MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) — A hearing to determine whether key evidence can be used against a man charged in the killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts has been delayed. Cristhian Bahena Rivera is charged with murder in the July 2018 killing. Prosecutors acknowledged last week that officers didn’t read Rivera his rights during an interrogation before Tibbetts’ body was recovered.

A court official says a hearing scheduled for today (Tuesday) to decide if the information from that interrogation could be used to rebut testimony was postponed because a defense lawyer’s parent has died. It will be rescheduled. The 25-year-old man is scheduled for trial in February. Prosecutors allege Rivera stalked Tibbetts while she was running near her hometown of Brooklyn, stabbed her to death and dumped her body in a cornfield.

Members of the Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will hold a Work Session 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 23rd), in the High School Media Center. No action is expected. The Board will discuss a Facility Project Update, Financial Update, and Planning. Superintendent Steve Barber will remind the Board as well, of notable, upcoming dates, including:

• City/School elections on Nov. 5th
• The Annual Organizational Meeting 5:30-p.m. Nov. 19th
• And the IASB Delegate Assembly & School Board Convention, set for Nov. 20th & 21st.

PEOSTA, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa city council has accepted the resignation of their mayor despite his request that they let him remain in office. The Telegraph Herald reports that Larry Mescher quit in an email sent Oct. 13 to the Peosta council members. It was sent just days after a contentious council meeting and follow-up work session on Oct. 11 regarding a proposed study on moving City Hall offices from Peosta Community Centre to the city’s new police station.

On Oct. 15, however, Mescher sent another email, saying that in haste “and a bit of anger, I sent out an email that I resign. I would like to apologize and ask that you allow me to rescind my previous email.” On Monday night, the council said no. Council Member John Kraft said the city needed its leader to step up when the city hits tough times and then told Mescher: “Unfortunately, I feel you jumped ship.”

The Griswold School District’s Certified Enrollment and BEDS (Basic Educational Data Survey) numbers are down this for the 2019-2020 School Year. Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News the Certified Enrollment numbers were due Oct. 15th. He said the Certified number includes all students who live in the district, regardless of where they attend classes. That number was 457.5. That reflects the weight different services are calculated, and is a decrease of 18.3 students from last year. BEDS enrollment (The number of students served every day, not necessarily where they live), went down 28 from last year, which left the total enrollment at 416.9. Henrichs said the District anticipated a decrease of about 15 students. The Certified numbers were close to what they expected, he said, but the BEDS numbers were lower. That’s due to the impact of Open Enrollment, and kids served from other district’s who were down this year.

The Griswold School Board also received an update from Steve Baier, who is on a committee looking to start a daycare center in Griswold that would serve 100 kids. The initial idea they had was to find a building in Griswold suitable for renovation on Main Street at a reasonable price, that would serve as the facility, however, Henrichs said they didn’t have much luck. He said they found it would be too costly to remodel any available building. Therefore, they are exploring building a daycare on school land, with the district sharing playground equipment and so on. The Committee has hired an architect. An architect’s report is needed in-part because they must be included in grant applications. Current funding includes $65,000 from the Noble Church, which was matched by Griswold Communications. That still leaves them well short of the total estimate cost of slightly more than $1-million. Henrichs said the building would not be owned or operated by the school, but the district would be fully in support of those efforts.

The Griswold School Board Monday, also approved the resignations of Rhea Gipple – Special Ed/Para-Educator/Pre-School Educator; Laura Carlton – Wrestling Cheerleading sponsor; Troy Nicklaus – Middle School Volleyball Coach. Mindy Hartman was transferred from Elementary Para-educator to Pre-school Special Ed para-educator. New hires include: Summer Ewing Elementary Para-Educator, and Alexis Riley- Wrestling/Cheerleading sponsor. And, the Board approved a Leave of Absence from Tanner Potter – Middle School Wrestling Coach.

The Board, Monday, set Nov. 6th at 6:30-p.m., as their next Work Session. Henrichs said it is a continuation of discussion fostered during an IASB meeting in July, with regard to a review and revise the hiring process.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa U-S Senator Chuck Grassley is taking part in a Judiciary Committee hearing today (Tuesday) on so-called sanctuary cities and their impact on public safety. Iowa banned sanctuary cities and counties with passage of a state law last year that revokes state funding to places that violate federal immigration law. Still, Grassley says sanctuary jurisdictions are a worry in Iowa — and across the country. Grassley says, “There may be law outlawing it in Iowa, but I think you’re going to find a lot of sheriffs in Iowa cautious about how they handle requests from the federal government.”

He’s quick to point out that action — or inaction — by Iowa law officers isn’t based on their personal politics, but more on fear of litigation. Grassley says, “We’ve had organizations that go to court, let’s say they might be something like the ACLU as an example, threatening lawsuits if sheriffs cooperated with ICE and other immigration officials.”  While Iowa City has pronounced itself as a safe haven to people who are in the U-S illegally, city leaders have not designated the community as a formal sanctuary. The Iowa City city council vowed not to commit local resources to enforcing federal immigration law, which prompted passage of the 2018 state law against sanctuaries. Grassley says sanctuary proclamations elsewhere continue to be a concern.

“You have an instance I think last week, the governor of California got somebody out of prison through his executive powers,” Grassley says. “He did it for the sole purpose so they wouldn’t be extradited and put out of our country.” Under the Iowa law, which took effect on July 1st of 2018, cities and counties are forbidden from prohibiting or discouraging law enforcement officers or other employees from “assisting or cooperating with a federal immigration officer as reasonable or necessary, including providing enforcement assistance.”

TIFFIN, Iowa (AP) — A former president of a baseball organization in eastern Iowa has been accused of stealing more than $30,000 from it. Linn County court records say 40-year-old Adam Henderson, of Cedar Rapids, is charged with theft. The Gazette reports that Johnson was president of the Clippers Baseball Club, an organization that serves the Clear Creek Amana School District area but is not affiliated with the district.

An investigation began after Henderson wrote a club check that bounced. Court records say investigators found that Henderson wrote himself checks, used the club’s debit card, deposited club funds into his personal account and wrote checks to pay his rent. The records say Henderson eventually acknowledged the thefts to a detective.