DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines lawmaker is questioning why the chairman of the state Senate Oversight Committee has refused to hold hearings this year, including delving into abuse of residents with disabilities at a state institution.

Democratic Sen. Matt McCoy of Des Moines tells The Des Moines Register he has requested several hearings but has been rebuffed by Republican Sen. Michael Breitbach of Strawberry Point. Breitbach says, “It’s my prerogative,” but would say little more.

McCoy’s latest request was for a hearing about problems at the Glenwood State Resource Center. Last month, 13 workers at the state institution were fired or quit and six were arrested after allegations that they mistreated residents with severe intellectual disabilities. Iowa inspectors reported in January that some staff members humiliated residents or struck them in the head.

Iowa’s entire congressional delegation is applauding the decision of the U-S Air National Guard to leave a specialized airplane at the Iowa Air Guard base in Des Moines. Iowa Guard spokesman, Colonel Greg Hapgood, says the R-C-26 airplane was first assigned on a temporary basis. He says it has a variety of uses. “Our pilot based at the 132nd Wing fly the aircraft to maintain their currency as pilots — but they also use it to do things like counter drug missions. And also they can provide information about emergencies here in the state of Iowa if need be, using that aircraft,” according to Hapgood.

Information from the Iowa congressional delegation requesting that the plane be kept in Iowa says it was used in missions for 10 federal and state agencies, and “helped seize 566-thousand-900 dollars in methamphetamine in fiscal year 2016. In fiscal year 2015, it helped seize 20 illegal weapons, over 500-thousand dollars in methamphetamine, and four-thousand dollars in heroin.”

The 132nd wing flew F-16 fighter jets before they were moved out, but the R-C-26 doesn’t look anything like a fighter. Hapgood says it is a twin-engine aircraft that has the look of a passenger aircraft.

He says the Iowa Air Guard is happy to see the plane stay in Des Moines. “It’s certainly just another tool in our toolbox to be able to keep Iowans safe here at home, and also to make sure that our pilots maintain their currency and their competency as an aviator,” Hapgood says.

The 132nd Wing is based at the Des Moines airport.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities blame arcing wires in an underground vault for causing a downtown Sioux City fire that led to explosions that blew manhole covers into the air. The Sioux City Journal reports that MidAmerican Energy dispatched a crew after learning of the fire and blasts Wednesday evening. The workers isolated the problem and restored service to several customers that had lost power.

Fire officials say a pressure buildup from the fire caused the explosions. No injuries have been reported.

Thousands of Iowans will be celebrating this St. Patrick’s Day with green beer or other forms of alcohol. Police are hoping those people are traveling with someone who’s sober. Sergeant Scott Bright is spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety. “If people are going out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, they should remember to take a designated driver with them,” Bright says.

Last year, St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Thursday and between the March 17 to 20 period, police across the state arrested 259 people for O-W-I. Bright says a lot of Iowans begin their St. Patrick’s partying early in the day. “They have a long weekend, they start to drink early in the morning, and then we see a lot of people driving who are intoxicated,” Bright says.

According to figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during a typical St. Patrick’s Day weekend, more than 25-percent of all crash fatalities involve alcohol. That figure rises to 50-percent between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. There have already been 53 fatalities from traffic crashes in Iowa this year.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Constitution requires that the State of Iowa have a balanced budget, but the Iowa Senate has endorsed a constitutional amendment that would enforce MORE restraints on state spending. Senator Charles Schneider, a Republican from West Des Moines, is a leading advocate for the proposal. “It helps us avoid the boom-and-bust cycles of budgeting,” Schneider said. “It provides fiscal discipline during periods of strong economic growth. It helps us make sure that we don’t over-extend our budget.”

Senator Pam Jochum, of Dubuque, says these proposed restraints would prevent legislators of the future from functioning in times of crisis. “The Constitution to me, to government, to our democracy…you don’t mess with it without a whole lot of thought,” Jochum said. Jochum and nine other senators, all Democrats, voted against the proposal. Republican Mark Chelgren, of Ottumw,a was among the 38 senators who supported the proposal. “This is the absolute way we can hold future legislators accountable,” Chelgren said.

The proposed amendment would take the state LAW that currently limits state spending to 99 percent of expected tax revenue and make that LAW part of the CONSTITUTION. It also would impose a new limit on how much state spending may INCREASE from year-to-year. Over-riding these “constitutional caps” on spending would require a vote by at least two-thirds of the legislature along with the governor’s approval. Amending the state constitution takes years — and the final decision is made by voters in a statewide election. THIS proposed constitutional amendment must clear the Iowa House by 2018, and then be approved AGAIN by the House and Senate in 2019 or 2020 before it could be submitted to voters in 2020.

(Radio Iowa)

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater today (Friday), said 25-year old Cody Leon Zimmerline, of Adair, was arrested Thursday morning for Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Sheriff’s Deputies were notified by Zimmerline’s parents that their son was using drugs in his room, and provided cell phone images showing a white, powdery substance and glass pipes used to ingest meth and marijuana in the bedroom. Deputies who spoke with Zimmerline also saw the drug paraphernalia in the room along with a medication bottle containing a green, leafy substance. A search warrant was obtained for the evidence, which was seized. Cody Zimmerline was released from custody on his own recognizance.

Sheriff Vandewater reports also, 54-year old Teresa Rae Thompson, of Greenfield, was arrested Tuesday and held at the Adair County Jail until turned over to Polk County authorities on a warrant for Failure to Appear in Court on a 4th Degree Theft charge.

And, 27-year old Tyler Alexander Estrada, of Stuart, was arrested Monday for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

The Cass County Conservation Board is holding a Leprechaun Geocache Hunt Saturday afternoon at the Sunnyside Park- Kiddie Corale Shelter.

 The FREE event takes place from 1-until 4-p.m. GPS units and guides will be available for checkout. You’re asked to pre-register in order to guarantee a GPS unit for the event. Call Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning at 712-769-2372 to pre-register.

Participants will meet at 1pm to obtain their leprechaun locations. Complete them to find all of the hidden locations (geocaches) and return to the shelter for your “pot o’ gold!”

The hunt will require driving, all locations are within the Atlantic zip code but not within walking distance. A limited number of GPS units will be available to checkout for the event.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Police say a 79-year-old Omaha woman embezzled more than $1.2 million from her employer and blew it gambling at casinos. The Omaha World-Herald reports Annie Carbullido pleaded no contest Tuesday to two counts of theft by deception and two counts of tax evasion. Her sentencing is scheduled for May 17.

Investigators say Carbullido was a bookkeeper at Travel Faire Inc. and repeatedly wrote checks for cash and hid her theft as expenses so she could obtain money for gambling. A court affidavit says Carbullido had gambled and lost roughly $1.9 million since 2003 at the Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Creston Police say a Union County man was arrested today (Friday), on an OWI/1st offense charge. 40-year Gabriel George Looney, of Kent, was arrested at the intersection of Highway 34 and Cromwell Road, in Creston. He was later released on $1,000 bond.