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).

CHICAGO (AP) — Travel conditions remain hazardous across much of the northern Great Plains as a winter storm continues to sweep across the region. The combination of freezing rain, snow and high winds that forced the shutdown Sunday of vast stretches of highways in the Dakotas was forecast to continue into Monday morning. The storm has also caused widespread power outages in the Dakotas, Nebraska and western Iowa.

As of 1 a.m. Monday, the South Dakota Rural Electric Association was reporting 10,231 “member-consumer-owners” were without power. In Nebraska, high winds were cited for hundreds of power outages in central and eastern portions of the state.

The weather service office in Bismarck, North Dakota, predicted snow accumulations of 8 to 15 inches in western parts of the state and thunderstorms in the central region.

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

Sheriff’s officials in Adams County say a Cass County woman was arrested following a traffic stop this (Christmas) morning. 54-year old Kelly Marie Erickson, of Massena, was taken into custody at around 8:50-a.m. following a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 148 and 183rd Street, in Adams County. Erickson faces a charge of Driving While License Denied or Revoked for OWI.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Online retailer Amazon says it plans to start collecting sales taxes on purchases in Nebraska next year, a decision that could generate millions for the state. An Amazon spokesman says the company will start collecting the taxes on Jan. 1.

State Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton says the announcement will help ensure Nebraska consumers comply with existing laws. Consumers are already legally required to report and pay the tax through their annual tax returns, but few ever do.

Fulton says Amazon’s move is a good example of “responsible corporate citizenship” and a chance to educate Nebraska residents about the law. The announcement follows a similar announcement by Amazon in Iowa.

The 7:30-a.m. report on the latest area and state news, as well as area funeral announcements, from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:30 a.m. CST

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A vaccine that an Iowa company helped develop is expected to stop one of the world’s deadliest viruses. The Des Moines Register reports that a study published Thursday shows the vaccine is 100 percent effective in protecting people against Ebola, an infectious virus that has killed thousands and traumatized millions. Ames-based NewLink Genetics helped test and refine an Ebola vaccine that was invented by Canadian scientists.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Cedar Rapids brain and spine surgeon who was accused of gross malpractice has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and refrain from performing surgery. The Des Moines Register reports that David Segal reached a settlement with the Iowa Board of Medicine. The board, which licenses physicians, filed administrative charges against him in 2015 alleging that he failed to prevent excessive infections among his patients.

BLAIRSBURG, Iowa (AP) — A Clarion woman was killed in a in a car crash two days after she graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. Authorities say 24-year-old Andrea Urrutia Matul was driving north on Highway 69 on Monday when she crossed the center line and hit a southbound vehicle near Blairsburg, in Hamilton County.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports one person was arrested on an OWI charge late Christmas Eve night, following an investigation into a single-vehicle accident near Randolph. 32-year old Justin Guy Bodfield was taken into custody for OWI. His Blood Alcohol Content (Or, B.A.C), was found to be nearly four-times the legal limit of .08 for intoxication. Bodfield was being held in the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center on $1,000 bond.

Justin G. Bodfield

Sheriff Aistrope says Deputies located Bodfield in his vehicle, which was in the north ditch off 120th Street, in the 3000 block of 120th. Their investigation determined he was driving eastbound on 120th, when he lost control of the vehicle.