A Democrat who’s spent the past two weeks trying to qualify as a candidate in Iowa’s third district congressional primary has ended her campaign. Theresa Greenfield of Des Moines launched her campaign last summer and was a leading fundraiser, but her campaign manager confessed he forged some signatures on Greenfield’s first set of nominating petitions. She launched a second effort to gather the required signatures, but fell short.

On Monday, members of the Democratic Party’s third district governing board nominated her for congress. Late yesterday (Wednesday), Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said Iowa law “does not permit” Greenfield to qualify for the ballot that way. Greenfield says shutting down her campaign is “a tough pill to swallow” but she accepts the attorney general’s decision.

Greenfield says it would have been wrong to “look the other way” and let the petition with forged signatures stand. Attorney Jerry Crawford represented Greenfield Tuesday as a state panel reviewed her nominating petitions. “I think this is crucial. If Theresa had just kept quiet…she’d be a candidate and no one would know any different,” Crawford said. “It’s only because she did the right thing…that anybody knows anything about this.”

Three other Democrats did make the primary ballot for a shot at challenging Republican Congressman David Young in November.

(Radio Iowa)

Wednesday marked the close of the filing period for persons seeking nomination during the June 5th Primary election. The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office reports those who have filed their certified nomination petitions with the Office, include:

Montgomery County Recorder (Vote for 1)
Carleen Bruning, Rep, Incumbent
Montgomery County Treasurer (Vote for 1)
Tera Hughes, Rep
Jackie Porter, Rep
Montgomery County Attorney (Vote for 1)
Drew B. Swanson, Rep
Supervisor District #1 (Vote for 1)
Rudy Kinard, Rep
Roger Waggener, Rep
Supervisor District #2 (Vote for 1)
Mike Olson, Rep, Incumbent
Supervisor District #4 (Vote for 1)
Mark Peterson, Rep, Incumbent

Polling place on June 5th include: The Red Oak Gold Fair Building, Red Oak Fire Station, Red Oak First Christian Church, Elliott Community Building, Stanton Fire Department, Grant Fire Department and Villisca Community Building.

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. If anyone has questions about voter registration, absentee ballots, or voting, call the Auditor’s office—712-623-5127 or visit www.montgomerycountyiowa.com
ABSENTEE BALLOTS WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER MAY 7, 2018, AT THE AUDITOR’S OFFICE TO BE VOTED THROUGH JUNE 4, 2018. Those requesting by mail should send requests as soon as possible.
***NEW Identification Requirements***
Voters will be required to present specified identification in order to vote. If you are on record with the Iowa DOT as having a driver’s license or a nonoperator’s ID, you will need to present that card at the polls. If the voter doesn’t have these specified forms of identification, the voter will need to present other forms of identification to establish their identity and residence. THE LAW IS SPECIFIC ABOUT THESE OTHER FORMS. For further information, contact the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office.

Twenty-five Delegates attended the Cass County Democratic Party’s County Convention on Saturday, March 24th. County Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle said the proposed platform was adopted unanimously. Delegates moving on to the Democratic Party’s District and State Conventions are Carol Preston of Griswold, and Jim Jordan and Sherry Toelle, both of Atlantic.

Nine Alternates were chosen: Gini Jordan, Jan Lunde, Gary Schwartz, Don Sonntag, and Rebecca Sponsler, all from Atlantic; Jordan Aggen and Evelyn Kopp, both from Anita; and Mike Conry from Griswold. Sherry Toelle will act as the body’s representative on the District Platform Committee. Sandra Sothman of Atlantic was elected as Affirmative Action Chair. Jordan Aggen and Evelyn Kopp, both from Anita, were elected as Precinct Committee Persons to the County’s Central Committee.

All three candidates for the State Legislature were present, speaking to the Convention. Warren Varley, running for Iowa House District 20, Denise O’Brien, candidate for the Iowa House District 21, and Sara Ramsey who is a candidate for the Iowa Senate District 11, spoke of their political and life experiences as well as their top policy priorities.

Chair Sherry Toelle said that the Convention and speakers were well-received and that Democrats were energized for the 2018 elections.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa court official has ordered an independent investigation into a retired state judge who admitted that he allowed attorneys on the winning side to ghost-write opinions in at least 200 cases. State Court Administrator Todd Nuccio appointed Senior Judge Robert Hutchison and retired court administrator David Boyd to review retired Plymouth County Judge Edward Jacobson’s admission last year that he requested opinions from attorneys on one side of cases without the knowledge of the other side.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says Democrat Theresa Greenfield doesn’t legally qualify to be on the June 5 primary ballot for the state’s 3rd Congressional District. Miller offered his legal analysis Wednesday, shortly before Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate released a certified primary candidate list that didn’t include Greenfield. Greenfield didn’t qualify for the ballot this month after she failed to submit enough public signatures.

HIAWATHA, Iowa (AP) — Ron Corbett says he’s filing a legal challenge against an elections panel’s ruling that booted him off the Republican primary ballot for governor. Corbett told reporters Wednesday in Hiawatha he wants a judge in Polk County district court to review his case. A campaign spokesman later said Corbett filed an administrative review. A three-person panel determined Tuesday that Corbett failed to submit enough signatures from the public to qualify to run against Gov. Kim Reynolds.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A central Iowa restaurant owner has agreed to pay nearly $834,000 to 64 employees the federal government says were not adequately paid. The U.S. Department of Labor filed a federal lawsuit against Gloria Ochoa alleging she violated minimum wage requirements by requiring servers to cash their paychecks and return the money, in cash, back to the restaurants in addition to giving up $20 from their daily tips.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police say a worker has died in a northwestern Iowa transportation hub accident. The Sioux City Journal reports that the incident happened shortly before noon Wednesday at the Big Soo Terminal in Sioux City.
Police Lieutenant Mark Kirkpatrick says a worker was crushed as he attempted to move train cars and that the death is being treated as an accident.

Kirkpatrick says officers were still investigating the incident Wednesday afternoon.
The name of the worker killed has not been released.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Page County, this (Wednesday) afternoon, arrested 60-year old  Randall Allen Snow, of Shenandoah, on an Atchison County, Missouri, Felony Warrant for possession of a controlled substance (cannabis) and other misdemeanors.  Snow was arrested in Shenandoah.

He was transported to the Page County Jail and held on $5,000 bond and while awaiting extradition to Atchison County Missouri. The Shenandoah Police Department assisted the Page County Sheriff’s Office on the arrest.

Governor Kim Reynolds has signed 23 bills into law today, including a bill that makes about 25 million dollars in cuts to the CURRENT year’s state budget. The governor’s action triggers a reaction through much of state government. Spending must be trimmed in the three months that remain in the current state budget year. The state universities in Ames and Iowa City are hardest hit. Legislators approved about 11 million dollars in cuts to the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

Brenna Smith, a spokeswoman for Governor Reynolds, issued a statement, saying Reynolds “is pleased to balance the state’s budget and will continue her work to unleash opportunities for all Iowans.” The cuts are necessary to avoid a state budget deficit. State tax collections, while increasing, are not growing as quickly as expected when the budget plan was created a year ago.

The state’s prison system must cut three-point-four million before June 30th. The Department of Human Services must reduce it’s budget by more than four million dollars. Reynolds previously has said state agencies have been on notice for months that the cuts were coming and her top administrators have been planning for these reductions.

Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price issued a written statement, saying the bill shows the “Reynolds budget crisis” has hit “full bloom.” Price said the bill “sends a very clear message that they only value tax cuts for the wealthy and don’t care about leaving working Iowans behind.”

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The State Court Administrator in Iowa has ordered an independent investigation of a retired judge who admitted that he allowed the attorney on the winning side to ghost-write opinions in at least 200 cases.

Administrator Todd Nuccio issued Wednesday an administrative directive appointing a senior judge and a retired court administrator to review allegations that retired northwest Iowa judge Edward Jacobson requested opinions from attorneys on one side of cases without the knowledge of the other side. The directive says a report with recommendations is due June 2.

Jacobson shocked the legal community in November by admitting in a deposition that he allowed the ghost writing repeatedly in his 16 years on the bench. Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady admonished judges and attorneys to avoid such one-sided communications. Jacobson declined to comment.