BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — Work is nearly complete on a $50 million sports complex in eastern Iowa that includes soccer and baseball fields, hardwood courts and an entertainment center.

The new TBK Bank Sports Complex in Bettendorf sprawls across 76 acres, the Quad-City Times reported . It’s being developed by BettPlex LLC and its founder Doug Kratz.
The complex will open May 4 with a baseball tournament featuring more than 100 teams, said Kira Brabeck, marketing director for the complex. The bowling and entertainment center will open May 29, while the indoor sports complex and fitness center will open June 15.

BettPlex officials and the Build to Suit construction team visited nearly a dozen other sports facilities to get ideas about what the complex should include, Brabeck said.
The complex will offer league activities for children and adults in baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, bowling and flag football.

The area also features arcade games, laser tag, concessions and a bar and grill. Other development plans are also in progress that aims to bring new retail options, a gas station and a hotel to the area, said Mike Sampson, chief financial officer for the complex.

Complex officials expect the complex to draw more than 750,000 visitors annually.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines are investigating a fatal shooting on the city’s east side. Des Moines police say in a news release that the shooting happened just before 10:30 p.m. Friday.

Officers responding to the area where the shooting was reported found a man already dead at the scene. Police have not released the victim’s name. No arrests had been reported by late Saturday morning.

Officials say it is Des Moines’ third homicide this year.

Griswold FFA student and Part-Time KJAN announcer Riley Smith receives his state award

ANKENY, Iowa–FFA members from around the state were honored this past week for work in various categories. 100% of FFA members have proficiencies as part of the agricultural program and the FFA. The proficiencies range in the areas of Agricultural Communications to Home and/or Community Development and from Diversified Agricultural Production to Swine Production. Proficiency Award winners have excelled in their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Programs. These awards encourage members to develop specialized skills that will apply toward a future career.

Griswold FFA student Riley Smith used his experience as a part-time announcer at KJAN as his Supervised Agricultural Experience and earned top honors in the Agricultural Communications category. As a State winner, Riley will now advance to the National FFA competition where he will compete against winners from the other State FFA Associations.

The four national finalists that are selected from each area will be recognized at the National FFA Convention and Expo in October. The Iowa FFA Proficiency Awards program is possible with support from the many partners of the Iowa FFA Foundation.

w/ Chris Parks

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Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:50 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have announced in a late Friday email that they’ve reached an agreement to overhaul the state’s tax system and cut taxes. Gov. Kim Reynolds says in a press release sent after 5 p.m. that she and other top Republican lawmakers made a “historic” deal that would include cutting individual income taxes and some corporate taxes. Reynolds’ office says a bill is not available for the public to review because it is still being finalized.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she’s ordering an independent review of a state agency where a former director and political ally was accused of multiple instances of sexual harassment over years. Reynolds announced Friday afternoon she and the Attorney General’s Office selected a Des Moines attorney to head an investigation into conduct at the Iowa Finance Authority that is linked to alleged abuse by former director Dave Jamison.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A woman accused of killing her stepfather in Des Moines has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Des Moines Register reports that 30-year-old Sera Alexander was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in March to involuntary manslaughter and reckless use of a firearm in the May 2017 death of 49-year-old Anthony Hartmann.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Officials in eastern Iowa have released the names of a suspect and bailiff involved in a courthouse shooting. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said Friday in a written statement that Story County Courthouse bailiff Timothy Hutcheson fired a shot from his service weapon as he, another bailiff and a Davenport police officer tried to subdue 29-year-old Adam Demarcus Lafrentz. No one was hit by the shot.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have announced in a late Friday email that they’ve reached an agreement to overhaul the state’s tax system and cut taxes. Gov. Kim Reynolds says in a press release sent after 5 p.m. that she and other top Republican lawmakers made a “historic” deal that would include cutting individual income taxes and some corporate taxes.

Reynolds’ office says a bill is not available for the public to review because it is still being finalized. Republicans with control of the statehouse have been working behind closed doors to finalize a tax plan along with the next state budget. The press release sent Friday does not provide enough information on the plan’s full cost.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Motorists encounter all sorts of obstacles on the road, but a giant, bouncing inflatable rubber duck might be a first. Drivers and pedestrians in a two-block stretch near Des Moines’ East Village got a glimpse of just that Thursday evening when a 20-foot inflatable duck bounded along a street.

The duck, dubbed Quacky, is owned by the Youth Emergency Shelter and Services and is part of a promotional for the 92-bed youth shelter’s annual Duck Derby fundraiser, set for May 5.

Shelter director Stephen Quirk says Quacky “went a-fowl” after one of its tethers broke in high winds. Quirk says the 11-year-old giant inflatable duck “is back in his nest” getting some repairs so it can be ready to again display for the derby.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds rejected calls Friday for a broader investigation into problems at a state agency where the director allegedly sexually harassed female employees for years without consequence. In a brief interview with reporters at the state Capitol, Reynolds said the culture of inappropriate behavior at the Iowa Finance Authority was caused by “one individual and I fired him,” referring to former director Dave Jamison. She acknowledged other employees witnessed or experienced some of Jamison’s problematic behavior but indicated she had no plans to hold them accountable for failing to report it.

Reynolds also dismissed criticism that the current sexual harassment training in state government — which Jamison took — doesn’t work if someone commits misconduct. She said it’s about making sure employees know there’s a process for reporting abuse. “We’ll continue to look at any situation and if we can improve it, then fine,” she said about existing policies. “I can’t, you can’t dictate behavior. You can’t dictate treating people with respect. But you can lead, and you can lead by example.”

Reynolds fired Jamison last month, a day after two employees told the governor’s office that he had been sexually harassing them. Reynolds released a complaint from one of the women Thursday that alleged Jamison made unwanted sexual advances, comments about her breasts and constant crude sexual remarks and gestures.

The woman wrote that a male agency lawyer often told Jamison “that he needs to stop it or be quiet,” and that a male agency administrator had reprimanded Jamison for inappropriate comments. Reynolds said she understood that they may have feared retaliation if they stepped forward to complain, but said she hopes other state employees who witness improper behavior will do so in the future through several available avenues.

The woman said she reported the behavior to the governor because she worried Jamison would be cleared or she would be fired if she contacted a separate, existing state agency that reviews human resources issues for state employees. Democratic lawmakers have called for an independent investigation, saying it’s important to know the details of any prior complaints against Jamison and how they were handled.

Interim IFA Director Carolann Jensen said Thursday that there is no pending investigation at the agency and that the governor’s office hasn’t reached out about launching one.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said Friday, a southwest Iowa couple were sentenced Wednesday in Council Bluffs, to prison, for their role in the distribution of methamphetamine. 30-year old Christopher Leroy Jordan and his spouse, 26-year old Randi Marie Jordan, both from Sidney, Iowa, were sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner.

Christopher Jordan was sentenced to 168 months of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release to follow his prison term. Randi Jordan was sentenced to 42 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.

In early November 2016, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation of Christopher and Randi Jordan for the distribution of methamphetamine. A search warrant was executed on January 31, 2017, at the Jordan’s house, resulting in the seizure of methamphetamine, marijuana plants, and related evidence, as well as the arrests of both defendants.

The investigation was conducted by Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner. Wednesday, sentenced 32-year old Ivan Antonio Cervantes to 18 months in prison,   for possession of contraband by a federal prisoner. Cervantes was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release to follow his prison term. The sentence is to be served consecutively to a prior 70 month sentence for a felony drug offense prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Cervantes and others distributed a synthetic cannabinoid while incarcerated at the Pottawattamie County Jail. On May 17, 2017, jail staff seized a substance from Cervantes’ cell with the use of a drug-detecting dog. Lab reports confirmed the substance found hidden in Cervantes’ cell tested positive for a synthetic cannabinoid. Further investigation revealed another individual brought the substance to the jail, then distributed the substance to other inmates.

The case was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.