The Tim Daugherty (Jazz) Group performed last night to a full house at Campbell Steele Gallery in Marion, Iowa.

The group played original and contemporary jazz music as Tim Daugherty celebrated his final day of Master’s Degree finals at the University of Iowa (UI). In fulfillment of Tim’s master’s project, he wrote a musical score which Tim Daugherty Group recorded.  This CD, called “River of Life”,  which commemorates the flood in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, will be released in June 2010.

Performing with Tim (piano/vocal) were Nathan Bogert (saxophone), Cassius Goens (drums), and Jared Fowler (bass), all fellow graduate students at the UI. You can see them perform next Saturday night, May 22, at the Gatherings, and also at the Jazz Festival in Iowa City on the 4th of July weekend, and at Jazz Under the Stars in August at Noelridge Park in Cedar Rapids.

From the Iowa Department of Public Safety:

Pleasant Hill, IOWA — Today Sergeant Daniel Herbert Edwards, 42, of the Pleasant Hill Police Department turned himself in to the Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa State Patrol. Edwards has been charged with Burglary 3rd, a class D Felony. Earlier this week, Edwards was also charged with Operating While Intoxicated, First Offense, a serious misdemeanor. These charges stem from an investigation that was initiated after Sergeant Edwards was seen driving his patrol car erratically along U.S. 65 in Pleasant Hill before finally crashing the vehicle.

At approximately 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, 2010, Sergeant Edwards drove his Pleasant Hill Patrol car through the ditch along the on ramp to the US 65 by-pass from University Avenue. His erratic driving continued along U.S. 65 until Sergeant Edwards struck another vehicle and collided with the center concrete barrier. The vehicle hit by Sergeant Edwards received minor damage. Sergeant Edwards then drove into the ditch, his patrol car coming to rest against a fence.

Law enforcement and emergency medical personnel were called to the scene. Sergeant Edwards was transported by air ambulance to Iowa Methodist Medical Center hospital in Des Moines where he was treated for injuries.

During the initial investigation an Iowa State Patrol Trooper found Sergeant Edwards in possession of methamphetamine. Late on the evening of April 1, 2010, Sergeant Edwards was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, a simple misdemeanor.

The Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa State Patrol and the Division of Narcotics Enforcement continue to investigate.

Name:	Richard Trask
Age At Report:	29
Age Now:	29
Weight:	190 lbs.
Height:	5’08″
Race:	White
Hair:	Brown
Eyes:	Hazel
Sex:	Male
Incident Type:	Other adult missing
Richard Trask was reported missing to the Marion PD, in Marion on May 11, 2010.

FINAL WRITETHRU:

By Source Media Group

The nine Iowa City-area Vangent employees accused of illegally accessing President Obama’s student loan records were all fired last year, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.
Eileen Cassidy Rivera of the Arlington, Va.-based Vangent said the nine workers, not the company, were the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education, and that Vangent cooperated fully with the investigation.
Vangent officials, she added, do not believe the violation of company security policies was politically motivated.
The nine face federal charges of exceeding authorized computer access. A federal grand jury returned the indictments, which were unsealed Wednesday.
The nine are to be arraigned at 2 p.m. Monday May 24 in federal court in Davenport. The charge is punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
Vangent is a call center, located at 2450 Oakdale Blvd. in Coralville. handling incoming calls for various agencies, including financial aid applications for the U.S. Department of Education. The forms contain confidential financial and family information. They do not ask the applicant’s place of birth — a point that Obama “birthers” pursue — but only if the applicant is a citizen and has lived in the United States for five years.
Federal authorities have not said why the nine sought access to the president’s student loan records or if the information was used in any way. Rivera also declined to comment on why they accessed the records.
“We do not know the intentions of the former employees,” Rivera said. “However, no evidence of misuse of the data by the former employees was found.”
She said Vangent has worked with the Department of Education for 30 years and that the Coralville office’s contract with the agency remains active.
The student loan records were accessed between July 2007 and March 2009, when Obama was either a presidential candidate, the president-elect or the president, authorities said.
The White House declined to comment Thursday.
Catherine Grant, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Department of Education, said officials can’t comment or offer more details about ongoing investigations.
Those charged are Andrew J. Lage, 54, Patrick E. Roan, 51, Sandra Teague, 54, and Mercedes Costoyas, 53, all of Iowa City; Gary Grenell, 58, and Lisa Torney, 49, both of Coralville; Anna Anne C. Rhodes, 32, of Ainsworth Iowa City; Julie L. Kline, 38, of West Branch; and John P. Phommivong, 29, of North Liberty.
Grenell and his wife are now missionaries in Tanzania, his neighbor, Linda Fisher, said on Thursday.
Voting records show that four of those indicted are registered as Democrats, two are registered as Republicans and three are not registered to vote in Johnson County. The two registered as Republicans are Torney and Grenell. Those registered as Democrats are Phommivong, Roan, Lage and Kline.
Teague on Wednesday evening said she never accessed Obama’s student loan records. She said she had seven ID numbers for different Vangent databases — IDs that changed every 30 days — and that she wrote the numbers on a sticky note she kept in her desk drawer.
She said she was interviewed by Department of Education and Office of Inspector General agents who suggested a better place for her to keep her ID numbers. She thought the matter was resolved, but said she was fired “for cause” in 2008. She said she was not told what the cause was.
The company’s other former employees either could not be reached or declined to comment on Thursday.
Reporters Diane Heldt, James Q. Lynch and Justin Foss and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

—————–

Update 3:15 p.m. by Trish Mehaffey

Patrick Roan and Anna Anne Rhodes are the only indicted former Vangent employees with any criminal history, according to Iowa Courts Online. Roan was convicted of misdemeanor trespassing in 1993 and Rhodes was convicted of compulsory education violation in 1999. Both served no jail time, only paid fines.

Update at 2:35 p.m. Thursday by Diane Heldt

Catherine Grant, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Department of Education, said officials can’t comment or offer more details about ongoing investigations, which this case is. She said once investigations are completed, officials will provide more information. She didn’t know when that might be.

Update at 11:30 a.m. Thursday by Diane Heldt

In a follow-up e-mail, Vangent spokeswoman Eileen Cassidy Rivera said the investigation was initiated by the U.S. Department of Education, and Vangent fully cooperated with the investigation. Rivera said Vangent officials do not believe the violation of company security policies was politically motivated.

Update 11:24 a.m. Thursday by Trish Mehaffey

I’ve called Lisa Torney and Mercedes Costoyas and left messages for comments.

I sent emails to Andrew Lage, Anna Anne Rhodes. I’ve looked for others on Facebook but they weren’t listed.

UPDATE at 11:10 a.m. Thursday by Diane Heldt

A Vangent company spokeswoman based in Arlington, Va., in a statement today said the nine employees, not Vangent, were the subject of the investigation.

The statement from Eileen Cassidy Rivera, vice president of communications and investor relations, said “An investigation identified a number of Vangent employees, among others, who inappropriately accessed student loan records.  The Vangent employees violated Vangent’s security policies and were promptly terminated from the company in June 2009.  Vangent was not the subject of the investigation.”

Voting records from the Johnson County Auditor’s office show that four of those indicted are registered as Democrats, and two are registered as Republicans. Three of those indicted — Anna C. Rhodes, 32; Mercedes Costoyas, 53; and Sandra Teague, 54 – were not registered to vote in Johnson County.

The six who were registered all voted in the 2008 general election. Those registered as Democrats are: John P. Phommivong, 29; Patrick E. Roan, 51; Andrew J. Lage, 54; and Julie L. Kline, 38, who was registered in Cedar County.  The two registered as Republicans are Lisa L. Torney, 49, and Gary N. Grenell, 58.

UPDATE at 9 p.m. Wednesday by Justin Foss/Sourcemedia Group

DAVENPORT — Nine Iowa City-area people face federal charges, accused of accessing the student loan records of President Barack Obama while he was a presidential candidate, the president-elect or the president.

One of the women named in the indictment says she didn’t do it.

“I don’t know what the others did, but I know that I did not do it,” Sandra Teague, 54, of Iowa City, said last night.

The indictments were unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Davenport.

Accused are Teague; Andrew J. Lage, 54; Patrick E. Roan, 51; John P. Phommivong, 29; Anna Anne C. Rhodes, 32; Gary Grenell, 58; Lisa Torney, 49; Julie L. Kline, 38; and Mercedes Costoyas, 53. No addresses were given, but online databases show all are living in the Iowa City-Coralville area. They are to be arraigned at 2 p.m. May 24 in Davenport.

The government said in a news release that the nine worked at a Department of Education contractor in Coralville, which it did not identify, when the offenses took place.

Teague said she and four others named in the indictment had worked at Vangent, 2450 Oakdale Blvd. She did not know about the other four.

Vangent contracts to handle incoming calls for a variety of agencies, including calls on federal student aid for the U.S. Department of Education and calls regarding Medicare and Medicaid for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The nine are charged with exceeding authorized computer access at some time between July 26, 2007, and March 13, 2009. If convicted, they each face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Teague said she worked for Vangent for 10 years before she was dismissed “with cause” in, she recalls, August 2008 and walked from the building by company officials.

“The company never told me the reason I was dismissed,” said Teague, who is enrolled in classes at the University of Iowa.

Teague said she found out Wednesday that a grand jury had returned an indictment against her for looking up the federal student loan records of Obama when he was a candidate for president.

“All of it was a shock to begin with because I knew I had not done that,” Teague said. “I knew that something had occurred and that there was a breach of security.”

While working at Vangent, Teague said, she helped people complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form.

Teague said in order to do her job, she had different ID numbers for each database and different IDs for different versions of the same database. The ID numbers would change every 30 days, she said.

“I had seven different numbers, and I couldn’t remember them all, all the time,” she said.

She said she wrote the ID numbers on a sticky note and attached it to the inside of her desk drawer.

“It was assumed that the building had better controlled access, but it turns out it wasn’t,” she said.

Teague said she was questioned about the record breach by special agents for the Department of Education and Office of the Inspector General. After the interview, Teague said, an agent suggested a better place to keep her ID numbers.

Teague said she thought at the time the matter was resolved. What gave her the most relief, she added, was that the agent told her she wasn’t checked into the building when computers indicate Obama’s loan records were accessed.

Teague said she only found out Obama had federal student loans after someone mentioned it at a department meeting.  Teague said she was planning her wedding at the time the records were accessed and didn’t have any reason to look up Obama’s records.

“I didn’t even pay attention to the election,” she said. “I didn’t have time.”

A spokesman with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa declined to comment. Vangent officials could not be reached last night.

Update at 7:55 p.m. by Justin Foss / Sourcemedia Group

—————–

THE PRESS RELEASE:

DAVENPORT – U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt announced today that the federal grand jury in Davenport has returned indictments charging nine individuals with accessing the student loan records of President Obama without authorization.

Specifically, the indictments allege that at various times during the period running from July 26, 2007, through March 13, 2009, the defendants, while employed by a contractor for the U.S. Department of
Education, intentionally exceeded authorized access to a computer, and thereby obtained information from a department and agency of the United States.

In this case, the defendants are alleged to have accessed the student loan records of the President of the United States, without authorization, either while he was President, President-elect or a candidate for the Presidency. This would be a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1030(a)(2)(B) and 1030(c)(2)(A).

If convicted, each defendant faces up to one year in prison, a fine of not more than $100,000, or both.

Arraignments in federal court in Davenport are scheduled for Monday, May 24, 2010, at 2:00 pm.

The nine defendants listed below were all employees of a Department of Education contractor in Coralville, Iowa, at the time of these alleged offenses:

Andrew J. Lage, 54
Patrick E. Roan, 51
Sandra Teague, 54
John P. Phommivong, 29
Anna Anne C. Rhodes, 32
Gary N. Grenell, 58
Lisa Torney, 49
Julie L. Kline, 38
Mercedes Costoyas, 53

U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt reminds the public that each charge is merely an accusation, and that each defendant is presumed innocent of each and every charge until and unless proven guilty.

This case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. The case has been investigated by the Department of Education, Office of Inspector General.

Roger Munns, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Human Services, released the following today in the child welfare case of Antwuan Williams Jr., who died in 2008:

The prosecutor has given us clearance to release our case files on the
Antwuan Williams tragedy. The attached is a Word version of the note
below.

Here are the four reports:

* In September 2006, there was a report of physical abuse to
Zairah, aged three months, who was immediately removed to the care of a
relative. The initial report was “not confirmed” pending further medical
tests. In December, the report was changed to “founded” with the parents
as perpetrators. The following June twins Antwuan and Au’Qusia were
born. Shortly thereafter the parents passed a lie detector test
administered by law enforcement regarding injuries to Zairah. As a
result, the assessment was changed to “founded, unknown perpetrator.”
Extensive services and counseling were ordered for the family, with the
intention to reunite Zairah if possible.

* In April of 2007, there was a report that the original abuse of
Zairah was committed by a relative. An assessment was conducted but
there was no credible evidence to support the allegation, and the report
was unfounded.

* In July of 2007, there was an allegation of neglect by the
parents because of marijuana use. The parents admitted to using the drug
at the time of the complaint but they proved that the children were not
at risk because the children were being cared for by relatives. The
report was unfounded. The parents agreed to take numerous drug tests
thereafter. All tests were clean.

* In February of 2008, not long after Zairah was reunified with
her family, there was a report of physical abuse on one of the twins,
Antwuan Jr. who died. Both parents were founded for abuse on all three
children. Both parents have entered Alford pleas (conceding that
prosecutors had enough evidence to convict) and are now in prison for
causing the death.

DHS workers and administrators, contracted social service agencies
serving this family, foster parents, court officials, health
professionals, and others have met often in the past two years regarding
this tragic case.

They have emerged from those meetings with deep frustration. They mourn
for the child. They also have compassion for the many professionals who
followed best practice in child welfare and who had every reason to
expect a positive outcome.

As they review these records they have asked the same question that many
want to know – could this have been prevented? In one of the early
court hearings, Judge Stephen Clarke said the death was the result of
parents deliberately deceiving the child welfare system. We don’t have
a better explanation.

The record shows there were doubts about the Williams’ ability to
parent, but it also shows that caseworkers and case managers performed
exemplary due diligence and “trust but verify” techniques throughout the
case.

In addition to the internal investigation, Governor Culver ordered the
department to engage an independent review of the child welfare system
as a whole. The review by the National Resource Center on Child
Protective Services concluded that Iowa’s system is exemplary in most
regards. The review recommended training to help workers sharpen their
knowledge about risk versus safety. That training has been completed.

Also as a result of this case, additional training was provided for
non-governmental social workers, and resources were approved for a child
protective center in Waterloo. That center is set to open next month and
will join five others across the state.

The Williams family was under constant watch and counseling from late
2006 through 2007 as they participated in services designed to reunite
them with their daughter.

Social workers for Mid Iowa Family Therapy, a contracted agency, made
dozens of announced and unannounced visits during this time. One worker
for Mid Iowa Family Therapy was in the home 38 times, and another
supervised 49 visits between Zairah and her parents. DHS case managers
visited frequently. It was commonly observed that the parents exhibited
appropriate care for the children, and that the children did not show
pain or fear.

The couple received mental health counseling and pastoral counseling.
Health professionals saw the children regularly for routine visits and
immunizations, but there were no alarms. Records show that Ziarah had
12 visits to health care providers: Antwuan Jr. had four visits for
checkups and immunizations. His twin sister Au’Qusia had five visits for
checkups and immunizations. A trial home visit for Zairah was deemed a
success in late 2007. The family, including the twins and Zairah, were
all in court on January 3, 2008, during which the court approved
reunification.

Weeks later, despite all that preparation and observation, tragedy
occurred.

The standard for the DHS to recommend removal, and for the court to
approve, is imminent danger of harm. The DHS recommends removal hundreds
of times a year, and the agency also recommends termination of parental
rights hundreds of times when reunification is too dangerous. Every year
in Iowa parental rights for about 1,000 children are severed, clearing
the way for adoption. The evidence in the Williams case did not rise to
the threshold of imminent danger.

Social work administrators know that when a case ends in tragedy, there
is a natural inclination by all the stakeholders in the child welfare
system to over-react and to intrude unnecessarily in future cases.
Such a reaction would be unfair to other fragile families.

Perhaps former Director Kevin Concannon put it best. In an op ed piece
talking about the Williams case, he explained Iowa’s child welfare
system has improved safety, has kept families together when possible,
and has engaged families while insisting on results.

He then said, “When I tell you that our system is working, that does not
mean it is without risk. Our job is to evaluate risk dispassionately.”

Every social worker, he said, knows that unpredictable factors can ruin
the outcome in any case, even those managed in the best methods.

Storm Damage at the Dubuque Airport (Photo Courtesy of the Dubuque Airport)

Storm Damage at the Dubuque Airport (Photo Courtesy of the Dubuque Airport)

Storm Damage at the Dubuque Airport (Photo Courtesy of the Dubuque Airport)

Storm Damage at the Dubuque Airport (Photo Courtesy of the Dubuque Airport)

Storm Damage at the Dubuque Airport (Photo Courtesy of the Dubuque Airport)

Release from Airport

Earlier this afternoon, a severe thunderstorm damaged multiple hangars at the Dubuque Regional Airport. Dubuque Airport Operations and Maintenance Supervisor, Todd Dalsing stated approximately 13 – 15 aircraft were damaged. Dubuque and Key West Fire Departments are securing the scene at this time.

Two crews are on their way to the scene. Check back later for pictures and video.

Release from Iowa DNR

RAPID SPREADING DISEASE PROMPTS CLOSURE OF CAVES WHERE BATS HIBERNATE

DES MOINES – State natural resources officials are closing state-owned caves that bats use for hibernation to help slow a disease known as white-nose syndrome that is killing bats across the eastern half of the United States and now has surfaced in Missouri. In Iowa, those caves are primarily found in the northeast and far southeast counties.

Daryl Howell, an environmental specialist with the DNR’s land and waters bureau, said the DNR will be closing caves that could likely serve as a bat roost for hibernation, like those found at Maquoketa Caves State Park, Starr’s Cave, near Burlington, and Searryl’s Cave in Jones County starting Monday, May 3rd. Caves closed to the public will be posted with a sign

The closure of caves follows recommendations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to the rapid spread of white-nose syndrome into the Midwest. State-owned caves have already been closed in Indiana and Illinois.

“We are reluctant to do this because one of our primary goals is to encourage Iowa citizens to explore the outdoors, but we also recognize that we have a responsibility to protect natural resources,” said DNR Director Richard Leopold.

For privately-owned caves known to have hibernating bat populations, Howell said the DNR is recommending that cave owners close their caves as well.

“We don’t know a lot about this disease or how it is transported, but are taking precautions to help slow the spread,” said Daryl Howell. “The disease is transmitted bat to bat, but it is also likely transported to sites inadvertently by people carrying it in on their clothing or in the mud on their shoes.”

White-nose bat disease was first found in the northeast U.S. in 2006 and has killed an estimated 1 million cave-hibernating bats since. It was confirmed in Missouri, near St. Louis, last week.

Iowa is home to nine bat species and of those only four roost in caves: Big Brown, Little Brown, Long Eared and Eastern Pipistrelle, with Big Brown being the most common. Bats are a major predator of flying insects, a good portion of which are garden and agriculture pests. Plus, they eat mosquitoes. While bats will not control insects completely, they do help to keep the insect population in check.

Hibernation season in Iowa is roughly from October into March and about 2,000 bats will hibernate in Iowa each year.

“We don’t have a large hibernating bat population, like Missouri. In Iowa, we have 35 caves where hibernation occurs – large and small – that host an estimated 2,000 bats, in a given year,” Howell said. “In the spring, our caves can serve as a stopping point for migrating bats.”

How long white-nose syndrome remains a threat in a particular cave has not yet been determined.

“At this point, we have a lot more unknowns than we have knowns. There is a lot of research in progress that will help us to understand where the fungus came from and how long an infected cave will be infected. But we just don’t have a lot of information right now,” Howell said.

“If we can slow the spread of white-nose, it may give us the time needed to answer questions about the best management practices that will save bat populations,” Howell added.

MARION — Top Republicans predicted Thursday their party will unify behind gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad and the GOP ticket once it becomes clear what competing ideologies are at stake in Iowa’s Nov. 2 general election.

Gov. Terry Branstad

GOP winners in Tuesday’s primary — Branstad for governor,  Brenna Findley for attorney general and Ag Secretary Bill Northey  – stressed the need for unity in a “road to victory tour” at Branstad’s northeast Iowa campaign headquarters in Marion June 10.

Branstad, who has made that tour en route to four terms as governor in the 1980s and 1990s, called the Republican “Iowa team” – including Auditor David Vaudt, Matt Schultz for secretary of state and Dave Jamison for treasurer — the strongest slate of statewide candidates he’s seen.

“These are hardworking caring people who will really represent you, the taxpayers of Iowa,” Branstad told a crowd that was twice as large as the one he spoke to in Marion the day before the primary. “I really believe this is the year it can happen.”

The GOP’s statewide tour might have been called the “road to unity tour” given the hard-fought primary battle Branstad faced for the gubernatorial nomination. Earlier Thursday, Steve Scheffler, one of the party’s two national committee members and leader of the Iowa Christian Alliance, said any party divisions are “going to heal pretty quickly.” He expects some conservative groups, like the Iowa Family Policy Center, that pledged to sit out the fall election if Branstad was the GOP nominee, to reconsider “because the alternative is unthinkable” to have Democratic Gov. Chet Culver win another four-year term.

“This is our candidate and he is 100 percent better than what the alternative is,” Scheffler said.

Longtime Linn County GOP activist Steve West of Hiawatha seconded that idea.

“I hope the party gets it together and makes this a big tent,” West said. “We’re the third largest party in Iowa – behind independents and Democrats. So we need all the Republicans, as many independents as possible and even a few conservative Democrats if we’re going to win.”

Branstad wants to meet with chief rival Bob Vander Plaats to bridge differences that emerged during the primary-election cycle, and GOP state Chairman Matt Strawn said he expected Republicans to close ranks quickly to focus on attracting independents and dissatisfied Democrats.

Also Thursday, Branstad unveiled a new television commercial touting his leadership skills in his previous stint as Iowa’s governor from 1983 to 1999.

“There’s something to be said for longevity,” Montijo Fink of Hiawatha said, adding that Branstad’s “track record and experience” make him the better candidate.

Branstad’s promise to take advice on budget issues from Auditor Vaudt and veto any legislation that circumvents state law limiting spending to 99 percent of revenues made sense to Tony Schmidt of Hiawatha.

“We need a change,” he said. Overspending by Culver and the Democratic-controlled Legislature has motivated him to be more active in this campaign than in the past. “I’ve donated money and made some phone calls.”

His wife, Nancy, has been a regular at the Branstad phone bank in large part because of Branstad’s pledge to lift educational achievement.

“We have seven kids together, so we see it at school,” she said. “When the funding is being cut and teachers are losing their jobs, there isn’t as much for them to do.”

Branstad called for returning to his administration’s practice of “rewarding performance, rewarding good teachers and good schools. We need to have the courage to change those that aren’t getting the job done for our students.”