DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A wounded man showed up at the hospital shortly after a shooting was reported near NorthPark Mall in Davenport. WQAD-TV reports investigators said several minutes after they were called to the scene, a 24-year-old man arrived at the hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The investigation continues.
WILTON, IA (IRN) – A smelly manufacturer is frustrating residents of an eastern Iowa city and has prompted officials to warn of possible fines. The Muscatine Journal reports residents of Wilton began complaining about odors from the Vitalix plant soon after the livestock feed and supplement manufacturer began operations in 2013. Those complaints lessened but have spiked again recently.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Terry Branstad outlined $110 million in current-year budget cuts Tuesday, including $34 million from higher education and $20.3 million from the Department of Human Services. The Des Moines Register reports the cuts are forced by lower than expected revenue returns. Branstad says the budget prioritizes education, health care, economic development and public safety. But Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, called the budget “a mess.”
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – In more state budget news, Governor Branstad says he wants to cut all family planning funding that goes to Planned Parenthood and create a new state program to distribute the money. KCCI-TV reports Republicans are confident the bill will pass. Planned Parenthood says the scenario will devastate tens of thousands of Iowans.
IOWA (IRN) – A new list shows Iowa is the second-worst state in the country for animal protection laws, followed only by Kentucky. WHO-TV reports the Animal Legal Defense Fund released a report saying Iowa has a long way to go to strengthen these laws. The report lists 11 areas that need improvement. The organization believes animal protection is a bipartisan issue.
VENTURA, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa woman accused of stealing from a breast cancer charity has been given a five-year suspended prison sentence. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that 51-year-old Leanne Hicks, of Ventura, was ordered to pay nearly $3,500 restitution to Buddies for Boobies. Authorities say Hicks stole that amount during the 19 months she served as the nonprofit group’s president.