w/ Ric Hanson

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A 21-year-old man accused of impersonating an airline employee at the Omaha airport has pleaded guilty. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Timothy Foster, of Omaha, admitted entering a secured area at Eppley Airfield under false pretenses. Foster made his plea Wednesday in federal court in Omaha.

According to the criminal complaint, Foster pretended to be a United Airlines employee for six weeks starting in April. The complaint says he accessed restricted areas and a computer system of United Airlines and displayed a security badge he’d made.

Foster faces up to six months behind bars and a $5,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 26.

The U-S Army Corps of Engineers is ready to move the Missouri River into what it’s calling “drought reserve mode” and it’ll mean much less water flowing downriver. Corps spokeswoman Monique Farmer says water levels will drop by the end of the month. Winter releases from Gavins Point Dam, near Yankton, South Dakota, will be dropped to minimum levels, averaging around 12-thousand cubic feet per second (CFS) starting on December 1st and running through the end of February. Current release levels from the dam have been running more than three times that level, at 38-thousand C-F-S.

Farmer says the Corps’ forecast for next spring has the reservoirs down drastically. They’re expecting to be about 8-million acre feet below the base of the annual flood control and multiple use zone, so the three major reservoirs in the system may be drawn down 8 to 12 feet lower than what would normally be seen at this time of year. It was just last summer that reservoirs and releases hit record high levels during the spring and summer flooding. Releases from Gavins Point hit just over 160-thousand C-F-S. Farmer says they will step down releases gradually to allow downstream water users to adjust.

They’ll cut the releases initially to around 18-thousand C-F-S and hold for a few days. That will give cities and individuals who have their water intakes in the river the chance to see how they may be impacted. After a few days, water levels will be cut further to the projected 12-thousand C-F-S, where it should remain until March. The plan is raising concerns. Leaders in the state of Missouri fear such a drop in water levels on the Missouri River will impact the Mississippi River so much, barge traffic may have to be halted.

(Radio Iowa)

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) – Gambling will shift from the Missouri River to a Council Bluffs hotel under a plan approved by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. The Des Moines Register reports the commission backed the plan Thursday at a meeting in Johnston.  The new casino will move from a riverboat to the first floor of Harrah’s Hotel, replacing a convention center. It will have 600 slot machines and 20 casino tables. The boat will be put up for sale.

The commission also approved an $8.5 million expansion at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in the Des Moines suburb of Altoona.

SHENANDOAH, Iowa (AP) — A U.S. Army soldier from Shenandoah who was killed in Afghanistan was remembered Thursday, for his infectious smile and his dream of being a soldier. Nineteen-year-old Private First Class Brandon Buttry died November 5th while serving in the Kandahar province.

Pfc. Brandon Buttry, U-S Army (Photo courtesy Col. Greg Hapgood)

Hundreds of flags lined the streets of Shenandoah for his funeral on Thursday while the community honored Buttry and supported his family. Buttry was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State. He was deployed to Afghanistan in August. He was one of Don and Pam Buttry’s 14 children.

Among the mourners were Darian Slater and Ashley Hummel, students in nearby Sidney. One of their teacher’s is Buttry’s older brother. The girls say it’s important to show the family they care and “honor the sacrifice” that Brandon made.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Iowa’s Sex Offender Registry is getting an upgrade, thanks to a nearly $110,000 federal grant. Terry Cowman, with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, says the money will be used by local sheriff’s offices to purchase needed equipment. “The equipment involves things like laptop computers, digital cameras for taking offenders’ pictures and electronic signature pads so we can continue our digital move to a paperless project,” Cowman said. Iowa sheriffs’ offices register and monitor more than 5,700 sex offenders statewide. Dozens of sheriffs have said they need equipment upgrades to set up remote registration stations and avoid delays in getting information posted.

“We hope to continue to get the resources spread out across the state,” Cowman said. “I believe we’ll have three-quarters of the counties affected by this particular grant.” Last year, the Iowa Sex Offender Registry (SOR) emailed more than 283,000 notifications on the movement of offenders and changes in relevant information. The SOR website —www.IowaSexOffender.com — averages over one million page views per month.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowans are being warned to steer clear of a new scam involving a familiar con. An elderly man in the region was recently tricked out of several hundred dollars after a caller told him he’d won a big lottery jackpot. Jim Hegarty, with the Better Business Bureau, says the man was told he first had to pick up a “Green Dot MoneyPak” card to claim his winnings. Hegarty says, “They’re asking for the numbers off of the card and once you give them those numbers, they can go online and reload their cash cards and they’ve got your money.” The Green Dot MoneyPaks are basically debit cards that can be used for purchases or to add money to pre-paid cards. The victim in this case was an 89-year-old man in Mitchell, South Dakota. Hegarty says people should be very wary if they’re told they’ve won a prize but have to pay a fee for it up-front.

“No legitimate lottery is ever going to ask you to pay in advance,” he says. “The bottom line is, if it involves wiring money through Western Union, if it involves loading up one of these Green Dot MoneyPaks, it’s absolutely a scam.” This scam is reportedly operating out of Jamaica. Hegarty says the Better Business Bureau recently teamed up with Western Union to be on the lookout for possible scams of this sort.

(Radio Iowa)

Home sales in Iowa were up 13-percent in October compared to the same month a year ago, the Iowa Association of Realtors reported Thursday. Davenport real estate agent Don Marple was recently elected the group’s president. He credits low interest rates for the increase in activity. “I’ve seen interest rates anywhere from around 2.75 percent for a 15-year fixed program, up to 3.5 percent for a 30-year fixed program,” Marple said. “When I started in this business in 1976, it was 8.9 percent. We’ve seen highs and we’ve seen lows, this is the best.” There were 2,998 home sales in Iowa last month, up from 2,646 in October 2011. On average, homes sold last month were on the market 96 days, six days fewer than a year ago.

“That means the homes are on the market less time and they’re selling quicker. And because they’re selling quicker, they’re bringing more dollars. More people are getting in the market now because they see the prices are rising,” Marple said. The median home sales price climbed 5.4 percent to $126,500 in October, up from $120,000 last year. The rise in home sales and prices in October followed a slight slowdown in September. Marple notes sales, pending sales, and median sales price are all are on track to end the year ahead of 2011 figures.

(Radio Iowa)