Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — With a historically productive legislative session wrapped up and bills signed with suitable pomp, Republican Governor Terry Branstad is setting himself up to run for an unprecedented sixth term in 2014. Although Branstad isn’t indicating his plans, his powerful political operation is gearing up this summer with staffing and fundraising.

FAYETTE, Iowa (AP) — The northeastern Iowa city of Fayette has hired a new police chief to lead a department the city almost eliminated. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 44-year-old Brad Gardner will be Fayette’s new police chief. Gardner will be sworn in at today’s city council meeting.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Police are investigating a shooting inside a Muscatine home that left one person dead and another wounded. Muscatine Police said the shooting happened around 3 o’clock Saturday afternoon. Officers entered the home and found two people with gunshot wounds. One person was dead, and the other person was taken to a hospital in Iowa City. The victims’ names were not immediately released.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man charged with sharing child pornography has been found dead. The Polk County Sheriff’s office says 48-year-old Paul Hildreth was found dead shortly after 1 p.m. yesterday at a rural Polk City home. The sheriff’s office says Hildreth’s death does not appear suspicious, but the case is still being investigated.

The Iowa State Patrol reports a Nebraska man was injured Sunday night when the motorcycle he was driving hit a hole and went out of control, in Pottawattamie County. 23-year old Kelley R. Costanzo, of Omaha, was transported by Shelby Rescue to Jenny Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, following the crash which occurred on Interstate 80 at around 9:25-p.m., Sunday.

Officials say Costanzo’s 2008 Harley Davidson motorcycle was traveling westbound near the 34-mile marker, when it hit a hole in the pavement. The cycle went out of control and slid to a stop on the westbound shoulder of the road. The Iowa Department of Transportation was notified and effected repairs on the damaged portion of the roadway. The accident remains under investigation.

Police in Red Oak arrested two people on burglary and other charges, Sunday morning. Officials say 55-year-old Charles James Netherton and 53-year-old Thomas Oscar Anderson, both of Red Oak, were taken into custody a little after 1-a.m., in the 100 block of West Linden Street.   They were charged with Burglary in the 3rd degree. 

Netherton faces an additional charge of interferance with official acts. The duo were 
brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where they were both being held on $5,000 cash bond.

Iowa Ninth District Representative Nancy Boettger has announced she will not seek re-election to the Iowa Senate in 2014. Boettger, a native of Shelby County said in her newsletter this past week, that she will step down from her position at the end of 2014.

In a news release, Boettger said she has considered it an honor and privilege to represent voters in the Iowa Senate for the past 19 years. She represents all of Harrison and Monona counties along with portions of Shelby Crawford, Ida and Woodbury counties. Boettger began her political career in January 1995 and is in her fifth term. Her background includes being a former educator.

Boettger said “As a former educator, our young people’s education has been a very important issue for me. This Legislative session we made great strides in education on behalf of the students, teachers and school districts across Iowa.” She said also, that she will continue to work in her 20th and final year, to represent hardworking Iowans.

Greenfield artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II has another project to keep him busy. Sorensen, who has been painting Adair County’s version of the “Freedom Rock” (located off of Highway 25, south of Interstate 80) every year since 1999, will add Guthrie County to the list of counties which have commissioned him to create a version of the Freedom Rock. For the next few summers Sorensen and his family will travel the state of Iowa to put a (smaller and unique to their area) Freedom Rock in each county.

At the prompting of Phyllis Wakefield, the Guthrie County Arts Council commissioned Sorensen to paint a similarly-themed rock in Guthrie County, in 2014. The work of art, which was approved by the City Council in Guthrie Center last week, will be painted on a 5 ton, nearly 11 foot tall rock located on park-like property owned by the city located directly north of the Guthrie County Fairgrounds on the north side of Highway 44. The council agreed to construct a one way gravel driveway on the property for access to the rock, and also to donate $2,000 to the rock project. Although final plans have not yet been completed, Wakefield estimates the cost of the final project at $20-30,000. Persons or organizations interested in donating are asked to contact GCAC treasurer Ruth Owen at 641-332-2196.

In addition to Adair County, Freedom Rock paintings have been completed in Shelby, Dallas, Polk, Ringgold, Pocahontas and Mitchell Counties. 37 other Counties including Adams, Audubon, Crawford, Carroll, Fremont, Mills, Page, Taylor and Union, have booked Sorensen to paint a Freedom Rock in the coming years.

The original Freedom Rock in Adair County, is a more than 60 ton)boulder that is repainted every year with a different “Thank You” for our nations Veterans to honor their service to our country. Sorensen paints The Freedom Rock on his own, with the support of family and friends. Sorensen is not commissioned to paint the original rock, but is able to do so each year with the generous help of donations.