Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Cedar Falls legislator Walt Rogers says he’ll seek the Republican nomination for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. Rogers was elected to the Iowa House in 2010 and served as an assistant majority leader. Cedar Rapids businessman Steve Rathje and Dubuque businessman Rod Blum also are seeking the GOP nomination, and former Cedar Rapids Mayor Paul Pate is expected to announce his candidacy soon.
ALLISON, Iowa (AP) — A woman says a northern Iowa man accused of sexually abusing her daughter tried to buy the girl for $50,000. The woman told a courtroom that Clarence Miller made the offer through his own daughter because the woman doesn’t speak English. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports the woman testified that she said no to the 80-year-old man’s offer. She also said she didn’t tell anyone about the conversation. Miller’s attorney says his client denies any sexual abuse occurred.
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Mason City’s former Human Rights Director claims his job was eliminated earlier this year in part because he had investigated complaints against the mayor’s local business supporters. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports 75-year-old Lionel Foster filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission claiming race and age discrimination as well as retaliation. Mayor Eric Bookmeyer says he’s confident all parties will be vindicated.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 26-year-old Nebraska woman will spend six to nine years in prison for an incident last spring in which she hid a gun in a pot of chili. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Danielle Cherecwich was on parole out of Iowa when she was arrested in April after an officer stopped her car, which had reportedly been used in a failed attempt to pass a fake check earlier that month. When officers checked a container of chili at her feet, they found a loaded .25-caliber handgun.