(Ottumwa, Iowa) – Officials with the Ottumwa Police Department today (Thursday), report the arrest of a man charged in a homicide investigation. 60-year-old Gary Lewis Scott, of Ottumwa, was arrested at around 11:12-a.m. Thursday (Oct. 26), on four Felony charges, including: Murder in the 1st Degree (Class-A Felony); Willful Injury and Assault while participating in a Felony (Both Class-C felonies), and a Class-D felony charge of Going Armed with Intent.

Authorities say Ottumwa Police were dispatched at 10:46-a.m. on Oct. 16th, to 301 S. Ward Street, for a reported stabbing.  The victim was identified as 34-year-old Samuel Gallegos-Ramirez, of Ottumwa, who was transported to the Ottumwa Regional Health Center, where he was pronounced deceased.

Gary Lewis Scott mugshot (Ottumwa PD photo)

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) assisted from the onset of the investigation. Preliminary information at the scene of the incident did not immediately identify all of the circumstances that resulted in the death of Gallegos-Ramirez. Investigators were eventually able to identify and altercation that took place between him and the suspect, Gary Scott, which resulted in the filing of criminal charges.

Please note to following pursuant to recent Supreme Court rulings: “A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

(Radio Iowa) – Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis says former President Donald Trump “owes it to the voters to show up” for the televised debates among the 2024 candidates and DeSantis says the Republican National Committee should schedule a debate in Iowa in late December or early January.

“You may have some Iowa-specific things that some of the Iowans care about and that’s really what the RNC should be doing,” DeSantis said during an online news conference with Iowa reporters, “so you can put me of favor of bringing the next RNC debate or one of the ones between now and the Iowa Caucus to the state of Iowa. I think it’d be good for the process.”

The next debate will be held November 8 in Miami. Trump skipped both previous debates this fall and has scheduled a rally at the same time as next month’s debate. “Donald Trump should show up to these debates. He’s been totally missing in action,” DeSantis said. “…He’s always on the teleprompter now…When he does go off script, he ends up saying things, like he told people in New Hampshire that they didn’t need to vote, that he already had enough votes or something, which is very odd to do.”

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. (RI file photo)

According to DeSantis, Trump’s first debate with Joe Biden had “a real significant impact” in the 2020 election because polling showed Biden gaining ground afterwards and DeSantis suggested that’s why Trump needs more debate experience. “I’m willing to allow him to bring his teleprompter to the debate if that’s what he wants to do,” DeSantis said, “…but he should be on that stage in Miami and subsequent debates.”

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a candidate who may not make the stage in Miami due to the RNC’s polling criteria, has compared the two previous debates among the candidates to reality TV. DeSantis said regardless of how the debates are managed, he plans to take the opportunity to speak to voters and Trump should do the same. “I think it’s a different guy in 2023 than he was in 2016. I think he was energetic and free wheeling back then,” DeSantis says. “…Now I think most of the stuff he’s talking about is himself and his issues and that’s not the inspiring message that’s going to be able to win the day.”

Vivek Ramaswamy returns to the Iowa campaign trail Friday for an event in Ames. Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Sioux City on Sunday.

(Radio Iowa) – The Dickinson County board of adjustment voted last night (Thursday) to deny a permit to Invenergy for a wind farm just a few miles from East Lake Okoboji. That vote came after three nights of public hearings.
Kris Van Kleet helped start the group Dickinson County Concerned Citizens to protest the project, and had tears streaming down the face after the vote.

“God is good, that’s all I can say,” she says. Van Kleet Dozens showed up in full force to say why they didn’t want turbines near their homes. Supporters of the wind energy farm say they were stunned by the 3-1 vote against the project. Terril City Council member Austin Fairchild says the wind farm would bring benefits to the county.

“Our poverty rate is over 20 percent. This project would have come with economic development, money, and more jobs to the area that would have been needed. I think we missed an opportunity here. I hope we appeal and win,” Fairchild says. County officials say Invenergy has 30 days to appeal the decision in court. Van Kleet says the focus will now be on repairing relationships since many property owners signed up for the project, which included up to 80 turbines.

“I pray that our community would heal, that people would forgive, and remember that we’re still neighbors and we’re still people,” she says. Two other wind energy projects have been proposed for the Iowa Great Lakes region, and Van Kleet says she will continue to fight against turbines there.

(By Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)