SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa judge has upheld actions of the state’s gaming commission over its decision to issue a casino license last year to a new developer in Sioux City. Polk County District Court Judge Eliza Ovrom’s ruling Friday upholds actions by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission that led to a Hard Rock-themed casino and hotel. Belle of Sioux City, operators of the former Argosy Sioux City riverboat casino, had sued to force the commission to reinstate its license and rescind the new one to the Hard Rock developer.

The Sioux City Journal reports Ovrom dismissed claims the commission’s actions were unreasonable and violated state law, among other arguments. Belle of Sioux City is a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A former township clerk in western Iowa accused of mishandling $60,000 over several years has been placed on probation. The Sioux City Journal reports Woodbury County District Judge Edward Jacobson suspended a 10-year prison sentence for 65-year-old Peggy Powell after she pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of first-degree theft. Her probation is for three years.

Powell, of Hornick, must repay more than $44,000 to Grange Township and a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, where she was treasurer. A state audit this year said Powell mishandled the money between 2006 and 2013. Records showed more than $35,000 in ATM withdrawals and fees, some of which came from casinos. In a resignation letter to officials last year, she acknowledged owing money.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has dedicated a special section on its website to provide more information on some large animals that have turned up in the state in recent years. D-N-R biologist, Vince Evelsizer, often fields calls about the animals. “In the education tab, I think it is on the Iowa D-N-R’s website, if you do a search for large mammals you’ll come up with some information on there for black bears, gray wolf, mountain lion and a little bit on there for moose as well. Where it explains a little bit more than what was on there is the past about their basic biology, why we seem them occasionally in Iowa. Just a lot more information about them that a lot of folks will probably find pretty helpful,” Evelsizer says.

Evelsizer says the attention to big animals has increased in part because of technology that allows people to take pictures and videos when the animals roam into Iowa. And he says their visits have also increased in recent years. “I think it’s fairly safe to see that we’ve seen a little bit of a spike in black bears and then to a couple of gray wolves too,” Evelsizer says. “Mountain lions sort of remain the same here where we get one every now and then, it seems like there’s spurts, it will be quiet for awhile and then we may get a few.” The animals many years ago had been regular residents of the state, but they are now just tourists dropping in for a visit.

“To our knowledge right now we don’t have a breeding population of any one of those three, the bear, the wolf and the mountain lion. Time will tell if we ever have that occur, and then we will work with the people of Iowa to deal with that,” he says. The internet has spawned various conspiracy theories about the D-N-R bringing the animals into the state. The one that’s been around for awhile is that the mountain lions were introduced to help deal with an overabundant deer herd. Evelsizer says that’s as untrue as many of the other internet rumors.

“It’s not a good move on our part to do that if people fear those animals and feel like they would be a threat to them, why would be bring them in,” Evelsizer asks “The second more important part is though, we like to rely on our deer hunters to help control the deer population, and that’s gone pretty darn well. It’s expensive and time-consuming to bring in something like a mountain lion.” Find out more about the wolves, bears, mountain lions and moose, go to the D-N-R webpage.

(Radio Iowa)