KWIT: Regional News for 8/7 (2008-08-07)

In Iowa...

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - An embattled kosher meatpacking company
accused of violating Iowa's child labor laws is reacting to
government allegations made public this week.
In recent months, officials with Agriprocessors Inc. have found
themselves repeatedly defending the company's hiring practices at
its plant in Postville.
In May, the plant was raided by federal immigration officials
and nearly 400 workers were arrested in the largest immigration
enforcement operation in U.S. history.
This week, the Iowa Labor Commission announced it had uncovered
57 cases of child labor law violations at the plant.
Menachem Lubinsky is a spokesman for Agriprocessors. He says the
company has cooperated with state officials throughout the
investigation, which has spanned several months.
He says labor officials refused to identify underage workers
they claimed were working at the plant. He says the company would
have fired them.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Gov. Chet Culver says that Iowa's
overall financial losses from flooding could push as high as $10
billion.
Culver also says he has invited House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
D-Calif., and other federal leaders to come to Iowa to view damage
first hand in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and other areas damaged by
flooding.
Those trips would be aimed at speeding up federal recovery help.
Culver says Iowa farmers face huge financial damage, while
housing losses total $1 billion. Public infrastructure damage is at
least $800 million, and private businesses are also reporting large
losses.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The state's Board of Regents is delaying
its job review of University of Iowa President Sally Mason. The
board won't review Mason's performance until an investigation into
how the university handled an alleged sexual assault involving
athletes is completed.
Regents President David Miles says the board has decided to
delay Mason's review until at least September.
The University of Iowa came under fire last month when it was
revealed university officials did not disclose key documents during
a previous regents review of the case.
The board held interviews Wednesday with Iowa State University
President Gregory Geoffroy and University of Northern Iowa
President Ben Allen.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Rising fuel prices will likely force the
University of Iowa to cut back on its campus transit service.
Cambus manager Brian McClatchey says that a $160,000 to $170,000
budget shortfall on fuel could cause the service to curtail the
frequency of some routes.
McClatchey says a decision on whether to make the service cuts
and when to make them has yet to be made.
McClatchey says diesel fuel costs jumped from 6 percent of the
transit budget to about 25 percent currently. That could add
another $145,000 to the already strained budget.

In Nebraska...

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Sparsely populated areas of Nebraska with
no cell phone service could be helped by a new policy from the
Public Service Commission.
It is making millions of dollars available for new cell towers.
For years, a roughly 7 percent phone surcharge that Nebraskans
pay has mainly been used to bolster landline service in rural areas
where it's costly to provide phone service.
The new policy makes about $5 million of the Universal Service
Fund available each year to build cell towers in parts of the state
with scant coverage.
Viaero Wireless is the first to apply for some of the money. The
company wants to have eight towers near the eastern portion of the
Niobrara River and towns including Verdel and Lynch.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A California man testified in federal court
that the grand chief of the Kaweah Indian Nation preached that he
had a dream that God told him to help undocumented immigrants.
Victor Orellana says he attended a church service at the Wichita
church of Malcolm Webber when he was visiting from California.
Webber is charged with defrauding immigrants in Kansas, Nebraska
and elsewhere across the nation by claiming that tribal membership
conferred U.S. citizenship.
Francisco Aguirre of Wichita also testified yesterday. He's a
lawful resident but bought tribal memberships for his family after
Webber told him he could become a U.S. citizen by doing so.
The government says Webber's group sold tribal memberships to
more than 13,000 people.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The Nebraska State Patrol says a "hit
man" scam is being reported in the state.
The patrol says investigators at its Grand Island office have
received several complaints over the past few months.
Usually, someone gets an unsolicited e-mail that says it has
been sent by a person hired to kill the recipient. The supposed
"hit man" offers to spare the recipient's life for a fee that
sometimes reaches into the thousands.
The sender warns the recipient not to tell anyone about the
e-mail and hints that the recipient is being watched. Then it gives
instructions for how to pay off the "hit man."
In March, Lancaster County authorities said a Bennet woman had
found a "hit man" e-mail from someone using the name
"killerofsoul1111."

In South Dakota...

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The Army Corps of Engineers says the
Missouri River reservoir system has recovered about a third of the
storage lost during eight consecutive years of drought.
The corps says in a statement that reservoir storage is still
lower than normal, and the commercial downstream navigation season
will be shortened by 30 days. It will end Oct. 31 just north of St.
Louis.
The corps says the three biggest reservoirs - Fort Peck and
lakes Sakakawea and Oahe - gained 10.8 feet to 17.8 feet of water
since April 1 because of normal mountain snowpack and rain.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Seven cases of human West Nile virus have
been found in South Dakota.
The state Health Department said in its weekly report that three
cases are in Brown County and one each in Corson, Stanley, Charles
Mix and Union counties. Those infected are age 15 to 54.
Mosquitoes transmit the West Nile virus from infected birds to
humans. South Dakota had 208 human infections and six deaths last
year.
The peak time for West Nile in humans is mid-July through
August.
Other cases of West Nile in mosquitoes, birds or horses have
been confirmed this year in Codington, Minnehaha, Davison, Hughes
and Pennington counties.

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) - Law enforcement is giving out nearly three
warning tickets for every citation it issues to people attending
the Sturgis motorcycle rally.
Figures from the South Dakota Highway Patrol showed 2,053
warnings and 771 citations had been given out through Tuesday. Both
were ahead of the pace through the same period last year and cover
the Sturgis, Rapid City, southern Black Hills and Badlands areas.
There had been 96 misdemeanor drug arrests and 18 felony drug
arrests. Four vehicles were seized because of drug possession.