The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 2

2 THE PKS MOINES RF.CISTF.R IB Tuesday, January 2, 1W0 i kit iTil i i i MORE IOWA HEWS: 6A KWWL veteran Price retiring from Waterloo TV news Lawmakers BOB NANDELLTtw Mliltr DATELINE IOWA see new talks on abortion i i i i i i i i i i-r I'i'i'rVi'iTi'iA JJ V-i in. eissjeJ By THOMAS A. FOG ARTY Tot again with father after alleged abduction Th ittor't lawa Ntwt twiHc r- I cfJ I By JACK HOVELSON TIM KMHtart WltortM BurtM WATERLOO, IA. Mention Grant Price's name to eastern Iowa news people and words such as Integrity, fairness, professional, even "news god" come tumbling forth. So do descriptions such as tough, taskmaster and demanding.

The 67-year-old vice-president in charge of news at KWWL-TV in Waterloo Is all of the above. "It goes beyond that," said Kathie Spielman Paustian, a former news anchor at the station. "He really cares about his people and what happens to them. He appears stern and sometimes difficult to approach, but he really is a warm person." Those who have crossed words with Price in his 42-plus years In broadcast news may have some difficulty with that "warm person" label. A few even may smile with glee when they learn he's retiring.

"Very Intense" "I can be pretty tough, I guess. I'm very intense. I've never been able to maintain a placid attitude about this work. I get angry sometimes but, on balance, I'm fair. I just don't believe you can take this business casually," Price said the other day In his small office with three built-in television monitors.

One monitor was tuned to KWWL's Channel 7, the others to two competitors. No one ever would accuse Price of taking broadcast news casually from the day he began gathering and airing news at radio station KTRI in Sioux City in 1947 while attending Morningside College after a World War II stint in the Navy. "I had a night announcing shift. The station didn't have a news department. I was interested in doing more than announcing so they gave me the i 9 v- Grant Price KWWL-TV vice president news director in 1961.

He had a knack for hiring good news people and several moved on to network jobs. Borg recalled the time Price sent him to Grundy Center on a sensitive story that officials in that county refused to discuss. When Borg set up in front of the courthouse to do the customary "stand up" television report, a deputy sheriff hauled him off to jail. "I'd been arrested for standing on the courthouse lawn. I used my one phone call to get a hold of Grant and tell him what happened.

He immediately called the state attorney general's office and they got me out of there right then. Grant didn't mess around," Borg said. Price left WMT in 1972. It was a parting tinged with some bitterness. "Crashing Wave" "We had philosophical differences over the role of outside consultants on the news operation.

At that time the consultants were on a crashing wave, washing all over television, exerting influences they shouldn't have!" Price said. "I felt that my prerogatives of independent news judgment were being invaded," he said. Price added that since then there have been modifications on both sides and he has worked successfully with consultants during the past 17 years at KWWL-TV. Tom Peterson, anchor of the nightly KWWL newscasts for several of those years and now at WGN radio in Chicago, calls Price "the epitome of broadcast news directors." "When I think about news directors in Iowa two names jump out; Russ Van Dyke in Des Moines and Grant Price. Price seemed to know everyone and he's probably encountered every possible situation that one could in this business," Peterson said.

Credit Due Many give Price much of the credit for the ascendancy of KWWL-TV in its ongoing ratings battle with challengers KGAN and KCRG in the highly competitive Waterloo-Cedar Rapids-Iowa City television market. Along the way Price has picked up his share of honors, including the 1975 Jack Shelley Award for outstanding contributions to broadcast journalism. A native of Waldron, Saskatchewan, where he lived his first 13 years on a farm, Price moved with his family to Atkinson, when his father took a job as a cattle ranch foreman. Price attended American University in Washington, D.C., then transferred to Morningside. He met his wife, Fadra, in Sioux City.

They have two daughters. Price won't be content to walk away from his job and never look back. He said he will continue to serve KWWL in capacities still being negotiated. the rocks Pregnancy is an essential factor needed to permit those younger than 16 to marry in South Dakota. Normally, the law is applied to the young woman in a marriage.

Dorsch's mother in Sarpy County, said her son is living with a relative and has a job. "He's doing what a normal boy his age ought to be doing now," she said. not be reached for comment, was not said of the marriage. In recent years, Iowa legislators abided by an informal truce that precluded debating substantive changes in the state's abortion laws. But the truce may end next week when lawmakers return to the State-house to begin their 1990 legislative session.

"I believe it will come up over and over again," said House Speaker Donald Avenson, an Oelwein Demo- LEGISLATURE '90 crat who opposes further limits on abortions. "I believe that anti-choice legislators will try to tack them onto everything they can. Prompting the change in abortion politics is the U.S. Supreme Court's July decision in the Webster case. A court majority approved limitations on abortion in a Missouri law, and the decision has been widely interpreted as giving new power to states to re strict a woman right to abortion The decision is considered the first retrenchment by the court since it affirmed a woman right to an abor tion in its landmark 1973 case, Roe vs.

Wade. No Significant Changes While Avenson and other legislative leaders predict a new round of legislative debate on the issue, virtually no one at the Statehouse expects significant changes in existing abortion law to be approved in 1990. Avenson, with the strong backing of most of the 61 Democrats in the 100-member House, has vowed to thwart any bill that would restrict a woman's access to abortion. The Senate is viewed as being somewhat more open to further restrictions but, even in that chamber, the pro-choice sentiment is strong. Legislative leaders predict anti- abortion forces will seek action on three fronts: a new law requiring abortions to be reported to public health officials for statistical pur poses, a ban on privately-financed abortions at University Hospitals in Iowa City and a requirement for pa rental notification in cases where a minor is seeking an abortion.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Hutch ins, an Audubon Democrat, said he expects an effort by the Iowa Catho lic Conference to include a ban on pri vately-financed abortions at Univer- sity Hospitals when the higher education appropriations bill is considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Publicly-financed abor tions there and elsewhere in Iowa already are limited to cases of rape incest, the likely deformity of the baby and endangerment of the mother's life. Would Avoid Debate Hutchins said he would prefer to avoid debate on abortion. Most peo ple, including myself, would like to see the law stay pretty much the way it is," he said. "But there are some people on the extremes willing to roll the dice." Hutchins said he considers it senseless for the Iowa Legislature to debate a parental notification bill when the U.S.

Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of such laws in a Minnesota case. Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, says he would sign any of the three measures statistical report ing, a ban on privately-financed abortions at University Hospitals or a parental notification requirement if they reach his desk. He said he will not, however, ask lawmakers to enact those measures or any other new re strictions on abortion. Said Branstad: "Abortion is a very emotional issue.

I think I've had a pretty consistent pro-life record throughout my career, but I do re spect others who disagree with me. I respect the fact there are people with strong opinions on both sides. Senator Ray Taylor, a Steamboat Rock Republican and one of the most persistent abortion foes in the Legis lature, said he does not feel betrayed by Branstad's decision not to push for changes in the wake of the Webster decision. "I think back to the Florida experi ence, said Taylor, recalling a recent special session in that state in which Gov. Bob Martinez's anti-abortion proposals could not clear legislative committees.

Remote Chance Taylor said he sees a remote chance for passage of a parental noti fication bill in 1990. In general, he said, the Webster decision has done little to improve prospects for anti- abortion legislation in Iowa. "It looks to me that it about the same it has always been." Taylor said in assessing the legislative politics of abortion. Meanwhile, plans are on hold for an amendment to the Iowa Constitution backed by pro-choice forces guaranteeing the right of a woman to an bortion. WEBSTER, IA.

Fifteen-month- old Courtney Lee was back home with her father in this Keokuk County town Monday after allegedly being taken by force by her mother and three others on Sunday. Keokuk County sheriff's officials said Courtney was taken from her father, Troy Lee, by his estranged wife, Roseann, her mother, sister and boyfriend Sunday afternoon. Troy Lee said that his wife heard media reports about the incident and called Keokuk County sheriff's of i cials and a Cedar Rapids news orga nization to "find out what kind of trouble they were in." i A sheriff's spokesman said Rose ann Lee will turn herself in at Sigourney today on a charge of violating a judge's order that restrained her 2 from interfering with her husband's care of Courtney. The order also stat ed that the child was not to have been taken from Keokuk County. Troy Lee said officials still are searching for Dean Holms, Roseann Lee's boy-, friend, who allegedly choked Troy Lee into unconsciousness Sunday and later threatened to kill him with a semi-automatic handgun.

-Car, van collide; Albert City man dies Th Rntittr't Iowa Ntws Strvle MILFORD, IA. An Albert City man was killed Sunday evening when his car collided with a van just south of here on U.S. Highway 71. tmmeu tiaiverson, ou, was Kiiiea when his car collided with a van driven by Curtis Schnell, 30, of Betten-dorf, according to Dickinson County sheriff's officials. Schnell and his son, Brady, 4, were treated and released from a Spirit Lake hospital.

Elsewhere: A Cascade woman was killed Saturday night when her car collided head-on with a car that crossed the center line on Iowa Highway 64 west of Baldwin. Karen Milczarek, 42, was pronounced dead at the scene, said Jackson County sheriff officials The driver of the other car, Herbert Schulz, 40, of Maquoketa, was hospi talized overnight in Maquoketa and released Sunday. Eddyville man, 79, dies of hypothermia The Resistor's Iowa News Service EDDYVILLE, IA. A man found dead in his home here Sunday morning died of hypothermia, a fatal de crease in body temperature, accord ing to officials with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. State investigators were called after William Moyle, 79, of Eddyville was found dead in his home and no ob vious cause could be found.

An autopsy was performed Monday and hypothermia was attributed as the cause of death. Charles City footbridge named to national register CHARLES CITY, IA. (AP) A suspension bridge over the Cedar River in Charles City has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. The footbridge, 467 feet long and 4 feet wide, is a link between the homes on the east bank of the river and Lions Club Park on the west. Traveling entertainers and orators, including William Jennings Bryan and the Rev.

Billy Sunday, once filled the 26 -acre park with spectators. The designation will make it easier for the city to seek state and federal restoration money for the 83-year-old footbridge, but officials said no re pairs are needed now. McGregor pays fine, settles suit over sewage The Register's lewa News Service McGREGOR, IA. The city of McGregor has paid a $1,000 fine for dumping untreated liquid waste into the Mississippi River, and in settling a lawsuit with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has agreed to pay penalties of $500 a month until it solves the problem. The monthly penalties will be assessed from June of 1989 until the city completes a secondary sewage treatment plant.

The fines and civil penalties are part of the settlement of the lawsuit filed by the state Nov 14. The state alle ged that the level of pollution the city was dumping into the river exceeded the legal limit. The city didn't contest that finding but said it couldn't do anything about the problem until a second treatment plant was built. McGregor City Attorney Steven McCorkindale said the settlement was fair. -t J- lot rt 5 1 XoSfr iyi 2 I chance to be the news director," Price said.

With that in hand, he dropped out of college. In the summer of 1948 he came to Waterloo's KXEL on the heels of two heavy-hitters of that decade: H.R. Gross and Bob Burlin-game. Gross, a longtime news broadcast er at WHO in Des Moines and KXEL, left radio to win a seat in Congress for 26 years. Burlingame, also a veteran WHO newsman, replaced Gross at KXEL for a few months before returning to Des Moines.

Court Battles Working as a one-man news opera tion, his first major Waterloo story was a series of trials that came out of bitter strike and riot at the Rath Packing an event that brought out the National Guard. Another court battle a few years later was one of his worst experiences, he recalled. His own station and KWWL radio in Waterloo fought it out over who was to get the city's first television station license. Price covered the bitter issue that became especially sour for his employer when it lost what once had seemed like a sure thing. There were some terrible con flicts of interest for me in that story, but I reported it just as objectively as I could," Price recalled.

No one who's familiar with Price's professionalism would challenge that "He's a very innovative person in broadcast news, but he's just as grounded in integrity. You don't often find that in the business where ratings are so important, but Grant would never compromise his integrity to get a few more ratings points," said Dean Borg of the University of Iowa Hospitals information services. Borg worked with Price for 13 years at the WMT stations in Cedar Rapids. News Director Price left KXEL in 1959 for a staff position at WMT where he became He will turn 18 on Jan. 29.

Eric's mother said her son, who could opposing the divorce. "No. Oh, no. It was a big mistake," she Casting long shadows Jordan Campbell, 3, gets an assist from his father, Craig Campbell, as he tries his first skates at the Birdland ice rink in Des Moines Monday. of Iowa woman, teen on Marriage GLENWOOD, IA.

(AP) The ro- wSrmucleg'adTm' three states in 1988, foundered as 1989 came to a close. Marsha Clay Dorsch, 39, said that she has filed for divorce in Mills County District Court from her hus- band, whom she married nearly two years ago when he was 15. He WHS CUUSitlg tOO IHUCh tYOUbte ar0Und heM. He WOUldtl't ilo ttttV Of the WOW. He WttS getting tO DC tt peSt.J) Marsha Dorsch talking about 17-year-old husband He was causing too mucn trouoie around nere, sne said on her 30-acre farm.

"He wouldn't do any of the work. He was getting to be a pest." Marsha Dorsch said she filed for divorce after ordering her young husband away from the place. On Jan. 29, 1988, his 16th birthday, Sarpy County authorities had Eric arrested when he went to Omaha from Glenwood for a birthday observance. Sarpy authorities had been working with Iowa authorities attempting to have him placed under juvenile court custody.

His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dorsch. had filed a missing person report on him. The report was filed after Jan 5, 1988, the day Eric and Marsha took off from Glenwood to get married at Elk Point, S.D.

Nebraska authorities failed in a court battle to gain custody of the boy. Marsha Dorsch said at the time that she planned to provide an education for her husband. She also said she had sig ned over half of her property to him. That situation no longer exists. Records in Mills County indicate that the divorce is not final yet.

Marsha Dorsch stili runs her wooded farm in the Glenwood area, where she is known by some as the "Wolf Lady" because she usually keeps about 20 wolves around. "I've always haa them; they're pets," she said. To marry Eric Dorsch, she went from Iowa to South Dakota, where marriage laws are more lenient. She also fought juvpnile authorities in Nebraska who wanted Eric Dorsch placed in their custody. At the time, she said she was pregnant.

She said in an interview last week that the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage..