A coin collection lost to a Sioux City man for 47 years is back with its owner thanks to the Iowa Treasure Hunt. The collection started by John Potash and his father was turned over to the state treasurer’s office as unclaimed property in the form of safe deposit box contents almost 15 years ago. That was after the original bank changed owners and no rent had been paid on the deposit box for some years. Potash found the lost property by searching the state treasurer’s website,

Potash says he had given up on ever finding the coin collection, until one night when he couldn’t sleep and he went to the Iowa Treasure Hunt website and found his name a couple of times. “And it said ‘contents of safe deposit box’ and I got excited,” Potash says, “not so much for the monetary value — this is like reuniting with my father.”

Potash’s own son Elliot was also on the list and received a check for previously unclaimed funds totaling 398 dollars. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald says many other Iowans can find cash and items waiting for them if they check the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt website.

Fitzgerald says everyone should check their name because there are thousands of dollars that could be returned to people. More than 33 million dollars in unclaimed property is turned over to the treasurer’s department each year. Fitzgerald says the state is able to return about 60 per cent of it by getting a name and address from residents. The website is GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:50 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State University has lost a second appeal of a federal free speech lawsuit over administrators’ decision to prevent a marijuana advocacy group from printing a T-shirt showing the university logo and a marijuana leaf. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday that ISU administrators including President Steven Leath violated First Amendment rights of two students who were top officers of the ISU chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws.

WEST BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Students attending Southeastern Community College next year will pay more to do so. The Hawk Eye reports that the college’s board of trustees voted Monday to raise tuition and fees in lieu of cutting programs or faculty to deal with state budget cuts. Students will pay $6 more per credit hour, bringing the cost to $176 per credit hour for resident students and $181 for nonresident students.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Cedar Rapids police and Linn County deputies are investigating five break-ins at bars over the past 10 days. The Cedar Rapids Police Department tells Cedar Rapids television station KCRG that the burglaries began on June 5. Police say thieves are specifically targeting those bars that have gaming systems and vending machines.

DELHI, Iowa (AP) — Officials say the water in Lake Delhi has returned to the level it was before the dam broke in July 2010. The refilling began nearly a year ago. The lake on the Maquoketa (muh-KOH’-kih-tuh) River emptied when heavy rain caused the previous dam to fail.

Update 9:47-p.m., June 14th from Chief Brothers: “Missing Juvenile Bryant Fuller has been located. Thanks to all for their assistance”.

Since just before 1-p.m. Wednesday, Clarinda Police had been requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing juvenile, 16-year old Bryant K. Fuller.

Missing Clarinda teen

The summer months can be especially tough on many low-income Iowa families as kids are home from school, pushing daycare costs and food bills higher. Angela Grote, spokeswoman for the Food Bank for the Heartland, says they’re launching the annual Strike Out Hunger campaign.

“We accept non-perishable food items,” Grote says. “We’re always in need of items like peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, and boxed meals. We have a lot of generous folks who bring surplus produce from their gardens as well.” Those just-picked fruits and vegetables are especially welcome.

“Fresh produce is the number-one item that we distribute at Food Bank for the Heartland,” Grote says. “We’re really proud to be able to offer families and seniors who are in need nutritious options that they otherwise might not have.”

The Omaha-based food bank serves 460 partner agencies in 93 counties across western Iowa and Nebraska. She says every dollar donated provides three meals to someone in need.

(Radio Iowa)

A traveling Texan who’s scammed churches in SEVEN other states has been caught in Iowa and accused of deceiving congregations in Cedar Rapids. Forty-one-year-old Alan Farha, a native of Dallas, Texas, told church-goers in Cedar Rapids his family had been killed by a roadside bomb in Syria and he needed money to fly home. It’s a story he’s used elsewhere recently.

He was arrested in Milwaukee a year ago after scamming some Catholic churches there. A few months before that, he was convicted and placed on five years probation for a con of church-goers in Rochester. He’s used a variety of down-on-his luck stories and been charged with scams in New Hampshire, New York, West Virginia, Illinois and Missouri, too.

Back in 2008, in the Columbia, Missouri area, he conned 17 churches, dozens of people and a few businesses out of at least 10-thousand dollars. The Columbia Tribune reports a group of pastors in St. Paul, Minnesota, were so concerned by his activity there more than a decade ago, they bought him a one-way bus ticket to Pennsylvania.

Last week, Cedar Rapids Police had warned churches that Farha was attending services in the area and trying to scam people. He is being held in the Linn County Jail, on a theft charge.

(Radio Iowa)

Members of the Atlantic Community Protection Commission, Wednesday, met with Atlantic resident Paul Fischer, with regard to a grandfathering-in of chickens he’s had since last year at 1008 Birch Street. During last week’s City Council meeting, Fischer claimed he was given verbal permission by the City to own chickens. That was before the Council in May, refused to make allowances for any new chickens to be raised or owned within the City limits. A number of other cities in Iowa have discussed allowing chickens. Some have approved, with exceptions, while other have outright banned the poultry.

During their meeting Wednesday evening, the CPC told Fischer they would let the Ordinance stand as is, but Councilman Chris Jimerson suggested Fischer request a variance from the City. Jimerson, Councilpersons Ashley Hayes and Dana Halder, along with City Administrator John Lund suggested also, that Fischer get letters of support from his neighbors, to submit with his variance request.

Paul Fischer (right, in baseball cap) discusses chickens w/the Atlantic CPC_

The Council will likely then consider the variance request during their next meeting on June 21st. Jimerson asked Fischer, “Just out of curiosity, why do you want chickens?” He said his wife has always liked animals, and everthing they have is an animal rescue. He said she simply wanted some chickens. He said they get about 18 eggs per week from their three chickens, but that will stop in a couple of years as the hens get older.

Fischer said he doesn’t intend to sell the eggs. Anything they can’t eat they will give away to the neighborhood kids.

Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County said Wednesday (today), that one person was arrested Monday on a warrant for two counts of felony Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree. 38-year old Kerry Hayes, of Panora, was arrested by Panora Police in connection to damage perpetrated on nearly two dozen field gates at numerous location throughout rural Guthrie County. The damage amounted to approximately $5,650.

Authorities say eye witnesses and physical evidence were key in solving the case. Hayes appeared before the Guthrie County Magistrate Tuesday, and was released on his own recognizance.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State University has lost a second appeal of a federal free speech lawsuit over administrators’ decision to prevent a marijuana advocacy group from printing a T-shirt showing the university logo and a marijuana leaf.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday that ISU administrators including President Steven Leath violated First Amendment rights of two students who were top officers of the ISU chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Leath and others claimed the T-shirt violated the school’s trademark policy after getting political pressure from conservative lawmakers. The appeals court, hearing the case for the second time, upheld its February ruling declaring the administrators violated student rights and therefore can be sued for damages.

The university could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.