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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A jury has acquitted a 31-year-old man accused of punching to death a 2-year-old girl in Iowa County. Court records say Cody Stevenson was found not guilty Monday of first-degree murder. A criminal complaint said Stevenson struck the daughter of his live-in girlfriend three or four times in the abdomen on June 30, 2017, at a Williamsburg apartment. Authorities say the girl died three days later.
He testified Friday that he’d told authorities that he punched the girl but said so only to protect her mother. He says she punched her daughter. Court records don’t show the woman has been charged. The trial was moved to Cedar Rapids because of pretrial publicity.
The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office, Monday, posted a report on arrests dating back to early January. Most recently:
Other arrests in January:
Red Oak Police, Monday night, arrested a woman on an assault charge after officers responded to a residence in the 1300 block of Sunnyslope Drive, for a physical domestic assault in progress. Officers separated both parties and arrested 26-year old Bailey Anne Bostwick, of Red Oak, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Bostwick was taken into custody at around 8:30-p.m. and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where she was being held without bond, pending an appearance before the magistrate.
(Radio Iowa) — Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and key Republicans in the legislature met yesterday (Monday) and settled on a “per pupil” spending level for the 2019/2020 school year. They’ve agreed to boost general state support of public K-through-12 schools by a little more than two percent, slightly less than what Governor Reynolds recommended last month. Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver of Ankeny says the deal includes more money to offset transportation costs and address inequities in the state funding formula — for a total package of nearly 90 million more dollars to public schools.
“I think the most important thing when it comes to school funding is we promise an amount that we can actually fund,” Whitver says, “and this amount that we’re promising today is an amount that we’re very confident we’ll be able to fund in the future.”
The state’s education community had been lobbying for more. Melissa Peterson is a lobbyist for the Iowa State Education Association which represents 34-thousand Iowa teachers. “While we appreciate that 2.06 percent is better than the rates that have been assigned that last couple of years,” she says, “we know that school districts in Iowa need at least three percent to keep up with the cost of inflation.”
Last year, the Republicans at the statehouse approved a one percent hike in per pupil state funding for the current school year. The previous year, the increase was one-point-one percent. Legislative leaders expect the G-O-P’s general school spending level for NEXT year to gain final approval in the House and Senate next week.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:350 a.m. CST
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state of Iowa will pay $4.15 million to two executive branch employees who were sexually harassed for years by an agency director who had been a longtime friend of Gov. Kim Reynolds. The money will go to former Iowa Finance Authority business development director Beth Mahaffey and its current communications director Ashley Jared. The state appeal board voted 2-1 to approve the deals. State Auditor Rob Sand dissented, saying Jamison and not taxpayers should be required to pay
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill that would dramatically change the way Iowa selects judges for the Iowa Supreme Court and the district court level has been introduced in the Iowa House. The bill would end appointments by attorneys to judicial nominating commissions and gives the power solely to the governor and legislative leaders.
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Police in the Des Moines suburb of Ankeny say a grand jury has declined to indict an officer who killed a Missouri man after he pointed a gun at the officer. Police announced Monday that the Polk County grand jury met last week and decided not to indict officer Todd Webb. Webb responded to a reported robbery on Sept. 15 and located a suspect nearby. Police say the suspect, Christopher Lee Leonard, of Springfield, Missouri, pointed a handgun at the officer, who then shot and killed Leonard.
Sheriff’s officials in Mills County say there were seven arrests made over the past four days. Four people were arrested Monday (2/4), including:
On Sunday, 33-year old Brandon Scott Bryen, of Malvern, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Child Endangerment and Open Container ($2,000 bond). Last Saturday, 57-year old Luis Joel Mendez, of Missouri Valley, was arrested for DUS (Driving Under Suspension) ($300 bond). And, on Friday 37-year old Jessica Lynn Ballinger, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation, and DUS (Bond $5,000).
The Glenwood Police Department reports four recent arrests. On Friday, 20-year old Dixson Briggs and 24-year old Cody Anderson, both of Red Oak, were arrested for Possession of Marijuana. For Anderson, it was his second offense. Their cash or surety bonds were set at $1,000 for Briggs and $2,000 for Anderson.
Also arrested Friday, was 35-year old Kristy Wilson, of Glenwood, for Public Intoxication. Her bond was $300. And, on Jan. 31st, 42-year old Travis Handley, of Glenwood, was arrested on two Mills County warrants for Probation Violation, with total bond set at $20,000.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state of Iowa has tentatively agreed to pay $4.15 million to two executive branch employees who were sexually harassed for years by an agency director who had been a longtime friend of Gov. Kim Reynolds. Settlement agreements released by the state Monday show the money would go to former Iowa Finance Authority business development director Beth Mahaffey and its current communications director Ashley Jared. The state appeal board will consider approving the deals this (Monday) afternoon.
Both women came forward last year to the governor’s office to detail the sexual harassment and hostile work environment they endured under Iowa Finance Authority executive director Dave Jamison. The deals call for the state to pay $2.35 million in cash and monthly annuities to Mahaffey, 53, who left state employment and moved last year after complaining about Jamison’s behavior. Another $1.8 million would go to Iowa Finance Authority communications director Ashley Jared, 35.
The City of Audubon is asking residents to please check their basements, to make sure you do not have any broken pipes or meters due to the extreme temperatures we’ve experienced over the past few days. If you find any issues, call the Audubon City Hall.
FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — Winnebago Industries says it’s shifting to its Forest City, Iowa, campus the production of Class A diesel motorhomes from the company plant in Junction City, Oregon. Winnebago announced Monday that the change will consolidate product development, supply chain and assembly for the company’s diesel motorhome business. Winnebago Vice President Brian Hazelton says the strategic decision to move diesel product manufacturing to the former Country Coach facilities in Junction City years ago did not achieve “our targeted operating efficiency and profitability goals.”
The company expects to begin the transition immediately. Winnebago says the 250 positions in Junction City will be reduced to about 30 and that there will be an increase of about 175 positions at the Forest City campus by the end of fiscal year 2020.