PEOSTA, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa city council has accepted the resignation of their mayor despite his request that they let him remain in office. The Telegraph Herald reports that Larry Mescher quit in an email sent Oct. 13 to the Peosta council members. It was sent just days after a contentious council meeting and follow-up work session on Oct. 11 regarding a proposed study on moving City Hall offices from Peosta Community Centre to the city’s new police station.

On Oct. 15, however, Mescher sent another email, saying that in haste “and a bit of anger, I sent out an email that I resign. I would like to apologize and ask that you allow me to rescind my previous email.” On Monday night, the council said no. Council Member John Kraft said the city needed its leader to step up when the city hits tough times and then told Mescher: “Unfortunately, I feel you jumped ship.”

The Griswold School District’s Certified Enrollment and BEDS (Basic Educational Data Survey) numbers are down this for the 2019-2020 School Year. Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News the Certified Enrollment numbers were due Oct. 15th. He said the Certified number includes all students who live in the district, regardless of where they attend classes. That number was 457.5. That reflects the weight different services are calculated, and is a decrease of 18.3 students from last year. BEDS enrollment (The number of students served every day, not necessarily where they live), went down 28 from last year, which left the total enrollment at 416.9. Henrichs said the District anticipated a decrease of about 15 students. The Certified numbers were close to what they expected, he said, but the BEDS numbers were lower. That’s due to the impact of Open Enrollment, and kids served from other district’s who were down this year.

The Griswold School Board also received an update from Steve Baier, who is on a committee looking to start a daycare center in Griswold that would serve 100 kids. The initial idea they had was to find a building in Griswold suitable for renovation on Main Street at a reasonable price, that would serve as the facility, however, Henrichs said they didn’t have much luck. He said they found it would be too costly to remodel any available building. Therefore, they are exploring building a daycare on school land, with the district sharing playground equipment and so on. The Committee has hired an architect. An architect’s report is needed in-part because they must be included in grant applications. Current funding includes $65,000 from the Noble Church, which was matched by Griswold Communications. That still leaves them well short of the total estimate cost of slightly more than $1-million. Henrichs said the building would not be owned or operated by the school, but the district would be fully in support of those efforts.

The Griswold School Board Monday, also approved the resignations of Rhea Gipple – Special Ed/Para-Educator/Pre-School Educator; Laura Carlton – Wrestling Cheerleading sponsor; Troy Nicklaus – Middle School Volleyball Coach. Mindy Hartman was transferred from Elementary Para-educator to Pre-school Special Ed para-educator. New hires include: Summer Ewing Elementary Para-Educator, and Alexis Riley- Wrestling/Cheerleading sponsor. And, the Board approved a Leave of Absence from Tanner Potter – Middle School Wrestling Coach.

The Board, Monday, set Nov. 6th at 6:30-p.m., as their next Work Session. Henrichs said it is a continuation of discussion fostered during an IASB meeting in July, with regard to a review and revise the hiring process.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa U-S Senator Chuck Grassley is taking part in a Judiciary Committee hearing today (Tuesday) on so-called sanctuary cities and their impact on public safety. Iowa banned sanctuary cities and counties with passage of a state law last year that revokes state funding to places that violate federal immigration law. Still, Grassley says sanctuary jurisdictions are a worry in Iowa — and across the country. Grassley says, “There may be law outlawing it in Iowa, but I think you’re going to find a lot of sheriffs in Iowa cautious about how they handle requests from the federal government.”

He’s quick to point out that action — or inaction — by Iowa law officers isn’t based on their personal politics, but more on fear of litigation. Grassley says, “We’ve had organizations that go to court, let’s say they might be something like the ACLU as an example, threatening lawsuits if sheriffs cooperated with ICE and other immigration officials.”  While Iowa City has pronounced itself as a safe haven to people who are in the U-S illegally, city leaders have not designated the community as a formal sanctuary. The Iowa City city council vowed not to commit local resources to enforcing federal immigration law, which prompted passage of the 2018 state law against sanctuaries. Grassley says sanctuary proclamations elsewhere continue to be a concern.

“You have an instance I think last week, the governor of California got somebody out of prison through his executive powers,” Grassley says. “He did it for the sole purpose so they wouldn’t be extradited and put out of our country.” Under the Iowa law, which took effect on July 1st of 2018, cities and counties are forbidden from prohibiting or discouraging law enforcement officers or other employees from “assisting or cooperating with a federal immigration officer as reasonable or necessary, including providing enforcement assistance.”

TIFFIN, Iowa (AP) — A former president of a baseball organization in eastern Iowa has been accused of stealing more than $30,000 from it. Linn County court records say 40-year-old Adam Henderson, of Cedar Rapids, is charged with theft. The Gazette reports that Johnson was president of the Clippers Baseball Club, an organization that serves the Clear Creek Amana School District area but is not affiliated with the district.

An investigation began after Henderson wrote a club check that bounced. Court records say investigators found that Henderson wrote himself checks, used the club’s debit card, deposited club funds into his personal account and wrote checks to pay his rent. The records say Henderson eventually acknowledged the thefts to a detective.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report the arrest on Monday morning, of 33-year old Zachary Thomas Scheffler, from Council Bluffs. He was taken into custody at the Shelby County Jail, on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Violation of Parole, and transported to the Pott. County Jail.

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

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DES MOINES – Thousands of students will vote for their preferred candidates for President, U.S. Senate and U.S. House during Secretary of State Paul Pate’s Iowa Youth Straw Poll one week from today (on Tuesday, October 29th). This will be the first Iowa Youth Straw Poll since a change in Iowa law that allows 17-year-olds to register to vote and participate in primary elections. Next year, they can vote in the Iowa Caucuses and the June primary if they will be 18 by November 3, 2020. Secretary Pate said “We’re very excited about 17-year-olds having the opportunity to vote in the primaries, and with the Iowa Youth Straw Poll coming up, it’s an opportunity for young people to let these candidates know that their opinions count and their voice is important.”

The Iowa Youth Straw Poll is a hands-on educational experience designed to inspire civic engagement. Every public school, private school, homeschooling student and youth group in the state is invited to participate. Presidential and congressional candidates were asked to provide a short video with a personalized message for Iowa students. The videos are available on the Elections 101 website and on Secretary Pate’s YouTube page.

The Iowa Youth Straw Poll has the support of the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Council for the Social Studies and has received national recognition for outstanding leadership in voter education. The Iowa Youth Straw Poll directly engages students in understanding how democracy works while preparing them to become active citizens,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise, a former social studies teacher.

The Youth Straw Poll is one component of Secretary Pate’s Elections 101 curriculum that is available for any school or civic organization to utilize. It is written by Iowa teachers for Iowa teachers. Two new components of the curriculum are lesson plans on the history of women’s suffrage and women in politics. The curriculum is available for free at Elections101.org.  Students, teachers, and organizations can register for the Iowa Youth Straw Poll by clicking here. A full list of schools that have already registered is available at this link. Teachers and students are encouraged to post photos of their Youth Straw Poll activities on social media, utilizing the #BeAVoter hashtag.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they’ve identified two suspects in the slaying of a man whose body was found in a homeless camp near downtown Des Moines. Police say they’ve charged 46-year-old Des Moines resident Yancy Freland and 26-year-old Bryan Norris, also of Des Moines, with first-degree murder. Their attorneys in unrelated cases didn’t immediately return Associated Press messages on Tuesday.

Freland already was in custody on a probation violation. Norris has been in custody since Sept. 13, charged with assault on a police officer. The remains of 23-year-old Marshal Johnson were found Oct. 8 in a wooded area behind an abandoned manufacturing plant. Police say Freland and Norris shot Johnson sometime after July 26, and say Norris cut Johnson’s neck. Police also say the two tried to burn his remains and then buried them.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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JAMAICA, Iowa (AP) — The former mayor of a central Iowa community has been given two years of probation after pleading guilty to marijuana charges. Guthrie County court records say former Jamaica Mayor LaDonna Kennedy was sentenced and given a deferred judgment Friday. Under a deferred judgment, her conviction can be removed from her record if she were to successfully complete the terms of her probation.

Kennedy and her husband, 59-year-old Randy Kennedy, were arrested Jan. 16 on various drug charges after Guthrie County sheriff’s deputies searching for a suspect in a separate crime knocked on their door. The suspect wasn’t found, but deputies called for a search warrant after smelling an “overwhelming odor of raw marijuana” coming from the home. Investigators say 18 marijuana plants, several bags of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were found. She resigned after her arrest.

Court records say Randy Kennedy pleaded guilty as well and was given 10 years in prison, suspended, and two years of probation.