Iowa Department of Public Safety Clarifies They Do Not Have Psychics on Payroll Helping to Solve Crimes: Iowa City Daily News Links, June 6

Almost to weekend. Almost to art festival time. Hang in there my friends!

On to the Links!

Diane Heldt of the Gazette writes that the three Board of Regents universities say that they have no interest in placing restrictions on student speech, unlike a high profile case at another center for higher learning.

Tara Bannow of the Iowa City Press-Citizen writes that a private/public partnership is likely for the new downtown University of Iowa Art Museum.

I'm sort of disappointed by this news, but the Iowa Department of Public Safety announced that it does not have psychics on its payroll helping to solve crimes.

Jill Kasparie of KCRG writes that Iowa City evacuees will have to wait days before they can return to their flood-threatened homes. 

Alesha Crews of the Press-Citizen previews to the Iowa Arts Festival coming up this weekend.

Iowa City ranks high in economic and job growth. (Press-Citizen)

Johnson County is one of 39 counties in Iowa with disaster declarations.

A Johnston native who is a member of the Magnetic Zeros gave a shoutout during last night's concert in Des Moines.

Want to hear local state representatives talk about what or what was not accomplished this year in the Iowa legislative session. There's a event for you coming up on Monday. (Iowa Watch)

Daily Links Excerpt of the Day

The commissioner, who started in October after being appointed by Gov. Terry Branstad, believes his routine inquiry has been mischaracterized, Hansen said. H
e said London faced questions from an officer at one recent meeting about whether the department pays for psychics and "corrected the record" that it does not.Hansen said that London believes investigators should follow every lead, including those from psychics, particularly when other investigative leads dry up. But he said the department isn't using psychics "as some sort of philosophy" under London. Numerous psychics had, in fact, offered their services in the Evansdale case.
"The commissioner's viewpoint is, to the person or the family or the parents, put yourself in their position," he said. "Would you want us following every piece of information that has been provided to us? We didn't seek any of those things out. But things were brought to us. And did we run those things down? His belief is we should do everything we can do with information that is provided to us."