DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has set a date for arguments in a lawsuit that challenges a law giving the governor more power over the selection of supreme court and appeals court judges.

Chief Judge Thomas Bower says in an order signed last week that the court will hear arguments on Nov. 6.
Lawyer Bob Rush, a former Democratic state senator who is one of the plaintiffs, asked that Gov. Kim Reynolds’ most recent appointment to the court, Judge Julie Schumacher, recuse herself because the validity of her appointment could be affected by the outcome.

Bower rejected the recusal request and a request for a full court hearing. He says he and four other judges will hear the case on an expedited basis. The lawsuit alleges the law is an unconstitutional infringement by the legislative branch of the judicial branch and violates a state law requiring bills to center on one topic and clearly state a purpose.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three people were arrested on drug charges Wednesday, as the result of a September narcotics investigation conducted by the Mills and Fremont County K9 Units. 39-year old Matthew Joseph Tyson, of Pacific Junction, 33-year old Shaw Aaron Peterson, and 36-year old Misty Bea Petterson, both of Glenwood, were taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Deliver.

All three subjects were transported to the Mills County Jail, and held on $10,000 bond each. Glenwood Police assisted with the arrests.

An investigation into a stabbing late Wednesday night in Council Bluffs, has resulted in the arrest of a man on an Attempted Murder charge. (In an update to our earlier reports) Police said 41-year old Jerome Daniels, of Council Bluffs, stabbed 24-year old Alex Fichter, also of Council Bluffs, shortly before midnight, Wednesday. The incident took place at 313 N 17th Street. Authorities report Daniels stabbed Fichter twice in the chest with a knife.

Jerome Daniels (CB/PD photo)

Daniels remained on the scene after the assault, and was placed under arrest after being interviewed by detectives. Fichter was transported to the UNMC for treatment. A report on his condition was not released.

Officials say the men are acquainted, and had been together in the home for several hours, prior to the stabbing incident.

The Stuart Police Department reports that at around 12:13-a.m. Tuesday, Officers were dispatched to the 600 block of SW 7th St. in Stuart, for the report of a burglary. Upon arrival Officers discovered a juvenile female who reported being sexually assaulted in her bedroom. The juvenile alleged that an adult male had opened her bedroom window from the outside and climbed through. Once in the bedroom, the victim alleged that the male locked the bedroom door and sexually assaulted her. The alleged assault was witnessed by a second female who was in the room with the victim. The victim alleged that when her mother forced her way into the bedroom, the suspect fled back through the bedroom window. The mother reported to officers that she saw the suspect’s feet as he left through the window.

Both the victim and witness identified the suspect as 26-year-old Derrick Devon Henry, of Stuart. Henry was later found and arrested by Stuart Police Officers and charged with Burglary in the 1st Degree and Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree. He was booked into the Adair County Jail, where he was being held on a $100,000 dollar bond. Authorities said this is an ongoing investigation and additional charges may be filed at a latter date. The victim’s information will not be released as she is a juvenile.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports four arrests took place, Wednesday.

• 33-year old Cassidy Jozettie Bergei, of Omaha, was charged with Open Container, and 39-year old Matthew Joseph Tyson, of Pacific Junction, was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance w/Intent to Deliver, Possession of Controlled Substance, No Valid Driver’s License, Reckless Driving and Improper Brake Lights. His bond was set at $12,000. Bond for Bergei was set at slightly more than $472. The pair were arrested following a traffic stop on 221st Street.
• 33-year old Shaw Aaron Peterson, and 36-year old Misty Bea Pettersen, both of Glenwood, were arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance w/Intent to Deliver. Their bonds were set at $10,000, each.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a Council Bluffs man was sentenced Wednesday in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to 200 months (16.6-years) in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. 38-year old Jason Nicholas Feller was also required to serve a five-year term of supervised release, following completion of his incarceration.

Feller pleaded guilty in April of 2019. On December 30, 2018, Council Bluffs Police conducted a traffic stop on Feller, during which he admitted he had drugs in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of two baggies containing approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine. Officers later located a container with a false bottom that held approximately 63 grams of methamphetamine.

The case was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Marine Corps has corrected the identity of another of the men who were photographed raising the American flag at Iwo Jima during World War II.
The Marines said in a statement Thursday that after questions were raised by private historians who studied photos and films, it determined that Cpl. Harold P. Keller was among the six men who raised the flag. The Marines say Pfc. Rene Gagnon had helped in the effort but for decades was mistakenly identified by the Marines as one of the flag-raisers.

Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal shot the iconic photograph atop Mount Suribachi during an intense battle between American and Japanese forces in 1945.
In 2016, the Marines corrected the identity of another man in the photo after historians raised questions.

NBC News, which first reported on the Marines’ decision, says Keller died in 1979 in Grinnell, Iowa.

Des Moines, Iowa – October 17, 2019 –The Iowa Department of Revenue has finalized the 2020 interest rate, individual income tax brackets, and individual income tax standard deduction amounts for the 2020 tax year (applicable for taxes due in 2021).

Interest Rates:

Starting January 1, 2020, the interest rate for taxpayers with overdue payments will be:

7.0% annually
0.6% monthly
0.019126% daily

Iowa Code Section 421.7 specifies the procedures for calculating the Department’s annual and monthly interest rates. The annual rate is based on the average monthly prime rate during the preceding twelve month period, October through September. Iowa law requires that this average be rounded to the nearest whole percent and two percentage points to be added to it. The prime rate averaged 5.40 percent over the past twelve months. Rounded to the nearest whole percent, this average is 5.0 percent. Adding two percentage points results in the annual Department rate of 7.0 percent. The monthly rate is the annual rate divided by 12, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a percentage point. The daily rate for 2020 is the annual rate divided by 366.

Individual Income Tax Standard Deductions

The tax year 2020 individual income tax standard deductions are:

$2,110 for single taxpayers
$2,110 for married taxpayers filing separately
$5,210 for married filing jointly
Individual Income Tax Brackets

Tax year 2020 income tax brackets are shown in the table below.

Indexation of the standard deductions is covered in Iowa Code sections 422.9 and 422.21. Iowa Code section 422.5 details indexation of Iowa income tax brackets. Iowa law provides for the indexation of individual income tax brackets and standard deduction amounts. These tax features are determined each year by applying inflation factors to, or “indexing,” the previous year’s amounts. Indexation is meant to protect taxpayers from paying higher income taxes solely as a result of inflation.