The Iowa Court of Appeals, Thursday, upheld the 10-year prison sentence of a former fire chief from western Iowa. The Omaha World-Herald reports the Court’s action was affirmed in the case against Mike McKinnon. McKinnon, former fire chief in Denison, plead guilty to a felony charge of theft in the first degree, and was sentenced last March.

He served as Denison’s fire chief for 10 years, resigning in January 2010 to accept a position as fire science instructor at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico. The theft charge was filed against him in December 2011, after a special audit by the Iowa Auditor’s Office and an investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. McKinnon was accused of making $95,896 of improper and unsupported disbursements from July 1, 2005, to March 31, 2010.

An Attorney for the Treynor Community School District says officials will not take action against the District’s Superintendent, whose son plead guilty in connection with the assault of some of his female  classmates. The Omaha World-Herald says a petition had sought the removal of Superintendent Kevin Elwood. The petition on moveon.org had been signed by 169 people as of Thursday afternoon. It asks the school board to request Elwood’s immediate resignation, contending that he did not properly investigate or act on reports of alleged sexual harassment and abuse in the district.

In September, Elwood’s son, 18-year old Kreighton Elwood, accepted a plea agreement in a sex abuse case involving some of his Treynor High School classmates. Kreighton Elwood pleaded guilty to one count of assault, one count of assault causing bodily injury and one count of false imprisonment. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail and two years of probation and ordered to successfully complete a counseling program for sex offenders. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender in Iowa for 10 years.

The younger Elwood was originally charged with two counts of third-degree sexual abuse and one count of first-degree kidnapping in connection with a pair of incidents that allegedly occurred in 2012. A fourth charge of indecent exposure was dismissed. In November and December 2012, Kreighton Elwood allegedly abused two girls in separate incidents. In all, five girls have levied complaints against Elwood, with three cases handled in juvenile court.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican Senate candidate Mark Jacobs says he raised $400,000 from donors last year, but the former energy executive won’t reveal if he has put his own cash into his campaign account. Jacobs, an Iowa native, formerly served as chief executive officer of Texas-based Reliant Energy. He has great personal wealth but hasn’t disclosed whether he plans to spend his own money on his campaign.

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say an Iowa inmate has died while in hospice care. Fred Scaletta with the Department of Corrections says 62-year-old Steven Daniels died yesterday at the hospice unit of the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. Scaletta says Daniels died of natural causes due to liver failure.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) — A new sentencing hearing has been ordered for a Charles City teenager convicted of killing his 3-year-old cousin. The Waterloo-Cedar Fall Courier reports the Iowa Court of Appeals issued the ruling yesterday for Edgar Concepcion Junior. His convictions, including for first-degree murder, were upheld, but his life sentences were overturned and sent to district court for resentencing.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Davenport has approved a program that will let residents use a property tax rebate to help save for college. The Quad-City Times reports the Davenport City Council voted on Wednesday in support of the College Cornerstone program, which will be an addition to the Davenport Now property tax rebate program.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials behind the Iowa State Fair say they’re scrapping plans to eliminate cash sales at food vendors and other attractions, following a heavy public backlash. The Des Moines Register reports the Iowa State Fair Board canceled plans for the cashless payment system at a meeting Thursday.

Fair officials announced Tuesday that they would sell 50-cent tickets online and at multiple locations at the fairgrounds for food and other rides. They said the new system would be more secure and speed up food purchases. In response, some fairgoers said the hassle of lines and other confusion would keep them at home.

Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement they were pleased with the board’s decision. Reynolds also serves on the board.