EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) – Two years after hunters found the remains of two missing cousins, investigators say they’re still receiving tips about the abduction of the girls. Ten-year-old Lyric Cook and her 8-year-old cousin Elizabeth Collins disappeared in Evansdale after they left for a bike ride in July 2012.  Their bodies were found in December 2012 in a rural wildlife refuge in Bremer County. No arrests have been made in their deaths.

Police chief Kent Smock tells the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier they have received new information within the past month. He says it’s nothing that’s “super promising,” but it shows the case is still active.

A $150,000 reward has been set for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker has announced that on December 13th, at 6:30-AM, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with Target at Metro Crossing, will hold the 16th annual “Shop with the Sheriff.”

This year, 36 children will be shopping for outerwear, clothing and toys with employees and family members from the Sheriff’s Office. Each family of the participating children will also receive a food basket for the holiday season.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office “Shop with the Sheriff” event is made possible by the generous donations from citizens, organizations and businesses throughout the area.

A federal judge in Iowa ruled Wednesday two state laws that protect the American flag from desecration are unconstitutional. It’s a victory for the controversial Westboro Baptist Church in a court case filed on its behalf by the Iowa chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Iowa U-S Senator Tom Harkin was asked if the flag needs more protections at the federal level. Harkin’s short answer is, “no.”

“There’s always been an effort here, as long as I’ve been here, to have some kind of constitutional amendment to prevent desecration of the flag,” Harkin says. “I remember the first time that came up when I was in the Senate was in the late ’80s. I was opposed to it then and I still remain opposed to some kind of constitutional amendment.” Harkin, a Democrat, says he favors a different type of solution.

“The best way to protect the American flag is to stand strong for our Constitution and our Bill of Rights,” Harkin says. “When we stand strong for our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, that does more to protect our flag than any constitutional amendment or any law or anything else that can be done.”

U-S District Judge Robert Pratt said he based his decision on a 1989 U-S Supreme Court ruling that found burning the American flag during a protest is considered free speech. Protesters from the Kansas-based church held demonstrations at soldiers’ funerals last year in Council Bluffs and Red Oak. At the group’s protests, members reportedly stood on, spat on and dragged the Stars and Stripes. One of the Iowa laws that was declared unconstitutional specifies no one is to “trample on” or “mutilate” an American flag.

(Radio Iowa)

Health officials say this year’s flu vaccine isn’t fully protecting against the season’s most prevalent flu viruses. Doctor Patty Quinlisk, medical director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the vaccine was created for the expected three strains of flu virus, but one strain is showing signs of drifting into different characteristics.

“We have three strains of flu going around in Iowa,” Quinlisk says. “Against two of the strains, the vaccine is a good match, and against half of that third strain, the vaccine is a good match. It’s just against about half of that third strain, we don’t think the vaccine is going to be as effective as we would have hoped.” Quinlisk says high risk groups, including very young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with lowered immunities, should immediately consult a physician at first signs of flu.

“Because they can put you on anti-viral medications and the sooner you start those medications, the better you’re going to be,” she says. The best defense, Quinlisk adds, is getting vaccinated. The flu can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications in many people. She says influenza and pneumonia are among the top ten causes of death in Iowa every year.

(Radio Iowa)