NEWS BRIEFS: Toxic blue-green algae blooms; Iowa justices; state budget; more

Officials warn of blue-green algae blooms

DES MOINES (AP) ? The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says residents should be on the lookout for toxic blue-green algae blooms as the weather rapidly turns warm in the coming days.

Sun Valley Lake, a private lake in Taylor County, reported a small fish kill on Saturday in an area of the lake that appeared to have a blue-green algae bloom. The algae can deplete oxygen making fish vulnerable.

Officials says the lake will be sampled for microcystin, a toxic product of blue-green algae.

Officials also warn that people and pets should not be in contact contaminated by or that appears to be contaminated with blue-green algae.

Skin contact with microcystin can cause irrigation and rashes. Drinking toxin-tainted water can cause vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory failure and, rarely, death.

Three new Iowa justices take oath of office

DES MOINES (AP) ? The Iowa Supreme Court has three new justices.

Gov. Terry Branstad on Friday administered the oath to Justices Thomas Waterman, Edward Mansfield and Bruce Zager during a ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol.

Branstad appointed them to the court earlier this year to fill vacancies created when three justices were voted off the seven-member bench last fall for their role in a unanimous 2009 decision that legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.

Before their appointments, Waterman was in private practice in Davenport, Mansfield was a justice on the Iowa Court of Appeals and Zager was a district court judge.

Stalemate over Iowa state budget hardening

DES MOINES (AP) ? The Statehouse budget dispute is hardening with both parties trying to build support for their positions rather than bargaining for a compromise.

Republican Gov. Terry Branstad today says he?d begin a 43-city tour to build public support for a deal he reached with House GOP leaders. He says that?s the best way to convince Democrats to agree to his position.

Branstad is arguing for an overall budget of less than $6 billion. Democrats want to spend more on schools.

The state is expected to end the fiscal year with about $1 billion in reserves, and Democrats plan to hold hearing this week where officials will testify about the impact of the budget cuts backed by Branstad.

A House committee is expected to approve a Republican-backed budget today.

Music Man Square reaches fundraising goal

MASON CITY (AP) ? The Music Man Square in Mason City has received $900,000 in private contributions, assuring it will receive another $2.9 million from the Meredith and Rosemary Willson Charitable Foundation.

The foundation offered to donate $900,000, or half of what was left on the Music Man Square mortgage, but only if there was a $900,000 match. The deadline was June 1 and the Globe Gazette reported Friday that the goal had been reached.

David Vikturek, the chief executive officer of the Mason City Foundation, which operates the Music Man Square, says the donations came from 842 donors in 11 communities in northern Iowa. Another 39 donors were from out of state.

He says the donations not only help pay off the mortgage but will also provide more educational opportunities.

Crooks use for-sale info to scam would-be renters 

DES MOINES (AP) ? Complaints to regulators are growing as information from real estate sales listings is being posted by scammers on rental websites to fleece would-be tenants.

In a typical scam, crooks take sales information from various websites, then place that information on home rental sites. The crooks then collect the first month?s rent and sometimes security deposits but come up with various stories about why they can?t turn over house keys to the new renters.

Then the renters show up at the homes and learn the expensive truth.

Les Sulgrove is president of the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors. He told The Des Moines Register that the scams have been around for a couple of years. But he says the number of complaints is growing with the demand for rental properties.