DAVENPORT, IA – A federal jury convicted two Davenport men, Najawaun Marcus Quinn, 26, and Dimetri Alexander Smith, 30, following a 7-day jury trial for racketeering related charges. Quinn was convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Using and Carrying a Firearm During and In Relation to a Crime of Violence, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Smith was convicted of two counts of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering and two counts of Using and Carrying a Firearm During and In Relation to a Crime of Violence.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in 2016 and 2017, as members of Savage Life Boys (SLB), a Davenport-based street gang, Quinn and Smith were involved in multiple shootings, including at a residence on the 5400 block of North Division Street in October 2016, at the NorthPark Mall in January 2017, and at Centennial Park in April 2017. These shootings were due to a feud with a rival gang and responses to perceived disrespect to the SLB gang.

Quinn and Smith were also involved in a February 2017 homicide at the Hotel Davenport for which Darion Gardner, 27, of Davenport, another SLB member, pleaded guilty to racketeering related charges and was sentenced to 450 months in prison. The men committed the acts with the intent to maintain or increase position in the SLB gang. Quinn and Smith will be sentenced at a later date.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal stated “We will continue to pursue and aggressively prosecute those individuals and groups of individuals that choose to commit violent crimes. This investigation, trial and hard work of our partners at the Davenport Police Department exemplifies our joint commitment to using every tool available to combat gun violence and protect the communities we serve.”

Davenport Police Chief Jeffery E. Bladel said “The tremendous work of our investigators and federal partners delivered justice for those impacted by these violent crimes. This case demonstrates the outstanding partnership and collaboration between federal prosecutors and local law enforcement that is vital to keeping our community safe. The Davenport Police Department is dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of our community and bringing those who commit violent crimes to justice.”

(Radio Iowa) – A fundraising campaign is underway to renovate a rare exhibit that’s captivated visitors to the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History for more than a century. The Laysan Island Cyclorama in Macbride Hall provides an immersive 360-degree view of multiple colonies of birds that inhabit the sandy island in the Pacific Ocean. Liz Crooks, director of the U-I Pentacrest Museums, says each bird was brought back by Iowa students and faculty during a 1911 expedition. “There are 102 specimens in the exhibit. Those include birds of all manners, some small perching birds, all the way up to large seafaring birds like the albatross,” Crooks says. “There are all manner of plant life that would be found on the island.”

Cycloramas were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This one opened in 1914 and is among only about 30 such exhibits remaining worldwide. With a little imagination, the surrounding sights and sounds can charm people away to the tiny atoll near Hawaii — some 45-hundred miles from Iowa City.”The mural itself, the background, is 128 feet long and 12 feet high and it’s filled with images of the island,” Crooks says. “It blends seamlessly into the foreground, so it really transports the visitor to that time and space.”

She refers to the cyclorama as a “national treasure” and is leading the charge to raise one-million dollars to give the exhibit a complete makeover, so it will endure for future generations. “It’s going to take that kind of funding to hire conservators to come in and clean and repair those 102 birds. They have not been touched since they were installed in 1914,” Crooks says. “The mural itself needs to be cleaned and that will be a big undertaking.” The renovation project will also include new lighting, updated windows and, perhaps most importantly, the inclusion of heating, cooling and ventilation. “We have no way to control the temperature of the space, which is probably the biggest stressor on the exhibit,” Crooks says. “We see evidence of changes in the mural. It’s cracking, the canvas is flexing. Iowa is either very dry or very humid, and those big swings in humidity are hard on both the specimens and the painted mural.”

To donate to the effort, visit the U-I Museum of Natural History’s website (https://mnh.uiowa.edu/) and look for the link to the Laysan Island Cyclorama Restoration Fund.

(Lewis, Iowa) – The 31st Annual meeting for the Wallace Foundation for Rural Research & Development will be held on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at the Learning Center in Lewis, Iowa*. Registration begins at 9:00-a.m., followed by the program with two speakers, at 9:30-a.m.

Lunch will be served at 11:30 followed by the Annual meeting of the Foundation. This year’s speakers  include Tony Mensing a Field Agriculture Engineer for ISU Extension and Outreach. He will be speaking on Soil Compaction. And, Mark Licht, Assistant Professor and Extension Cropping System Specialist in the Dept of Agronomy at Iowa State University. He will be speaking on farming in Urkaine: Warzone or breadbasket of the World. His extension, research and teaching program is focused on how to holistically manage cropping systems to achieve productivity, profitability, and environmental goals. His research is centered around varied aspects of soybean, corn, and cover crop management.

The Program-is open to the public and there is no fee for attending. The day will conclude with the Wallace Foundation Membership Annual Business Meeting.

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*The Armstrong Research Farm is located approximately 12 miles southwest of Atlantic, IA on Highway 6, south on 525th Street, east on Hitchcock Avenue.

(Emerson, Iowa) – A traffic stop at around 2-a.m. today (Thursday), in Montgomery County, resulted in the arrest of a woman from Union County. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the traffic stop took place on Highway 34 at A Avenue, northeast of Emerson. During the stop, authorities say the driver of the vehicle that was pulled-over, 46-year-old Elizabeth Lea Reents, of Creston, began fighting Deputies. She was arrested on charges of Interference with Official Acts, Unlawful Possession of Prescription Pills, and Child Endangerment.

Reents was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Sidney, Iowa) – An attempted traffic stop Wednesday night on a speeding vehicle in Fremont County, resulted in a brief pursuit and an arrest. Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports his Deputies attempted to stop a 1995 Ford truck at around 10:30-p.m., west of Riverton. The vehicle failed to yield, and a short pursuit was initiated. The driver, 34-year-old Blake Tobin, of Sidney, was arrested without incident. Tobin was placed under arrest for:

• Eluding (OWI), a Class D Felony
• Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense, a Serious Misdemeanor
• Possession of Controlled Substance, (Marijuana), a Serious Misdemeanor
  

  Blake Tobin (Fremont County S/O photo)

And, upon being booked into the Fremont County Jail, Tobin was found to be concealing a controlled substance on his person and subsequently charged with: Possession of Contraband in a correctional facility, a Class D Felony

Tobin is being held on $12,000 cash bond. Other charges are pending.

(Radio Iowa)- A bill to reinstate the death penalty in Iowa for kidnapping, raping and murdering a person under the age of 18 has cleared one hurdle in the Iowa Senate, but it faces key opposition in the Iowa House. Senator Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale, says with new members making up about a third of the legislature this year, he’s making another try.

“I know we haven’t been successful before,” Zaun says, “but I do plan on running it through Judiciary. This is very narrowly written.” Zaun is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison is chairman of the HOUSE Judiciary Committee. Holt says he could support the death penalty on moral grounds, but there are too many practical problems with it. Getting the drugs for a lethal injection has become increasingly difficult and Holt says there are people who’ve been sentenced to death who have later been exonerated.

“It’s just extremely expensive to keep someone on death row,” Holt says. “…Unlike in a lot of other states, life in prison is life in prison in Iowa.” During a Senate subcommittee hearing yesterday (Wednesday), a representative of the state’s four Catholic bishops spoke out against the death penalty. Reverend Heather Wachendorf of New Beginnings Christian Church in Urbandale was among three pastors who testified.

“When the punishment is the same as the crime, we should stop and question the law,” she said. “Taking another person’s life is never OK.” Terry Pierce of West Des Moines was the only member of the public at yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) hearing who spoke in favor of the limited form of capital punishment outlined in the bill. “We’re talking about an adult committing a crime against an innocent child,” he said. “In my mind, the penalty couldn’t be harsh enough.”

Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965. In 1995, the Iowa House narrowly voted to reinstate capital punishment, but the bill was defeated in the Senate.

(Radio Iowa)- The Iowa House has approved a bill to prevent the statewide 133 million dollar increase in residential property taxes that legislators say was the unintended consequence of a 2021 law. The fix cleared the Senate February 1st and it passed the House yesterday (Wednesday). Representative John Forbes of Urbandale is among the Democrats who say it’s unfair to city and county officials who’ve already built slightly bigger budget plans.

“When you look at the cities budgeting for about 50% for public safety, that’s probably where most of the cuts are going to come from,” Forbes says. “In my city alone, we’re looking at close to a million dollar budget cut.” The bill gives cities and counties until April 30th to complete their spending plans for the budgeting year that begins July 1st.

Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton says that gives cities and counties an additional 30 days to redo budgets based on the new information about how much property taxes will be paid. “There will not be one dime cut from public safety due to this piece of legislation and if someone does choose to do that, that’s a local decision, that’s a poor decision and it’s one that I don’t think is actually going to happen,” Kaufmann said. “…This is not a cut. This is not a receipt of tax dollars into a checking account that we’re then going to be taking it.”

The glitch that’s being fixed was caused when lawmakers decided apartment buildings, nursing homes and mobile home parks would no longer be taxed like commercial property — but as residential property, starting this fall.

(Radio Iowa) – Former Vice President Mike Pence is backing parents who object to the transgender policies in an eastern Iowa school district. Last year the Linn-Mar School Board adopted a policy that lets student use a different name at school, without notifying parents. A group of parents filed a lawsuit challenging the policy and Pence held an event in Cedar Rapids yesterday (Wednesday) to show his support.

Over 50 protesters gathered outside the Pizza Ranch where Pence was speaking, holding signs in support of trans children. Hiawatha City Council member Aime Wichtendahl says Pence’s message is harmful.

Pence is among the high-profile Republicans visiting Iowa this month, less than a year before Republicans here will host the first-in-the-nation Caucuses. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott will be here next week. Former U-N Ambassador Nikki Haley announced yesterday (Wednesday) she’s running for president and she’ll visit Iowa Monday. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson was in central Iowa yesterday (Wednesday).

Plymouth County, Iowa – On February 13, 2023, the Hinton Police Department requested the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to investigate a potential criminal matter that involved Kingsley Police Chief, James Dunn. On February 15, 2023 James Dunn was taken into custody at his residence in Kingsley, Iowa without incident by Agents of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Dunn was transported to the Plymouth County Jail and has been charged with the following criminal charges:.

• Three counts of: Falsely Obtaining Criminal Intelligence Data. Class D Felonies.
• One count of: Non-felonious misconduct in office. Serious Misdemeanor
• One count of: Stalking. Aggravated Misdemeanor

The criminal investigation being conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is on-going and no further details will be released at this time.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic met the City’s new Director of Parks and Recreation. Mayor Grace Garrett introduced Wyatt Adderton, who’s from Savannah, GA.  He said he has been in town since February 7th. Adderton thanked the committee who selected him as the new Parks Director.

He said they were diligent in their task and he’s excited to get started and work with City officials to work on accomplishing the goals they seek to attain. Wyatt says he worked for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for nearly eight-years at a park and worked his way up from a part-time maintenance Ranger to Assistant Park Manager. He added that he was involved with $5-million worth of reinvestment in the park infrastructure, including a new Visitor’s Center, several playgrounds, campground renovations and upgrades.

Wyatt Adderton (2/15/23) Ric Hanson photo

He said he’s excited to bring that experience to the position here in Atlantic. Adderton was one of two finalists for the job. While he’s living in a condominium currently, his plan is to build a home in the community. His spouse is a pilot who will be based in southwest Iowa.

Adderton was one of two finalists for the position. He succeeds Bryant Rasmussen, who served as Parks and Rec Director for three-years. Wyatt will be introduced to the Parks Board during their meeting at 5:15-p.m. Monday, Feb. 20th, in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall.