Free Republic

Federal Immigration agents on Monday arrested more than 300 people during a raid at a Postville meat processing plant. The raid by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was the largest in Iowa history, Matt M. Dummermuth, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, said at a news conference. Dummermuth said the raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. plant in northeast Iowa came after months of planning, beginning in October 2007. Federal agents were helped by state and local police. Authorities said more than 300 workers were arrested on a variety of charges included fraudulent use of Social Security...

McCain says he would veto farm bill Published: May 2, 2008 at 9:11 PM DES MOINES, Iowa, May 2 (UPI) -- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told an audience of Iowans that if he were president, he would veto a farm subsidy bill now making its way through Congress. "I do not support it. I would veto it," McCain told the audience of about 250 people in Des Moines Thursday. "I would do that because I believe that these subsidies, the subsidies are unnecessary." The Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee later told The Des Moines Register in an interview, "At this...

JOHNSTON, Iowa -- Homecoming ceremonies will be held on Wednesday in Denison, Johnston and Sioux City for members of two Iowa Army National Guard units returning from Iraq.About 120 soldiers were mobilized from Company D, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry, based in Denison. Another 120 soldiers were mobilized from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 113th Calvary, based at Camp Dodge in Johnston and Sioux City. The guard said both units were mobilized last May. The soldiers left Iowa in June for additional training at Camp Shelby, Miss., before being sent to Iraq, where both units served in the Baghdad area.The homecoming for...

Iowa With the rapid expansion of ethanol and biodiesel production in Iowa, there are questions about possible uses for what remains after these alternative fuels leave the plant. So far, the use of ethanol by-products in animal feed has received most of the attention. But researchers at Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Services also are studying a biodiesel by-product in swine and poultry feed. Biodiesel often is made from soybean or vegetable oil, with crude glycerin the resulting by-product. This compound, which currently is used in such things as hand lotions, cosmetics and shampoo,...

U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-OH, blamed labor unions and partisan politics for a U.S. House vote this week rejecting an amendment that could have kept the Delta Queen riverboat from having to phase out its overnight cruise packages. The historic riverboat has been operating with a special Congressional exemption from the federal Safety at Sea Act since 1968, an exemption that has been renewed eight times. The safety act bans the use of wooden vessels for overnight cruises. Backers of the exemption claim the Delta Queen deserves special treatment because of its historical significance and recently upgraded fire-safety systems. With...

DETECTIVES: Chris Jenkins murder connects dozens around country Could there be a calculated, cross-country plot to kill young college men, including some in Minnesota? It seems a little hard to believe, but two New York detectives say, they can prove it. Now, they are revealing years of their evidence for the first time to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS... University of Minnesota college student Chris Jenkins was found in the Mississippi River in February of 2003. Minneapolis Police began investigating the case, which also caught the attention of two retired NYPD detectives. Turns out, Jenkins' death was the missing part of the...

Dramatic rescue from creek saves four children By Jeff Raasch and Erika Binegar and Erika Binegar jeff.raasch@gazettecommunications.com erika.binegar@gazettecommunications.com ANAMOSA — Along the shore of Buffalo Creek, Phillip Horak heard the screams of 2-year-old Tatum McGloghlin inside his car, upside down and almost fully under water. Just 4 miles from home on a winding gravel road, Horak had spotted a raccoon or a dog, jerked the wheel and was soon filled with regret. The two-door Honda, carrying his girlfriend, Holly Winders, and four toddlers spun off Buffalo Road and down an embankment. It flipped end-over-end, landing on its top in 5-foot-deep...

MARION – All of this cold weather is freezing the start of the gardening season. Now, outdoor fans are eager for a warm-up. "I'm 71-years-old and I've never seen spring come this late," Robert Ciesleck said. Ciesleck and his family look forward to gardening together every spring. This year, they're not sure when they're going to be able to get their hands dirty. "When it starts getting into mid-March and April, then things should change fast, but not this year," he said. On a typical Sunday afternoon, the Culver’s greenhouse would be packed with people, but the recent cold temperatures...

An Iowa district court ruling has changed the state's online voter registration forms. The decision upheld Iowa's English-only law that went into effect back in 2002. "The rule of law has been reaffirmed by the court," said United States Congressman Steve King. He spent years as an Iowa state senator spearheading the effort to pass the English Reaffirmation Act. It became law in 2002 and required official documents including voter registration forms to be in English-only. "Having a common language binds us together, the most powerful unifying force known throughout history," King said. King and other state leaders thought the...

A pizza delivery driver who shot an alleged armed robber in Des Moines last week said he's receiving support from the community. James Spiers III fired multiple shots at a man who allegedly put a gun to his head after Spiers delivered a pizza to an apartment complex. The suspect, Kenneth Jimmerson, was arrested after he called for help. Jimmerson, who suffered at least three gunshot wounds, is charged with first-degree robbery. His finance, Melanie Stout, who police believe called in the pizza order, is charged with conspiracy. Spiers, who works for Pizza Hut, has a valid handgun permit. He...

An Iowa state senator has vowed to stop buying Pizza Hut products if the chain fires a Des Moines delivery man who shot a teen who tried to rob him last week.

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Associated Press Thousands of pounds of venison donated to food pantries this year has become a contentious gift in three states. Officials in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa warn that the meat could be contaminated by lead from bullets. Hunting groups are calling it an overreaction. "It's alarmist and not supported by any science," said Lawrence Keane, a vice president and lawyer for the Newton, Conn.-based National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. "High quality protein is now taken out of the mouths of needy, hungry people." North Dakota health officials on Wednesday told...

Des Moines police say a pizza deliveryman, who shot a would-be robber, has a valid gun permit. Sergeant Vince Valdez says the incident unfolded last night on the city's south side. The pizza deliveryman, identified as 38-year-old James Spiers, was confronted by a man with a gun as he entered an apartment building. Valdez says Spiers has legal authority to carry a concealed weapon and used his gun to defend himself. The suspect in the case, 19-year-old Kenneth Jimmerson, is accused of placing a gun to Spiers' head and robbing him of cash. "But, Mr. Spiers reacted quickly, grabbed the...

I'm indebted to Hillary Clinton for the revelation that my global wanderings when my dad was president qualify me to run for the presidency myself. Mrs. Clinton has been insisting that her global junkets as first lady, and her meetings with foreign leaders, qualify her to be president of these United States. I never thought of it that way, but if she is correct then I am eminently qualified to follow my father's footsteps and take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., not merely as a member of the president's family, but as president in my own right. Hillary, who...

It's expected hundreds will attend the funeral services for the Sueppel Family, and it's likely there will be an outside presence there--for an entirely different reason. Westboro Baptist church--a controversial group based out of Topeka Kansas-- travels state to state protesting at high-profile funerals for their own cause. Now comes word the group plans to be outside the Sueppel services, when emotions will no doubt be running high. The religious group, led by Reverend Fred Phelps-- plans to be outside The Sueppel family funeral, simply because it's expected to be a large gathering.

Sheryl Sueppel and her four children suffered blunt-force trauma, and husband and father Steven Sueppel is probably their killer, officials said Tuesday at a press conference. Iowa City Police Chief Sam Hargadine said authorities' investigation "suggests Steven Sueppel was the perpetrator of the homicide." He was identified as the person who called to report the family's deaths around 6:30 a.m. March 24. Officials also said two baseball bats may have been involved. Still, authorities do not have a cause of death for any of the Sueppels, pending autopsies being performed Tuesday. Steven Sueppel tried to kill himself at least twice...

Salesman on train: How far you going, friend? Harold Hill: Wherever the people are as green as the money, friend. -- The Music Man, 1962 Among the many gaps in my knowledge is a broad unfamiliarity with Broadway musicals. So when Chris Matthews said that Bill Clinton would make a perfect Harold Hill in The Music Man, I scampered Googleward and discovered that the Hardball host had just called the former President of the United States . . . a con man. Appearing on today's Morning Joe, what set Matthews off was footage of Clinton making the case to a...

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Police said Monday that they found a woman and four children dead in an Iowa City home. Police confirm they received a 911 call telling them to go to 629 Barrington Road around 6:30 a.m. When they arrived officers found the door unlocked and five people dead inside. The Cedar Rapids Gazette is reporting that the home is owned by Steven F. Sueppel, a former executive at Hills Bank & Trust. Police said Sueppel was not in the home when they arrived and they are looking for him. Police have not yet confirmed if Sueppel is...

TOLEDO, Iowa - An Illinois man was arrested after police chased a stolen delivery van loaded with doughnuts across two Iowa counties at speeds of up to 100 mph. The van, owned by Donut Delite, of Moline, Ill., was stolen early Thursday while the driver was making deliveries at a hospital in nearby Rock Island. More than 100 miles later in Iowa, a Benton County sheriff's deputy spotted the van about 9:30 a.m. _ and the chase was on. Other officers joined in, and the chase stretched into Tama County. Authorities finally cornered the van in Toledo and arrested the...

Pachino Hill sentenced to probation, church By Ann McGlynn | Thursday, March 20, 2008   With a lengthy and violent criminal record to his name, Pachino Hill is going to church. Hill, 29, of Davenport was sentenced Wednesday by Scott County Associate Judge Christine Dalton to a counseling program offered by Third Missionary Baptist Church. She also ordered him to attend church there eight consecutive Sundays, to pay a fine and be on probation for one year. If he doesn’t comply, he faces up to two years in prison for eluding and driving while barred. The charges are the...

Are you a woman in the military whose marriage has ended? We'd like to talk to you for a possible story. Please call reporter Pam Louwagie at 612-673-7102 or e-mail plouwagie@startribune.com. Please leave your name and a telephone number where you can be reached.

Click on source URL to go to online newspaper poll: Should Barack Obama have denounced his former pastor because of his controversial racial remarks? Votes cast: 383

Sunday, March 16, 2008 6:18 AM CDT Time for Rep. King to go BEN SORIANO CEDAR FALLS --- U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, is an embarrassment to our country, and his remarks on Obama are a reflection of a fear-mongering politician who should not be allowed through re-election to shame the values upon which our country was founded. Maybe those of us interested in turning away from divisive politics should start an online donation drive to oppose his re-election. These days, small donors are having a huge impact on election races. It wouldn't take much to ensure that he no...

DES MOINES, Iowa - Democrat Barack Obama expanded his fragile lead in delegates over rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday, picking up at least seven delegates as Iowa activists took the next step in picking delegates to the national convention. Half the 14 delegates allocated to John Edwards on the basis of caucus night projections switched Saturday and Obama got most, if not all, of them. Iowa Democratic Party officials said that with more than 86 percent of the delegates picked, Obama claimed 52 percent of the delegates elected at county conventions on Saturday, compared to 32 percent for Clinton....

** EXCERPT ** If turning 100 doesn't win you the right to celebrate with busty waitresses in tight clothes, Iowa resident John Persinger can't imagine what does. The centenarian rang in his entry into the triple digits at Hooters on Wednesday, according to a report by The Des Moines Register. His late wife Vi wouldn't have objected, since she was a regular with him at Hooters, the infamous chain known for the cleavage it serves up with beer and buffalo wings. ~snip~ The 120-pound World War II veteran and retired diesel mechanic lives alone in a one-bedroom house, according to...

Pilgrim's Pride Corporation on Wednesday announced it will close a chicken processing complex and six of its 13 distribution centers in the United States. None of the impacted facilities are in Texas. Company officials said the action was in response to what they deemed a crisis facing the U.S. chicken industry from soaring feed-ingredient costs resulting from corn-based ethanol production."Our Company and industry are struggling to cope with unprecedented increases in feed-ingredient costs this year due largely to the U.S. government's ill-advised policy of providing generous federal subsidies to corn-based ethanol blenders," said Clint Rivers, president and chief executive officer....

Was Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King on the mark last week when he asserted Islamic terrorists would rejoice if Sen. Barack Obama becomes the next U.S. president? As a journalist and author who has conducted dozens of on-the-record interviews with Muslim terrorists, including with some of the most notorious Palestinian terror leaders, and who has documented many of those interviews in a recently released, 210-page book, "Schmoozing with Terrorists," I can answer the above question with a resounding "yes." Terrorists worldwide would indeed be emboldened by an Obama election victory not so much because of the senator's middle name –...

We recently witnessed, yet again, another case of firearm violence with the shooting deaths of five people on the Northern Illinois University campus. One of the most surprising things in the aftermath was an almost complete lack of discussion on the topic of gun control. The conversation that did occur centered mostly on keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable. Have we as a country given up on the notion of limiting access to firearms for the general population? Interestingly, in the Northern Illinois killings, even though the shooter had a shotgun, most of the shots were...

We have gotten VERY lucky here in little Mt. Vernon, Iowa! It has been announced by Cornell College (NOT to be confused with the large university located in the "City of Evil" Ithica, NY) that Mark Steyn will speak at Cornell College’s Kimmel Theatre on March 4 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Steyn appears as the second annual Roe Howard Freedom Lecture Series speaker. You can bet this is one event I WILL NOT miss, as I happen to live within fairly easy driving distance. Hooray!!

NEWTON(AP) — State officials say they will end a Bible-based treatment program at Newton prison that has been the subject of a five-year court battle. The Iowa Department of Corrections has notified Prison Fellowship Ministries in Virginia that the program, called the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, will end by mid-March, prison spokesman Fred Scaletta said in a copyright story in The Des Moines Register. Prison Fellowship sponsored a Christianity-based values program for inmates. It had a three-year state contract that ended in June. Prison officials had granted the organization a one-year extension with donations covering the expenses. A provision in the...

In Iowa, the site of Barack Obama’s first victory in 2008, the Democratic Presidential hopeful leads John McCain by just three percentage points in an early look at a possible general election match-up. It’s Obama 44% McCain 41%. While Obama has a very modest edge over McCain, the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the race also found McCain with a ten-point advantage over Hillary Clinton, 47% to 37%. These results mirror what has been seen in many other states polled recently by Rasmussen Reports--when matched against McCain, Obama typically outperforms Clinton. Nationally, Obama leads McCain and McCain leads Clinton....

A man who already has been caught and deported 14 times has been picked up in Colorado again on charges of human smuggling. Eagle County authorities arrested Israel Robles-Gaytan during a traffic stop on Interstate 70 in Eagle County Monday morning. with 13 people who didn't have proper immigration papers. The driver planned on delivering the twelve adult males to various locations that included Denver, Iowa, and Georgia...

Iowa lawmaker says hiding ethanol content would help sales The Associated Press - 02/15/2008 DES MOINES, Iowa -- An Iowa legislative leader has an idea for increasing use of ethanol -- don't tell motorists they're buying it. Senate President Jack Kibbie said a bill he introduced would improve sales by allowing stations to remove labels showing the fuel contains ethanol. The change would apply only to E10, which includes 10 percent ethanol. Stations would decide whether to remove the E10 stickers. Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, said E10 accounts for 73 percent of gasoline sales in Iowa, and that percentage hasn't changed...

Hunger pains — Wapello County leads the state in food assistance By MARK NEWMAN Courier staff writer OTTUMWA — Numbers rarely tell the whole story. But when it comes to the well-being of children, decision makers need something to go on. The Child and Family Policy Center, a not-for-profit agency based in Des Moines, recently issued its “Iowa Kids Count” report — information collected from every county in Iowa to show the trends affecting children, from infant deaths to high school graduation rates . “Currently, one in seven children in Iowa lives in poverty and one in three is eligible...

There was an outcry at the statehouse Wednesday from county sheriffs objecting to a bill they say would make it harder for them to deny permits to carry concealed weapons. The bill changes Iowa law to say the sheriff shall issue a permit except for a limited list of reasons, including felony convictions and drug addiction. If a permit's denied a written explanation would be required. Representative Clel Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, says there needs to be more consistency statewide in issuing the permits. Dubuque county Sheriff Kenneth Runde said that won't work. He said if he knows someone...

... Many Republicans think that, come what may, things will come out the way Providence intends. Daniel Webster said "miracles do not cluster," but Webster did not anticipate Mike Huckabee, whose campaign manager is, evidently, God. Two months ago, Huckabee said he rose in Iowa because of divine intervention (the power that propelled him there was not "human" but the one that fed the multitudes with two fish and five loaves). On Saturday, as he was winning the caucuses in Kansas, where many Republicans think Darwin should go back to Missouri where he came from, Huckabee said that the arithmetic...

A Muslim imam's opening-day prayer at the Iowa Legislature has sparked controversy over statements he made. They're statements that at least one northwest Iowa lawmaker says are like a "terrorist call" to harm Americans. It's a ritual Iowa state representatives follow every morning the convene in Des Moines. A daily prayer. But, it's this prayer that's caused some concern at the capitol. "I can't sit here while jihadist statements are made from the rostrum of the people's House of Iowa," said Rep. Gary Worthan, (R) Storm Lake. Worthan said he was angered by one specific line in the prayer offered...

Knowing that bringing such a prominent conservative figure to liberal Iowa City would spark controversy, the UI Lecture Committee withheld its announcement that Karl Rove will speak on campus about his years as the "architect" of the Bush administration until Thursday. Rove is set to visit the UI campus on Feb. 17 for an on-stageinterview with UI journalism Associate Professor Frank Durham. The lecture, "Reflections from the Architect," is part of the 2007-08 UI Lecture Series and will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 in the IMU Main Lounge. The onstage interview will be followed by an audience...

DES MOINES, Iowa - A state lawmaker who served in Iraq wants to ban U.S. or Iowa flags that are made in other countries. Rep. Ray Zirkelbach, D-Monticello, said he would introduce a bill that would prohibit the sale of foreign-made flags in Iowa. "I personally don't want my coffin draped in a Chinese-made flag when I pass away," Zirkelbach said. Under the proposal, business owners an operators could face fines of up to $625 if they sell a flag made in another country. They also could face up to 30 days in jail. The measure also would apply to...

The cultural traditions and values of American society originate from the Judeo-Christian heritage of our Founding Fathers. They pledged allegiance to “one nation under God,” with the Creator as the source of our inalienable civil rights and liberties. In that spirit, Congressional invocations by clergy are a time-honored ritual from the birth of the American republic to the present. Public recognition and celebrations of the role of religion in helping establish our precious freedoms have also long been part of American public life. But now, those traditions are under attack from militant Islamists who have, under the guise of political...

Des Moines, IA, January 31, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief at the Iowa Supreme Court, in a case that will ultimately either protect or destroy the definition of marriage in Iowa. The sex-sex "marriage" issue hit Iowa in August 2007, when an Iowa judge decided in favor of a number of homosexual couples who had sued to overturn a state ban on marriage. At various times in 2004 and 2005 six homosexual couples applied for marriage certificates to the Polk County Recorder and Polk County Registrar, Timothy Brien. Brien denied their applications for marriage on the basis...

A Minnesota National Guardsman is suing his wife and her boyfriend here, saying they drove him deep into debt while he was deployed in Iraq. Kimberly Scullen, 26, of Swisher, used power of attorney privileges to spend nearly all of Andrew F. Scullen's active duty pay while he was overseas, according to the petition filed on behalf of Scullen, 37, of Hastings, Minn., in Johnson County District Court. Andrew Scullen says in the suit Kimberly Scullen used the money for trips, luxuries and cash payments to her boyfriend, Nicholas Hale. Andrew Kimberly also bought a car and property in his...

Weary of Southern Baptists' dominance in American Protestantism, a new push is starting by other Baptist groups aimed at working on social justice issues, and showing their religious tradition is broader than the conservative SBC. Former President Jimmy Carter is leading the effort.[snip] Yet the biggest Baptist names at the event are prominent Democrats. Along with Carter, major speakers include former Vice President Al Gore and former President Bill Clinton, who has played a leading and provocative role in the presidential race of his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa will also address the meeting....

It hasn’t generated a lot of headlines, but in the world of religion and politics, it’s a pretty big deal. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, recently asked six high-profile, hyper-wealthy Pentecostal televangelists for their financial records, under the suspicion that they’re using their ministries for personal gain. (Imagine that.) Not surprisingly, most of the televangelists’ ministries have been loath to cooperate with the inquiry. One in particular is pledging a holy war. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has gone after more than a few iconic nonprofits during his tenure atop the Finance Committee, including...

CHICAGO — Corn usage remains strong despite the highest futures prices since 1996, and analysts are dubious whether the old market adage that "high prices will cure high prices," will occur in the near term. Chicago Board of Trade corn futures have recently rallied to over $5 per bushel on ideas that 2008 corn acreage will need to remain at high levels to supply enough of the grain to domestic and international customers, and in an effort to ration demand. One segment of corn demand that shows no signs of slowing despite high prices is exports. ... Last spring, U.S....

Imam offers prayer at Iowa Statehouse asking Allah for "victory over those who disbelieve" And some of those in attendance were not sufficiently browbeaten by political correctness to fail to notice that that meant victory over them. "Muslim opening prayer at Iowa Statehouse raises concerns," by Erin Ballou for the Storm Lake Pilot Tribune (thanks to Bryan Preston): The Iowa Legislature started just over a week ago and some people were upset before the first issue was every addressed. When the session began, a Muslim Imam began the prayer in the Iowa Legislature. This is where the controversy begins. The...

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Cedar Rapids police officer will never wear a law enforcement uniform anywhere again, according to an agreement between the officer and the government. The agreement is part of a guilty plea Kevin Sims, 36, made to a federal misdemeanor charge Friday in U.S. District Court. He admitted that while he was on duty as a police officer, he intentionally denied a citizen of rights provided by the Constitution when they had consensual sexual relations following a traffic stop. Sims admitted he was a patrol officer in spring 2004 when he stopped at a bar about 1...

Mike Huckabee tried his best to expand beyond his evangelical base in South Carolina and appeal to what his campaign called "Joe Six Pack" voters. Mr. Huckabee was the only candidate to pander to devotees of the Confederate flag, telling crowds that outsiders should leave the banner flag, now displayed in a corner of the grounds of the state capitol, alone: "If somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell 'em what to do with the pole, that's what we'd do." Contrast that with the comments of Mr. Huckabee's fellow Southerner Fred Thompson:...

Mike Huckabee has pulled a neat trick.His appeal so far has been limited exclusively to evangelicals, yet the press has taken him seriously as a new populist force in the Republican Party who could at any moment "break out" to appeal to_lower-income voters. Who knew a candidate of Christian identity politics would be afforded such respect? But Huckabee has managed it, which is one reason why he should open a strategic-communications firm the day after he leaves the presidential race. The ability to gull analysts into making so much from so little is a rare and potentially lucrative talent. Huckabee...