A group of Iowa conservatives appeared to fall short of the necessary signatures Saturday to add an attorney general candidate to the November ballot, an effort fueled by the arrest of a Mexican man in the slaying of missing college student Mollie Tibbetts.

Petition organizers supporting Des Moines attorney Patrick Anderson’s non-party candidacy were tasked with collecting 1,500 valid signatures of registered voters from at least 10 counties. “On a cursory look, it appears that they have not met the minimum threshold,” elections assistant Wes Hicok said of the signatures the secretary of state’s office received before the 5 p.m. Saturday deadline. A formal review of the paperwork will take place Monday, he said.

Dozens of people across the state collected the signatures, but they didn’t start the campaign until Wednesday — the day after Tibbetts’ body was found in a cornfield and Cristhian Bahena Rivera, who is believed to be living in the country illegally, was charged in her killing.

George Anderson, Patrick Anderson’s son and an organizer of the effort, said that prompted his father to try to challenge Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat currently running unopposed for his 10th term. “This has to do with the upholding of immigration law,” he said. “I’m not sure the current attorney general is committed to that.”

Miller entered the national debate over U.S. immigration policy in June when he joined 20 other Democratic attorneys general in calling for the federal government to stop separating children from their parents when they enter the country illegally.

The 11th-hour effort could face more than the challenge of whether it collected enough signatures. State law doesn’t allow non-party candidates to use any part of the Republican, Democratic or Libertarian party names — the only three parties currently recognized in Iowa. Anderson’s effort plans to list “GOP” beside his name. GOP is short for “Grand Old Party” and is used interchangeably with “Republican.”

George Anderson acknowledged that would likely draw objections but said he believed it would be a dispute the group could win.

A teenager driving in northeast Iowa’s Butler County, Saturday morning, rolled the vehicle he was driving while trying to control an animal. The Iowa State Patrol reports 17-year old Nicholas Grill, of Parkersburg, was driving a 2004 Chevy Malibu on Iowa Highway 57 at around 9:15-a.m., when he turned around inside the car, to control an unrestrained cat.

The car dropped off onto the right shoulder of the road, and when Grill over-corrected, the vehicle entered a ditch and rolled once, coming to rest upright. Grill, who was not wearing a seat belt, was transported by Parkersburg EMS to the Grundy County Memorial Hospital. There was no report on his condition, or the condition of the cat.

The Aplington P-D, Aplington EMS, along with Parkerburg Fire and EMS, assisted the State Patrol at the scene.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Burlington business owners say they’ve seen lighter traffic, but plenty of support, in the wake of a fire in the downtown shopping district. Doreen Roy owns a home good store, Red Screen Door, and a clothing store, Gypsi, in the city. Roy told The Hawk Eye that she’s cautiously optimistic after a blaze destroyed two historic buildings downtown at the Tama Complex earlier this month. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“I would say traffic is relatively light most days,” Roy said, noting that her businesses are taking a hit because of the lack of easy access after the fire. It’s unclear how long it’ll take for fencing to secure the Tama building after the fire, she said.
But she’s had locals check in on her businesses, Roy said.

“We’re lucky we’re still here,” said Chris Murphy, owner of Burlington by the Book.
Murphy closed his shop for two days after the fire. He keeps a sign outside his business thanking emergency responders for battling the blaze. The damage could’ve been worse and spread, he said. Murphy has also been visited by well-wishers, he said. “I’m getting a lot of support, and there are days when people will come down and say, ‘Are you OK,'” Murphy said.

Cody and Greg Flietner, owners of Big River Popcorn, were planning on moving their business into the Tama Complex before it burned down. Now the Flietners are considering another location downtown that may attract more foot traffic.
“We’re not going to let something like this stop us from growing downtown,” Greg Flietner said.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The wife of a former Democratic Iowa congressman has died just eight days after her husband. A spokesman for the family says Darlene “Dody” Boswell died early Saturday morning at a Des Moines hospital following a prolonged illness. She was 82. Her husband, former Rep. Leonard Boswell, died Aug. 18 following complications from a rare form of cancer.

Dody Boswell was born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, and attended Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, where she met Leonard Boswell. They married in 1955 and had three children. She taught elementary school for 37 years, mostly in Lamoni.
Family spokesman and former chief of staff Grant Woodard says the family held a joint service and burial for the couple on Saturday, when the previously planned funeral for the eight-term congressman had been set.

PLEASANT HILL, Iowa (AP) — A Pleasant Hill man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing his girlfriend’s father. The Des Moines Register reports that 27-year-old Ricky St. John was sentenced Friday. In a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the November death of 46-year-old Timothy Neal. St. John had been charged with first-degree murder in the case.

Multiple witnesses told police they saw St. John strangle Neal on the ground until Neal stopped struggling. The witnesses say they then saw St. John kick Neal in the head. Neal was later pronounced dead at Iowa Lutheran Hospital.

A group of Iowa conservatives scrambled Saturday to add an attorney general candidate to the November ballot, an effort fueled by the arrest of a Mexican man in the slaying of missing college student Mollie Tibbetts. Petition organizers were tasked with collecting 1,500 valid signatures of registered voters from at least 10 counties and turning them in the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office by 5 p.m. Saturday.

Dozens of people across the state were collecting signatures to get attorney Patrick Anderson, of Des Moines, onto the ballot to challenge incumbent Tom Miller, a Democrat currently running unopposed for his 10th term. Anderson would be listed as a non-party candidate.

George Anderson, an organizer of the effort and Patrick Anderson’s son, said the group had gathered a little more than 900 signatures by 1 p.m. Saturday. He said his father had considered trying to get on the ballot earlier this year after Miller declined to defend an abortion measure that would ban most abortions in the state. But it was the discovery Tuesday of Tibbetts’ body and the arrest of Cristhian Bahena Rivera, who is believed to be living in the country illegally, that prompted him to act.

“This has to do with the upholding of immigration law,” he said. “I’m not sure the current attorney general is committed to that.” Miller entered the national debate over U.S. immigration policy in June when he joined 20 other Democratic attorneys general in calling for the federal government to stop separating children from their parents when they enter the country illegally.

The 11th-hour effort faces more than the challenge of collecting enough signatures. State law doesn’t allow non-party candidates to use any part of the Republican, Democratic or Libertarian party names — the only three parties currently recognized in Iowa. Anderson’s effort plans to list “GOP” beside his name, saying the law doesn’t explicitly exclude it. GOP is short for “Grand Old Party” and is used interchangeably with “Republican.”

Secretary of State’s Office spokesman Kevin Hall said his office is not tasked with validating signatures and will only object to a candidate label if it includes any form of the words “Republican,” ”Democrat,” or “Libertarian.” If someone wants to challenge the validity of signatures or labels, they must file the complaint with the State Objection Panel.

That three-member panel is made up of Secretary of State Paul Pate, State Auditor Mary Mosiman and Miller. “I suspect (Miller) would probably recuse himself,” Hall said, adding that if that happened, another Iowa state executive office holder would be named to fill in.

COON RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — The wonders of the night sky will be on display next month in western Iowa for the return of the annual Star Party at Whiterock Conservancy. The Sept. 7 event, hosted by the Ames Area Amateur Astronomers, will provide powerful telescopes and knowledgeable astronomers from around the Midwest to help participants identify constellations and stars. The public is welcome to join the part at 7:30 p.m. at the conservancy’s Star Field in Coon Rapids. The night will include a short astronomy presentation and door prizes.

If the weather is clear, visitors will have the chance to see numerous different galaxies, nebulas and stars millions of light years away, as well as some of the planets. All ages are welcome, and appropriate attire and a blanket are recommended.