwest
(Le Mars) — Middle America is experiencing a propane fuel shortage as farmers and grain elevators need propane to help reduce the moisture content and dry their crops, and homeowners and businesses are in need of the fuel to help heat their buildings since temperatures have dropped. Officials are
scrambling in order to deliver propane for those that need it most. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig informed KLEM news, the shortage is more of a delivery problem.
Naig says he and the governor, and other officials, are working with stakeholders to see what can be done to increase the supply of propane. Naig says at least in the short-term the price for propane may increase.
The Iowa Agriculture Secretary believes once harvest is complete, the shortage issue will then be resolved.
Reynolds and Naig Lead Trade Team To Japan
(Le Mars) — An agricultural trade team headed up by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa’s Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig will be leaving for Japan this weekend. Naig says Japan is an important market for Iowa farmers.
Reynolds and Naig will be joined by representatives from the state’s pork producers, cattle and beef organizations, corn growers, and the Iowa Farm Bureau. Naig says the purpose for the trip is to build and maintain important relations with Japanese customers.
The Iowa Agriculture Secretary tells who they hope to visit while in the land of the rising sun.
Naig says it is fortunate the United States and Japan recently made a trade agreement. He says that should help with this trade mission.
The trade team delegation consist of 24 people.
Appeals Court Denies Inmate’s Request Saying He Is Still Alive
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Appeals Court has ruled against a convicted killer who says he “died” during a medical emergency and thus fulfilled his life sentence.
Wapello County court records say Benjamin Schreiber has been serving the life term since being convicted in 1997 of beating a man to death.
Schreiber says his heart stopped five times on March 30, 2015, at a hospital where he’d been taken from the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison.
Schreiber filed for release in April 2018.
A district judge found little merit in Schreiber’s argument, saying his filing confirmed he was still among the living.
The appeals court affirmed that ruling Wednesday, saying: “Schreiber is either alive, in which case he must remain in prison, or he is dead, in which case this appeal is moot.”
Supreme Court Tells Coe College They Can’t Sell Grant Woods Paintings
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court says a small liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids must continue to classify seven Grant Wood paintings as restricted gifts that cannot be sold.
Coe College doesn’t want to sell the paintings but has considered them unrestricted gifts, allowing the college to count them as an asset and boost the value of its endowment fund.
An auditor in 2016 concluded they should be reclassified as restricted property, which reduces the endowment’s available assets by $5.4 million.
Hotel magnate Eugene Eppley gave the college the seven panels that once made up the Grant Wood mural “The Fruits of Iowa” in 1976. Eppley required the paintings to remain in Coe’s library, so auditors argued they can’t be sold and must be held as a restricted asset.
The college took the case to court and a district court judge concluded Eppley’s intent must be honored.
The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday agreed, saying courts often require donation recipients to abide by donors’ wishes.
Steyer’s Iowa Staff Member Resigns Over Comments
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A top Iowa aide to businessman Tom Steyer has resigned a day after The Associated Press revealed he had privately offered campaign contributions to local politicians in exchange for endorsing Steyer’s White House bid.
Steyer’s Democratic presidential campaign announced Patrick Murphy’s resignation in a statement late Friday.
In a statement Thursday, the former Iowa House speaker apologized for but did not deny the interactions and said the concerns expressed by his former colleagues about his overtures were the result of a “miscommunication.” He didn’t immediately respond to messages from the AP seeking comment Friday.
Murphy’s departure leaves Steyer without an Iowa political director with less than three months until the state’s lead-off caucuses. The businessman remains mired at the bottom of the polls.
Allegiant Airlines To Expand At Des Moines Airport
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An airline says it plans to base two planes in Des Moines, bringing jobs and possibly new flights to the city’s airport.
Allegiant Travel Company announced Friday it would base two Airbus A320 aircraft at the Des Moines International Airport. Allegiant, based in the Las Vegas area, said it would invest $50 million in Des Moines and bring at least 66 jobs to the community. It plans to begin hiring pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and other employees.
Allegiant now offers eight non-stop flights from Des Moines to
cities in Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada.
Allegiant says the new planes and crews create options for more
flights from Des Moines but didn’t specify specific locations.
Ames Police Arrest Suspect In Fatal Stabbing Incident
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Ames police say they’ve arrested a man suspected of fatally stabbing his roommate at their apartment.
Officers who responded to the residence around 6:10 p.m. Thursday found the injured man, later identified as 37-year-old Christopher Charles Swalwell, suffering from knife wounds. Police say he was taken to a local hospital and then transferred to a Des Moines hospital, where he died.
Story County court records say 55-year-old David Hunter has been charged with first-degree murder and misdemeanor assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. Police say he threatened another person.
The court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could
comment for Hunter.
The records say Hunter told investigators that he was responsible for the man’s injuries.
