OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — Attorneys gave opening statements Wednesday in the attempted murder trial of two men accused of a violent home-invasion robbery that led to the fatal shooting of a third suspect by police. The Ottumwa Courier reports that Wapello County prosecutors told the jury they will hear evidence showing 35-year-old Michael Bibby and 26-year-old Dalton Cook were among three men who broke into an Ottumwa home on Aug. 3, 2018, shot and injured a man in front of the home and later engaged police in a shootout that killed alleged accomplice David Roy White of Fairfield. But defense attorneys for the men said the state’s case lacks crucial evidence to prove all the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa redshirt junior Trenton Wallace has been named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, it was announced Wednesday by the league office. It is the first honor of Wallace’s career.
The Rock Island, Illinois, native earned the distinction after pitching seven shutout innings, scattering two hits and fanning eight in a 3-0 victory over Nebraska on March 19 in Iowa City. It was the second straight combined shutout for Wallace in wins over Ohio State and Nebraska.
Over his last two starts, Wallace has allowed four hits over 13 shutout innings. He has 18 strikeouts to five walks over the span. On the year, Wallace is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA with 26 strikeouts over 18 innings.
Wallace is leading the Big Ten in ERA (1.00), fewest runs (2) and earned runs (2) allowed, second in batting average against (.119), tied for second in fewest hits allowed (7) and is third in wins (2) and strikeouts (26).
The southpaw is Iowa’s first Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honoree since Grant Judkins on Feb. 24, 2020.
Iowa (4-7) returns to action Friday, facing Ohio State at 4 p.m. (CT) in Columbus, Ohio. The Hawkeyes will play two games against the Buckeyes and two against Maryland at Bill Davis Stadium from Friday through Sunday. We’ll have that Friday game on KJAN with pregame at 3:30 p.m.
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State had five student-athletes earned Academic All-Big 12 First-Team honors as announced by the conference today.
First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA.
The Cyclones recognized included: Rasir Bolton (Hospitality Management), Nate Jenkins (Marketing), Nate Schuster (Finance), Eric Steyer (Statistics) and Solomon Young (Hospitality Management).
Iowa State tied for the second-most first-team representatives in the league.
To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 20 percent of their team’s scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa NCAA champion Spencer Lee has been named one of six finalists for the 2021 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy. The award is presented annually to the nation’s most dominant college wrestler.
Lee won the 125-pound NCAA Championship on March 20. He outscored his five opponents at the national tournament, 59-8, capturing his third career NCAA title and leading Iowa to the team title for the first time since 2010.
Lee was 12-0 in 2021, scoring bonus points in 11 matches and recording five first-period falls. He outscored his 12 opponents 141-15. Not one of Lee’s first eight matches this season went the seven-minute distance. He pinned five opponents and recorded three technical falls, including a 21-3 win by technical superiority in the finals of the Big Ten Championships. He did not allow a point in the NCAA finals, winning 7-0, the largest margin of victory of any of the 10 NCAA finals matches.
He finished the season riding a 35-match winning streak, outscoring his opponents 432-42 during the stretch.
The winner of the Hodge Trophy is determined by the Hodge Trophy Voting Committee, made up of past Hodge winners, a retired college coach from each region, and national media members. A fan vote winner receives five additional first-place votes. Primary criteria for the award are a wrestler’s record, number of pins, dominance and quality of competition. Past credentials, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart are used as secondary criteria in years where two finalists’ stats are nearly equal.
Fans can vote at win-magazine.com or hawkeyesports.com/spencerlee. The winner will be announced Monday, March 29 at 12 p.m.
Lee won the Hodge Trophy in 2020, earning 51 of a possible 56 first-place votes. He dominated the 125-pound weight class in 2020, and continues to dominate it now. He was 18-0 in 2020, outscoring his opponents 234-18. He scored bonus points in 17 of 18 wins last year, recording four first-period falls and nine technical falls.
Lee is one of three Hawkeyes to win the award since its inception in 1995. Mark Ironside was honored in 1998 and Brent Metcalf earned the award in 2008.
(Radio Iowa) – The amount of COVID-19 vaccine the state of Iowa is being sent is expected to rise next week by perhaps 25-thousand doses compared to the past two weeks, according to Governor Kim Reynolds. The allotment coming next week should hit 128-thousand doses, including 18-thousand doses of the one-shot Johnson-and-Johnson version. Reynolds says even more of the J-and-J vaccine should arrive in early April.
“With this news, I am pleased to say that we remain on target to open vaccination to all Iowans beginning Monday, April 5th,” she says. It will mean a much higher demand than supply and the governor is encouraging Iowans to be patient, adding, “soon there will be enough vaccine for everyone.”
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police in Cedar Rapids are investigating the spray painting of a racial slur on the front of a vacant rental house as a hate crime. Police received a call about the vandalism Tuesday morning, eliciting an angry reaction from Police Chief Wayne Jerman, who told The Gazette he was “disgusted and furious that someone would do this.” Local police are working with the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office to see whether federal hate crime laws apply to the case.
The house has been a source of neighborhood complaints over the last year, with reports of everything from disturbances and car thefts to drive-by shootings at the home. Last year, the city declared the home a nuisance property.
The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday, voted to extend for another 90 days, an Engineering Agreement with Union County. The two counties will continue to share the services of Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman, while Union County looks to get their own Engineer in-place. Kauffman has been serving as the Adair-Union County Engineer since mid-September, 2020, following the resignation of Union County Engineer Zack Gunsolley at the end of August, 2020. The original agreement was set to have expired March 3rd.
Kauffman said also, he has received driveway applications from MidAmerican Energy for a Solar Farm. The driveway/culvert for the proposed farm would be at southeast of Stuart, near the intersection of Walnut and 130th Street.
Discussion was once again held with regard to Solar Farms in Adair County. Supervisor Steve Shelley said he wanted to specifically learn about any health benefits the farms might cause, and not any gripes about MidAmerican Energy or questions regarding a perceived conflict of interest he may have. He gave each person who wanted to speak, five minutes – in order to say on time for the next agenda item.
As with their meeting on March 9th, the Board heard from Adair County residents Curt Beane and Tammy Baier on the matter of Solar Farms. Tammy Baier sent each board member a copy of the Madison County Ordinance on those devices, prior to their meeting. She said her main concern goes back to the days when the Wind Turbines were introduced to Adair County.
She said the Supervisors should know and understand the extent of the project, the size and what kind of project it is.
Tammy Baier said also, Adair County was one of the largest producers of cattle in Iowa. The foot imprint for solar, she said, takes up a lot of land, and will affect ag farm production in the county. She said Solar will take away a lot of jobs if it becomes expansive, like the turbines.
She said concluded by saying she doesn’t want Adair County to become “A dumping ground” for Solar, farms, and she questioned if the County residents would realize a decrease in energy costs, as well as a reduction in taxes. Baier also doesn’t want Solar farms to get tax abatements, like the turbines did. They should have to start paying taxes, she said, just like any other big business coming into the county.
No action was taken. In other business, the Board voted to re-open the Adair County Courthouse to the public April 5th, with the caveat that each department may set it own rules with regard to COVID-19 safety. The Supervisors will continue to hold their meetings by telephone conference call, until further notice.
The Glenwood Police Department reports a total of three arrests, two of which occurred Tuesday: 34-year old Jason Katusin, of Papillion, NE., was arrested for Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp, a Controlled Substance Violation, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His total cash or surety bond was set at $30,300. And, 68-year old Joyce Germar, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. She was held without bond until seen by a Magistrate.
And, on March 19th, 46-year old Toby Blankenship, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in Glenwood, for Driving While Barred and Possession of a Controlled Substance. His cash/surety bond was set at $3,000.
(Radio Iowa) – State officials say they made a mathematical error when calculating how many Iowans over the age of 64 have had a Covid shot. A week ago, Governor Kim Reynolds announced 95 percent of Iowans over the age of 64 had received at least one dose of Covid vaccine. State officials now say that figure is 82 percent of the 65-plus. The error was made because Iowa Department of Public Health staff were counting doses, not people. That means people who got both doses of Covid vaccine were counted twice.
The state’s vaccination figures do not match the Centers for Disease Control’s data, which shows 76 percent of Iowans over the age of 64 have gotten at least a first dose of vaccine. Iowa officials say they’re using the latest U.S. Census data and the C-D-C is using averages based on total population. The C-D-C ranks Iowa tenth among the states in the percentage of residents over the age of 64 that have had at least one Covid shot.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Tuesday, of 22-year-old Jeremy Rhoades, from Hamburg, for Stalking (in violation of a Protection Order), and Violation of a No-Contact Order. Deputies allege that on Monday (Mar. 22nd) and Tuesday (3/23), Rhoades drove past the victims’ place of employment numerous times, revving his engine, and on one occasion, circling the block around the business, making his presence known to the occupants of the business, causing the victims to be in fear for their safety.
Jeremy Rhoades
Authorities say Rhoades was previously released from the Fremont County Jail March 19th, after posting a $1,000 cash/surety bond, for Harassment 2nd Degree and Harassment 3rd Degree, and $13,000 cash/surety bond for Harassment 1st Degree, Harassment 2nd Degree, Stalking w/ a Dangerous Weapon, and Extortion.
Rhoades was being held at the Fremont County Jail pending an initial appearance with a Magistrate.