Republican Congressman Steve King’s supporters and opponents gathered in Sioux Center last (Thursday) night as the “Sioux County Conservatives” hosted King at a public event. Steve Mahr helped organize a protest outside the venue, before the meeting began. “Steve King behaves like a bully and a bully is not great representation of who this community is,” Mahr said. “…Kindness is important and I would not allow my children to speak to others than way Steve King speaks about others.”

King later responded to the assertion he doesn’t represent the views of Iowans in the fourth congressional district. “All they need to do is look at the polling and look at the election results,” King told reporters, “and they really shouldn’t be insulting the constituents here in this district.” During last (Thursday) night’s forum, King was asked to explain a comment posted on his campaign’s Facebook page that criticized one of the students who survived the Florida school shooting. It accused Emma Gonzalez of betraying her Cuban heritage by speaking in favor of gun restrictions during her speech at last week’s march in Washington. That Facebook post motivated Mahr and others to protest King last (Thursday) night.

“Instead of responding to the criticisms and the propositions presented by children, by teenagers, by students — he attacked their identity,” Mahr said, “which is what bullies do.” King says his campaign is using Facebook to provide “a rebuttal” to what he says are the “irrational arguments” about guns being made by Gonzalez and other high school students.

“We know what Castro did. He confiscated the guns and he told them: ‘You don’t have need of guns because we’re all here, we’re all on the side of the revolution. so you’ll never need a gun again. It’s just going to be a peaceful island,” King said. “And so, instead, he imprisoned 11 million people on that island and I only pointed out the irony of that.” King spoke with reporters after his supporters AND opponents attended last night’s meeting in the Sioux Center library.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday upheld the conviction of a high school teacher who claimed his only physical contact with the student was hugging, finding that the hugging amounted to sexual misconduct in light of instant messages that showed she had “become the object of” his sexual desires.

Bradley Wickes, a 38-year-old former Camanche High School social studies teacher, was convicted in 2015 of a charge of sexual exploitation by a school employee and sentenced to five years in prison. Although the only physical contact Wickes had with the 17-year-old student were hugs at school and school-related events, the court concluded that more than a thousand Facebook Messenger exchanges between them over 45 days indicated that she had “become the object of Wickes’s fantasies and sexual desires, and the hugs that coincided with these messages were for his sexual gratification.”

Wickes challenged the conclusion that hugging a student constituted sexual conduct. But the justices ruled against him, pointing out that rulings in other states — including Maryland in 2013, Oregon in 2009 and Vermont in 2006 — found that hugging can constitute sexual exploitation in certain cases. They said they would not narrow the scope of the teacher sexual exploitation law by finding that hugs alone cannot amount to sexual conduct.

The court acknowledged that there was no evidence showing that Wickes had engaged in a sex act with the teen or any physical contact other than hugging, but it said the Facebook Messenger exchanges show how attractive he found her and how he wanted a more intimate relationship with her.

Within days of that message, the girl’s family discovered the relationship and took her cellphone to the police. Wickes resigned and was charged soon thereafter. Although the justices determined that the hugging was illegal in this case, they said teachers shouldn’t be overly worried about innocent hugs with students.

The court also upheld Wickes’ five-year prison sentence, finding that it wasn’t cruel or unusual punishment.

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona woman says her husband believed he was in the clear after escaping from an Iowa prison 37 years ago and they were both shocked when authorities arrested him earlier this week.

Virginia Cagley says an Iowa prison warden wrote in a 2006 letter that a warrant for Charles “Chuck” Leroy Cagley had been withdrawn. Police said Cagley was serving a sentence for second-degree robbery in 1981 when he left a minimum security work detail.

They arrested him on an active felony extraditable warrant after the FBI notified the Prescott Valley police that the 68-year-old Cagley was living there. Authorities say he will be extradited back to Iowa. An Iowa Corrections Department spokesman says the agency is revising the case.

Whatever their religious beliefs, many thousands of Iowans enjoy coloring, decorating, hiding and eating eggs on the Easter holiday — but egg prices have cracked the two-dollar mark in recent weeks and it’s no yolk. Shayle Shagam is a livestock analyst for the U-S-D-A and says wholesale prices on eggs are up significantly. “They’re running about $2.27 a dozen compared to about 94-cents a dozen last year,” Shagam says. “Easter is coming a couple of weeks earlier this year so you’ve pushed that normal demand period forward somewhat.” Iowa is the nation’s top egg producer, with roughly 60-million laying hens producing nearly 15-billion eggs per year. Annemarie Kuhns, an economist with the U-S-D-A, says grocery store prices are reflecting the big rise in wholesale prices.

“The average price per dozen is now $1.76,” Kuhns says. Shagam says egg production has increased, but demand is coming sooner than usual, which is forcing producers to change up their schedules. “You would tend to bring on young chickens and you would tend to keep some of your older chickens,” Shagam says. “Both of those are are probably not going to be at their optimal rate of lay and to some extent, that could be providing a little bit of a constraint on the production of eggs.” Shagam says if you shop around, you’ll likely find egg specials. Also, he notes prices will likely fall after tomorrow (Sunday), once demand drops.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County, Friday (today) report 41-year old Bret Hershel Ratliff, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 11:45-p.m. Thursday, for Domestic Assault, following a disturbance that involved his ex-girlfriend. 50-year old James Reilly Edwards, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 6-a.m. today (Friday) on a warrant for two counts of Indecent Contact with a Child. Edwards was taken into custody during a traffic stop on Interstate 29, after the warrants were confirmed. He was being held in the Pott. County Jail on a $5,000 bond.  And, Thursday afternoon, 36-year old Andrew Michael Hasbrouck, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for assault, as he was being served with a protective order.

The Adair and Guthrie County Auditor’s Offices have released the names and positions sought, by candidates for the June Primary.

In Adair County the candidates are:

• Democrat Steven Shelley, of Stuart is the lone candidate for Supervisor, District 2 northeast
• Democrat Jodie Hoadley, of Orient, is unopposed for Supervisor in District 4 southeast
• Republican Clint Hight faces no challenger for Adair County Attorney
• County Treasurer candidates include Republicans Brenda L. Wallace, and Kim Crosswhite Perkins, both of Greenfield.
• And, Republican Janelle Schneider, of Greenfield, is unopposed for the County Recorder’s job during the June Primary.

In Guthrie County, the candidates include:

• Republicans J.D. Kuster and Dana Tews – Supervisor District 4
• Republicans Everett Grasty, Scott Calmer, Randy Sparks, Joel Hester, and Democrat Kevin Wirt –  Supervisor District 3
• Republicans Rick Kness and Clifford Carney – Supervisor District 2
• Republican Tristen Richard for Recorder
• Republican Brenna Bird for Attorney
• and Republican Marci Schreck for Treasurer.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Friday (today), approved a Resolution to enter into a 28-E contract and agreement for law enforcement services with the Unified Law Enforcement District that includes the cities of Cumberland, Lewis, Marne, Massena and Wiota. Auditor Dale Sunderman said the 10-year agreement will begin July 1^st, 2018.

The increased cost to each city has yet to be finalized, but the total dollar amount will be discussed with those cities, but is based on population. The Board also approved a Resolution to enter into agreement to abate the tax and assign a tax sale Certificate on a County-held parcel in Marne, as well as the abatement of tax for a parcel in the City of Cumberland.

And the Supervisors agreed to appoint Brenda Nelson, of Atlantic, to the Southern Iowa Regional Housing Authority, to fill a vacancy term that expires April 9^th, 2020.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A giant lottery jackpot is awaiting players willing to shrug off miserable odds for a chance at immense wealth. The drawing for the estimated $502 million Mega Millions prize will be held Friday night. It’s the nation’s 10th largest lottery jackpot. No one has matched all six numbers drawn since January. It costs $2 to play the game and a willingness to ignore the fact that you’ll almost certainly lose.

The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 302 million, though odds of winning smaller prizes are better. The $502 million figure refers to the annuity option, in which payments are made over 29 years. The cash option would pay $301 million. Mega Millions is played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The Davenport schools superintendent is asking the Legislature to allow reserve funds to be spent on security enhancements and additional staff in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Florida. Art Tate is the superintendent of the Davenport Community School District. He tells the Quad-City Times that the hopes to add a district-level security and safety specialist, school resources officers, security guards and a permanent mental health coordinator. He estimates the additional positions will cost $1.5 million.

Tate has reached out to some lawmakers to tap into the district’s more than $30 million in reserve funds. Legislators hope to end the session April 17. The district is using money from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education fund to add cameras and swipe card entry access at school entries. The fund doesn’t cover the addition of personnel.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Scott County’s top prosecutor says a Davenport police officer acted correctly in shooting an armed man earlier this month. County Attorney Mike Walton said in a news release Thursday that Officer Brandon Askew’s use of force March 13 was “reasonable under the circumstances.” Authorities have said Askew shot 43-year-old John Hess approached Hess as Hess walked toward a home so he could confront a woman there who’d sought a restraining order on him. Police say Hess produced a gun, and Askew drew his service weapon and fired, striking Hess in an ankle.

Walton says Hess didn’t fire but has admitted pointing his handgun at the officer. Hess faces several charges, including assault on a police officer.