MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) — The trial for a former farmhand charged with first-degree murder in the abduction and killing of 20-year-old University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts has again been delayed. The Daily Iowan reports that 25-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera will now face trial beginning Feb. 4 in Woodbury County. His trial had been set for Nov. 12, but was pushed back to give expert witnesses more time to review new evidence.

Rivera is accused of killing Tibbetts, who disappeared while out for a run July 18, 2018, in Brooklyn, Iowa. Investigators recovered her body a month later in a cornfield. Officials say she was stabbed to death. Rivera, a Mexican national, also is accused of being in the country illegally. He worked at a dairy farm a few miles from where Tibbetts disappeared.

w/ Chris Parks

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Red Oak Police today (Saturday) report a man from Hastings was arrested overnight. 56-year old Michael Robert Aguirre was taken into custody at around 11:34-p.m. Friday, for Public Intoxication. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail, on a $300 bond.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa high school science teacher has resigned after an investigation into a social media post that appeared to threaten Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Waterloo Community Schools spokeswoman Tara Thomas said Friday that teacher Matt Baish resigned effective Thursday.

The resignation came after the conclusion on a school district investigation of a Facebook comment Baish made in response to a post about the 16-year-old Thunberg joining an Oct. 4 student-led climate strike in Iowa City. In his comment, Baish wrote, “Dont have my sniper rifle.”

Thomas wouldn’t say if Baish was asked to resign.

(Radio Iowa) — Another lawsuit challenging the updated process for selecting Iowa Supreme Court justices and appeals court judges was heard in Polk County District Court today (Friday). A judge dismissed the first lawsuit that claimed Republican lawmakers violated the constitution when they gave the governor an additional appointment to the panel that nominates high court judges.

That judge said lawyers and Democratic lawmakers didn’t prove they’re adversely affected by the change. Attorney Bob Rush says the second lawsuit directly involves Thomas Duff — who applied to be an appeals court judge — but wasn’t choose him as a nominee.

“His injury is real. It is not an injury in general to the rest of the Iowa population, it’s very unique to him as an individual now and in the future,” Duff says. Assistant Attorney General David Rantsch argued that doesn’t prove Duff is adversely affected by the law.   “Voiding the law doesn’t make Mr. Duff a judge. Restoring the commission doesn’t make Mr. Duff a nominee. Restoring the commission doesn’t make Mr. Duff a judge,” Rantsch says.

The state is asking the Polk County judge to also dismiss this second lawsuit. The original legal challenge of the new law is expected to be heard by the Court of Appeals next month.

(Thanks to Katarina Sostaric Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) — More federal land is being opened up for fishing and hunting in Iowa as part of the Trump administration’s move to make public land more accessible. Margaret Everson, of the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service, says one-point-four million acres were added to open areas this year, including at Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge east of Des Moines.

Everson says, “We’ve expanded 300 acres here for new opportunities for white tail deer for example, for pheasants, being able to, again, open new areas that have not been open before.” The Department of the Interior will also allow more big game hunting at De Soto Bend in western Iowa. Ducks Unlimited C-E-O Adam Putnam says making that land accessible to the public promotes outdoor recreation and conservation.

Putnam says, “Without that connection to the land, we’re not going to have a strong base of support for protecting the environment going forward.” Federal officials say they’re also trying to match state and federal regulations to encourage more hunting and fishing.

(Thanks to Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former workers’ compensation attorney for a Tyson Foods meatpacking division has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in Iowa that accuses company officials of making anti-gay slurs, filing false information in workers’ compensation cases and discriminating based on sex and age.

Todd Beresford filed the lawsuit Oct. 1 in state district court in Des Moines against Tyson Fresh Meats, based in South Dakota, and its parent Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, the nation’s second-largest meat processor. The suit seeks damages after his dismissal last year.

Beresford argues he was fired in part because he complained the company was providing inaccurate information in workers’ compensation cases in Iowa to deny payments to injured workers. He claims a former company vice president used slurs in referring to former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey, who is gay.

Beresford, of the Cleveland area, also claims Tyson discriminated against employees on the basis of sex and age by firing several middle age men in 2017 and 2018, replacing them with younger women. A Tyson spokesman declined to comment.

A traffic stop on a motorcycle at around 7:45-a.m. today (Friday), in Red Oak, escalated into a pursuit and the eventual arrest of a man from Pottawattamie County. Red Oak Police Chief Justin Rhamy said in a statement, 27-year old Dakota Allen Culbertson, of Council Bluffs, faces felony charges that include: Eluding; Possession of stolen property; Possession of Meth with the intent to deliver; and Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree. Culbertson was assessed a misdemeanor, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, charge. He was also wanted on a warrant out of Council Bluffs for Theft in the 2nd Degree and on a narcotics warrant out of Nebraska. Culbertson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond.

The incident leading to his arrest began when a Red Oak Police Officer saw a motorcycle in the area of 3rd and Nuckols Streets. He observed the cycle run a stop sign at 3rd and Market Street, and attempted to make a traffic stop. The operator of the cycle – later identified as Culbertson – failed to yield to law enforcement, and traveled south on 2nd Street to Ohio Street, and then to Highway 48, where the pursuit continued southbound.

Once in the area of Highway 48 and 130th Street in Page County, Culbertson took to the ditch and entered the yard of residence in the 1200 block of Highway 48. Officers tried to get the motorcycle boxed-in while it was still in the yard, but the Culberston managed to get the machine back onto Highway 48, where it began to travel north towards the City of Red Oak.

Red Oak Police and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies tried to establish a rolling road block near 230th and Hwy48, but Culberston was able to maneuver the cycle between two patrol cars in an effort to flee, but in doing so sideswiped a Red Oak P-D cruiser. The pursuit continued through the City of Red Oak and near the edge of town to the intersection of Highways 48 and 34. The cycle turned east on 34 to Q Avenue, east of Stanton.

There, Culbertson swung wide left at about the same time a Red Oak Police Officer came up on his right. The cycle turned into the left front fender of the police cruiser, causing Culberston to lose control. He dumped the cycle into a ditch and took off southbound on foot. He then ran toward an unoccupied residence at 2258 Q Avenue, and forced his way into the home, where he hid in a closet and was ultimately taken into custody.

During their investigation, officers learned the 2005 Yamaha Venture motorcycle had been reported stolen out of Council Bluffs, on Oct. 6th. Red Oak Police were assisted during the incident, by: The Montgomery, Adams, Page and Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.

Exira-EHK School District Superintendent Trevor Miller, today (Friday), posted a note to parents of students and District patrons, with regard to an incident that took place Thursday. In his social media post, Miller said “In an effort to remain as transparent as possible, we feel it is necessary to inform you of an incident that occurred [Thursday] at the Exira-EHK Middle School.

“An Exira-EHK student made a verbal threat towards staff in the late morning hours of 10/10/19 regarding bringing a weapon to school.” The statement said further, that “School administrators immediately began an investigation regarding the threat. School disciplinary action has been taken as appropriate. At no time [Thursday] was there any immediate danger to any student or staff member.”

Superintendent Miller said “The procedures that we have in place allowed us to handle this situation with little disruption to other students in the building.” His statement concluded with “We appreciate your willingness to continually trust us with your children. We make every effort to provide them with a safe and caring environment while at school.”

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said Friday (today), a Union County man was sentenced to prison on drug charges. 38-year old Brandon Robert Fry, of Creston, appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Celeste F. Bremer in Des Moines, and entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Fry admitted that he knowingly possessed over 500 grams of methamphetamine on June 4, 2019, which was found by law enforcement in a white Mercedes, in Creston. Fry admitted that prior to being arrested on June 4, 2019, he had intended to distribute the methamphetamine. At the time of this offense, Fry was on federal supervised release for a prior conviction of felon in possession of a firearm.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Fry faces an agreed-upon sentence of 188 months in prison. He is also subject to at least 5 years of supervised release following the imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for 9:30-a.m. February 24, 2020, at the United States Courthouse in Des Moines, Iowa.

The matter was investigated by the United States Probation Office, the Creston Police Department, the Des Moines Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement (MINE) Task force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Iowa.