THE DEATH OF FOUR-WEEK OLD HOLTEN SMITH IN 2018 WILL SEND A WESTGATE MAN TO PRISON FOR LIFE. A FAYETTE COUNTY JURY RETURNED A ‘GUILTY’ VERDICT IN THE MURDER TRIAL OF 24-YEAR-OLD DEAN HETTINGER TUESDAY. THE INFANT IN HETTINGER’S CARE DIED A MONTH AFTER BEING HOSPITALIZED. DOCTORS SAID HE HAD A BRAIN BLEED AND AN AUTOPSY FOUND 36 RIB FRACTURES. THE CHARGES AGAINST HETTINGER CARRY A MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCE.
A MARSHALL COUNTY COURT HAS HEARD FROM THE MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING A CONVENIENCE STORE CLERK LAST MONTH. ROCKY TRUJILLO WAS ARRESTED FEBRUARY 15TH AFTER ALLEGEDLY SHOOTING MICHAEL WEST DURING A ROBBERY EARLIER THAT MORNING. TRUJILLO PLED NOT GUILTY TO MURDER AND SEVERAL OTHER CHARGES RELATED TO THE INCIDENT.
A CRASH ON INTERSTATE 380 NEAR WILSON AVENUE IN CEDAR RAPIDS INJURED TWO PEOPLE ON A MOTORCYCLE AROUND 9 P-M TUESDAY. THE MOTORCYCLE REPORTEDLY RAN INTO THE BACK OF A CAR. THE INJURIES WERE CHARACTERIZED AS SIGNIFICANT. POLICE WERE ON THE SCENE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AND WERE THEMSELVES INVOLVED IN A FOLLOW-UP ACCIDENT AROUND 11 O’CLOCK WHEN AN APPARENTLY IMPAIRED DRIVER HIT A SQUAD CAR AT THE SCENE.
IOWA HOUSE SPEAKER PAT GRASSLEY HAS TALKED ABOUT PROVIDING ADDITIONAL STATE MONEY FOR SCHOOLS. THE NEW HARTFORD REPUBLICAN REPRESENTS HOUSE DISTRICT 50. HEAR GRASSLEY’S FULL APPEARANCE ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL ON DEMAND AT KXEL.COM.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF IOWANS WILL BE FILING THEIR STATE AND FEDERAL TAX RETURNS DURING THE WEEKS AHEAD. TAX PREPARERS ARE GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER THE FEDERAL COVID-19 STIMULUS CHECKS ARE TAXED AT THE STATE LEVEL. IOWA HOUSE SPEAKER PAT GRASSLEY OF NEW HARTFORD WANTS TO FORMALLY ENSURE THAT THOSE PAYMENTS ARE NOT TAXED IN IOWA. LAST SUMMER, THE LEGISLATURE EXEMPTED THE ORIGINAL COVID-19 FEDERAL STIMULUS FROM STATE INCOME TAX.
THE U.S. POST OFFICE WAS CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED LAST FALL AS A RECORD NUMBER OF VOTERS SENT IN ABSENTEE BALLOTS FOR THE 2020 ELECTION. TUESDAY, IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE PAUL PATE EXPRESSED HIS APPRECIATION FOR THE POST OFFICE. PATE SAYS THE SERVICE HANDLED ALMOST FIVE MILLION PIECES OF OFFICIAL ELECTION-RELATED STATE MAIL AS MORE THAN ONE MILLION IOWA ABSENTEE BALLOTS WERE SUBMITTED. THE SECRETARY OF STATE NOTED THOSE EFFORTS AS HE PRESENTED A NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECRETARIES OF STATE MEDALLION AWARD TO THE USPS HAWKEYE DISTRICT DURING A CEREMONY AT THE STATE CAPITOL.
IN SPORTS, THE IOWA STATE CYCLONE MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM TAKES ON OKLAHOMA IN THE BIG 12 TOURNAMENT AT 8:30. IOWA STATE WAS WINLESS DURING THE BIG 12 REGULAR SEASON. AND THE IOWA HAWKEYE WOMEN MEET PURDUE DURING THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT WITH A 7:30 TIP OFF.
IOWA LEGISLATORS PASSED A SIGNIFICANT SESSION MILEPOST LATE LAST WEEK. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE PAT GRASSLEY FROM NEW HARTFORD SPOKE ABOUT THE SO-CALLED FUNNEL DEADLINE, THE POINT AT WHICH INTRODUCED BILLS NEED TO HAVE MADE SOME DEGREE OF COMMITTEE PROGRESS TO REMAIN VIABLE BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE’S ADJOURNMENT. THE LEGISLATURE HOPES TO CONCLUDE ITS ANNUAL BUSINESS BY THE END OF APRIL. GRASSLEY WAS A GUEST THIS WEEK DURING THE KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL PROGRAM. HEAR THE FULL INTERVIEW ANYTIME AT KXEL.COM.
A SCAM WHICH USED STOLEN INFORMATION FROM UNIVERSITY OF IOWA EMPLOYEES WILL SEND A GEORGIA MAN TO PRISON. FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SAY EDO OLOTON WILL SERVE TWO YEARS IN CUSTODY FOR CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MONEY LAUNDERING. INFORMATION FROM DOZENS OF UNIVERSITY OF IOWA EMPLOYEES WAS USED TO FRAUDULENTLY OBTAIN FEDERAL TAX REFUNDS. MORE THAN $1.4 MILLION IN ILLEGAL MONEY PASSED THROUGH BANK ACCOUNTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCHEME.
HIGHER LEVELS OF ETHANOL MAY BE OK IN LATE-MODEL VEHICLES. AS E15 PUMPS ARE BECOMING MORE COMMON AND IOWA CONSIDERS A STATE RENEWABLE FUELS STANDARD, A UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA STUDY FOUND THAT GASOLINE BLENDED WITH 30% ETHANOL IS SAFE FOR USE IN NON-FLEX-FUEL ENGINES. THE YEARLONG STUDY TESTED 50 NEBRASKA STATE PATROL VEHICLES AND FOUND NO DECREASE IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY OR PERFORMANCE.
