The Creston Police Department reports two women were cited for Theft in the 5th Degree, Sunday night. 19-year old C’Anne Sabrie Hunter, of Oklahoma, and 18-year old Yolanda Annabelle Lopez, of Arizona, were cited at the Creston Wal-Mart Store and then released. And, 24-year old Jessica Marie Larkin Hedgepeth, of Creston, was arrested late Saturday morning, on a Union County warrant. Hedgepeth was taken into custody on a warrant for Failure to Appear on an original, Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense – charge. She was also arrested for two counts Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Hedgepeth was being held for Union County without bond, in the Adams County Jail.

(7-a.m. News)

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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California Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell met with a group of Democratic Party activists at the home of the Cass County Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle, Sunday (February 17th). Swalwell was raised in Sac City, Iowa until age 6. His family moved to Oregon, before settling in California. Toelle says his basic life philosophy was formed in his youth when his father was police chief.

CA Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell

Swalwell, who is considering a run for the presidency, spoke of his priorities: education, infrastructure, health care, jobs and the economy, and gun violence, saying “We should have background checks for all guns. And we need to invest in mental health, health care, so people are not jailed, instead of receiving treatment.” He cited a recent incident in California where a man was having a heart attack and the theater emptied out because people thought a shooting was occurring; “there is a state of fear in this country.”

Swalwell stated that a top priority is creating new jobs and “connecting the disconnected. So many people feel disconnected from opportunities. Americans need a leader who can connect to them”, adding that he is familiar with the everyday struggles of families. He was the first in his family to go to college and he and his wife have two young children and nearly $100,000 in student loan debt. He proposes a variety of initiatives to create more jobs, including workforce training, infrastructure investment, and tax changes to boost growth in low-income communities.

Swalwell has served in the US House of Representatives since 2013 and is currently a member of the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. His mantra is “Go big. Be bold. Do good.”

(Radio Iowa) — Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar hit the Iowa campaign trail this weekend. “It is wonderful to be back in Mason City on a wonderful sunny day,” Klobuchar said Saturday before joking. “I left my snowglobe behind.”  Klobuchar kicked off her campaign for the White House eight days ago with an outdoor speech in her homestate of Minnesota – during a snow storm. Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, Klobuchar met with Iowans in Knoxville and Albia, promising to bring Midwest pragmatism to the Oval Office if she’s the next president. “When you drive the snowstorm in Iowa today, you think about all the people who for so many years that worked hard to earn a living and continue to work hard to earn a living,” Klobuchar said, “and one of the things that I have done in Minnesota because we’ve got a metropolitan area and rural is try to bridge that divide.”

Klobuchar calls her approach “heartland economics.” “Making sure we make the case that one size doesn’t fit all, that you’ve got special needs for rural hospitals, that you’ve got special needs for how we run our schools and other things, but it’s also about governing from the heart,” Klobuchar says. “and that means everyone’s got to have everyone’s backs and got to take on some of these special interests whether it’s health care or whether it’s the tech companies.”

John Delaney, the former Maryland congressman who’s been running for governor since 2017, campaigned in Iowa this weekend, as did a couple of other Democrats who say they’re CONSIDERING a run for the White House.

Red Oak Police say officers were dispatched at around 7:40-p.m. Sunday to the 100 block of West Reed Street, for a report of harassment. Upon further investigation, officers issued a Juvenile Referral for a 14-year old female, for Harassment in the 1st Degree. The teen was cited into Juvenile Court and released to the custody of her parents.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports Marshall Larry Adams, of Stanton, was arrested Sunday in the 500 block of Prairie Avenue in Stanton, following a traffic stop. Adams was arrested for OWI/1st Offense and on two counts of Child Endangerment. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:00 a.m. CST
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Nearly 50 years after Iowa moved to reduce partisanship in its court system, Republicans who control the governor’s office and the Legislature say it’s time to give politicians greater control. Legislative leaders want to change how judges are chosen after being repeatedly frustrated by court rulings on topics like gay marriage and abortion. The Iowa proposal appears to be part of a national effort in conservative states to bring the courts into sync with the other branches of government.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A storm has buried much of Iowa and Nebraska under more than a half-foot of snow. The National Weather Service says just over 8 inches of snow had piled up in Des Moines by midday Sunday, with totals a little higher in parts of southwest Iowa. About 6 inches of snow was reported in the Omaha area. The weather service issued a winter weather advisory throughout Iowa and for northeast Nebraska.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A jury has convicted a Council Bluffs man on charges related to the death of a 16-month-old girl but acquitted him of murder. The Daily Nonpareil reports the jury on Friday found Javon Jennings guilty of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment resulting in death but not of murder. Jennings was charged in the death of 16-month-old Jazlynn Harshbarger, who died last April of blunt force trauma after suffering from numerous injuries.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines woman accused of trying to pin a murder on an innocent man has been found guilty of second-degree murder and other counts in the case. The Des Moines Register reports that 54-year-old Helen Jeanette Frazier was convicted Friday of the murder count, as well as two counts of malicious prosecution. Police say Frazier stabbed 55-year-old Andrea Brown to death Jan. 2, 2017 and implicated two men who had nothing to do with the slaying.

Red Oak Police say a call about a possible drunk driver early Sunday afternoon, resulted in a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling on the wrong side of the road. The driver, 63-year old Gregory Alan Smith, of Red Oak, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa was in the forefront of a national effort to reduce partisanship in the courts nearly 50 years ago when it decided to stop electing judges and instead rely on nominations by a panel of citizens and lawyers. In all, about three dozen states adopted similar systems aimed at emphasizing legal expertise over politics. But now Republicans who control the governor’s office and the Legislature say it’s time to give politicians greater control. House and Senate leaders are moving to change how judges are chosen after being repeatedly frustrated by court rulings on topics like gay marriage and abortion.

The Iowa proposal appears to be part of a national effort in conservative states to bring the courts into sync with the other branches of GOP-led government. Iowa is among at least four states where Republican lawmakers are trying to lessen the role of attorneys on judicial nominating panels, a move that some critics say could lessen public faith in the judiciary. The Iowa proposal would allow legislative leaders rather than lawyers to select attorneys for a state panel that nominates judges for the Iowa Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. The governor, who also appoints members to the panel, chooses judges from among the finalists provided by the panel.

Iowa created its system in 1962, when voters amended the state constitution. Iowa legislative leaders say the change is a way to give power to elected officials rather than private attorneys, but key supporters initially acknowledged the plan was born from frustration at court rulings, starting with a 2009 decision that legalized gay marriage.Iowa’s commission is comprised of 17 members and overseen by a state Supreme Court justice. The spots are split between lawyers elected by other attorneys and citizens appointed by the governor. All of those named by the governor are Republicans, and of the lawyers, five are Democrats, two are Republicans and one is an independent.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer said the process “doesn’t have much accountability because you have attorneys selecting attorneys who select judges.” When asked if the change would be perceived as a partisan move, Gov. Kim Reynolds said, “Let’s not make it about that. Let’s make sure we’re representing all Iowans. I think that’s what they’re trying to do.” However, the influential Christian conservative group The Family Leader, said the goal is to curb liberal rulings. Chuck Hurley, a lobbyist for the organization, said laws passed by the Legislature have been undone by “activist” judges that he says have declared a right to abortion in Iowa and redefined marriage. Tom Levis, president of the Iowa State Bar Association, denied that lawyers have stacked the Iowa courts with liberal judges, noting that there are twice as many Republicans as Democrats on the nominating council.

If the new system is approved as expected, the new process would immediately take effect and result in Republicans naming 12 of 16 available positions — eight by the governor and the others appointed by the majority and minority leaders of each legislative chamber.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A jury has convicted a Council Bluffs man on charges related to the death of a 16-month-old girl but acquitted him of murder. The Daily Nonpareil reports the jury on Friday found Javon Jennings guilty of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment resulting in death but not of murder. Jennings was charged in the death of 16-month-old Jazlynn Harshbarger, who died last April of blunt force trauma after suffering from numerous injuries.

Jennings now faces up to 55 years in prison with no minimum time to be served before he’s eligible for parole. His attorneys say they expect to appeal.