SPM News

081319 504 Governor Kim Reynolds says the state is working to fix issues that cause the state to be hit with a nearly two million dollar fine. That federal fine was for errors in distributing food assistance. The USDA cited the state for having a higher error rate than the national average, which was first reported by WOI-TV in Des Moines. The state was found to be overpaying benefits much more often than it was underpaying them. Reynolds says she still doesn’t know why the state had a high

081319 432 Sioux City Council members asked the city attorney yesterday to rework a proposed noise ordinance after local bar owners said it would hurt their businesses. There was confusion about whether the ordinance would also apply to bars that play music on their own patios and even indoor events that would generate noise. At its last regular meeting, the council voted 3-1 to move forward the ordinance, which would require organizers to scale back the length of outdoor events generating noise

081319 404 Iowa’s senior senator has some harsh words for the Environmental Protection Agency. That’s because of its decision to release many small oil refineries from their obligations to blend ethanol into gasoline. The past few days have dealt multiple blows to corn farmers: on Friday, EPA granted 31 so-called “hardship” waivers. And Monday, a prediction from the Agriculture Department showed declining demand for corn because ethanol production is down. The Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, is

A man has been sentenced to five years in prison after admitting he fatally punched a Sioux City man and then fled to Mexico. 25-year-old Ray Avila pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter and flight to avoid prosecution. After being punched, 31-year-old Peter Johnson fractured his skull on a sidewalk and died later at a hospital. Avila hit Johnson after a misunderstanding over what initially appeared to be a car break-in in July of 2018. After the incident, Avila fled to Mexico, where

081219 532 After devastating flooding this year, Iowa funneled $15 million into a special fund to help local governments recover and guard against future floods. Missouri budgeted more money to fight rising waters, including $2 million to help buy a moveable floodwall for a historic Mississippi River town. In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced $10 million to repair damaged levees while creating a task force to study a system that in places has fallen into disrepair through years of neglect.

081219 504 Woodbury County attorneys and a public defender want a review of the juvenile court records of recently convicted double murderer Tran Walker. The Sioux City Journal reports they want to know if the judge who recently found Walker guilty might have had a conflict of interest concerning a new trial. The public defender's office received an allegation that District Judge Tod Deck had represented Walker in juvenile court when Deck was a lawyer. A public defender and an assistant Woodbury

081219 432 The former mayor of Irwin Iowa Republican Bret Richards is the first candidate in Iowa's Fourth Congressional District to gather the necessary signatures to have his name placed on the 2020 Republican primary ballot. Republican candidates in the district next year are required to gather 1,874 signatures or 1 percent of the total number of votes cast for the party's 2018 gubernatorial nominee, Other Republican 4 th district candidates include incumbent Steve King of Kiron, state

081219 404 Attorneys are seeking a review of Tran Walker's juvenile court records to determine whether the judge who recently found him guilty of murder had a conflict of interest about whether a new trial should be held. The Sioux City Journal reports that the public defender's office received an allegation that District Judge Tod Deck had represented Walker in juvenile court when Deck was a lawyer. A Public defender and an assistant Woodbury County Attorney filed a joint motion to access

Nearly two dozen Democratic presidential candidates paraded through Iowa this weekend, speaking at the state fair, the annual Wing Ding dinner and a forum on gun control. The sheer volume of contenders signals a new phase of the primary campaign, ending the get-to-know-you period and beginning a six-month sprint to the Iowa caucuses. They'll be competing for the support of Democrats who say repeatedly that, despite their differences, their top priority is landing on a nominee who can defeat

Authorities say a 58-year-old man from Lake View, Iowa died after becoming trapped in a grain bin in Sac County. Officials say Garry Leonard became stuck after he entered the partially filled bin to break up some corn yesterday afternoon Another worker tried to pull him free but failed. Firefighters were able to get him out about 45 minutes later, however he was pronounced dead at the scene. Insurers for the developer and construction company involved in the fatal collapse of a building in