DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have released the name of a woman whose body was found in a southwest Iowa cornfield.  Des Moines television station KCCI says  the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office identified her as 31-year-old Maggie Weaver.  Authorities say a crime isn’t suspected in Weaver’s death. Toxicology reports are expected in four to six weeks.

The body was found Saturday in a field west of Lenox in Taylor County. Weaver had been missing for several days.

Council Bluffs Republican Art Hill, Monday, announced his decision to run for Iowa Senate in District 11. The district covers 2,200 miles in Pottawattamie, Cass, Adams, and Union Counties. Hill stopped in Atlantic Monday afternoon following his announcement at the Public Library in Council Bluffs. Speaking with KJAN News, Hill, who works as the City of Council Bluffs’ Finance Director, said he’s tossing his hat in the ring this early in the political season because there’s a lot of work to be done and many miles to cover before the Primary election, which is about 300 days away.

Hill says after reapportionment in 2011, he looked at the new district and saw how radically it had changed. He also looked at the common threads between Council Bluffs, Atlantic and Creston. They each have campuses with community colleges that provide an opportunity for graduates to get good jobs, and that’s something he wants to continue to see happen. Fellow Republican, Senator Hubert Houser, currently presides over the 11th District. Houser has not announced his intentions with regard to re-election. Hill says he spoke with Houser in May and informed him of his intentions. He says he respects Houser and whatever plans he makes. Hill says if Houser decides to run against him in the Spring, voters in the four counties should feel they would be well represented by either of the two men. No democrats have announced their intentions early in this political season to challenge Hill or Houser in the 2014 elections.

Hill says his experience as Finance Director for Council Bluffs, and a former Business Manager for the Lewis Central Community School District, gives him an edge when it comes to fiscal responsibility. He says “Finding an equitable way of raising tax revenue for services we ask for from our government in the future is important. He says in Iowa, that means simplifying the tax code. On a national level, he says a Fair Tax is important. Voter integrity is also important to Hill, who says voter ID laws are one way of ensuring the elections are legitimate on the state and national level. Hill says he supports efforts by Secretary of State Matt Schultz to ensure election integrity. He says also, a common core of values and beliefs are important to the future of our society.

He says “As a country we’ve developed a culture that has provided many blessings and providence for our country and it’s based on a core set of values and beliefs.” Hills says “Maintaining a sense of purpose…and a set of values we can rally around is important for any society to be ongoing.”

Hill has lived in Council Bluffs with his wife Andrea for the past 18-years. The couple have been married for 35-years. They have two adult children.

(re-posted due to a formatting error on previous post entered 5:30-pm Mon., Aug. 5th)

(Council Bluffs) — As the investigation into Sunday’s officer involved shooting incident continues, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Monday evening, released the names of all individuals involved. Offcials say on Sunday, August 4th  at around 4:45-p.m., an unidentified woman told Council Bluffs Police Officers Aaron Gutierrez and Jason Burleigh that she had just seen a suspicious individual at the site of the new Wal-Mart in Council Bluffs.  She told the officers that the man was acting suspicious and was bleeding from his hands.

Michael Hannum

Officers Gutierrez and Burleigh responded to the construction site where they encountered 52 year old Michael Hannum. Hannum was bleeding from his wrists and armed with a sharp, cutting instrument.  Throughout the encounter, Hannum did not respond to verbal commands from Officers Gutierrez and Burleigh.  When he became aggressive towards the officers, Officer Burleigh to deployed his TASER, but the officer’s attempt to subdue Hannum was unsuccessful.  Hannum continued to advance toward the officers, at which time Officer Gutierrez fired is duty weapon, striking Hannum two times. Hannum was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center where he remains in critical but stable condition.

In accordance with the police department’s policy, Officers Gutierrez and Burleigh will remain on paid, administrative leave until the conclusion of the investigation into this incident. Last Friday, Hannum was listed as a fugitive from the Federal Bureau of Prisons – Federal Residential Reentry Center in Council Bluffs.  At the time of the encounter, the officers did not know Hannum’s identity.

To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, the Council Bluffs Police Department requested DCI review the incident.  At the conclusion of the investigation, the DCI investigative report will be turned over to Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber for his office’s review of the incident. Law enforcement officials are looking for the woman who originally alerted Officers Gutierrez and Burleigh to the suspicious person.  This citizen should contact DCI at 712-322-1585 or the Council Bluffs Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.