DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A June sentencing has been scheduled for a man accused of using a stick or a broom handle to kill a Des Moines resident. Polk County District Court records say 41-year-old Michael Bell Jr. was convicted last week of voluntary manslaughter. He’d originally been charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 25, 2017, slaying of 42-year-old Jerry Martin.
Police say Bell told investigators he had several weapons with him when he confronted Martin over a $50 debt.

Two witnesses told police they saw Bell use a weapon to hit and stab Martin several times, cutting Martin’s neck and puncturing his chest. Bell’s sentencing is set for June 18.

(Radio Iowa) — Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke says historic droughts, wildfires, hurricanes AND flooding illustrate why climate change is the greatest challenge the country faces. “Climate change is…understood to be happening beyond a shadow of a doubt for at least anyone who listens to the scientists or who lives in Pacific Junction or Davenport or Houston, Texas,” O’Rourke says. O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman, has unveiled a plan to spend five TRILLION dollars over the next decade to address climate change. During a forum Monday afternoon in Des Moines, O’Rourke said there’s an “economic upside in doing the right thing” and farmers can play a key role in meeting the challenges climate change presents. “Not be dictating to them, but by partnering with them, listening to them, allowing them to provide the public service of capturing and storing more carbon on their land and then paying them for the public benefit that we receive from that,” O’Rourke says.

O’Rourke says flood prevention or “mitigation” is part of his climate action plan — and that means reconstructing and fortifying Missouri and Mississippi River levees to protect life and property. “We can pay the cost of clean-up, of repair, of replacement or we can invest upfront,” O’Rourke says.

O’Rourke visited a farm near Pacific Junction this past weekend. “It’s a lake right now or at least some significant part of it is,” O’Rourke says. “Those farmers in some cases already underwater in terms of their debt are now, literally, underwater in terms of their farms,” O’Rourke says.  O’Rourke supports efforts in congress to offer some financial help to farmers with uninsured grain that was stored in bins, swamped and spoiled by the floodwaters. O’Rourke will campaign in Adel, Boone, Waverly, Charles City and Fayette today (Tuesday).

Two men were arrested on separate charges Monday, in Creston. Authorities say 49-year old Tony Fizer, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County Warrant for Violation of Probation. Fizer was already in custody at the Union County Jail and continues to be held there. And, 31-year old John Willis, of Creston, was arrested at the Law Enforcement Center for Harassment in the 2nd Degree. Willis was released from the Union County Jail on $1,000 bond.

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines suburb has approved a $400 million development agreement with social media giant Facebook for construction of another data center building. The nearly 1 million-square-foot building would be the fifth Facebook has erected in Altoona. The City Council’s decision will make the building exempt from property taxes for 20 years. But Facebook has agreed to pay a yearly fee of nearly 60% of what it would otherwise have paid in property taxes.

Facebook also will pay for the construction of a $500,000 pump station that will boost the water pressure for the data center and other structures in the area. Officials say the new building is expected to bring 70 new jobs to Altoona. Facebook’s headquarters is in Menlo Park, California, south of San Francisco.

In an update to our earlier report and social media posts, Council Bluffs Police report all three juveniles who ran away from Children’s Square in Council Bluffs Monday evening, have been found and returned to Children’s Square. 14-year old’s Creston Harvil and Monique Nehaw, along with 11-year old Quentin Cain, all ran away at around 7 p.m., Monday. Authorities suspected they were enroute to Omaha. The updated report did not indicate where the trio was found.

Creston Harvill

Monique Nehaw

Quentin Cain

Creston is a white male and was last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and camouflage pants. Monique is a black female and was last seen wearing a bright yellow shirt. Quentin is a white male and was last seen wearing all black.