Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has adjourned a session in which lawmakers took on some big issues but emerged with little legislation. It took an additional three weeks past the scheduled adjournment before lawmakers adjourned yesterday.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Lin Television Corp. is buying 17 television stations in eight markets from New Vision Television. The companies say the sales price is $330.4 million, with Lin Television assuming $12 million in New Vision debt as well. The deal was announced Monday. It is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close before the end of the year. The deal includes Mason City television station KIMT.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An attorney for a suspended Iowa prosecutor says his client will contest allegations that his failure to do his job posed a threat to public safety. Attorney David Brown said yesterday that Richard Scott wants to return to his job as Appanoose County attorney. Brown says Scott plans to appear at a May 29th hearing and seek to have the suspension lifted.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman accused of faking a brain tumor to get prescription drugs has been arrested on six counts of identity theft. Iowa City policy arrested Amanda Malek of Perry, on Tuesday. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports a criminal complaint filed in Johnson County District Court says Malek tried to convince health care providers that she had a brain tumor six times in 2010. Healthcare workers couldn’t substantiate her condition, and doctors who allegedly signed the letters say they’re forgeries.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drake has signed a pair of frontcourt players to round out its latest recruiting class. Bulldogs coach Mark Phelps says Daddy Ugbede and Robert Puleikis have signed letters of intent and will join the team next season. The pair round out a list of eight newcomers for the Bulldogs, who lost star Rayvonte Rice to transfer.

Nearly 180 post offices in Iowa that were on a list for possible closure will now remain open, but with limited hours. The decision announced today (Wednesday) by the U.S. Postal Service follows months of backlash from rural residents at public meetings. USPS spokesman Rich Watkins says Iowa’s smallest post offices, if they’re still open, will remain open under the revised plan. “We’ll keep the post office there, the zip code and the community identity,” Watkins said. “There will still be a postal service employee there, but due to the declining workload, it would be open two, four or perhaps six hours a day.” The revised plan is expected to save the USPS $500 million a year. Watkins said the “multi-phased” strategy would be implemented over a two-year period, through September 2014. Around 13-thousand (13,000) post offices around the country are included under the new plan – including 178 of the more than 900 post offices in Iowa. Watkins said the reduced hours are needed to address an ever decreasing mail volume. “We have to better match our workforce in the facilities that we maintain with a declining work load,” Watkins said. “Going forward, we think this strikes a healthy balance for both our customers and the postal service.”

In the KJAN listening area, these are just some of the post offices that would be affected: (City, current & proposed hours of operation)

Adair 8/6; Bridgewater 8/4; Brayton 8/2; Carson 8/6; Casey 8/4; Cumberland 8/4; Defiance 8/4; Earling 8/4; Elk Horn 8/6; Elliott 8/4; Exira 8/6; Grant 4/2; Irwin 8/4; Kimballton 8/4; Lewis & Macedonia 8/4; Macksburg 4/2; Marne 6/4; Menlo 8/4; Manilla 8/6; Massena 8/4; Neola 8/6; Orient 8/4; Panama 8/4; Persia 8/4; Portsmouth 8/4; Prescott 8/4; Redfield 8/4; Shelby 8/4; Stanton 8/6; Underwood 8/6; Walnut 8/6; Wiota 4/2.

The complete list can be found at: http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/our-future-network/assets/pdf/postplan-affected-post-offices-120509.pdf

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)

The rebuilding of a hospital damaged by a tornado was delayed a bit this month by striking painters. Around 200 members with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 246 went on strike at midnight on April 30. Union business manager Bob Gilmore says one of the facilities impacted by the strike is the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston.”Unfortunately, one of the contractors that had the work is one of our employers,” Gilmore said. “When we’re withholding service from our employers, that means they don’t have people to paint and the project can get delayed.” 

Gilmore noted that union members who’d been working on the Creston hospital prior to the strike offered to volunteer their time and finish the job. The contractor and the union, however, agreed to pay a handful of painters while the others remain on strike. The union and its employers are scheduled to meet today (Wednesday) to negotiate new contract terms. “In our industry, this is one of the ways, unfortunately, that disagreements are resolved between the employers and the (union) members,” Gilmore said. 

The tornado that damaged the hospital in Creston on April 14 was categorized as an EF2 with wind speeds of 130 miles per hour. Six people were injured in the storm in Creston, one critically.

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department reports the arrest Tuesday, of 18-year old Michael W. Armstrong. Armstrong, of Atlantic, was taken into custody on a Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charge. He was being held in the Cass County Jail pending an appearance before the magistrate.

After a lengthy period of discussion about weight, steering options and trade-in value (among other issues), the Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) voted 3-to 2, in favor of purchasing a new Motor Grader for the Secondary Roads Department. The John Deere model 770-G grader will be purchased from Murphy Tractor out of Omaha, for $216,756.

John Deere Model 770-G (image from deere.com)

An older model grader currently in the County’s fleet, will be sold to Iron Planet for $86,500. 

A bid of $247,541 was received for a Caterpiller Model 12-M2 from Ziegler, and $229,950 for Scott Van Keppel, who offered a Volvo G-930-B. The difference in price ($30,785), wasn’t enough to sway Supervisors Waters and Rieken. Rieken said the Cat’s have served the County well, and seem to offer a better trade-in value. He was also in favor of buying that brand because the service would be local. 

Engineer Charles Marker said the County currently has one John Deere Motor Grader in the County’s fleet, and several Caterpiller models. He said they have eight motor graders which covers eight full-time districts, and one spare. There are two motor graders per shop.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

ST. CHARLES, Ill. (AP) – The pilot who helped save 184 people during a plane crash in Sioux City, Iowa, has died at the age of 69. Dennis Fitch of St. Charles, IL, died Monday after suffering from brain cancer.  In July 1989, Fitch was a United pilot and flight instructor who happened to be a passenger on United Flight 232 when it lost all hydraulic power while flying from Denver to Chicago.  

 The DC-10 crash-landed, killing 111 people. Fitch and 184 others survived, due largely to his troubleshooting from the cockpit floor where he and the crew struggled to control the plunging jet.  United pilot Mike Hamilton says what happened that day has become “a case study in how a crew could work together in an emergency.”

The Atlantic High School Class Night was held last week for graduating Seniors. Following recognition ceremonies, two of the 2012 graduating Seniors were asked to stay on the stage a little longer.

Some parents and students who attended the Atlantic Board of Education’s meeting Tuesday night at the High School, expressed their concerns over the possible closure of the ELO (Extended Learning Opportunities) program, for advanced students, at the Middle School. Lydia Rothfusz and her son Aaron were among those who spoke. Rothfuz has three students in the school system, one each in the 2^nd, 6^th and 8^th grades. She said it was her understanding the program will be disbanded this coming Fall, in favor of a more integrated approach to education, in which advanced students would be attending classes with remedial students who are at an average level. Rothfusz said she strongly opposes the change, because in the current program, advanced students are working together in a peer-group setting, with like abilities. She said those students are challenged as a group by their instructors and course material, and also by their peer group. 

She said the current setting gives those students the feeling they can excel based on their own ability level. Rothfusz said she’s concerned that those students who are currently “The cream of the crop” educationally, are going to feel like they need to “Dumb down their abilities,” in order to fit into a different classroom setting. She said if they’re not challenged, they’ll be more prone to “acting up,” because they’ll be bored and distracted.” She said she thinks it’s unreasonable to expect one teacher in a classroom of 15- to 25-students to teach to such a varied level of abilities, and educational opportunities. Her son Aaron, who would be affected by the change, if it’s approved, said the ELO program is designed to help kids excel, and putting everyone together in one setting would create more stress for teachers and students. Another student who is in the ELO program, said she didn’t feel she was being challenged as much as she should have been, prior to entering the program. She said since she’s been in the ELO program, she feels like she feels like she’s being challenged to do better than she was before. 

Board President Kristy Pellett said they will take the comments under advisement.