DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police say officers called to an early morning disturbance found a dead man and have taken another man into custody. Police says a resident called police just before 6 a.m. Wednesday to report hearing a disturbance, adding that someone may have been killed.

Officers rushed to the home just northwest of the city’s downtown and found the dead man in a second-floor apartment. Officers took a man into custody but haven’t filed charges.
Police say the death is considered suspicious and have begun a homicide investigation. The death is Des Moines’ second homicide of 2018.

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have charged a driver whose sport utility vehicle collided with a car in northwest Iowa, fatally injuring the car driver and his 5-year-old son. Court records say 49-year-old Ann Vanderpool, of Milford, faces two counts of vehicular homicide while driving intoxicated. Vanderpool’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 15.

The accident occurred June 10 on Iowa Highway 9 near Sibley. The car driver, 48-year-old Travis Mier, of Spirit Lake, was pronounced dead at Osceola Community Hospital. His son Elliot was pronounced dead later at a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, hospital. Vanderpool also was hospitalized.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission renewed the licenses for the 19 casinos it oversees during its meeting Tuesday in Altoona. The state issues one license to the gambling company to run the games, and one to a non-profit organization to distribute the money they are required by the state to set aside. Several members of the non-profits spoke to the commissioners during the renewal process — including Dakin Schultz, president of Missouri River Historical Development, or MRHD. “Since August of 2014, Merd has received over 11 million, 500-thousand in funds to distribute as grants,” Schultz says. “We’ve granted over a million dollars in scholarships — with over half of that in the last two years alone.”

He says he’s seen other benefits from moving the casino from a riverboat to the land. “Our relationship with the Hard Rock Casino Hotel has been very positive….some of the things that you see when you are in Sioux City with the Hard Rock now is the astonishing change in the downtown,” according to Schultz. He says there used to be numerous vacant buildings in the area. “Today with what’s going on at the Hard Rock, all those storefronts are filling up quick. It’s been a remarkable transition for what’s happening,” Schultz says.

The president of the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation, Jerry Keizer of Doon, talked about the funding they receive from the Grand Falls Casino.”Last October of 2017 we held our grant review banquet in the events center, where we distributed one million,235-thousand dollars to new projects in the surrounding communities,” Keizer says. He says they also distribute funds from the casino golf course, with half going to scholarships. “These awards are based on applications. The remaining 50 percent of the funds are given to the Lyon County schools,” Keizer says. “There’s three schools in Lyon County that we fund. Since 2011, each school has received one-million-200-thousand dollars.” Steve Staebell is the president of the Southeast Iowa Regional Riverboat Commission which partners with the Catfish Bend Casino. “I’m happy to report that the relationship between the Catfish Bend Casino and the Southeast Iowa Regional Riverboat Commission or SIRRC — continues to thrive to the benefit of the Des Moines and Lee County communities,” Staebell says.

He says the benefits are spread across the area. He says the revenues are equally divided between Keokuk Area Convention and Tourism Bureau, the Fort Madison SIRRC and Grow Greater Burlington. “This year southeast Iowa is sharing the benefits of nearly one-point-three million dollars made possible by these revenues,” according to Staebell. The Racing and Gaming Commission took the action to approve the new licenses at their meeting at the Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona.

(Radio Iowa)

Eleven of the 12 Republicans on a House committee have advanced an anti-sanctuary cities bill, making it eligible for House debate. The legislation would deny state money to any city in the state that declares itself a sanctuary to people at risk of deportation because of their immigration status. Representative Clel Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, says the city council in Iowa City “is causing this” action from legislators because it has barred Iowa City Police from acting on their own to “detect the presence of undocumented people.” “The rule of law and the voluntary compliance to the rule of law is one of the most important parts of our society,” Baudler told reporters yesterday. “If we don’t adhere to that, we’re going to have chaos and I don’t want to live in a place with chaos.”

The bill cleared the House Public Safety Committee last (Tuesday) night, but not after some extraordinary measures. Baudler chose to restrict public access to an early afternoon committee meeting on the bill, because there were protesters last year when a similar bill was considered in his committee. “I threw 11 people out of here, one at a time,” Baudler said. “We don’t want a repeat of that and that was an attempt to stop it.” Later in the afternoon, an immigrant engaged Baudler in conversation and referred to the bill as racist. Baudler replied. “That just really bugs me when you refer to me as that,” Baudler said. He then recited part of his extended family tree: “My greatgrandkids: Carlita, Emilio, Bella — Isabella, Salina, Megan, Wyatt — they’re out in California.”

Baudler — who is chairman of the House Public Safety Committee — was encouraged by House leadership to move the panel’s evening meeting to a larger room. That allowed about two dozen members of the public who oppose the bill to watch committee’s deliberations. There were no disruptions.

(Radio Iowa)