SAC CITY, Iowa (AP) – A 60-year-old inmate caught trying to escape from the jail in Sac City faces additional criminal charges. The Sioux City Journal reports Randy George Barney, of Rockwell City, was charged with felony attempted escape. The Sac County Sheriff’s office says Barney climbed a security fence and a barbed-wire barrier while exercising in an outside enclosure with three other inmates on Friday morning.

The sheriff’s office reported the incident Monday in a statement. It says deputy sheriff’s caught Barney while he was still on the property. He was the only inmate in the exercise yard to climb the fence. Officials say Barney had minor lacerations that did not require medical treatment.

He’s been in jail on burglary charges filed in April in neighboring Calhoun County. He has pleaded not guilty.

Iowa moved up four spots in the annual “Kids Count” survey released today. Iowa Kids Count director, Michael Crawford says “We moved up to third this year, we were seventh last year, so obviously a move up four places is very good,” Crawford says. The survey by the Anne E. Casey Foundation looks at 16 factors believed to be an indication of how well kids are doing in each of the 50 states. Massachusetts and Vermont were ranked one and two. Crawford says the move by Iowa shows how close the states in the top 10 are.

“I think some of it is attributed to the policies we have in place as far as helping children — particularly in the health areas — we ranked first in the health areas of all 50 states, which is very good,” Crawford says. “But I think also some of it has to do with the fact that maybe the other states are slipping in the work they do, so I think it’s kind of a combination of those two things has helped Iowa move up.” The four health areas ranked are the number of low birth weight babies, the number of children without health insurance, the number of child and teen deaths and the number of teens who use drugs or alcohol. Iowa also saw an improvement in all four education areas.

“We’ve improved the number of children going to pre-school — which is a good idea, a good thing — fourth in eighth graders improving their proficiency in their reading and math scores, and our tests. And also, we are lowering the number of kids who are dropping out of school or not graduating on time,” Crawford says. Iowa saw the state’s marks drop in some areas.

“We’ll be seeing an increase in the number of children living in poverty, which is a bad sign. And also, the number of children living in single parent homes,” Crawford says. Also on the negative side, Iowa saw an increase in the number of kids living in a situation where housing costs are a burden and the number of teens not in school and not working. Crawford says measuring the state against the rest of the country is good, but not the only way to find out how we are doing.

“I think it is import also to keep in mind, not only to compare Iowa to other states, but to compare Iowa to Iowa,” Crawford says. “Maybe compare Iowa to where we were 10 years ago, to where Iowa is now and really not look at the others states to see if our policies and programs in place are really helping families.” New Hampshire and Minnesota rounded out the top five in the survey behind Iowa. Arizona, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico and Mississippi ranked lowest among the states.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — State agents are assisting the Wapello County Sheriff’s Office in investigating the death of an Ottumwa area man. Authorities received a call just after 1 a.m. Monday to a rural residence four miles southwest of Ottumwa. Deputies found 49-year-old Clinton Gus Leedom unresponsive from a gunshot wound. Officials say the shooting “appears to be an isolated incident and no future danger appears to be imminent.”

EDDYVILLE, Iowa (AP) — The city of Eddyville is getting more than $1 million to improve its stormwater handling system to protect the city from Des Moines River flooding. The project includes funding for the extension and rerouting of more than 4,000 feet of storm sewers, installation of larger inlets and manholes, and four high capacity pumps to move water over the city’s levee.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrat Jack Hatch has just $183,000 in the bank for his campaign for governor, putting him at an extreme disadvantage against Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, who has amassed $4 million. Hatch raised nearly $270,000 during the latest fundraising period, which ended July 14. After expenses, he was left with $183,000 in cash. Branstad is running for an unprecedented sixth term.

SIOUX RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux Rapids man accused of stabbing a 19-year-old man last week now faces an attempted murder charge. Forty-three-year-old Pedro Orozco was initially charged with willful injury but an attempted murder charge was added Monday. Buena Vista County Sheriff Doug Simons says the additional charge was added after police discussed the case with the county attorney. Orozco is accused of stabbing a Spencer man at a Sioux Rapids home on July 9.Iowa

A new scoreboard at Sunnyside Park should be ready to go in-time for Tuesday night’s baseball game at Trevor Frederickson Memorial Field. Atlantic Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring said Brown Electric is slated to hook up the power Tuesday, and then it’s just a matter of programming the scoreboard in preparation for use.

3 Atlantic Park and Rec employees finishing the scoreboard installation. Thanks to Bill Welter, CEO of Concept Builders, for donating his time and
machinery to install the scoreboard and to the Cass County Community Foundation for
their grant to purchase the scoreboard. (Roger Herring photo)

Herring said the new board is wireless, which means the umpires can keep track of the score, pitch count and other facets of a ball game with a hand-held device. Before, the process was cumbersome and sometimes not very accurate. Herring said the old scoreboard was removed and the new one installed Monday.

He said the new score board made possible through a $6,000 grant from the Cass County Community Foundation. The Frederickson Foundation also contributed a tremendous amount of volunteer labor for work on the bleachers, landscaping and fencing, to make the field attractive and functional. The scoreboard will feature the name “Trevor Frederickson Memorial Field, ” and “Sunnyside Park,” since the park is City property.

In other business, Herring said there won’t be a Vision Iowa Grant this year to help with improvements at the Schildberg Recreation Area. That’s because Herring and SWIPCO’s Courtney Harter couldn’t get the application submitted by the July 15th deadline, due to some missing information. That includes a monetary commitment made by the Cass County Board of Supervisors when the area was created years ago, and a Resolution from the City, as to what it’s commitment would be.

In fact, the Cass County Board of Supervisors contributed $20,000 toward the project, because part of the Schildberg land is county property. Herring said the thoroughness of the information they needed to submit was no where near what was submitted when the City first applied for a $100,000 Vision Iowa grant in about 2004. The City received the funds, but was forced to repay the entire amount in 2009, when it failed to meet the requirement of the grant and a fifth request for an extension to complete the project, was denied. Herring said that probably left a bitter taste with the Vision Iowa Board, and was one of the other reasons they decided not to try for a grant this year.

He said all is not lost, however. There are other sources for funds that can be applied for until a more thorough application can be submitted by June of 2015. That includes a REAP grant (Resource Enhancement and Protection) from the DNR, Funds from the IA DOT and by requesting more funds from the Schildberg Foundation.