DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines man has been sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison for killing a puppy by snapping its neck. The Des Moines Register reports that 26-year-old Christopher Vogel was sentenced Thursday and ordered to pay a $650 fine. He pleaded guilty in November to animal abuse in the killing of a Corgi puppy named Baby.

Police say Vogel went to a friend’s apartment and asked the neighbors if he could use their Wi-Fi password, then killed their 12-week-old dog when they refused his request.

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — Central Iowa authorities say a man has been charged with murder in the death of his 2-month-old daughter. Police say 29-year-old Calvin Curtis White, of Nevada, Iowa, was charged Friday with first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death after the infant was found not breathing and declared dead days earlier.

Police say the mother called 911 after arriving home on Monday and finding the baby not breathing. The baby later died at a hospital. Authorities are awaiting autopsy results.

Police did not release details on what led to White’s arrest.

City of Exira Officials told KJAN news on Saturday at 9:30am that a Boil Advisory that had been in place for the City’s water supply has been lifted. A water main leak was pinpointed and repaired last week in the city. A boil advisory for all water used for consumption was put in place on Wednesday after a section of pipe was replaced, due to the threat of bacterial contamination as the system was recirculated. Proper testing has now been completed and Exira residents can return to normal water usage for consumption.

A senate committee has approved legislation that would limit the liability for Iowa businesses accused of over-serving a customer involved in a drunk driving crash. If the bill becomes law, a person injured in a drunk driving wreck or the relatives of someone who dies in an accident would be limited to receiving a total of 175-thousand dollars from a bar or restaurant. Senator Michael Breitbach, a Republican from Strawberry Point, says the bill’s needed because Iowa bar owners are finding it harder to buy liability INSURANCE.

“Especially in the western part of our area, in our rural areas if you don’t serve food with your beverages, there’s only one company that will write your coverage,” he says. Breitbach grew up living on the floor above “The Hub” in Colesburg, his family’s bar, and Breitbach says he doesn’t want businesses like it to close because they can’t afford the liability coverage.

“We have a lot of small towns where maybe the only business in the town is the local tavern and maybe they don’t serve enough food that they don’t quality for a better priced policy,” Breitbach says. “We don’t want that business to do away. It might be the backbone of that town.” Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines, opposed the bill. He says the current law helps “control risk.”

“In many of these situations, the person that is in the best spot to stop an impaired driver is the one who stops that next drink from being served,” Boulton says. “…What this legislation does is it does tear down some of that responsibility.” Under current law, a bar or restaurant can be held liable for all damages from an accident if the person was sold or served alcohol and the business DID know or SHOULD have known the person was intoxicated or was becoming too drunk to drive.

(Radio Iowa)

One of the ads in the big game Sunday will feature a really big western Iowa bull. A 15-second Cenex commercial features “Albert the Bull”, some actors, and some real Audubon residents. Audubon Chamber of Commerce president Brandon Toft says the Albert spot is expected to air sometime around the third quarter. He says two representatives of Minnesota-based C-H-S Energy’s advertising branch appeared at the banquet to show the commercial and also a short documentary on Albert. (Click on the left side of the audio bar(s) to listen)

Toft says he was impressed with the documentary.

The City was contacted late last Summer about shooting the commercial on location. Albert, who is 53-years old and 28-feet tall, was showing his age, so the town reacted quickly to give him some much needed sprucing up.

Toft said the residents of Audubon County are excited to see the Cenex ad, which will make a play on the words “Super Bowl” and turn it into “Super Bull.” And, while the short version of the commercial that debuts on T-V for viewers throughout the Midwest Region features mostly actors, at the end, there is a scene featuring members of the community standing in front of Albert. Toft was not present for that particular shot…he was busy with basketball that morning.

Here’s a link to the 5-minute documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llKOk_AA02A

(KJAN/Radio Iowa)