PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pennsylvania court has rejected the appeal of a man convicted of killing two sisters who lived next door to him in Pittsburgh and were sisters of an Iowa state lawmaker. Forty-nine-year-old Allen Wade was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the February 2014 deaths of Sarah and Susan Wolfe, who were found shot to death in the basement of their East Liberty home.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that a Superior Court panel rejected his appeal arguments, including a challenge to prosecutors’ use of a hat containing his DNA found in the victims’ home five weeks before their deaths. Prosecutors sought the death penalty, but a jury deadlock led to a life without parole sentence. The victims were sisters of Democratic Iowa state Rep. Mary Wolfe.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A woman who stole thousands of dollars from the Open Bibles Churches organization in the Des Moines area has been given a suspended prison sentence and forgiveness by the organization’s leaders. Polk County District Court records say 55-year-old Michelene Kinning was sentenced Nov. 21 to two years’ probation and a suspended 10-year prison term. She also paid more than $154,000 in restitution. The records say she’d pleaded guilty to theft.

The Des Moines Register reports that Randall Bach is president of Open Bible Churches, and he said last week that church representatives thought probation and the suspended prison time were appropriate punishments. Bach says church representatives were shocked to learn what Kinning had done while working at the organization headquarters, “but we forgive her.”

(Radio Iowa) — Smart phones and politics are two things Iowans should -not- bring to the Thanksgiving table today (Thursday). A national survey conducted by a West Des Moines branding and marketing agency finds certain topics should remain off-limits, and electronic gadgets should be switched off. Doug Jeske, president of Meyocks, says the survey found Thanksgiving is a time for family, not Facebook. “About 70% of Americans say they find the use of mobile phones and other devices at the Thanksgiving table annoying,” Jeske says, “yet 43% still allow it and about a third of us admit to using or checking our smartphones ourselves.”

It’s suggested the Thanksgiving dinner hosts make a rule before the feast begins that anyone caught using their phone during the meal has to wash all of the dishes. “I think that would be a great idea,” Jeske says. “We as Americans profess to wanting to be with our families at Thanksgiving yet some of us find ways to disconnect from them when we’re together. Maybe if there was a disincentive of having to help with cleanup, it might keep us focused on the conversation at hand.” It’s long been said that polite conversation should not include politics or religion. The survey found politics is declining as a popular topic on Turkey Day.

“Four years ago, one in four Americans said that politics typically came up at the Thanksgiving table,” Jeske says. “This year, it’s down to one in six. We’re a little divided as a nation, perhaps a lot divided, so it’s easier to talk about the good things that are going on or how good mom’s pecan pie is, rather than talk about things like impeachment.” As for religion, one in five of those surveyed say they never say a prayer at the Thanksgiving table. That’s up slightly from 17% in 2016. While mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce remain a constant on the Thanksgiving menu, the latest survey found one change from tradition. “Turkey still dominates as a Thanksgiving dinner item, but mac and cheese, for the first time since we’ve been doing the survey, made the top ten list of dishes,” Jeske says. “It looks like it displaced boxed stuffing from last year’s results.”

Three in ten Americans say macaroni and cheese is typically served as their primary Thanksgiving meal. Also this year, nearly one in five surveyed say they’ll have groceries delivered for Thanksgiving.
www.meyocks.com/thanksgiving

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld a $4.9 million jury verdict awarded to a Texas woman after she fell outside a hotel on an icy sidewalk. The court in its ruling Wednesday rejected arguments by Marriott International that the jury’s 2018 verdict was excessive and the result of jury prejudice against the corporation. Brenda Alcala, a software consultant, filed the lawsuit. She was staying at the Bettendorf Courtyard by Marriott in January 2010 when she slipped on ice and broke an ankle.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she has appointed a northwest Iowa judge to the Iowa Court of Appeals. Reynolds says in a statement that Paul Ahlers, of Fort Dodge, will succeed Judge Amanda Potterfield, who is retiring from the bench on December 25. She was appointed by Democratic Gov. Chet Culver in 2008. Ahlers is Reynolds’ fourth appointment to the nine-member court.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two powerful storms threatened to scramble Thanksgiving plans for millions of people during one of the year’s busiest travel weeks. A winter-like storm blamed for one death rolled into the Midwest on Wednesday, dropping heavy snow in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, a so-called bomb cyclone brought snow, wind and rain to the California and Oregon coasts, snarling traffic for hours. In New York, a windy forecast could mean disappointment for fans of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former care provider in Sioux City has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing from her clients. The Sioux City Journal reports that 50-year-old Lisa Sembach-Preston was sentenced Tuesday. The judge also ordered her to repay nearly $85,000 to Crossroads of Western Iowa, a Council Bluffs-based nonprofit that provides services to adults with disabilities and mental illnesses.