KWIT: Regional News for 7/10 (2008-07-10)

In Iowa...

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Congressman Leonard Boswell's chief of
staff says the lawmaker has undergone a surgical procedure related
to a previous surgery he had in 2005 that removed a non-cancerous
tumor from his abdomen.
Susan McAvoy says the 74-year-old congressman had surgery in
Washington yesterday (Wednesday). She called it a "revision from
his previous surgery" but didn't offer further details.
McAvoy says the surgery was a success and that the congressman
is resting comfortably with his family. She says he expects to be
back to work in the near future, but didn't provide a date.
Last month, Boswell defeated Ed Fallon, a Des Moines Democrat,
in a primary challenge. He faces Republican Kim Schmett of Clive in
the general election in November.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin raised
more than $632,000 in the second quarter of this year and has more
than $4 million available for his re-election campaign.
The fundraising likely puts the four-term senator far ahead of
Republican challenger Christopher Reed. Candidates have until July
15th to report their fundraising to the Federal Election
Commission.
Reed didn't immediately return a telephone message. Previous FEC
reports showed that Reed had not done any fundraising.
Harkin spokesman Matt Paul says the senator's fundraising
success indicates excitement about his campaign and Democratic
candidates across the nation.

PEOSTA, Iowa (AP) - Five Iowa communities will welcome home Iowa
Army National Guard troops who served in Kosovo as part of a
peacekeeping mission.
The homecoming ceremonies will be held tomorrow (Friday) in
Algona, Estherville, Fort Dodge, Peosta and Storm Lake.
Guard officials say that about 330 soldiers were mobilized from
the 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery and Company A, 1st
Battalion, 133rd Infantry for the mission. They trained at Camp
Atterbury, Ind., last June before leaving for Kosovo.
Returning home are about 60 soldiers from Algona Battery B, 1st
Battalion, 194th Field Artillery; about 75 soldiers from
Estherville Battery A, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery; about
65 soldiers from Fort Dodge Headquarters and Headquarters Battery,
1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery; about 90 soldiers from Peosta
Company A (Dubuque), 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry; and about 30
soldiers from Storm Lake Company G, 334th Brigade Support
Battalion.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - In a year that many think will favor the
Democrats, Iowa Republicans acknowledge their efforts also could be
hurt by the lack of a big-name statewide candidate who could boost
turnout.
Without a familiar face running, Republicans say they'll rely
more on local, grassroots campaigning. They also will put high
hopes on likely presidential nominee John McCain's ability to draw
Republican-leaning voters.
Republican National Committee member Steve Roberts says the
party must take a local approach, "that's clearly more
difficult."
Marion businessman Christopher Reed will oppose U.S. Sen. Tom
Harkin, but the race at this point appears a mismatch. Harkin has
raised more than $8 million for his re-election campaign and has
$4.1 million on hand. He also has a strong statewide political
organization.
Reed doesn't have to report his fundraising totals until July
15th. He previously didn't report any fundraising.
Despite the Democrats' advantages, Republican Party of Iowa
Chairman Stewart Iverson noted Iowans are independent thinkers who
vote for individuals, not parties.

In Nebraska...

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Organizers of a petition drive to keep the
Nebraska State Fair from moving say they're getting more signatures
in Grand Island than anyplace outside Lincoln.
A new state law authorizes moving the fair to Grand Island,
leaving the fairgrounds in Lincoln for development by the
University of Nebraska.
Roger Yant is a spokesman for Fair Vote Nebraska, which is
conducting the petition drive against the move. He says Grand
Island has been "a fertile ground for signatures."
Yant says organizers know more signatures have been collected in
Grand Island than anyplace outside Lincoln because of the high
demand for petitions in the city.
The group needs to get roughly 60,000 signatures to put the
issue before voters statewide.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A former janitor for the Omaha Police
Department already facing child pornography charges now faces a new
theft charge.
Kimmer Houston was in a Douglas County court yesterday on a
theft charge, accused of taking a $4,000 Motorola radio.
The 35-year-old Houston was a contract worker for the Omaha
Police Department who did janitorial work when he was arrested in
February and later charged with two counts of manufacturing child
pornography.
He is being held on $50,000 bail for the theft charge.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Doing 132 mph wasn't fast enough to outrun
the law or set a Nebraska State Patrol record.
Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins says a trooper
clocked a 2008 Triumph motorcycle with Colorado plates at 132 mph
near Seward Tuesday morning.
Soon, traffic helped slow the motorcycle, letting the trooper
pull it over.
The motorcyclist was ticketed for careless driving and speeding.
He faces a $300 fine and $44 in court costs.
Even at 132 mph, the motorcyclist set no law enforcement record.
Collins checked some records and found that a man in a new
Mercedes was stopped by the patrol in 2004 after roaring down the
interstate at 141 mph near Kearney.
The speed limit on most of I-80 is 75 mph.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The decades-long population decline in
rural Nebraska may be picking up steam.
Analysis of new U.S. Census estimates by the University of
Nebraska at Omaha's Center for Public Affairs Research show that
the number of towns that lost ten percent or more of their
population since 2000 tripled in just one year.
Thirty-one percent of the state's 531 cities and towns lost ten
percent or more of their population from 2000 to 2007.
That's up from 11 percent that lost 10 percent or more between
2000 and 2006.
A counting change that lists college students as living where
they go to school instead of their hometowns is one reason for the
increase.
The five towns that lost the most people are Alliance, Falls
City, McCook, Holdrege, and Fairbury.

In South Dakota...

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - President Bush signed a disaster declaration
Wednesday for 27 South Dakota counties and three American Indian
reservations that were flooded after an early June storm.
It authorizes the federal government to provide financial
assistance for up to 75 percent of the eligible damage to public
infrastructure.
The counties include Aurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Butte,
Charles Mix, Clay, Dewey, Douglas, Gregory, Haakon, Hand, Hanson,
Hughes, Hutchinson, Jackson, Lawrence, Lyman, McCook, Meade,
Mellette, Moody, Perkins, Stanley, Tripp, Turner and Ziebach.
The reservations are Crow Creek, Cheyenne River and Lower Brule.
Gov. Mike Rounds said a decision on South Dakota's request for
individual assistance is pending.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A proposal passed by this year's South
Dakota Legislature will require people who sell their homes to
disclose if there are any outstanding bills on them.
The law broadens existing statutory lien language and is
intended to protect homebuyers from surprises.
Sellers will have to inform buyers if there are any unpaid bills
for services or materials provided in the previous 120 days.

MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) - The baby boomer population is declining
nationally, but numbers are up in 18 states including South Dakota.
South Dakota's baby boomer population grew just 1 percent from
2000 to 2007, but it was the 12th fastest growth rate in the
nation.
Contrast that with a national decline of 1.4 percent.
The Population Reference Bureau's Mark Mather says the increased
number of boomers in some states can be explained by migration as
boomers relocate as they age and retire.
He says researchers have found that many older people prefer to
live in areas with lower housing costs, less traffic and more
natural amenities.