 |
 |
10/20/2009
IOWA NEWS
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA (AP) Two meat sellers testified in the trial of an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse manager that they didn't know the plant used their names on allegedly bogus documents intended to defraud a lending bank. .
The men testified Monday in U.S. District Court that they were unaware the Agriprocessors, Inc., plant attached their names to allegedly fake invoices that were then shown to a bank as proof the company had more money on the way.
Former Agriprocessors top manager Sholom Rubashkin faces 91 financial fraud charges, including bank fraud. Monday began the second week of his trial.
Yisrael Kagan of Glatt Western Kosher in Los Angeles and Aaron Tzivin of the Crown Heights House of Glatt in Brooklyn, N.Y, testified in court on Monday.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An Iowa woman convicted in the drug-related slayings of three adults and two children near Mason City in 1993 is challenging her conviction and sentence.
Angela Johnson, of Forest City, was convicted in federal court in 2005 and sentenced to death for four of the killings. She was given a life sentence in the fifth killing.
The victims were found buried in shallow graves in 2000. Johnson was convicted in 2005.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Johnson's appeal last year.
Johnson has now filed a petition in U.S. District Court in Iowa for post-conviction relief, a constitutional challenge of her convictions and sentences.
Her attorney cites a dozen arguments, including ineffective counsel.
Johnson's boyfriend, Dustin Honken, was also convicted of the killings and sentenced to death.
ATLANTIC, Iowa (AP) A South Carolina man faces charges after officials say he threatened to blow up a western Iowa motel.
Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren says about 50 people were evacuated from the American Best Value Inn in Atlantic early Saturday after a man told the front desk he was going to blow up the motel.
McLaren says 21-year-old James Allen is charged with threat of terrorism, threat of arson, threat of explosive device, harassment and public intoxication.
The sheriff didn't immediately know Allen's hometown.
McLaren says Allen, who made some suicidal threats, never checked into the motel. Authorities used a robot to search his car in the parking lot, and no explosives were found.
The sheriff says Allen posted bail and was released Monday from the Cass County jail.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Des Moines police say a 10-year-old boy playing with a lighter started a weekend fire that left 13 people homeless.
Des Moines Police Detective Jack Kamerick says the boy was lighting pieces of paper on a porch, setting the structure ablaze Sunday.
The fire spread to the rest of the 101-year-old house that had been converted into three apartments. Kamerick said the building was nearly engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived. Fire Captain Steve Brown says one firefighter, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries fighting the blaze.
Building manager Brad Voss said the American Red Cross was helping the displaced tenants Monday.
Kamerick says the boy will be referred to Polk County Juvenile Court, which will determine if the boy needs counseling.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) ACT has announced plans to commit $5 million to endow a scholars program at the University of Iowa.
The program supported by ACT, which provides research, information and program management products in education and work force development, will aid Iowa graduate students pursuing fields related to ACT's mission.
The scholarship, announced Monday, is expected to cover eight students annually and will begin in the fall 2010 semester. It covers tuition costs and a stipend.
Students in liberal arts and sciences, education, business, communications, information technology, mathematics, statistics and engineering are eligible. Those accepted will also be assigned to a business unit at Iowa City-based ACT to gain experience working on projects related to their field of study.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Iowa National Guard is getting ready for what could be it's largest call-up of a single unit for an overseas deployment since World War II.
Guard spokesman Maj. Michael Wunn says troops from the 2nd Brigade of the 34th Infantry Division, which has about 3,500 soldiers, were alerted over the weekend.
Wunn confirmed the deployment, but declined to say how many soldiers would be mobilized or where they would be headed.
Wunn says a formal announcement is scheduled for Tuesday.
Between 11,000 and 12,000 Iowa Guard soldiers and airmen have been mobilized since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The largest single unit called up has been Task Force 168, which had about 700 troops who served in Afghanistan in 2004 and 2005.
© 2002 Associated Press.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
