Officials with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reported Thursday night, that 54-year old James Meek, of Blockton, was arrested Thursday in the 2900 block of 320th Street near Blockton. Meek was charged with Willful Injury Causing Bodily Injury and Violation of a No Contact Order, and was being held at the Taylor County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond.
The Iowa House has unanimously passed a bill designed to shield “whistleblowers” in state government from retaliation if they go to the state auditor with complaints. Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton says”It’s a short and simple bill, but it is very good public policy.”
Kaufmann is chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee. The panel held three hearings this year to review activity at the Iowa Communications Network. Network employees went to the governor’s office last summer to report concerns about the agency’s manage. The state auditor’s office investigated and discovered the network’s manager went on a vacation to Belize at state expense, tried to sell state-owned property on E-bay and hired unqualified cronies who got huge raises.
The bill would make it clear the name of any whistleblower employed in state government may be kept confidential in investigations by the state auditor. The names of other witnesses interviewed by auditors could be kept secret, too.
Kaufmann says his panel took a bipartisan approach to addressing concerns raised by mismanagement of tens of thousands of dollars in the Iowa Communications Network.
“We partnered together to find and seek ways to make government better, so that a situation like this might not happen again,” Kaufman says. “I’m not saying we’ve totally closed that option from every happening, but I think this bill puts us a lot closer to being there.” The bill specifically says managers in state government are not to cut pay, demote or fire employees who disclose information to the state auditor.
(Radio Iowa)
High school students who screen children’s vision are asking Iowa lawmakers to restore state funding to the program that taught them how to do it. Aya Almajidi is a student at Waukee High School who conducts vision tests at elementary schools once a week.
“We have like seen kids who can’t even see at all and they know that, but they’re afraid to tell their parents, so we love going out and helping kids and then the next time we see them, they have glasses,” she says. “And they tell us: ‘Oh, thank you so much for screening us.'”
The Iowa Department of Public Health cut nearly 100-thousand of annual state funding for Prevent Blindness Iowa last year. Almajidi and other students presented petitions to legislators yesterday (Thursday), asking for that funding to be restored. “Keep the funding because it actually helps a lot of students,” she says. “…When students can’t see, it’s like a higher risk of failing high school.”
The director of Prevent Blindness Iowa says because state support ended, they can’t travel around Iowa to train more people in vision screening. The group estimates a quarter of school-aged Iowa kids have vision problems. Lions Club groups around the state have trained volunteers who conduct vision tests for babies who are at least six months old, but not yet two.
(Radio Iowa)
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 2:00 a.m. CDT
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new law is expanding access to mental health services across Iowa. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed legislation Thursday that creates six access centers to provide short-term care for people in crisis. The legislation also doubles the number of teams across the state that provide 24/7 flexible treatment and support to patients.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a worker killed in a northwestern Iowa transportation hub accident. The Sioux City Journal reports that police say 42-year-old Brian McCormick, of Sioux City, died in the Wednesday accident at Big Soo Terminal. Big Soo general manager Kevin Knepper says McCormick was a warehouseman and maintenance technician. A news release said the accident involved a “switching operation with train cars,” in which McCormick was struck and killed by an unmanned car.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man threatened by city officials with legal action for saying on a website that his hometown smelled like “rancid dog food” because of an animal food processing plant has won a free-speech lawsuit. Josh Harms, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, filed suit in U.S. District Court earlier this month asking a judge to block Sibley officials suing him.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man died after suffering an electric shock at a Cedar Rapids mobile home park. First responders were sent to Five Seasons Mobile Home Park around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police say he was pronounced dead at St. Luke’s Hospital. His name and other information haven’t been released.
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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa– On March 28, 2018, 32-year old Mark Edward May, of Missouri Valley, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 14 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and distribution of oxycodone and hydrocodone.
United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum says May was ordered to serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison term. May pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and five counts of distribution of a controlled substance on November 16, 2017.
May orchestrated the distribution of hydrocodone and oxycodone on multiple occasions to an undercover law enforcement agent from numerous individuals, including co-defendants Chiann May Jones, Jeremiah D. Jones, and Clara Ann Milks. May and his co-defendants made false medical claims to local physicians to obtain the pills.
The investigation was conducted by the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, United States Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a worker killed in a northwestern Iowa transportation hub accident. The Sioux City Journal reports that police say 42-year-old Brian McCormick, of Sioux City, died in the Wednesday accident at Big Soo Terminal.
Big Soo general manager Kevin Knepper says McCormick was a warehouseman and maintenance technician who had been working for Big Soo about eight months. Knepper would not comment on the circumstances surrounding the accident. A news release said the accident involved a “switching operation with train cars,” in which McCormick was struck and killed by an unmanned car.
The death remains under investigation.
NEW YORK (AP) — Yoenis Cespedes drove in three runs and newcomer Adrian Gonzalez hit a go-ahead double to lead Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets past the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4 in their opener Thursday.Syndergaard (1-0) struck out 10 and walked none in six innings after missing most of last season with a torn lat muscle. Leadoff man Brandon Nimmo, subbing for injured All-Star Michael Conforto, reached safely four times and scored twice as the Mets chased a furious Carlos Martinez in the fifth inning to make Mickey Callaway a winner in his first game as a manager.
The 35-year-old Gonzalez also was on base four times with two hits and two walks in his New York debut. The five-time All-Star first baseman was signed for the major league minimum during the offseason after struggling with a bad back last year with the Dodgers.
Yadier Molina hit an early two-run homer for St. Louis that clanged off the left-field foul pole. Jose Martinez also went deep against Syndergaard and knocked in two but committed a run-scoring throwing error at first base.
New York got hitless relief from Robert Gsellman, newcomer Anthony Swarzak and closer Jeurys Familia to win an opener played only hours after the death of former Mets star Rusty Staub.
Todd Frazier, also making his Mets debut, drew a one-out walk from Martinez (0-1) in the fifth and scored from first on Gonzalez’s double into the right-field corner for a 4-3 lead.
Syndergaard, who threw his first three pitches 99 mph, helped himself with a sacrifice bunt, and young shortstop Amed Rosario — batting ninth behind the pitcher — delivered a two-run single.
Cespedes, who had a two-run single in the second, chased Martinez with an RBI single, and the two-time All-Star pitcher went wild once he got to the bench, knocking over a bucket of bubble gum.
Jay Bruce, back after the Mets traded him to Cleveland last August, added an RBI single off Matt Bowman to cap a five-run outburst.
New York catcher Kevin Plawecki also had two walks and two hits, including a late RBI single.
HELP ON THE WAY
Less than two hours before the first pitch, the Cardinals landed a closer. Greg Holland agreed to a $14 million, one-year contract with the team, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical and had not been announced. A three-time All-Star, Holland was a free agent after leading the National League with 41 saves last year for Colorado. His addition would be a major boost to an unsettled Cardinals bullpen lacking a proven closer in the wake of several injuries.
UP NEXT
Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (12-9, 4.13 ERA) starts the second game of the season Saturday afternoon against RHP Jacob deGrom (15-10, 3.53 ERA), the Mets’ initial choice for opening day before his schedule was slowed at the outset of spring training by a stiff back and the birth of his child.
NEW YORK (AP) — Less than two hours before the start of their season, the St. Louis Cardinals found a closer.
Greg Holland and the Cardinals agreed to a $14 million, one-year contract Thursday, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical and had not been announced.
A three-time All-Star, Holland was a free agent after leading the National League with 41 saves last year for Colorado. His addition would be a major boost to an unsettled Cardinals bullpen lacking a proven closer in the wake of several injuries.
Holland turned down a $17.4 million, one-year qualifying offer from the Rockies last fall. If the Cardinals complete the deal, they will forfeit their second-highest draft pick in June, currently No. 43, and $500,000 of international signing bonus allocation for the 2018-19 signing period.
St. Louis had planned to use newcomer Luke Gregerson in the ninth inning, but he strained his left hamstring late in spring training and began the season on the 10-day disabled list with no timetable for his return.
It also was thought that young fireballer Alex Reyes might ease his way into the closer role when he comes back from Tommy John surgery, perhaps in early May.
But in the meantime, manager Mike Matheny plans to mix and match with a closer-by-committee. Right-hander Dominic Leone, lefty Tyler Lyons and righty Bud Norris, who earned the first 19 saves of his career with the Angels last season, could be candidates for late work, along with flame-throwing rookie Jordan Hicks.
Gregerson, signed in the offseason to an $11 million, two-year contract, saved 31 games for Houston in 2015 and 15 more the next season.
Holland is in a different class when healthy.
The right-hander has 186 saves in 370 relief appearances over seven major league seasons and was a key part of a stingy Kansas City bullpen that helped the Royals win consecutive AL pennants in 2014 and 2015. He was diagnosed with a torn elbow ligament late in 2015 and missed the postseason as his teammates went on to win the World Series.
Holland sat out the 2016 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was 3-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 61 games for the Rockies last year, striking out 70 and walking 26 in 57 1/3 innings. He had four blown saves.
Holland’s deal was first reported by The Athletic less than two hours before the first pitch of St. Louis’ opener against the New York Mets.
The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meeting tomorrow (Friday), beginning at 8:30-a.m. in their Courthouse Boardroom. On the agenda is a Resolution to enter into agreement to abate the tax and assign a tax sale Certificate on a County-held parcel in Marne, as well as the abatement of tax for a parcel in the City of Cumberland.
The Board will also act on a 28-E (cost sharing) contract and agreement for provision of law enforcement to the Unified Law Enforcement District, which is comprised of the Cities of Cumberland, Lewis, Marne, Massena, and Wiota.
And, the Supervisors are expected to act on appointing a County Weed Commissioner, for the period covering March 2018 to November 2018. Later discussion will center on County employee health insurance options under the ISAC group program.
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