Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Court documents say a Des Moines woman first reported missing then found dead in her home had been strangled, with police saying she was the victim of a random home invasion and robbery. A Des Moines man, 22-year-old Kyle Alexander Jepson, has been charged with first-degree murder, burglary and robbery in the January death of 49-year-old Gloria Gary, who was last seen alive Jan. 3. Police say Jepson broke into Gary’s house that evening and attacked her when she arrived home. Investigators say Jepson then stole Gary’s cellphone, $200 and her car. He was arrested Jan. 12 in Utah with her car. Police say he had hidden her body in her house. Jepson, who remains jailed on $1 million bond, next has a court hearing March 10.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge is expected to sentence a Rwandan man today (Thursday), for lying to gain citizenship in the U.S. after helping carry out deadly attacks during the country’s 1994 genocide. U.S. District Judge Linda Reade has found that Gervais Ngombwa was a leader of an extremist Hutu political party during the genocide, in which more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. He was arrested on immigration charges two decades later while living in Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Dozens of public workers gathered at the Iowa Capitol in opposition to a bill that would reduce compensation for getting injured on the job, just weeks after legislators voted to severely limit their collecting bargaining rights. The proposed legislation cuts off worker benefits at 67, minimizes late fees for employers and reduces benefits for injuries tied to a pre-existing condition.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — After facing lawsuits and days of criticism, the University of Iowa is shelving a plan to eliminate scholarships promised to thousands of current and incoming students. UI President Bruce Harreld announced Wednesday that he was reinstating the Iowa Heritage Award and four other smaller scholarship programs for current students and those who start next fall. He had informed 3,000 students last week that he was eliminating their awards, citing a “devastating” funding cut approved by lawmakers.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican lawmakers have approved a second bill that would ban abortion in Iowa after 20 weeks of pregnancy. A GOP-led subcommittee of the House Human Resources Committee signed off on the legislation Wednesday. It’s similar to legislation approved one day earlier in a Senate subcommittee.

Separately, a so-called personhood bill was approved Monday in a Republican-led subcommittee in the Senate. It would outlaw abortion by declaring life begins at conception. Both proposals would likely face legal challenges, especially the life-at-conception bill, which would violate longtime U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

Both measures require approval in full committees this week to survive a legislative deadline for policy bills. It’s unclear if enough Republican lawmakers, who hold majorities in both chambers, support either measure for them to be approved amid likely Democratic opposition.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans have reversed course on plans to reduce early voting and polling hours in Iowa as part of a bill that would require voters to show identification. The proposed changes were briefly attached to Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s voter ID bill in the House.

The changes were dropped by the time lawmakers in the House State Government Committee voted Tuesday night to approve the bill. The proposed changes were also not included in a version of the bill that passed Wednesday in a Senate subcommittee.

Rep. Ken Rizer, a Marion Republican, sought the changes to early voting and polling hours but says the bill had stronger support without those provisions. Pate supports keeping the current system for early voting and polling hours. A proposal to eliminate straight-party voting remains in the House bill.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A House committee has approved a bill that would extend Iowa’s existing medical marijuana program. The House Public Safety Committee voted Tuesday with bipartisan support for the extension. It’s now available for debate in the House.

The bill would remove a scheduled sunset this year for Iowa to allow the use of cannabis oil for certain epilepsy patients. The bill would also add language to streamline any future federal designation of certain drug medications related to cannabis oil.

The same committee decided recently not to take up a comprehensive bill that would have created a system for growing and distributing cannabis oil. Supporters of the more comprehensive system say the extension is not enough. Some GOP lawmakers also back the comprehensive bill, but they say their caucus is monitoring federal activity on the issue.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — After facing lawsuits and days of criticism, the University of Iowa is shelving a plan to eliminate scholarships promised to thousands of current and incoming students. UI President Bruce Harreld announced Wednesday that he was reinstating the Iowa Heritage Award and four other smaller scholarship programs for current students and those who start next fall.

He informed 3,000 students last week that he was eliminating their awards, citing a “devastating” funding cut approved by lawmakers. The Heritage scholarships promised an automatic $1,500 tuition discount to the children and grandchildren of alumni for four years of undergraduate studies. Many said they came to Iowa instead of other schools as a result. Two lawsuits were filed on behalf of students this week.

The programs will be eliminated for new students in 2018.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican lawmakers are fast-tracking a bill that labor unions say would reduce compensation benefits for workers injured on the job in Iowa. The bill advanced from the House commerce subcommittee Wednesday with an identical bill scheduled for Senate subcommittee consideration later in the day.

The proposed measure includes provisions to end worker benefits at age 67, reduce benefits for injuries tied to pre-existing conditions and minimize late fees for employers. Opponents say the changes would burden employees and favor businesses. Some businesses that support the bill say it protects employers and closes loopholes exploited in existing workers’ compensation law.

The bill would have to be approved by a full committee this week to survive a procedural deadline for policy bills.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – An education board has delighted residents of the small city of Crescent by voting to keep the community’s elementary school open despite a recommendation by the superintendent that it be closed as a cost-saving move due to declining enrollment. The Daily Nonpareil reports the Council Bluffs Board of Education voted 5-2 on Tuesday night to keep Crescent Elementary School open.

Superintendent Martha Bruckner had recommended closing the school, saying the district would have saved $185,000 annually. The district’s proposal to close the elementary school in Pottawattamie County would’ve sent students to Lewis & Clark Elementary School in Council Bluffs.

Crescent resident Michelle Shea says she is happy about the decision because the school has been a positive experience for her family and children.

Well, that didn’t take long. Less than four months after the 2016 elections were held, a candidate other than David Young has announced his intention to run for Iowa 3rd District Congressional seat.  Mike Sherzan, a Democrat who resides in Dallas County announced today (Wednesday) his candidacy for U.S. Congress in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. Sherzan is running to take on Republican Congressman David Young in the 2018 mid-term election.

In a Press Release, Sherzan says “Like most Iowans, I’m fed up with Washington politicians. Iowans deserve a progressive leader who will be a champion for working class families. It’s time to change the system that serves the interests of career politicians. That’s why I’ve decided to run for Congress.”

Sherzan graduated from the University of Iowa. At age 39 he started his own financial services firm in Des Moines, Broker Dealer Financial Services. His company grew into an Iowa based, 60-employee firm with over 250 representatives and 35,000 customers located in Iowa and across the country. After 25 years of helping Iowans save for retirement and fund their children’s college education, Sherzan retired from his employee owned business.

He and his wife Susan have been married for 40 years. He says he’s the proud father of three and grandfather of seven. For more information, go to: www.SherzanforIowa.com

A crowd of about 70 people showed-up at the Bridgewater Community Building Tuesday evening, to partake in an organizational meeting designed to spark community support for ridding the town of drug dealers and users. Doug Miller is the spokesperson for “Take Back Bridgewater, Iowa,” an initiative he created after he became aware of an Adair County road rock pile with the word “Meth” spray painted on it, and an arrow pointing toward Bridgewater. (click on the left side of the audio bars below to hear his comments)

Miller says he can’t solve the problem alone, he needs to have volunteers and support from the community and that’s what he’s seeing since he created a Facebook page for the initiative, and especially the overwhelming support it garnered during Tuesday night’s meeting.

Miller says he never underestimates the citizens of the community that he’s lived in and worked in for most of his life.

The drug user/dealer community is not going down without a fight, though. Miller says when a central Iowa television station was in-town prior to the meeting Tuesday night, a loud train horn went off. The catch is…no train goes through or near Bridgewater. There hasn’t been railroad activity for years, because the tracks are long gone.

Miller says the horn can be heard up to five-miles away. It is loud and obnoxious, and an investigation is underway into who is setting off the siren.

He says the community will continue to find ways to fight meth and drug use. Miller said a planning committee meeting will be held within the next two weeks to put together an action plan. The next meeting will be an open session, with invitations going out to Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater and City Council members, so the committee can ask questions, not to “Put them on the hot seat.”

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

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