CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – After months of meetings and deliberation the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has made it’s decision on a Cedar Rapids casino. KCII Radio reports the IRGC voted down all three proposals for gambling licenses in Linn County at Thursday’s meeting in Dubuque. The Riverside Casino & Golf Resort anticipated that 250 jobs could be lost at the local casino if a Cedar Rapids competitor opened.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Koch (COKE) Industries is backing Meredith’s third attempt at a merger with Time Inc., according to the New York Times. Charles and David Koch have agreed to back Meredith’s purchase offer with an equity injection of more than $500 million. The brothers oversee Koch Industries, a conglomerate of manufacturing, oil and gas, and other business ventures. Time Inc. is the publisher of Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune and People, among other magazines. Des Moines-based Meredith publishes Parents, Family Circle and Better Homes & Gardens.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The U.S. Marshals Service says scammers are posing as marshals and others in law enforcement in Iowa. Scammers call to try to collect a fine for failing to report for jury duty, but they say you can avoid arrest by paying a fine over the phone with a prepaid debit or gift card. The scammers even provide badge numbers and names of actual judges and mask their phone number, so they appear to be calling from a legitimate government agency. The Marshals Service says they would never ask for banking information over the phone.
DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – The Davenport man who shot and killed his parents was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday. WQAD-TV reports Sean Freese was found guilty in the shooting deaths of Kevin and Donna Freese. Prosecutors said he was fed up with their rules, and used an AR-15 they had bought him as a gift to kill them in their sleep. Just hours after the murders, Freese told a friend he had gotten into an argument with his parents and “just snapped.”
WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – West Des Moines is paying $450,000 in a settlement for arresting an innocent man and holding him in jail for nearly two weeks, according to WHO-TV. Matthew Rodrigues was at a party when police arrested him for sexual assault, because he matched the description of the assailant. Police later arrested Salvador Pineda for the assault. Rodrigues says the only thing he and Pineda have in common is the color of their skin. Police deny any wrongdoing.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Texas Senator Ted Cruz sent a letter to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds telling her he’s holding up Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey’s nomination to a top federal agriculture post. Cruz says his opposition is because Northey supports the renewable fuel standard that helps farmers, while Cruz does not. Cruz is a supporter of the oil industry.
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Four soldiers met in Cedar Rapids for the first time since they served together in Viet Nam 49 years ago, according to KCRG-TV. One of the men, Andrew Moyer, says “it’s really great to be together… a lot of has changed… we’re not in our 20’s anymore, but we’re truly a band of brothers.”