w/Beth Kujalla.
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SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (AP) — A criminal case has been suspended against a northwestern Iowa man charged with attempted murder in a stabbing last summer so his mental competency can be evaluated. The Sioux City Journal reports that a judge on Tuesday granted a request for a psychiatric evaluation of 30-year-old Nicholas Thompson.
Thompson is charged in Dickinson County with attempted murder, willful injury resulting in serious injury, going armed with intent and assault with a dangerous weapon. He is accused of repeatedly stabbing a man on June 22 at a home in Spirit Lake and punching woman during the same incident.
BRITT, Iowa (AP) — Officials in northern Iowa say high winds have blown the roof off a grain bin in Britt, causing the bin to collapse onto power lines and knocking out power to the area. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that no one was injured in the collapse Wednesday morning at Hancock County grain elevator. North Central Co-op site manager Tom Grant says 10,000 to 15,000 bushels of grain spilled onto the ground when the bin collapsed. Alliant Energy said power remained out Wednesday afternoon for a dozen customers in the Hutchins area west of Britt.
The National Weather Service says gusts in the area on Wednesday topped 50 mph.
The man who conducts the annual Iowa State University Extension land value survey says he doesn’t see many things in the proposed federal tax reform that would impact land values. Economist Wendong Zhang says tax policy is one of the things he is keeping an eye on as an impact to land values next year. Zhang says he will be watching to tax polices and if the renegotiation of the NAFTA trade deal impacts trade. He says both could impact land values.
Zhang reported a a two percent increase in land values this year and says it was due mainly to the lack of available land that caused the increase. Zhang says the federal tax bill being discussed now doesn’t look to have any big impact.”Given what I’ve heard from the proposal, it seems that we are not getting rid of any of the tax provisions that affect agriculture,” Zhang says. He says tax issues involving depreciation aren’t changing, and that will give farmers little reason to sell their land right now. Zhang says that will likely give farmers more incentives to buy new equipment and could discourage the sale of land.
The increase in land values in this year’s survey was the first after three years of declines in value.
(Radio Iowa)
Today: P/Cldy to Cldy. High 38. NW-S @ 10-15.
Tonight: Mo. Cldy w/flurries. Low 26. .
Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 42. W @ 10-15.
Saturday: P/Cldy. High 52.
Sunday: Mo. Cldy. High near 40.
Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 49. Our Low this morning 28. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 24 and the low was 1. The Record High in Atlantic on this date was 59 in 1975. The Record Low for this date was -19 in 1901 and 1972.
Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports a traffic stop today (Thursday) at around 2:50-a.m. in Sidney, resulted in the arrest of 29-year old Bianca Elizabeth Countryman. She was taken into custody for driving with a suspended license. Her bond at the Fremont County Jail was set at $435.
JOAN NOLAN, 74, of Panora, died Tue., Dec. 12th, at The New Homestead in Guthrie Center. Funeral services for JOAN NOLAN will be held 11-a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16th, at the First Christian Church in Panora. Twigg Funeral Home in Panora has the arrangements.
Friends may call at the church one-hour prior to the services on Saturday.
Burial will be in the Resurrection Cemetery in rural Guthrie Center.
JOAN NOLAN is survived by:
Her children – Susan (Wil) Shaw, of Coon Rapids; Jerry Nolan, of Georgia, and Connie Nolan, of Panora.
Her sisters – Sue Raibikis, of Stuart; Kay Grubbs, of Wiota; Patricia (Charlie) Taylor, of Creston.
Her brother – Sam (Paula) Mitchell, of Rippey.
11 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends.
MARGARET M. FELDMAN, 95, of Harlan, died Wed., Dec. 13th, at the Elm Crest Retirement Community. A Mass of Christian Burial for MARGARET FELDMAN will be held 11-a.m. Monday, Dec. 18th, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Harlan. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.
The family will greet friends at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Harlan on Sunday, Dec. 17th, from 4-until 7-p.m., with a Rosary at 7-p.m.
Burial will be in the Dunlap Cemetery.
MARGARET FELDMAN is survived by:
Her daughter – Joan (Robert) Gaul, of Johnston.
Her son – William (Connie) Feldman, of Kansas City, MO.
5 grandchildren, her daughter-and sisters in-law.
If state policymakers legalize sports betting, Iowa casinos are aiming to get the business. Iowa Gaming Association executive director Wes Ehrecke says the federal “barrier” to sports betting may soon be removed. “In the past 25 years, only one state has been allowed to have sports betting and that’s been Nevada and New Jersey challenged the constitutionality of that and the Supreme Court heard arguments last Monday,” Ehrecke says. “…There’s a lot of people thinking they’re going to rule in favor of New Jersey and, if they do, that would allow all states to opt in.”
Iowa’s casino industry will propose legislation in 2018 that would legalize sports betting in Iowa at the 19 state-licensed casinos. “Like other gambling games, it would allow people to bet on sports within our casinos, regulated by our (Iowa) Racing and Gaming Commission,” Ehrecke says.
Ehrecke cites reports indicating Americans bet about 150 billion dollars a year on sporting events, but only five percent of that is done legally in the state of Nevada. “So it’s flourished in an illegal activity way,” Ehrecke says. “No age limits or anything like that.”
Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett — a Republican candidate for governor — yesterday (Wednesday) called for legalizing sports betting in Iowa, but Corbett would prefer the Iowa Lottery manage the wagering on football, baseball and basketball games. That would create thousands of sites around the state for placing bets and Corbett says the Iowa Lottery is a “trusted brand” that could manage the betting volume.
Anticipating a 2018 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that would legalize sports betting beyond just the State of Nevada, Mississippi and Pennsylvania already have state laws to allow sports betting. This past year, legislation was introduced, but not enacted in 16 other states that would have legalized “sports book” operations.
(Radio Iowa)
Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett — a Republican candidate for governor — says the state can raise millions in new taxes for the mental health system by legalizing sports betting. The move, though, depends on a pending U.S. Supreme Court opinion. “By most of the legal analysis…it looks like the court will rule in favor of states,” Corbett says, “and that will present an option or an opportunity for the State of Iowa to get into sports betting.”
Corbett says his preference would be for the Iowa Lottery to manage the bets on professional baseball, football, basketball games as well as college football and basketball, but Corbett says he’s open to the idea of having the state-licensed casinos do it. Corbett is buying 10-thousand dollars in internet ads to tout his campaign’s online survey on this topic.
“We’re going to ask people over the next several weeks as they’re checking the Bulls’ scores or their favorite sports team to take the survey,” Corbett says. “The first question in the survey is: Should Iowa legalize sports betting?” The second question is: Should the Iowa Lottery or the casinos manage it? Whether the new tax revenue should be used on mental health or something else is the third question.
Corbett cites an estimate indicating the state could collect 24 million dollars in new gambling taxes for the system each year if the Lottery ran “sports book.” “I think that’s a very significant sum of money and will begin this process of providing the resources to help solve the mental health crisis,” Corbett says.
Corbett says he’s the first of any of the dozen or so candidates for governor who’ve proposed a way to pay for expanding access to mental health services in Iowa. He also rejects the idea it’s a risky political move for a Republican candidate “to talk about gambling” during the campaign. Corbett points to Republican Governor Terry Branstad, who signed into law every form of legalized gambling currently available in Iowa — from the lottery to casino slot machines.
“And I know for a fact that over the course of his time as governor he made bets on the outcome of Iowa football games with other governors,” Corbett says. “So if it’s o.k. for the governor to make a bet on a football game, I think it’s o.k. for the people of Iowa to make a bet on a football game.”
Corbett says Iowa Lottery retailers would be able to take sports bets from customers because the process is similar to buying a lottery ticket. “They stand in, sometimes it’s a line, depending on the jackpot but they pull their Lottery card off and they fill in the numbers like a Keno game, so they’re certainly equipped and set up to provide this service to the State of Iowa,” Corbett says.
Corbett is challenging Republican Governor Kim Reynolds’ bid for a full, four-year term as governor. No word yet from Reynolds’ campaign about her stand on legalized sports betting.
(Radio Iowa)
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