Two Council Bluffs men were sentenced in US District Court in Council Bluffs according to United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt Thursday.

27-year-old Steven Lacey Etherington and 34-year-old Nicholas Joseph Franks, both of Council Bluffs, were sentenced on September 18 in United States District Court in Council Bluffs for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.  United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey sentenced Etherington to 150 months in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Judge Jarvey sentenced Franks to 133 months imprisonment, plus 5 years of supervised release for the drug trafficking conspiracy, and 120 months imprisonment, plus 3 years of supervised release for the firearms conviction, with the sentences on both counts to be served concurrently.

The conspiracy involved distribution of methamphetamine to some females under age 21, the operation of a drug house in Council Bluffs, and trading stolen property for methamphetamine.  Franks was also involved in the sale, in Council Bluffs, on or about July 27, 2011, of a stolen shotgun and fifty shells to what he later learned was an undercover officer from the South West Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force. At the time of the sale, Franks had previously been convicted of Theft in the Second Degree.

The fourth face-to-face debate between Republican Congressman Steve King and Christie Vilsack, his Democratic challenger, was held last night (Thursday). King opened with a subtle attack on Vilsack, who moved to Ames to run in the new fourth congressional district.

“I live here. My roots are here,” King said. “They’re going to stay here, whatever happens in November.” Later, King said he wanted to know whether Vilsack and her husband — former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and the current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture — supported a particular bill, prompting Christie Vilsack to make this declaration:

“Congressman King, you’re running against me, not against my husband.” The two quarreled over the languishing Farm Bill as they have in their three previous debates.

“I’m sitting in a position where I expect to be on the conference committee and we’ll have a voice of Iowa there when we hammer the last bill out,” King said. Vilsack replied: “I don’t think that you’re going to be on a conference committee. You haven’t shown leadership in other situations either and I don’t think you’re going to show leadership here.” Vilsack suggested there was a reason King was the only member of Iowa’s congressional delegation who did not sign a petition calling for a vote in the House on the Farm Bill.

“I think there are $136,000 reasons why he didn’t do that and those are the dollars that he is receiving from the Club for Growth,” Vilsack said. The Club for Growth issued a statement saying support of that petition would “count heavily as anti-growth” on the group’s “congressional scorecard.” King immediately shot back by criticizing the way Vilsack’s husband is running the U-S-D-A’s food stamp program.

The USDA has been spending millions of dollars advertising food stamps. They’ve gone from 19 million people on food stamps a few years ago to 47 million today,” King said. “That’s the bigger part of the argument going on in congress and that is hurting our agriculture.” The debate was held in Orange City, on the campus of Northwestern College and sponsored by K-T-I-V television.

Now is the time to plan and plant for future gardens. The Cass County Master Gardeners organization is offering a total of $1,500 in grant money to be used by the end of 2012, to encourage gardening to grow food and/or beautify surroundings. The money may also be used for education purposes.

Any Cass County not-for-profit group or individual may apply. Schools, churches, libraries, 4-H clubs, Scouts, and individuals working to improving their communities can use the money to begin or improve gardens or landscaping, or to provide education for their members or the public. Each grant has a maximum of $500. The application must also include plans for teamwork and sustainability. Consideration for the environment is also an important selection factor.

Applications should be completed as soon as possible and grant requests will be evaluated and awarded in the order received. Information and forms are available on the Cass County Extension website, www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.

The Master Gardener program trains volunteers to develop their knowledge and skills in horticulture. These volunteers then give back to their communities through gardening service and education.