Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety have released additional details about the death of a Sac County woman whose body was found in a home during an investigation into a kidnapping and assault. Authorities say preliminary autopsy findings from the State Medical Examiner’s Office show that 45-year old Marilyn Schmitt died of sharp force injuries. Her death has been ruled a homicide.

Schmitt was found dead by law enforcement officials in an upstairs bedroom at her home located at 2242 Ira, Ave., Early, on Thursday afternoon, January 3rd, 2013. Preliminary investigative findings indicate Schmitt died earlier that morning. Schmitt’s son, 21-year old Kirk Riley Levin faces a felony charge of Murder in the 1st degree. Kirk Levin was arrested on January 3rd on charges unrelated to Schmitt’s death.

Levin allegedly admitted to authorities he was the only one who could have killed his mother, and that his choking her would have resulted in her death. The complaint filed against him alleges Levin stabbed his mother between the hours of 1:30-a.m. and 5:45-a.m. Jan. 3rd, in her upstairs bedroom. Levin is currently being held in the Sac County Jail.

The investigation is being conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Sac County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Officials in Mills County report the arrest on Friday, of 22-year old Shane Michael Murley, from Red Oak.  Murley was taken into custody at around 1-p.m. at the Mills County Jail, on a Warrant for Probation Violation. His bond was set at $10,000.00.  And, on Saturday, 25-year old Shawn Joseph Adams, of Grand Fork, ND, was arrested at around 11-a.m., at a rest area off of I-29.  Adams was charged with Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $300.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green reports thanks to donations from local citizens and businesses, over $10,000 was spent this past Christmas through two programs designed to serve families and children in need.  Green says the donations enabled the Police Department’s annual programs to serve more than 45-children and 14 adults. Those persons were able to have a Christmas that was otherwise not going to happen.

The A-PD’s Officers and Reserve  Officers offer their thanks and blessings on everyone who made a contribution to their Christmas programs, regardless of the amount you contributed. The Christmas programs have been offered for many years, and evolved from just a few Reserve Officers repairing bicycles for children, during the 1980’s.

Chief Green says both of the department’s programs are sustained through the generosity of the citizens of Atlantic, the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, and local business partners.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports an adult was arrested Sunday evening for allegedly assaulting a person under the age of 18. 40-year old Steven Dean Lundvall, of College Springs, was charged with Simple Assault, after deputies investigated a disturbance at 712 Iowa Avenue, in College Springs. The name of the victim was not released by authorities. Lundvall posted a $300 bond and was released pending a court appearance.

The Sheriff’s Department reports also, the arrest Saturday evening of a Clarinda man. 27-year old Chris Dean Johnson was charged with Driving Under Suspension, following a traffic stop on Highway 2, at around 6:55-p.m.  Johnson was brought to the Page County Jail and later posted a $300 bond. He was released pending a court appearance.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report of animal neglect involving cattle. According to Sheriff Lyle Palmer, his office received a complaint Saturday with regard to the condition of cattle in Section 7 of Colfax Township. When deputies went to investigate, they observed the animals and made contact with the person who was responsible for their care. The deputies were advised that cattle were being moved the following day, and that a veterinarian was coming to look at the cattle today (Monday).

The deputies confirmed the cattle were moved on Sunday to another location in Page County, where they could be more closely monitored by their care taker. No citations have been issued in connection with the incident, and Palmer says deputies will continue to monitor the situation. The investigation remains on-going.

No injuries were reported following a collision Saturday morning in Massena, between a pickup and a car. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened at around 8:20-a.m., at Main and 5^th Streets in Massena.

Officials say a 2006 Ford F350 pickup owned and driven by 38-year old Tammi Jo Schulz, of Elk Horn, was backing southbound on Main Street when her vehicle was hit by a 2009 Ford Taurus owned and driven by 68-year old Nancy Kaye Erickson, of Massena. The accident happened as Erickson was attempting a right turn onto Main Street,  and failed to see Schulz backing up.

Damage from the accident amounted to $3,500.  No citations were issued.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Sunday, of 25-year old Jesse Cavin Meier, from  Lewis. Meier was taken into custody on a charge of OWI 2^nd Offense, and was being held in the Cass County Jail on $2,500 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Some Iowa home buyers may be eligible for a program that will reduce their federal tax burden.  Gov. Terry Branstad announced Monday the state is offering a mortgage credit certificate program that will reduce federal income taxes for qualifying home buyers. The relief could be as much as $2,000 a year for the duration of the mortgage.

The program is available to first time homebuyers, those buying in certain targeted areas and some military veterans. It is funded through federal bonds and the state expects to provide relief to about 1,000 home buyers.  A spokeswoman for the Iowa Finance Authority, which is administering the program, says this tax program has not been offered to Iowans since the mid-1990s.

The “Antique City” of Walnut will be prominently featured during a nationally aired program this (Monday) evening on Public Television. Dave Bradley, Owner of Corn Country Antiques in Walnut, says the producers and crew with the “Market Warriors” program on PBS paid a visit to Walnut last June, during the annual AMVET’s Antique Walk.

The “Market Warriors” antique experts come to Walnut for a taping of the show.

The one-hour program features four experts on antiques who criss-cross the country, in search of items to buy at flea markets and antique shows, and then sell everything at auction. Bradley says their goal, is to score the biggest profit in each show’s final auction segment. He says they have a certain amount of dollars to spend, and target items to try and find…kind of like a scavenger hunt.

The experts don’t actually “pocket” the profits. Instead, it just goes back into the production efforts of the program. Bradley says it also shows “No matter how smart you are, you don’t always make money,” when it comes to buying and selling antiques.

The experts filmed a segment of the show in his store. The piece was about an 1830’s clock. Bradley says he won’t know for sure whether the piece made to final editing until the show airs.

There’s a preview of tonight’s program on the web at www.pbs.org. You can also watch the show later, if you miss the episode of Market Warriors, tonight. Bradley says the producers selected Walnut because of their AMVETS show. He says the AMVETS show is one of the best in the country. They do an excellent job of filtering out the non-antique items, which is something the “purists” enjoy and appreciate.

Bradley says the City, businesses and organizations worked to make sure the cast and crew had everything they needed in-place, before they arrived and started shooting the show, including location, power and food. Bradley says PBS brought about 25 people to the town for the program, along with numerous pieces of production-related equipment. He says there was no pre-production public announcement of the shoot, to try and keep things as normal as possible. Bradley says they taped tonight’s show with four crews, each of whom spent 10- to 12-hours in the community.

Tonight’s program featuring Walnut airs at 8-p.m. local time, right after the “Antiques Roadshow.”