A District Court Judge in Page County has sentenced the former Mayor of Essex to 35-years in prison on child sex abuse charges. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Judge Richard Davidson, who presided over the trial of 65-year old Charles White, handed down the sentence Tuesday. White was found guilty in April, on three-counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one-count of lascivious acts, in association with incidents involving his 7-year old grandchild. He was taken into custody in April 2011, following a investigation by the Essex Police Department and Iowa DCI.

Once released from prison or paroled, White will be required to register as a sex offender. He will remain on the registry for the rest of his life.

The Harlan City Council Tuesday afternoon approved an amendment to the 2011-2012 budget.  The amendments were made primarily to the expenditures and other financing uses in the budget. The Council also held a public hearing on the amendments to Chapter 155 to update building, mechanical and plumbing codes. Hearing no objections or other comments from the public, the Council closed the hearing and approved the ordinance. The Harlan City Council also approved a  resolution authorizing the issuance of the $2.455 million in  General Obligation (G.O.) bonds, series 2012 and the levying of a tax to pay for the bonds, which will be used to help pay for the renovation of the City’s wastewater treatment plant, which is 34-years old. The improvement and renovation project is expected to take about one-year.

Police in Council Bluffs said Wednesday evening that an 11-year old boy drowned in about 4-feet of water at Lake Manawa State Park Wednesday afternoon. Isaiah Griffin, of Omaha, had been attending an Open Door Mission-Lydia Bible Camp and was playing football in a designated swimming area at the lake, when he disappeared. Officials said a lifeguard was on-duty when the incident occurred at around 2:30-p.m..

Witnesses told authorities a camp counselor found Griffin in shallow water. The boy was pulled from the lake and efforts to revive him through CPR were begun immediately. Griffin was pronounced dead at a local hospital. An autopsy was planned for Friday.

Isaiah Griffin was a fifth grade student at Liberty Elementary School in Omaha, who lived at the Open Door Mission-Lydia House with his mother. Officials say she didn’t attend the shelter-sponsored field trip to the lake. The Council Bluffs Police Department is investigating the incident, but they say it appears to be an accident. Late Wednesday evening Open Door Mission President Candace Gregory released a statement saying, “The Open Door Mission is saddened by the tragic event today of the loss of Isaiah Griffin. There are grief counselors and pastoral staff on Campus ministering to those that are hurting. Please keep the Open Door Mission and the Griffin family in your prayers.”

In a separate incident in northwestern Iowa, a 6-year-old boy was critically injured in an apparent accident Wednesday afternoon at the Spencer Family Aquatic Center. The Spencer Daily Reporter said on its website the boy was flown to a South Dakota hospital, but a report on his condition was not available.