KWIT: Regional News for 8/20 (2008-08-20)

In Iowa...

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The U.S. attorney's office has filed
additional charges against a former supervisor who worked at the
Agriprocessors Inc. plant in Postville, which was raided by
immigration agents in May.
Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza has now been charged with
conspiracy to hire illegal aliens and aiding and abetting the
hiring of illegal aliens.
Last month, 35-year-old Guerrero-Espinoza and 43-year-old Martin
De La Rosa-Loera were charged with encouraging illegal immigrants
to reside in the U.S. and aiding and abetting the possession and
use of fraudulent identification. Guerrero-Espinoza also was
charged with aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft.
He is scheduled to appear in federal court on Wednesday
afternoon.
Guerrero-Espinoza and De La Rosa-Loera had earlier argued that
their trials should be moved because of media attention.

WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa (AP) - State environmental regulators
denied permits which would have allowed the construction of two
giant Dallas County hog production facilities designed to house
nearly 15,000 animals.
The Environmental Protection Commission voted by identical 6-2
votes to deny the needed permits. It cited the potential of added
pollution to the already dirty Raccoon River. That river is listed
by federal environmental officials as "impaired" because of
pollution.
Local residents and Des Moines water officials had argued
against development of the hog facilities.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Gov. Chet Culver will honor one of the
Boy Scouts who died when a tornado struck the Little Sioux Scout
Ranch in June.
Governor Culver will present a special certificate today for
Aaron Eilerts, one of the four boys who perished during the storm.
The honor will take place during a ceremony recognizing the 2008
Robert D. Blue Scholars.
Eilerts is from Eagle Grove, the same town as former Gov. Robert
Blue, and he attended Robert D. Blue Middle School.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Officials with the Iowa State Fair say a
record number of people attended this year's fair.
Officials say an estimated 1.1 million people attended the
11-day fair, which ended on Sunday. That broke the previous record
of about 1.05 million in 2004.
The 2008 fair also set a record for opening day when more than
101,000 people passed through the gates.
It was the seventh consecutive year that the fair topped 1
million in attendance.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The U.S. Department of Justice's Office
for Victims of Crime is giving more than $3.2 million to help
victims of Iowa crime.
The funds will go to various programs throughout the state that
assist crime victims. They will include victim compensation for
expenses like medical costs, mental health counseling and funeral
arrangements.
According to the Department of Justice, the fund was established
to support programs that significantly impact the lives of crime
victims.

In Nebraska...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Omaha residents and businesses plagued by
graffiti may soon face yet another annoyance: orders from the city
to pay up or clean up themselves.
The city of Omaha currently spends hundreds of thousands of
dollars a year on supplies to clean up graffiti.
Now, the city is considering a proposal that would pass the cost
of graffiti cleanup to homeowners and businesses.
The proposal would require home and business owners to report
graffiti to the city. The property owners will then be given an
estimate of what it will cost for the city to clean it up - when
city crews can get to it.
If an owner doesn't want to pay the city for cleanup, he'll be
given 10 days to clean it up himself or face city charges.

In South Dakota...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joel
Dykstra says staff members opening mail at his Sioux Falls campaign
office watched as a white powder spilled out of an envelope this
morning.
He says they immediately left the office and called 911.
Emergency crews were on the scene in minutes -- and the letter is
in the hands of authorities checking for evidence. Preliminary
tests indicated it was baby powder.
Dykstra says the letter also contained a threat -- quoting now
-- "directed at the campaign and directed at some of us
individually."
Dykstra, who did not see the letter but was briefed on it, says
he was told the message was just a couple lines long and was not a
joke.
Besides Sioux Falls city investigators, the FBI and the U.S.
Postal Service are involved in the case. U.S. Attorney Marty
Jackley confirmed an ongoing investigation involving federal
authorities and the Sioux Falls Police Department.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A legislative panel has approved the state
Game, Fish and Parks Commission's decision to make changes in South
Dakota's hunting season for mountain lions.
The season will start two months later than last year in an
attempt to reduce the number of young lions that are orphaned when
their mothers are killed in the Black Hills.
The next season will run from January 1 through March 31 in the
Black Hills, but will end early if 35 total mountain lions or 15
females are killed.
Landowners outside the Black Hills who buy licenses will be
allowed to shoot cougars year-round on their land.

FORT PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Lawyers for school districts have asked
a circuit judge to rule that the districts can finance a lawsuit
challenging South Dakota's system for funding education.
The lawyers for school districts and a coalition of districts
told the judge that districts have standing to take part in the
funding lawsuit and to help pay attorneys.
But a state lawyer argued that school districts are creations of
the South Dakota Legislature, and creations cannot sue their
creator.
Circuit Judge Lori Wilbur of Pierre says she will rule on the
issue later.