The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa says a Villisca man was sentenced this week to prison on child pornography-related charges. 23-year old Scott Allen Gibbons, of Villisca, was sentenced Tuesday to 14 years in prison for receipt of child pornography. Gibbons previously pled guilty on January 10th, 2013, to the charge of receipt of child pornography.

The charge against Gibbons was the result of an investigation conducted by law enforcement agencies in Iowa and Florida after a complaint by a Florida mother of an eleven year-old boy regarding inappropriate “chats” between the eleven year-old and an adult in Iowa. Investigation showed that Gibbons had established an online relationship with the eleven year-old using a “chat room” component of an on-line game.

During the communication, Gibbons convinced the eleven year-old to send to Gibbons a picture of himself constituting child pornography via a text message. The child pornography was located on Gibbons’ cellular telephone by law enforcement, along with similar pictures from unknown prepubescent males.

The investigation was conducted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff Office, Tampa, Florida, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Republican Matt Whitaker says he has filed the paperwork to run for U.S. Senate in 2014.   The former U.S. attorney’s move come a week after Rep. Steve King announced he would not seek the seat being vacated by retiring five-term Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.

The 43-year-old former University of Iowa football player from Clive was U.S. attorney for Iowa’s Southern District from 2004 to 2009. He ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2002.   Other Republicans weighing entry into the race include state Sen. Joni Ernst, former Reliant Energy CEO Mark Jacobs, Secretary of State Matt Schultz and Sen. Charles Grassley’s chief of staff David Young.

Rep. Tom Latham and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds also passed on running. Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley of Waterloo is his party’s only candidate.

The Danish Immigrant Museum has announced plans to construct an 8,000 square foot curatorial center at its location on the western edge of Elk Horn.

Danish Immigrant Museum

The center will be located below ground on the west side of the present building and will feature an environmentally-friendly green roof. The project cost estimates are $3 million – $2 million for construction and $1 million to be invested in the museum’s endowment to meet increased operational costs.

To date, over $2.3 million has been raised or is anticipated, though construction will not begin until the $3 million fundraising goal is reached. The new addition will include offices for the curatorial staff and interns and space for traveling exhibit design, fabrication and storage, as well as additional climate-controlled artifact storage.

There will also be a loading dock to facilitate the shipping of traveling exhibits and a quarantine space for isolating artifacts before accessing them. The increased space will allow for the consolidation of four off-site storage facilities that the museum presently rents. Museum Executive Director Dr. John Mark Nielsen says the museum “Is the only museum in the country dedicated to preserving artifacts of the Danish American community here in the United States.” He says “The planned curatorial center will assure that the museum has appropriate space for expanded artifact collection and for creating traveling exhibits that will be shared with museums across the country and in Denmark.”

The museum is currently preparing for Memorial Day weekend’s Tivoli Fest in the Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton, and  a 30th anniversary celebration, in June. More information can be obtained by calling (712) 764-7001 or visiting the website at www.danishmuseum.org.

(corrected from earlier posting to indicate the district is in Carroll County, NOT Guthrie Co.)

A Carroll County school district was placed under lockdown earlier this week, after negative comments directed primarily at the superintendent, were allegedly made by a member of the community.  In a statement, Coon Rapids-Bayard Superintendent Rich Stoffers said the district was placed on lock down Monday morning after school personnel received perceived threats from a community member. Stoffers said an off hand comment with “direct” remarks by a community member were received by school personnel approximately 6:45 a.m., Monday.

Police were notified and while an investigation was underway into the “verbal threat,”  the school was “locked down” for about 90 minutes. The threat amounted to someone saying they “Wouldn’t want to work for” Stoffers.  A police investigation determined determined no crime had been committed, the lock down was terminated and students and staff were advised to continue with normal schedules and activities.

Stoffers said he was “Very proud of (the)  staff and students for listening, following directives, and keeping their focus on their classes and academics throughout the (morning), even though it was somewhat of a ‘stressful’ start to the work week” for school employees.