Authorities in Harlan report two people were charged following an investigation into a disturbance at a residence, on Sunday. Officers called to the 3000 block of 12th Street to investigate a disturbance, later charged 24-year old Stephanie Bird, of Harlan. Bird faces a simple assault charge for allegedly striking her mother, Nancy Bird, also of Harlan.

20-year old Lacey Bird, of Harlan, was charged with assault causing injury, for allegedly assaulting Stephanie Bird, and with criminal mischief in the 5th degree for kicking in the screen door on the Bird residence. Complaints were filed against both subjects at the Shelby County Clerk of Courts Office.

Harlan Police report also, two female drivers were transported to Myrtue Memorial Hospital, following a collision on Dec. 4th. Officials say a 2014 Dodge driven by Brenda Buck, of Harlan, was traveling eastbound on Durant Street, when she attempted to turn north onto 4th Street. As she did so, her vehicle was struck by a westbound 2013 Ford, driven by Becky Martin, of Harlan. Buck was cited for Failure to Yield. Damage from the collision amounted to $6,000.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A task force created to study errors in Iowa’s database of ineligible felon voters is expected to disband without finding a permanent solution to the problem. Secretary of State Matt Schultz formed the group after finding 12 cases in which mistakes in the list’s 50,000 entries resulted in the rejection of ballots from eligible voters. Schultz said that the group would develop a “long-term solution to fix” the database’s inaccuracies.

Records obtained by The Associated Press show it took until Aug. 29 for the group to hold its first and only meeting. Former Secretary of State general counsel Charlie Smithson coordinated the group and defended its work. He says the meeting got government agencies talking to each other about the problem and led to incremental progress on short-term solutions.

Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County report a man wanted on an outstanding warrant has turned himself-in. 50-year old Mitchell Lee Thompson, of Audubon, appeared at the Sheriff’s Office at around 9-a.m. today (Thursday). Thompson was charged with Forgery and Theft in the 2nd Degree, in association with an incident which occurred at a business in Exira on Nov. 5th.

Thompson appeared before a magistrate has has since been released. His preliminary hearing was set for Dec. 29th.

Republican Congressman Steve King tried, but failed to get House approval of his attempt to “cut off funding now” so President Obama’s executive order on immigration cannot be implemented. King asked the Republican-led House Rules Committee for permission to put his plan forward for a House vote, but he was rebuffed. “It’s time that we stood up and fight now rather than fund now and fight later,” King said in a video statement posted on YouTube.

Sometime today (Thursday) a House vote is expected on a massive spending plan that will keep most of the government running through next September. A vote to prevent Obama’s action on immigration will come in January, G-O-P leaders say, after the new congress is sworn in and Republicans have control of both the House and the Senate.  “We’re sitting here with a majority in the House and soon a majority in the Senate, but waiting for the Senate is waiting too long because if we wait, we are then compelled to fund now and fight later, if we fight at all,” King said. “I say, instead, cut the funding now. Start the fight now.”

King’s alternative plan would have funded federal government operations through January 31st. “That seats the new Republican majority in the Senate, it seats the expanded (Republican) majority in the House and it makes us stronger in fighting this president,” King said. “We will have to put him in a political straight-jacket or there won’t be anything left of the Constitution by the time we elect another president.” The spending plan congress is expected to pass only funds the Department of Homeland Security through February. That’s the agency which oversees most immigration policy.

(Radio Iowa)