KWIT: Regional News for 7/22 (2008-07-22)

In Iowa...

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Iowa Board of Regents officials say they
plan to meet today to talk about letters sent by the mother of a
woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by two University of
Iowa football players.
The mother accuses the university of mishandling the response to
her daughter's allegations. The family eventually went to police.
Two former Iowa football players, Abe Satterfield and Cedric
Everson, are accused of sexually assaulting the woman last October
at a campus dorm.
Everson has been charged with second-degree sexual assault and
Satterfield has been charged with second- and third-degree sexual
assault. Both men have pleaded not guilty.
Last month, the Board of Regents said its investigation showed
that the university handled the alleged assault appropriately.
However, Board President David Miles says the regents didn't
know about the mother's letters until late last week. He says the
documents could change the regents' views.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A Democratic state senator wants the
state to grant a one-year hiatus in property tax collections to
regions hammered by this year's record flooding.
And, a key Republican leader wants to push the plan even
further.
Sen. Tom Courtney, D-Burlington, advocates giving flood victims
a break from property taxes for a year.
Senate Minority Leader Ron Wieck, R-Sioux City, suggests that
the state's sales tax also be suspended for the rest of the year.
He says that would make it easier for residents to purchase
materials needed for flood repair.
Any changes would be proposed as part of a package the
Legislature could consider during a special session in September
that's looking increasingly likely.
Meanwhile, Gov. Chet Culver plans to travel to Washington D.C.
today to ask Congress for more flood aid.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa's annual sales tax holiday to help
back-to-school shoppers save money is scheduled for Aug. 1-2.
The 9th annual tax holiday allows shoppers to buy clothing and
footwear that costs less than $100 without having to pay sales tax.
It includes pants, shirts, footwear, uniforms for school and
work, socks and caps and hats.
Items not eligible for the tax-free holiday include computers,
backpacks, school supplies, jewelry and clothing or footwear for
sports.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa's agriculture secretary says a
difficult start to crops' growing season will make the next few
weeks of weather even more important.
Northey says crops have been undergoing rapid growth over the
last few weeks, and that good weather has been welcome. But, he
says, another batch of summer storms could hurt crops that have
already been battered by record rain fall and flooding.
Northey says that sever storms continue to cause isolated damage
and that good weather will be important as the growing season
continues.
Northey made his comments on Monday, in response to the weekly
U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Iowa crops and weather.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Gov. Chet Culver is traveling to
Washington to meet with members of Iowa's congressional delegation
to talk about flood recovery efforts.
Culver was planning to meet on Tuesday with House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi and Federal Emergency Management Agency Director David
Paulison. His office says he plans to advocate for more federal
support to help Iowans recover from flooding and severe weather.
Culver says its vital that the federal partners hear firsthand
of the conditions on the ground in Iowa.
He plans to speak with reporters during a conference call on
Tuesday afternoon to talk more about his efforts in Washington.

In Nebraska...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - One of the men convicted of the 2002 Norfolk
bank killings has received two life sentences after pleading guilty
to separate murders.
Jose Sandoval is already on death row for robbing a U.S. Bank
branch and killing five people.
Robert Pearson disappeared in January 2002. His body was found
in a shallow grave on land west of Madison one year ago.
Travis Lundell was reported missing in August 2002. His body was
found in March 2003.
Both men were friends of Sandoval.
Sandoval was in Madison County District Court yesterday
afternoon.
Madison County Attorney Joe Smith said Sandoval led law
enforcement to Pearson's body.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha man says the two men who broke into
his house didn't threaten him with knives or guns, but a pit bull
dog.
Police say the break-in happened early yesterday morning. The
victim says two men came into his house with a pit bull.
Police say the two suspects demanded money, and when the victim
refused to hand over any cash, one of the men assaulted him.

In South Dakota...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional investigators say the Indian
Health Service has lost at least $15.8 million worth of equipment,
and later falsified documents to cover up some of the losses.
The Government Accountability Office says the 5,000 pieces of
lost or stolen equipment included a computer that contained more
than 800 Social Security numbers and sensitive health information.
Also missing are trucks, tractors, all-terrain vehicles and about a
third of the computers, video projectors and digital cameras from
the agency's headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.
GAO investigators blame mismanagement at the top of the
embattled agency, which often runs out of money to provide adequate
health care to American Indians.
The parent agency -- Health and Human Services -- says the study
fails to appreciate that IHS has a unique property management
system because of its collaboration with Indian tribes.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The inmate count in South Dakota's
penitentiary system declined for a second straight year.
The number of male and female inmates at the end of the fiscal
year on June 30 was 3,352. The state Corrections Department said
that's 40 fewer inmates than in June 2007 and 117 less than on June
30, 2006.
Corrections Secretary Tim Reisch (rysh) says it's unusual to go
a year without an increase in the prison population and rare to
have back-to-back decreases.
The prison system had an average daily inmate count of 3,344 the
past year. That's 34 fewer than the previous year.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Field crops are in generally good to
excellent condition around South Dakota after a week of rain and
above-average heat that speeded development.
Monday's weekly report from the Agricultural Statistics Service
showed 72 percent of the state has enough topsoil moisture and 75
percent has enough subsoil moisture.
Development of the small grains is close to normal, but progress
of the corn, soybean and sunflower crops trails last year and the
five-year average.
Corn is starting to tassel and the soybean and sunflower crops
are starting to bloom.
The USDA said only 7 percent or less of any crop is rated in
poor or very poor condition.

ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) - Two bald eagle chicks that were rescued
from Lake Oahe are said to be growing and getting "feisty."
Pierre veterinarian Virginia Trexler-Myren is caring for the
eaglets for now.
Wildlife officials rescued them when the rising level of the
lake threatened to flood the nest. It was build in a dead tree
standing in the lake near Akaska in northern South Dakota.
The adult eagles had abandoned the nest, possibly because of the
disturbance from boaters who had found it.
Veterinarian Trexler-Myren says the chicks will go next to a
large wildlife center and hopefully be released later into the
wild.