Fairfield, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports that on the afternoon of Sunday, April 9, 2023, at approximately 1:42 p.m., officers with the Fairfield Police Department responded to the 23rd Street crossing of the local East/West railroad track in response to a call of a person lying near the tracks. Upon arrival at the area in question, officers located the body of 30-year-old Cortney Heather Haynes, of Fairfield. Haynes was declared dead at the scene. The injuries observed on Haynes’ remains appeared consistent with having been struck by a moving train.

Shortly after the discovery Haynes’ remains, the Fairfield Police Department contacted the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, requesting assistance in investigating the circumstances leading to Haynes’ death. Also assisting with the investigation into the death of Haynes is the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office.

For those who feel they may have information to provide relative to the death of Haynes, please contact the Fairfield Police Department – (641) 472-4146.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a Council Bluffs man was sentenced today (Tuesday), April 18, 2023, to 48 months in prison following his plea of guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

Authorities say that on February 27, 2022, 38-year-old Jake Campbell was stopped driving a vehicle that was reported stolen. During a search of the vehicle, officers located a loaded Smith and Wesson firearm under the driver’s seat, along with other items belonging to Campbell. The firearm was reported stolen. Campbell was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had a prior felony conviction, and he was a methamphetamine user. Campbell must serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Council Bluffs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

(Radio Iowa) – Forty groups that are part of the Iowa Hunger Coalition are urging Governor Reynolds to veto a bill that establishes an asset test for the food stamp program. The state would do more frequent income checks to see if Iowans remain eligible for government assistance.

E.J. Wallace, the regional advisor for the Save the Children Action Network, is among those who spoke at a news conference today in the Iowa Capitol. “We need legislation that gives families a hand up instead of knocking the chair out from under them,” he says.

Iowa Farmers Union president Aaron Lehman said SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, are important in rural Iowa. “Rural Iowa needs a strong SNAP program for us to have thriving rural communities where we can take care of all in need in times of food insecurity,” Lehman said. “In addition, farmers in rural communities receive positive economic lift from a strong SNAP program. For every dollar spent in SNAP, we estimate that there’s $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity up and down the food chain.”

Hunger Coalition event. (RI photo)

Matt Unger is CEO of the Des Moines Area Religious Council which operates 15 food pantries and a mobile pantry. Unger and the managers of other feeding programs say they’ll have to expand to feed more Iowans who are eligible for food stamps, but may lose benefits due to paperwork delays and mistakes.

“We provided assistance in March to a record 19,410 unique individuals, not to mention the first Monday and Tuesday in April were the fourth and second busiest single days in our network’s nearly 50 year history,” he said, “so you can probably understand why I’m here today to implore the governor to please veto Senate File 494.”

Governor Reynolds has not indicated whether she’ll sign the bill. The new asset test would make any household with more than $15,000 in assets that can quickly be turned into cash ineligible for food stamps. A home, a vehicle and a second vehicle worth less than $10,000 would not be included in that calculation.

(Radio Iowa) -Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is joining fellow Republicans in opposing an effort to temporarily replace Senator Diane Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, as the California Democrat extends her leave of absence due to a bout with shingles.

Grassley denounces Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, who’s asking for a so-called “courtesy” move that would see Democrats appointing someone else to that powerful panel for a matter of several weeks. “I’m very, very skeptical that we should bow to Schumer using senatorial courtesy,” Grassley says, “when he wants to do it just for a short period of time to get very liberal judges on the bench.”

Grassley says Feinstein is being singled out because of her age. She’s 89, the same age as Grassley. “If it was a permanent replacement of Feinstein on that committee, plus all the other committees she’s on, I can understand that,” Grassley says, “but I’m not inclined to buy that argument today.” Grassley says it’s “just a cruel thing” to say Feinstein is incapable of performing her duties and he’s confident she’ll return soon. She’s already been out for six weeks and is recovering at home.

“When Democrats boast about being for women’s issues, and for older people, I don’t think they have a leg up on Republicans in regard to that, but we don’t brag about it as they do,” Grassley says. “And now they’re going after her because she’s 89 years old.”

Feinstein, the oldest current member of Congress, is about three months older than Grassley.

(Radio Iowa) – Two southeast Iowa teenagers are facing lengthy prison sentences after a 66-year-old woman was beaten to death with a bat in 2021. Appearing in court separately, Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale, the two Fairfield teens accused of the first-degree murder of Fairfield teacher Nohema Graber, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in a Jefferson County courtroom today. Miller was set to go on trial for the crime in Council Bluffs when his attorney requested a change of venue due to publicity in the case, but then Miller learned that Goodale was planning to testify against him. Judge Shawn Showers asked Miller to confirm the plea deal.

Graber’s beaten body was found hidden under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties at Chautauqua Park where she took daily walks. Witnesses told investigators they saw the two males driving in Graber’s van less than an hour after she arrived at the park. Sentencing in the case will be at a later date. According to court documents, Miller was upset about a bad grade Graber gave him in Spanish class. Both suspects were 16 at the time of the crime. Miller is now 17 and Goodale is 18.

Reports say prosecutors will recommend a 30-year prison sentence for Miller, and 25 years for Goodale.