DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The trial for a man charged with killing a Des Moines mother and her two young children has again been delayed. Television station KCCI reports that a judge on Thursday agreed to push the trial date for Marvin Escobar-Orellana to April 27 after both sides requested more time to prepare for trial.

Escobar-Orellana’s trial had been had been set to begin on Jan. 27. Escobar-Orellana is charged with three counts of first-degree murder after police say he fatally shot 29-year-old Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez, her 11-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son on July 16 in a Des Moines home.

SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) – Billionaire Tom Steyer has qualified for next week’s Democratic presidential debate in Iowa. He’ll be on stage alongside Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar. Steyer qualified by hitting polling requirements in South Carolina and Nevada, two of the early voting states.

He said while campaigning in New Hampshire on Thursday that his campaign has momentum. A new Fox News poll conducted in South Carolina put Steyer at 15%, and another Fox News poll in Nevada put him at 12%. In previous early state and national polls, Steyer has mostly been in the low to mid-single digits.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A retired business management professor living in eastern Iowa has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for dealing methamphetamine. Federal prosecutors say 61-year-old Randall Mark Gilbert, of Marion, was sentenced Wednesday after he pleaded guilty in July to possession with intent to distribute meth near a school. Officials say police found more than 10 grams of meth in a search of Gilbert’s home, which was within 1,000 feet of Lisbon High School. Police say Gilbert later barged into the home of a woman he believed had set him up, cut the phone line and threatened her with a knife.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man suspected of killing a 74-year-old Davenport resident was driving the resident’s car when police spotted and then arrested him. Charlie Gary III is charged with murder, robbery and burglary. Scott County court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him. He was arrested Wednesday. A criminal complaint says the 19-year-old admitted breaking into the home of Robert Long, intending to steal Long’s car. The document says Gary told investigators that he strangled Long and then drove away in the car. Long’s body was found Tuesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is criticizing the Iowa Department of Human Services. Sand says data it provided for an audit of the agency’s Medicaid Home Health Services program was so flawed he couldn’t even test it. Home Health Services provides skilled nursing care, physical therapy and other services for Medicaid recipients in their homes. Sand says Thursday that it took eight months to get information on the number of patients served, services received and fees paid but the data was flawed and he couldn’t determine whether money was properly spent or recipients adequately served. DHS spokesman Matt Highland says the agency responded to Sand’s requests and relies on independent audits to ensure it’s operating properly.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – Several Iowa and Illinois counties hope to form a sprawling port district along the Mississippi River. Bakers say the plan would improve access to federal funding and aid business development. The Quad-City Times reports that organizers are working on getting governing boards in all 15 counties that share river access to join what would be designated a port statistical area. An application then would be submitted to the Corps of Engineers. If it were approved, the 222-mile-long area would rank 68th in tonnage in the country. The 15 counties have 70 river terminals. Both states are significant exporters of soybeans and corn.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), issued a report on arrests dating back to Dec. 11th. Authorities says 26-year old Robert Paul Joens, of Exira, was arrested at around 12-a.m. December 11th, for Possession of Marijuana/2nd Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The charge stems from an incident occurring in the 2600 block of Heron Ave. Joens was later released from custody after appearing before the Magistrate. On Dec, 23rd, 56-year old Jarold Field Joens, of Exira was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana/1st Offense. The charge is the result of a search warrant executed on Joens’ property, in connection with an incident that occurred earlier in December. Jarold Joens was summoned to appear before the Magistrate later that week, and was subsequently released. During execution of the aforementioned search warrant, 26-year old Robert Paul Joens was arrested and charged with two counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Controlled Substance/Marijuana 2nd Offense, and Possession of Controlled Substance/Meth – 2nd Offense. Robert Joens was transported to the Audubon County Jail and later posted a $3,600 bond.

Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson reports also, 45-year old Christopher Lee Hilleshiem, of Exira, was charged Dec. 15th with disclosing confidential information. The charge stems from an investigation into an incident that occurred in November. Hillesheim appeared before the Magistrate and was released. 43-year old Carrie Waller, of Exira, was also arrested Dec. 15th. She was taken into custody for Obstructing Prosecution or Defense and Theft in the 4th Degree. She was later released after appearing before a magistrate. And, a male juvenile was charged with Burglary in the 3rd Degree – Motor Vehicle, and Theft in the 4th Degree. The charges all stem from an investigation into the July 2019 theft of a firearm from a vehicle in Exira.

On December 16th, 18-year old Levi John Klenda, of Kimballton, was arrested on charges of Theft in the 4th Degree, and Accessory After the Fact. Klenda also appeared before the Magistrate, and was released.

(Radio Iowa) — The U.S. Census Bureau says Iowa is one of the states where the agency is having an especially difficult time finding temporary workers. The Census is hiring for office jobs in Des Moines as well as field workers who will go door to door statewide starting in May. The goal for the agency is to collect more than 21-thousand applications for the part time jobs — but Marilyn Sanders, a regional director for the Census, says so far only about half that number have applied. “Right now we’re looking for approximately about 10,000 more applicants to complete the recruiting for the state of Iowa,” she says.

Iowa’s low unemployment rate is a factor and the Census Bureau recently raised the hourly wage in the Des Moines area in hopes of attracting more applicants. Sanders says having local workers improves the response rate.  “The opportunity to help us to get us a complete count is when we have people that represent the community knocking on the doors,” Sanders says.

The Census determines how many seats in the House of Representatives go to each state. Some 675 billion dollars in federal funding each year is distributed, based on the population count. Sanders attended the first meeting of the statewide Complete Count Committee yesterday (Wednesday) where she encouraged members to organize events to drive recruiting.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Grant Gerlock)