A state official who hires lawyers says more law school graduates are intentionally aiming to take jobs defending clients who cannot afford their own attorney. “I hear stories from the past where sometimes they’d only have one applicant for a position and, even if they weren’t particularly pleased with that person, they’d be stuck with them, but that has certainly not been the case since I’ve been public defender.”

Adam Gregg has been the State Public Defender for the past two years, overseeing a staff with about 150 attorneys. He says many law school graduates were unable to find work after the last recession. “We have really outstanding applicants,” Gregg says. “I can’t think of an opening that we’ve had in recent times where we haven’t had multiple people that we would have liked to extend the offer to.”

That hasn’t always been the case. Law school grads have traditionally sought higher paying jobs, but Gregg says in addition to the recession, there are a growing number of aspiring attorneys who train specifically to represent poor clients. “From the legal clinic experiences that they take to the elective courses that they take, you can see that they have built themselves towards that…so it gets hard to pick from among numerous people of that same profile,” Gregg says. “What has often happened is we’ll have someone who has applied for one position, maybe came in second or third place in that, but then they’re number one at the next opening…The other thing I like about that caliber of applicant is they’re willing to do it anywhere.”

Gregg recently had an applicant who lost out on a public defender job based in Ottumwa, but reapplied and got a similar job in Waterloo. Some new public defenders can “burn out quickly,” according to Gregg. “It is a challenging job with a high caseload and sometimes they’re not well appreciated,” Gregg says. “…But those who really understand what the job is going to be like and maybe have had some of that experience know what they’re getting in to and tend to be ‘true believers’ in doing that work and we’ll have them stick around for a very long time.”

Anyone accused of a crime that can result in jail time if they’re convicted is entitled to a lawyer. If they cannot afford an attorney, the state has a group of attorneys on staff who work on those cases. The state also pays some local attorneys to represent indigent clients in criminal court.

(Radio Iowa)

A man and his son from Adams County were injured last Friday morning in a crash north of Kansas City, on Interstate 29.  According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 30-year-old Nathaniel A. Bennett and 2-year-old Sawyer Bennett, both of Corning and both of whom were wearing their seat belts, were transported to the North Kansas City Hospital following the accident that happened on southbound I-29 near Dearborn, MO., at around 9:30 a.m., Friday.

Officials say Nathaniel Bennett was driving a 2012 Buick Verano southbound on I-29 and failed to observe a 2012 Ford F-350 pickup that had stopped in a line of traffic congestion. Bennett’s car hit the back of the pickup, driven by 42-year-old Heather Hoepker, of Maryville, Missouri.  Bennett’s car, which was totaled in the crash, came to rest on the west side of the roadway. Hoepker’s pickup sustained moderate damage, but was driveable. It came to a controlled stop on the shoulder.  Hoepker was not injured in the crash.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating the robbery late Sunday night, of a convenience store. Authorities say the Kum & Go at 154 Bennett Avenue in Council Bluffs was robbed at around 11:10-p.m. Sunday, by an 18-to 24-year old black male wearing a charcoal colored hooded sweatshirt, a black face mask and dark colored jeans.

The suspect entered the store and demanded the cash drawer be opened. He then went behind the counter and attempted to take cigarettes. As the suspect was leaving the store he pushed the clerk. No weapon was displayed during the incident. The suspect was not located and the investigation is ongoing.

If you have any information regarding the incident, please contact Crime Stoppers at (712)328-STOP (7867).

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 1:40 a.m. CST

CHICAGO (AP) — Heavy snow, freezing rain and high winds have halted travel in parts of the northern plains and left thousands without power. Authorities closed vast stretches of Interstates 90 and 94 as the Christmas Day storm bore down, and hazardous conditions were forecast to continue into Monday morning.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A man charged in the shooting death of an eastern Iowa man has been returned to the state for court proceedings. The Hawk Eye in Burlington reports that 23-year-old Earl Riley Booth-Harris was charged in July with first-degree murder. He’s accused of killing Deonte “Tae” Carter in February 2015, but had been in Illinois.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proposing a new Missouri River habitat for the endangered pallid sturgeon fish and sandbar construction for two endangered bird species. The Sioux City Journal reports that the plan comes after three years of study by scientists, hydrologists and other specialists. It seeks to use the latest scientific data to help the recovery of the pallid sturgeon, least tern and piping plover over the next 15 years.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say this year’s deer harvest is slightly down this year with a little more than two weeks left in the season. The Quad-City Times reports that Iowa’s second shotgun season ended Sunday. Hunters have until midnight Monday to report their harvests. Between both shotgun seasons, hunters reported 5 percent fewer deer than last year’s seasons