(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says he’s continuing to work on a plan to fix the flaws in Iowa’s list of people who cannot vote due to felony convictions.  “My office is going to be assigning more resources to this issue,” Pate says, “but I want to make sure the legislature is aware of that and will choose to support that effort.”

Iowa is one of two states that doesn’t automatically restore voting rights to felons who complete their sentence. The Des Moines Register has reported some Iowans have been wrongly identified as felons and their ballots were improperly thrown out.

This summer, the Brennan Center for Justice and the League of Women Voters of Iowa warned Pate that the situation might violate federal law. Pate says he’ll present options to lawmakers and they’ll decide how to proceed. “It’s kind of like a menu: ‘Here’s what we can do. Here’s what some of those projected costs are,'” Pate says. “And then the legislature and the governor’s office will have something to say about what pieces they’re going to fund.”

A Brennan Center lawyer says she expected to see Pate’s proposal released in mid-October, before this week’s municipal and school board elections.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Katarina Sostaric)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a late harvest, wet corn and the fall chill have combined to multiply demand for propane in Iowa and other states. Iowa’s agriculture secretary told The Des Moines Register that the demand has created a supply pinch as farmers rush to bring in their crops. A Nebraska Propane Gas Association official says the shortage is more of a transport problem in meeting the propane demanded by farmers, grain elevators and rural residents.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Chuck Grassley doesn’t agree with calls from President Donald Trump and other Republicans to reveal the identity of the whistleblower who first reported concerns about Trump’s dealings with the Ukrainian president. Grassley, who wrote significant portions of federal whistleblower laws, says they ensure anonymity for whistleblowers and should be followed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals says an Ottumwa police chief and the local civil service commission were right to fire a police sergeant for failure to be truthful during an internal investigation into a January 2017 arrest. Former Ottumwa police Sgt. Mark Milligan was fired after an internal investigation concluded he was dishonest about his interactions during the incident in which another officer and a female juvenile argued and she was arrested on charges that were later dropped.

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — A jury has convicted a man of a hate crime and other counts for tearing down and burning an LGBTQ flag flying at a church in Ames. Television station KCCI reports that 30-year-old Adolfo Martinez was found guilty Wednesday of a hate crime, third-degree harassment and being a habitual offender. Martinez was arrested in June. He told KCCI in an interview that he tore down the flag that had been hanging from the United Church of Christ and burned it because he opposes homosexuality.

The Atlantic City Council met in a regular session Wednesday evening. During their meeting, Atlantic Public Library Director Michelle Anderson presented her annual report, during which she mentioned visitor/user statistics.

Anderson said there were over 51,000 visits to the library over the past fiscal year, which was higher than in past years. 6,321 people attended 367 programs offered inside and outside the Atlantic Public Library. There were over 15,000 Wi-Fi connections, which was up 10% over last year. There were 7,700 public computer uses, which was down from the previous, because more people are using personal devices to access what they need from the library. Circulation (checking out material) amounted to 58,477, which was a slight drop from last year. Online resources usage nearly doubled to 13,190.

Michelle Anderson said also, Library Youth Services Librarian Julie Tjepkes is retiring after 32 years of service. A public retirement party to honor her is set to take place Saturday, Dec. 7th, from 1-until 3-p.m., at the Library. Anderson mentioned some other future events as well: Renovation of the lobby and Children’s Library will begin Dec. 2nd. Work is expected to take about three months, and includes plaster repair, LED lighting upgrades, a new ceiling, flooring and paint, new furniture and a new layout for easily defined areas.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council, by a vote of 6-to 1 (With Chris Jimerson the only No vote),  approved an engineering study to try and find ways of dealing with Storm Water run-off issues in the area of the Atlantic Golf and Country Club, and Palm Street area near the golf course. The cost of the watershed will amount to approximately $8,700 (less than previously thought), and will be paid for through the Storm Water Utility Fund.

The Council, Wednesday, tabled action on approving a Resolution pertaining to the Hotel Whitney Urban Renewal Area Revenue Fund, with regard to TIF obligations. City Administrator John Lund said there was an apparent confusion and/or misunderstanding with regard to the legal language of the agreement. The matter will come before the Council on Dec. 2nd. Lund said also, the Department of Management has released information pertaining to the Residential Rollback. He said “It took a big dive…down about 1%,” which is good news for property owners, and which shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the City, but he still has some concerns about the impact it may have on any growth in tax revenue the City may encounter.

And, the Atlantic City Council approved the FY 2019 Urban Renewal Report which is required by the State and is a summary of accounting in areas the city has spent funds, including the Road Use Tax Fund. The Council then approved a bid of $37,340 from Pierce Pump, Inc., for the Ash Street Sanitary Sewer replacement/repair project (in the vicinity of 14th Street). In other news, Councilman Chris Jimerson announced Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees is stepping down. He will remain with the fire department, and an election will be held in December to replace him.

One moment of humor during the meeting came when Councilperson-elect Grace Garrett introduced herself. Her opponent in Tuesday’s election, Councilman Dana Halder, congratulated her on her win – and made a reference to the Mueller Report when he said “I think you colluded with Russia but I won’t say anything…”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Chuck Grassley doesn’t agree with calls from President Donald Trump and other Republicans to reveal the identity of the whistleblower who first reported concerns about Trump’s dealings with the Ukrainian president. Grassley, who wrote significant portions of federal whistleblower laws, says they ensure anonymity for whistleblowers and should be followed.

Grassley told reporters in a call Wednesday that it’s important not to reveal the identity of intelligence agency whistleblowers because it could endanger them. He says the whistleblower is less important now that documents have been released of the call that led the U.S. House to begin an impeachment inquiry into whether Trump sought favors from the Ukrainian president that would help Trump’s re-election campaign.

Trump and Sen. Rand Paul called on reporters to release the whistleblower’s identity this week. Grassley says he doesn’t advocate journalists violating professional ethics.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals says an Ottumwa police chief and the local civil service commission were right to fire a police sergeant for failure to be truthful during an internal investigation into a January 2017 arrest. Former Ottumwa police Sgt. Mark Milligan was disciplined for remaining in his car during a stop involving a possible stolen car.

Milligan, the supervising officer at the scene, didn’t intervene when another officer argued with a juvenile female and arrested her on a charge that was later dropped. Milligan claims it was cold and he didn’t want to get out of the car.

After an internal investigation, Police Chief Tom McAndrew concluded Milligan lied about his interactions during the incident and fired Milligan. The civil service commission upheld the decision. A district court judge in August 2018 found his dismissal harsh and arbitrary and reinstated Milligan with back pay.

The appeals court judges disagreed Wednesday, saying Milligan’s termination was appropriate discipline for dishonesty and is in the public interest. Milligan’s attorney says he plans to appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — A jury has convicted a man of a hate crime and other counts for tearing down and burning an LGBTQ flag flying at a church in Ames. Television station KCCI reports that 30-year-old Adolpho Martinez was found guilty Wednesday of a hate crime, third-degree harassment and being a habitual offender.

Martinez was arrested in June. He told KCCI in an interview that he tore down the flag that had been hanging from the United Church of Christ and burned it because he opposes homosexuality.

Story County Attorney Jessica Reynolds says Martinez faces 15 years in prison when sentenced. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

(Radio Iowa) — Forecasters say much colder, unseasonable weather will hit Iowa in a few days, with lows in the single digits and teens, so the time may already be past due for having our furnaces serviced before winter. Bess Ellenson, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, is warning Iowa homeowners to beware of contractors who use scare tactics to peddle unnecessary repairs.

“The first thing that we always recommend is, when you have somebody come out and if they tell you that you need repairs done, or you need your furnace replaced, always get a second opinion,” Ellenson says. “Have another contractor come out and take a look and see if they agree.” While most heating and air conditioning companies are reputable, competent and fair, she says some may be unscrupulous. If a tech tells you a new furnace is needed, costing thousands, do your best not to overreact.

“Try to stay calm and always just say, ‘I need to think about this a little bit,’ and do a little more research,” Ellenson says. “Have a another person come out there and check things out just to be sure that what they’re saying needs to be done actually does (need to be done).”

Ellenson says it’s a good idea to contact your utility company and ask for a service person to come and inspect your system — or visit the website: BBB.org/iowa.

(Radio Iowa) — A Briar Cliff University student is facing several charges for allegedly forging checks and using them to pay for sex acts. Twenty-year-old Davion Sandifer of Austin, Texas is charged with five counts each of forgery, soliciting prostitution and criminal transmission of a contagious of infectious disease. Harlan police took a report that five males between the ages of 17 and 19 had been paid with forged checks to engage in sexual acts with Sandifer in his Briar Cliff dorm room.

Court documents show the checks made out to the teens ranged from 30-thousand to 600-thousand dollars. The D-C-I searched Sandifer’s dorm room and found checks and check stubs that matched the checks given to the five teens from Harlan, along with other fake checks. Sandifer was taken to the Woodbury County Jail where’s he’s being held on a five-thousand dollar bond.

In an update to election results in Cass County, the Auditor’s Office today (Wednesday) reports the write-in votes have been tabulated, and the winner for the Mayor’s Office in Wiota, is J. Ford Lillard. Philip Pryzchodzin was elected Mayor of Massena. Griswold City Council winners include Kirk Stapleton and Greg Lightner. The results remain unofficial until canvassed by the Board of Supervisors, and, the candidates will need to accept the position after the canvass is made official.

(Radio Iowa) — State officials have distributed more than three MILLION dollars in federal grants to nine communities for water and sewer system upgrades. The federal money comes to Iowa in the form of a block grant. Twenty-one Iowa cities and towns applied for a chunk of it. Madrid and Oelwein are each getting 600-thousand in grant money. The communities of Brighton, Kimballton, Maxwell, Pomeroy and Schleswig are each getting 300-thousand. Just over 200-thousand in grant money is going to Rembrandt. Bernard got 112-thousand. Iowa Economic Development Authority director Debi Durham says these sort of projects aren’t the most visible or exciting, but water and sewer systems are critical to the success of a community.

According to the Iowa Economic Development Authority:

• Kimballton’s grant is for a water main replacement project.
• Schleswig is receiving funds for Sanitary Sewer System improvements.