The Atlantic Police Department released details Monday on multiple arrests this month.

On February 2nd Officers arrested 41-year-old Michelle Gifford of Atlantic for OWI 1st Offense. She was taken to the Cass County Jail and booked in.

On February 8th Officers arrested 56-year-old Rhonda Hafner of Griswold for OWI 1st Offense. She was taken to the Cass County Jail and booked in.

On February 9th Officers arrested 26-year-old Devin Register of Atlantic on Cass County Warrants for two counts of Domestic Abuse Assault Causing Injury. He was booked into the Cass County Jail. Register was arrested again on Sunday, February 19th for Criminal Mischief 4th Degree. He was again taken to the Cass County Jail and booked in.

On February 12th Officers arrested 29-year-old Taylor Andersen of Atlantic for Domestic Abuse Assault Impeding Air Flow. He was taken into custody and booked in the the Cass County Jail.

Atlantic Police also report three separate arrests on Friday, February 17th. 24-year-old Michael Riley of Atlantic was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault Impeding Air Flow. She was taken into custody and booked in to the Cass County Jail. 27-year-old Cameron Misner was arrested Friday for Public Intoxication. He was booked into the Cass County Jail. Also Friday Officers arrested 50-year-old Richard Lewis of Atlantic for Simple Assault.  He was taken to the Cass County Jail and booked in.

A photo featuring a lobbyist shaking Governor Terry Branstad’s hand last Friday has sparked outrage among opponents of the bill Branstad signed moments before the picture was taken. Branstad’s signature on the bill immediately reduced negotiating rights for government workers. AFSCME Council 61 president Danny Homan leads a union representing 40-thousand govenrment workers in Iowa and he says it was “disgusting” to see Branstad and the lobbyist for Americans for Prosperity smiling in that photo.

“That said volumes to me as to who was behind and pulling the strings for the passage of this law,” Homan says. Americans for Prosperity was founded and financed by Oklahoma billionaires known as the Koch (pronounced “Coke”) Brothers. Drew Klein, the state director for Americans for Prosperity, posted the picture on his Twitter account and wrote that he was honored to witness the bill signing. Branstad signed the bill in a PRIVATE ceremony and Klein was the only lobbyist in the room.

“I really don’t even know him, so it’s not that big a deal as far as I’m concerned,” Branstad says. The governor says he poses for lots of pictures with people he doesn’t know. “I try to be very accommodating with people and so there were some people that wanted a picture with me and so I accommodated that,” Branstad says. “That’s not a big deal as far as I’m concerned. I do that for people all the time.” After Klein posted his photo with Branstad online, State Senator Jeff Danielson tweeted that Klein was a “super PAC punk.” Klein responded during a Sunday appearance on W-H-O Television’s “Insiders” program.

“As a state director, I do an awful lot of fundraising for somebody that supposedly was handed a suitcase of cash from the Koch brothers and told to implement some agenda,” Klein said. Klein says the bill Branstad signed is “truly historic” and he rejects the charge Democrats made, that Klein had a major hand in writing the legislation. “They’ve certainly give me some new career aspirations that I may one day be as effective as they believe I am,” Klein said. Klein is a Newton native and a Drake University graduate. He lives in Des Moines and has been working in politics since 2008.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A panel of House lawmakers has approved a bill that would prevent Iowa judicial courts from applying foreign law to state cases. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa says the bill mirrors anti-Sharia legislation passed in other states, though Sharia law is not directly referenced in the bill.

The GOP-led House Judiciary Subcommittee agreed Monday to support the bill. It now heads to a full committee. Rep. Ralph Watts, an Adel Republican and the bill’s lead sponsor, says the legislation is aimed at ensuring new cultures in America assimilate under the U.S. Constitution. Watts says he’s unaware of any cases where Iowa courts have considered foreign law.

The Iowa Catholic Conference is also registered against the bill. The group says the measure could void agreements referencing Catholic law.

Governor Terry Branstad does not expect to approve changes in the pension systems for government workers in Iowa before he resigns and heads to China to serve as U.S. Ambassador. “It’s not something that could be done that quickly,” Branstad sys. “…I think it would make sense to have a long-range study that would look at moving a defined contribution as opposed to a defined benefit system as a lot of companies have already done.”

The phrase “defined benefit” is another way to say a pension. The 401-K programs in the private sector use the “defined contributions” of workers who save for their own retirement, sometimes with a matching contribution from their employer. Branstad has long been an advocate of changing IPERS, the state pension system for 335-thousand current, former and retired workers, for NEW workers entering government employment are no longer promised a pension, but have 401-K style accounts.

“If you’re going to do that, it’s a long-term commitment and I think you need to look at maybe even a hybrid system over the period of adjustment,” Branstad says. “A number of states and communities are looking at that.”

This weekend, the governor’s former budget director who now heads a taxpayers group said she hopes legislators are “teeing up a look” at pension reform.

(Radio Iowa)