DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A man has been convicted of beating to death the 5-year-old son of his girlfriend in eastern Iowa. A jury found Tre Henderson guilty Thursday. The 28-year-old will be sentenced April 1 to life in prison without possibility of parole. Prosecutors say Ja’Shawn Bussell had 17 broken ribs, damage to internal organs and bruises from the top of his head to his ankles after Henderson beat him in April 2018.

Henderson and the boy’s mother, Jacqueline Rambert, were charged with child abuse for failing to seek prompt medical attention for the boy. They’re both from Chicago and were living in Davenport when Ja’Shawn died.

(Radio Iowa) — A northern Iowa farmer who’s been in the legislature nearly 12 years is proposing a new “corn state” license plate design. Senator Tim Kapucian, of Keystone, has drafted a bill that would carry out his vision. “It’ll say at the top of the plate: ‘The Corn State’ and then it’ll be a white plate with black letters,” Kapucian says, “and then behind the lettering there’ll be some type of an ear of corn.” Kapucian says when he saw how popular the state’s new “black out” specialty license plates have been, he decided to ask his fellow legislators to embrace this idea.

Kapucian expects plenty of farmers to be interested in getting one of these plates for their pick-ups. “I know I’m going to be in line to get one of these if we get it done,” Kapucian says. His neighbor has a license plate collection. It includes a mid-1950s black-and-white plate that has “THE CORN STATE” in capital letters at the bottom of the plate. “Every state has something on their license plate that makes them stand out and we used to have that…If people recognize an ear of corn, they’ll think: ‘Iowa!” he says. “You know you see the bucking bronc with the cowboy, we know that’s Wyoming.”

Kapucian’s plate plan has cleared a Senate subcommittee. His bill would have to pass through at least five other steps in the legislative process before it could be sent to the governor for review.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Iowa News Service/Mike Moen) – Landlords of larger apartment complexes in Iowa would have to disclose monthly utility costs to potential renters, in a bill now in the state Legislature. The proposal has already cleared the Iowa Senate with bipartisan support and is now up for consideration in the House. It would require owners of buildings with at least 12 units to provide a monthly estimate for all utilities before a lease is finalized. Republican Sen. Zach Nunn of Polk County supports the measure. He says renters are often focused on just how much the rent will cost, and are sometimes caught off guard when utility bills arrive.

“A lot of individuals might find themselves paying rent that is either affordable, or right at their cap,” says Nunn, “only later to discover – once they’re locked into a lease – that there’s a very expensive utility bill associated with it because the property is not well maintained.” Nunn says if a prospective renter knows if the utilities are costly, they might seek better options. But the bill is opposed by several groups, including the Iowa Landlord Association, which says it would place too much of a burden on landlords when renters can get that information from the utility companies.

Nunn counters that landlords can get the information just as easily. He adds that providing it could also be beneficial to building owners, because it give them ‘points’ for transparency. “Truth and transparency in a monthly cost for a renter is actually good for good landlords,” says Nunn. “And it’s good for the energy efficiency of the state. ” The Iowa Environmental Council is throwing its support behind the bill, saying it would convince more landlords to make upgrades that would reduce the carbon footprints of their properties.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) — A celebration kicks off today (Friday) to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. Doris Kelley is the chair of the celebration committee. “We’ve been working on the 19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration since 2017. There’s a number of organizations involved in this endeavor — as a matter of fact, there are 17 different organizations — and then you add the league (of women voters) to it and the 11 chapters, we come up to 28 different organizations involved,” Kelley says.

Kelley says they took some time to come up with the theme. “Hard won, not done. That is the theme for the 19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration statewide,” she says. Kelley says the “hard won” part is the 70 years it took fighting to get the vote. And the “not done” part is the work to continue gaining equality for women in a number of areas. “Women do not make the same salary — there’s a lot of issues — and it appears that in many instances, women are taking a step back,” Kelley says. “So, definitely we’re not done. There is more work that has to be done.”

The opening event is this (Friday) morning in Ames. “That will take place at the Iowa State University Memorial Union and it will start at 11:30. It’s free to the public and we’ll start, believe it or not, the Iowa P-B-S premiere of “Carrie Chapman Catt Warrior For Women” documentary, and then we will have different activities throughout the day,” Kelley says. You can go to the celebration website to find out more about the events: ( https://19th-amendment-centennial.org/events)

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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WATERLOO, Iowa (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier) — A man accused of robbing and killing a marijuana peddler in Waterloo is waiting to hear what jurors say. The trial of 18-year-old Quintarius Brown began last week. He’s charged with robbery and first-degree murder for the slaying of Cedric “Skee” Craft on Dec. 11, 2017. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that a prosecutor said Brown and others had gone to Craft’s home and pretended to be interested in buying marijuana, and then Brown shot Craft in the face. Defense attorney Matthew Hoffey attacked the credibility of the state’s witnesses and told jurors there were inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case.

Officials with the Creston Police Department today (Friday) said 48-year old Terry Allen McKinney, of Creston, was arrested Thursday afternoon at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. McKinney was taken into custody for Violation of a No Contact Order. He was subsequently released on a Promise to Appear in Court.

And, a woman residing in the 200 block of W. Montgomery Street, in Creston, reported to Police on Thursday, that sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, someone broke into her car and took several items. They include: a red and black twist computer; white and pink clothes with a duffle bag, and a Black and Decker tool box. The loss was estimated at $2,250.

SPENCER, Iowa (AP) — Firefighters battling flames at a house fire in northwest Iowa have found a body. The blaze was reported a little after 8 a.m. Thursday in Spencer. Firefighters report that flames were visible when they arrived. They found the body inside the house. The person’s name hasn’t been released. An autopsy was ordered. The fire cause is being investigated.

Members of the Cass County Conference Board, Thursday evening, approved County Assessor Brenda Nelson’s FY 2021 Budget. The Budget, which includes $74,000 in an Unreserved/Designated Fund, amounts to $696,599, which is an increase of $85,144 over the Re-estimated FY ending June 30, 2020 Budget. It also includes a two-percent increase in wages over the current fiscal year.

The Board, which is comprised of representatives that include mayors, school boards and the Board of Supervisors, held a public hearing on the Budget, prior to holding a vote to approve, with only one No vote (from Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones).

During the hearing, concerns were raised about $74,000 in the budget which was initially designated to begin a fund to help pay for a re-appraisal project, presumably through the use of Vanguard Appraisal Services, out of Cedar Rapids. Former Supervisor Mark Wedemeyer was concerned about what he thought was a $1-million price tag for Vanguard’s services.

Conference Board Chair Steve Baier said emphatically, “No, there is not a million dollars in this budget” (for the service). Assessor Brenda Nelson said Vanguard’s cost for their service could be split-up over the course of 10-years, which would equate to the line-item on the budget for $74,000. Montgomery County, she said, budgets $60,000 every year for their appraisal service.

She said she included the funds in the budget, “Just in case we do the project, it is in there, and we’re not trying to scramble two-or three-years down the road, trying to make up that difference. It’s definitely well within the guidelines of the budget limitations.” Following a lengthy discussion, the Conference Board unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Steve Green, to leave the $74,000 in the fund, NOT to contract with Vanguard at this time, and to instead conduct more research over the next year, and to hold Nelson accountable for making her office more efficient in the interim.

There were also concerns addressed during the meeting, about the time Brenda Nelson spends out of her office, and that she is not available when she’s needed. Nelson said she attends numerous meetings each year, court cases and other official business. She said “I don’t not goof-off. If I’m not in the office I’m either out with (Her new staff) training them…” and if anyone questions her time in the courthouse, there are cameras that record her presence. She asked anyone who has issues with her, to call her, or make an appointment to discuss their problems or concerns.

The Conference Board suggested she purchase something along the lines of a white board, which would show when Nelson and her office staff are going to be out of the office – for what reason(s) – and when they will return.