DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Ankeny man whose baby died after becoming wedged between a mattress and a wall has been given two years of probation. Court records say Matthew Cohara also was fined $625 and granted a deferred judgment at his hearing Tuesday. A deferred judgment allows his conviction to be removed from court records if he completes his probation terms. Cohara had pleaded guilty to child endangerment and other crimes.

Police were called to the Ankeny home of Cohara and Michelle Atwell on Aug. 26 after the 7-month-old baby was found not breathing. Police say the baby became wedged and suffocated after Atwell left her on the bed for hours after breast-feeding her. An autopsy found a cocaine byproduct in the baby’s system. Atwell’s trial is set to begin April 30.

One person died and four others were injured during a collision Wednesday night in northwest Iowa’s Calhoun County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2005 Dodge Caravan was traveling east in the westbound lane of Highway 20 at the same time a 2017 GMC Yukon was traveling west in the same lane. After the van hit the SUV, both vehicles came to rest in the median. The 37-year old driver of the van, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. Three of the SUV occupants were transported by ambulance to Trinity Regional Hospital  in Ft. Dodge. Another person in the SUV was flown by Life Flight to Iowa Methodist in Des Moines.

No names were released. The crash, which happened at around 8:30-p.m., Wednesday, remains under investigation.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — Officials say an inmate head-butted a guard at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. The assault occurred around 8:25 a.m. Wednesday when the guard and another were escorting the inmate, who’d been placed in restraints because of previous misconduct. An Iowa Corrections Department news release says the inmate used his head to strike the guard’s face.

The guard was treated at Fort Madison Community Hospital and released. The names of those involved haven’t been released.

Residents of Omaha and Council Bluffs who rented out all or part of their homes during last weekend’s N-C-double-A men’s basketball tournament made a nice chunk of change. Ben Breit, spokesman for Midwest Airbnb, says it was a very successful weekend for the region’s hosts.

“They welcomed about 650 guests during the NCAA tournament while earning about $50,000 combined in supplemental incomes,” Breit says. Statewide, Breit says Iowa Airbnb hosts welcomed a record 60-thousand guests in 2017, earning a combined five-point-eight million dollars. Both figures more than doubled the results from 2016.

The homesharing platform says Des Moines is Iowa’s top Airbnb city, followed by Iowa City, Decorah, Dubuque and Ames. Using the service is an excellent way to make extra money, he says, and you don’t need a ton of space. “About half are just sharing an extra room,” Breit says. “Maybe you’re an empty nester or a senior and the kids have grown up and left the home. Now that extra room is an economic opportunity. Another half are renting a full home, a proper vacation rental or just sharing your primary residence during big events.”

While the weekend was profitable for hosts, he says it was also profitable for that region of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. “It’s just going to cause more conferences, more and more sporting events to want to go to Omaha because they know they can handle all of the demand,” Breit says. Des Moines will host the opening rounds of the N-C-double-A men’s basketball tournament again next year. Iowa’s largest city first hosted the event in 2016.

(Radio Iowa)

Lawmakers say the stories they’ve heard from patients and families are spurring some major reforms of Iowa’s mental health care system. Mary Neubauer of Clive wrote a widely-read obituary for her son, Sergei, in late September after he took his own life. This is how Neubauer explained her family’s predicament during a news conference in early March:

“When it became obvious that Sergei needed long term, residential mental health care for his illnesses, it simply didn’t exist in Iowa and that is a horrible feeling.” Senator Charles Schneider of West Des Moines met with Sergei Neubauer’s parents shortly after the young man’s funeral. Schneider says the meeting helped him better understand the shortage of treatment options for Iowans who need in-patient treatment, but not in a hospital psych ward.

“That’s the problem that they experienced when they were trying to find help for their son,” Schneider says, “so that’s how it helped me and I’m sure that story, if it helped me, probably helped every other legislator they talked to.” Today (Thursday) Governor Kim Reynolds will sign two related bills into law. One will require school employees to undergo at least an hour’s worth of suicide prevention training each year. The other seeks to address flaws in the system for treating mentally ill Iowans.

Representative Timi Brown-Powers of Waterloo says during a meeting earlier this year, she kept her head bowed as Neubauer spoke of trying to find treatment for her son’s depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress.  “Although we’re ripping a scab off of a wound, that’s how we get stuff accomplished down here,” Brown-Powers says. “And those stories do matter.” A University of Northern Iowa political science professor says studies confirm personal stories rather than raw statistics are what move people to action.

Advocates who worked on these two bills say the next step is to lobby legislators to provide more MONEY for the mental health care system. Peggy Huppert is the state director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “We’ve reached a tipping point on this issue,” Huppert said. “Mental illness affects tens of thousands of Iowans and they’re raised their voices to say in unison: ‘More must be done.'” The governor is scheduled to sign the two bills into law later this (Thursday) morning.

(Radio Iowa)

Republican Ron Corbett says he has filed a lawsuit, hoping a judge will rule his name should be on the June Primary ballot as a challenger of Governor Kim Reynolds. On Tuesday, a state panel concluded Corbett’s nominating petitions were eight signatures short of the number required to qualify as a primary candidate. “This is about being treated fairly and there’s something just in my gut that tells me this isn’t right,” Corbett says.

Corbett spoke at a news conference in Cedar Rapids Wednesday afternoon, blasting the “Republican establishment” for challenging that paperwork. “You see the establishment doesn’t take too kindly when someone tries to threaten their power,” Corbett said. Corbett expects a ruling next week. Timing is crucial, as primary ballots are being printed soon. Corbett says it’s “tough to beat the donor class, special interests and the establishment.”

“And that’s the trio behind Governor Reynolds, but that trio can be defeated, but only if people unite behind them and the only way that people can unite behind them is to have a ballot choice,” Corbett says. Corbett’s campaign is arguing it’s been penalized for its “over-diligence” in crossing off “legal and valid names” on Corbett’s nominating petitions. Corbett’s lawsuit asks the judge to count those names — something the review panel refused to do Tuesday.

“Maybe you’re a football fan like I am, but once in a while the referee on the field throws a flag,” Corbett said. “…We’re just throwing a ‘coaches challenge’ out there and we’re asking for a judge to review.” Corbett says one reason he filed the lawsuit is because Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller “sided with” Corbett, while the two other members of the review panel voted against letting Corbett on the ballot.

(Radio Iowa)

A Democrat who’s spent the past two weeks trying to qualify as a candidate in Iowa’s third district congressional primary has ended her campaign. Theresa Greenfield of Des Moines launched her campaign last summer and was a leading fundraiser, but her campaign manager confessed he forged some signatures on Greenfield’s first set of nominating petitions. She launched a second effort to gather the required signatures, but fell short.

On Monday, members of the Democratic Party’s third district governing board nominated her for congress. Late yesterday (Wednesday), Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said Iowa law “does not permit” Greenfield to qualify for the ballot that way. Greenfield says shutting down her campaign is “a tough pill to swallow” but she accepts the attorney general’s decision.

Greenfield says it would have been wrong to “look the other way” and let the petition with forged signatures stand. Attorney Jerry Crawford represented Greenfield Tuesday as a state panel reviewed her nominating petitions. “I think this is crucial. If Theresa had just kept quiet…she’d be a candidate and no one would know any different,” Crawford said. “It’s only because she did the right thing…that anybody knows anything about this.”

Three other Democrats did make the primary ballot for a shot at challenging Republican Congressman David Young in November.

(Radio Iowa)

Wednesday marked the close of the filing period for persons seeking nomination during the June 5th Primary election. The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office reports those who have filed their certified nomination petitions with the Office, include:

Montgomery County Recorder (Vote for 1)
Carleen Bruning, Rep, Incumbent
Montgomery County Treasurer (Vote for 1)
Tera Hughes, Rep
Jackie Porter, Rep
Montgomery County Attorney (Vote for 1)
Drew B. Swanson, Rep
Supervisor District #1 (Vote for 1)
Rudy Kinard, Rep
Roger Waggener, Rep
Supervisor District #2 (Vote for 1)
Mike Olson, Rep, Incumbent
Supervisor District #4 (Vote for 1)
Mark Peterson, Rep, Incumbent

Polling place on June 5th include: The Red Oak Gold Fair Building, Red Oak Fire Station, Red Oak First Christian Church, Elliott Community Building, Stanton Fire Department, Grant Fire Department and Villisca Community Building.

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. If anyone has questions about voter registration, absentee ballots, or voting, call the Auditor’s office—712-623-5127 or visit www.montgomerycountyiowa.com
ABSENTEE BALLOTS WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER MAY 7, 2018, AT THE AUDITOR’S OFFICE TO BE VOTED THROUGH JUNE 4, 2018. Those requesting by mail should send requests as soon as possible.
***NEW Identification Requirements***
Voters will be required to present specified identification in order to vote. If you are on record with the Iowa DOT as having a driver’s license or a nonoperator’s ID, you will need to present that card at the polls. If the voter doesn’t have these specified forms of identification, the voter will need to present other forms of identification to establish their identity and residence. THE LAW IS SPECIFIC ABOUT THESE OTHER FORMS. For further information, contact the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office.

Twenty-five Delegates attended the Cass County Democratic Party’s County Convention on Saturday, March 24th. County Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle said the proposed platform was adopted unanimously. Delegates moving on to the Democratic Party’s District and State Conventions are Carol Preston of Griswold, and Jim Jordan and Sherry Toelle, both of Atlantic.

Nine Alternates were chosen: Gini Jordan, Jan Lunde, Gary Schwartz, Don Sonntag, and Rebecca Sponsler, all from Atlantic; Jordan Aggen and Evelyn Kopp, both from Anita; and Mike Conry from Griswold. Sherry Toelle will act as the body’s representative on the District Platform Committee. Sandra Sothman of Atlantic was elected as Affirmative Action Chair. Jordan Aggen and Evelyn Kopp, both from Anita, were elected as Precinct Committee Persons to the County’s Central Committee.

All three candidates for the State Legislature were present, speaking to the Convention. Warren Varley, running for Iowa House District 20, Denise O’Brien, candidate for the Iowa House District 21, and Sara Ramsey who is a candidate for the Iowa Senate District 11, spoke of their political and life experiences as well as their top policy priorities.

Chair Sherry Toelle said that the Convention and speakers were well-received and that Democrats were energized for the 2018 elections.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa court official has ordered an independent investigation into a retired state judge who admitted that he allowed attorneys on the winning side to ghost-write opinions in at least 200 cases. State Court Administrator Todd Nuccio appointed Senior Judge Robert Hutchison and retired court administrator David Boyd to review retired Plymouth County Judge Edward Jacobson’s admission last year that he requested opinions from attorneys on one side of cases without the knowledge of the other side.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says Democrat Theresa Greenfield doesn’t legally qualify to be on the June 5 primary ballot for the state’s 3rd Congressional District. Miller offered his legal analysis Wednesday, shortly before Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate released a certified primary candidate list that didn’t include Greenfield. Greenfield didn’t qualify for the ballot this month after she failed to submit enough public signatures.

HIAWATHA, Iowa (AP) — Ron Corbett says he’s filing a legal challenge against an elections panel’s ruling that booted him off the Republican primary ballot for governor. Corbett told reporters Wednesday in Hiawatha he wants a judge in Polk County district court to review his case. A campaign spokesman later said Corbett filed an administrative review. A three-person panel determined Tuesday that Corbett failed to submit enough signatures from the public to qualify to run against Gov. Kim Reynolds.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A central Iowa restaurant owner has agreed to pay nearly $834,000 to 64 employees the federal government says were not adequately paid. The U.S. Department of Labor filed a federal lawsuit against Gloria Ochoa alleging she violated minimum wage requirements by requiring servers to cash their paychecks and return the money, in cash, back to the restaurants in addition to giving up $20 from their daily tips.