KWIT: Regional News for 9/23 (2008-09-23)

In Iowa...

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) - A teenager has been arrested in
connection with the shooting death of a Fort Dodge man.
Bryce Gully, of Fort Dodge, was arrested on Monday. The
15-year-old is a student at Fort Dodge Senior High School.
He has been charged with first-degree robbery, charges
authorities say are connected to the shooting death of Matt
Huffman. The 36-year-old was shot and killed on Saturday morning in
Fort Dodge.
Acting Fort Dodge police chief Doug Utley says the investigation
is ongoing and additional charges are pending.
Police say Huffman was shot and killed in an area known as a hot
spot for drug activity.
Huffman was transported to Trinity Regional Medical Center by a
private vehicle and died a short time later.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Gov. Chet Culver has outlined the
allocation of money being released to help victim's of this year's
record flooding and tornadoes.
The financial assistance is part of the $40 million Jumpstart
Iowa initiative that Culver announced last week.
It is divided into two parts, one for housing assistance and the
other for small businesses, with each program getting $20 million.
The money, which will be in the form of forgivable loans, will
be administered though regional planning councils and individual
cities.
According to information released from Culver's office on
Monday, Cedar Rapids will get the most money, a combined $20.2
million for homeowners and small businesses.
The money for the program will come from a variety of state
funds and programs.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack has redirected a
$5,000 campaign donation to several nonprofit groups.
Loebsack's re-election campaign had received the money from New
York Rep. Charles Rangel's political action committee. Rangel is
under investigation for alleged ethics violations and back taxes
owed.
The Iowa Democrat's campaign manager says he gave $1,000 each to
the chambers of commerce in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, and to
three statewide flood relief organizations.
Loebsack's Republican challenger in the 2nd congressional
district, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, had criticized him for taking
the donations.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - The University of Iowa Foundation, a key
fundraising arm of the University of Iowa, says it has increased
its fundraising 9.3 percent over the last fiscal year.
The organization raised nearly $161.9 million in outright and
deferred gifts for areas throughout the University of Iowa, an
increase of 9.3 percent over the previous fiscal year.
That includes about $97 million in outright gifts, up 10.6
percent from the 2007 fiscal year.
Overall, more than 64,000 donors made 104,389 gifts while
deferred gifts and pledges to be received in future years totaled
about $65.1 million, an increase of 7.4 percent over the previous
year.

In Nebraska...

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The Nebraska Board of Education has picked
Elkhorn superintendent Roger Breed as the state's new education
commissioner.
Breed was among four finalists, and got the unanimous vote of
the education board yesterday. He replaces Doug Christensen, who
stepped down in July.
Several board members said Breed's experience working with both
small and large school districts was important to the selection.
Fred Meyer, the board's president, says Breed has strong
communication skills and experience working with the governor and
legislature on education issues.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The Department of Veterans Affairs has
granted nearly $3 million to build a new state veterans cemetery in
Alliance.
Federal officials say the grant will pay for the entire cost of
the cemetery, including construction of the main entrance, roads
and supporting infrastructure.
The cemetery plans have been in the works since 1995. Officials
hope to open the cemetery by fall 2010. It will be able to handle
several thousand people's remains.
The city of Alliance donated 22 acres for the cemetery.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska agriculture officials are
urging farmers to use caution this harvest season.
The warning coincides with National Farm Safety and Health Week.
The National Safety Council says there were 715 deaths and
80,000 disabling injuries attributed to farming in 2007.
Among the warnings farm officials are issuing are calls to pay
closer attention at rural intersections that see
heavier-than-normal traffic during harvest and to use safety
shields on farm equipment.
Officials also say workers need to be aware of power lines that
can come into contact with farm equipment, wear protective eye and
ear wear and use extra caution at railroad crossings.

In South Dakota...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The weekly crop report says warm, dry
weather last week helped South Dakota's corn crop mature.
Most of the state was 5 degrees to 10 degrees above average last
week.
The corn crop is listed as 24 percent mature, compared with 7
percent the previous week. But it's still way behind the five-year
average of 48 percent mature.
Forty percent of the winter wheat crop now has been seeded, also
behind the five-year average.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A Republican state representative from
Rapid City, Gordon Howie, says he's preparing a bill that would
reverse a new eminent domain law.
The 2008 Legislature passed a measure to make it easier for the
Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad to acquire land for a proposed
coal train expansion project.
Howie, who opposed the 2008 law, said he is focusing on a 90-day
limit for the state to act on applications for eminent domain.
Larry Rhoden of Union Center, the House Republican leader, says
he doesn't think Howie's idea has much of a chance.
Howie is running for a state Senate seat.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A state lawyer says constitutional problems
could hamper any attempt to put a state fee on interstate
underground pipelines to help clean up any spills.
A lawyer for the state Environment Department says the U.S.
Constitution generally prohibits states from interfering with
interstate commerce because federal law regulates business that
crosses state boundaries.
The issue is being discussed by a task force that was created to
study laws and regulations on pipelines in response to a Canadian
company's project to route a crude-oil pipeline through eastern
South Dakota.
South Dakota and other states have pollution cleanup funds, but
those are not financed with fees specifically levied on pipeline
companies.

DEADWOOD, S.D. (AP) - Deadwood officials say vandals have
damaged six tombstones at Mount Moriah Cemetery.
And the only Chinese gravestone at the National Landmark has
been stolen.
Police are unsure when the culprits struck, but it's believed to
have been in the last week or so.
The historic graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane were
not damaged, however.
Officials say the gravestones can be repaired, but they will
have scars.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Federal government checks meant to
stimulate the economy have helped South Dakota and other states
catch up with parents who are delinquent on their child-support
payments.
The Associated Press has obtained Treasury Department data
showing that more than 1.4 million stimulus checks have been seized
since the payments began last spring, providing $831 million for
child-support agencies nationwide.
That includes 4,890 stimulus checks totaling $2.75 million that
were seized from deadbeat parents in South Dakota as of Sept. 12.