DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Lawmakers in the state House are moving forward with anti-bullying legislation backed by Gov. Terry Branstad.  A House education subcommittee approved the bill Tuesday. The legislation would strive to deal with so-called cyber-bullying by updating state guidelines for school districts to include bullying that occurs outside school on social media sites such as Facebook.  The legislation is expected to get a committee hearing later this week.

Branstad convened a bullying prevention summit in Des Moines in November.  Last April, a 14-year-old boy from Primghar committed suicide following bullying at school and online after he told people he was gay. In June, a Mason City girl and her mother sued the Mason City school district, saying it did nothing to protect the teen from bullying.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports a two-month long investigation by the Clarinda Police Department into identity theft & the fraudulent use of a credit/debit card at several businesses in Clarinda & Shenandoah, has resulted in an arrest.  Late Monday afternoon, officers arrested 45-year old Rodney Earl Richardson, Jr., of Clarinda, on several aggravated misdemeanor counts of fraudulent use of a credit/debit card and an aggravated misdemeanor charge of theft. Richardson Jr. was arrested at a Clarinda apartment complex.

In addition to the fraud and theft charges, Rodney Richardson Jr. was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant issued out of Douglas County, Nebraska, for probation and parole violations.  He was booked into the Page County Jail and held without bond, pending an initial appearance before a Page County Magistrate. The Page County Attorney’s Office will review the matter for the filing of formal charges.