MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa grandmother has been convicted of the 1992 killing of her former boyfriend. The Quad-City Times reports that Annette Cahill was found guilty Thursday of second-degree murder in the death of bartender Corey Wieneke.

Prosecutors said the 56-year-old Cahill used a baseball bat to kill 22-year-old Wieneke. He was found dead on the floor of his bedroom in rural West Liberty in October 1992.

Police have said Cahill had been in a sexual relationship with Wieneke, and they had a heated argument about his involvement with another woman. The case against Cahill relied on testimony from a woman who said she was 9 when she overheard Cahill confess to killing Wieneke weeks after the slaying.

Cahill is now a mother of three adult children and a grandmother of four.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some 2020 candidates are trying out new strategies to appeal to voters just over four months until Iowa’s leadoff caucuses begin the process in which Democrats will select their presidential nominee.

Kamala Harris announced a substantive shift on Thursday, saying she would spend half of October in Iowa and add some 60 staffers there. Bernie Sanders is shuffling his early state staff, and Beto O’Rourke has turned his impassioned calls for gun control laws into a nationalized strategy that has led him to places far outside the early voting states.

The shifts signal that the race for the Democratic nomination is entering a new stage, with precious few months for candidates to change their fortunes before the first votes are cast.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The former administrator of Iowa’s third-largest city is suing the area’s biggest newspaper, claiming that its coverage was unfair and cost him his job. Former Davenport city administrator Craig Malin’s lawsuit against the Quad-City Times is set to go to trial Monday. He argues that the paper published false stories and opinion pieces about his official actions, forcing him out after 14 years with the city.

The trial will not be a traditional libel case because a judge has ruled Malin did not meet the high bar for proving the newspaper defamed him. Instead, the case will be about whether the paper improperly interfered with Malin’s employment contract.

The newspaper’s reporting on Davenport’s handling of financial negotiations for a new casino prompted the mayor to call for Malin’s termination. The newspaper has defended its coverage as accurate watchdog journalism protected by the First Amendment.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Agriculture is proposing a new set of administrative rules that could significantly improve the lives of dogs, cats and other companion animals in a state long regarded as among the worst in the nation for animal protection. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says Wednesday he will submit the new set of rules to the state on Friday, beginning a process that requires a legislative panel review and public comment.

Animal rights groups celebrated it as a huge victory for pets in state-licensed commercial breeding facilities, animal shelters, pet dealers, rescue organizations and boarding kennels. The rules include increased access to water, larger cages and more stringent temperature, cleaning and sanitation requirements.

Iowa has 500 dog breeders, half licensed by the state and half by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in addition to boarding kennels, shelters and other pet care facilities. It was ranked 48th in the nation for animal protection last year by the nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Bankers in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states expect slow growth in the months ahead, but the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China is weighing on the economy.
The Rural Mainstreet survey’s overall index climbed into positive territory at 50.1 in September from August’s 46.5. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says bankers are less confident because of the ongoing trade disputes and the lack of approval for a new North American trade agreement.

The confidence index remained low at 42.9 in September — up slightly from August’s 42. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Page County, Wednesday, arrested 62-year old Jerry Lee Mutchler, of Shenandoah. He was taken into custody on a warrant for OWI/1st offense. Mutchler was arrested at the page County Sheriff’s Office, where he was being held on a $1,000 bond, pending further court proceedings.

Sheriff Lyle Palmer said also, 39-year old Phillip Jay McClish, of Clarinda, was arrested Monday on a Page County Warrant for Failure to Appear for a Pretrial Conference. The warrant stems from an original charge of Theft 2ndDegree which McClish had bonded on.

McClish was arrested at the Page County Courthouse. McClish was unable to post the $10,000.00 bond. He was transported to the Page County Jail where he is currently being held pending further court proceedings.