From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – A Davenport man faces sentencing Jan. 12 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his mother. McKinsley Watson was originally charged with first-degree murder in the May 2020 death of 59-year-old Victoria Watson. Authorities say she was strangled and also suffered from a head injury. Watson pleaded guilty at a hearing on Oct. 29. He could face up to 50 years in prison. Davenport police were called around 4:45 a.m. May 21, 2020, to a home. Officers said they found McKinsley Watson on the front stoop exhibiting odd behavior possibly related to drug use. His mother was dead inside the home.
BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) – Eight men from Burlington face federal charges accusing them of involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking operation. The U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Tuesday that the charges were the result of state and federal investigations that have been going on for several years. All eight suspects are charged with conspiracy to distribute meth and face potential sentences of at least 10 years in prison if convicted. Five of the suspects have been arrested, and the other three are being sought.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – With a photo posted on social media, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds unofficially announced she is now a resident of Madison County. Reynolds posted the photo of her feeding her ballot into a voting machine and noted she had voted Tuesday morning in Madison County. It was the first word that Reynolds had moved from neighboring Clarke County, where she served as county treasurer and state senator before then-Gov. Terry Branstad chose her to run as lieutenant governor with him. Spokesman Alex Murphy later confirmed Reynolds and her husband purchased property in Madison County, about 30 miles southwest of Des Moines.
SEYMOUR, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man who violated federal animal welfare laws 120 times since March has been permanently barred from selling, breeding or brokering dogs. A federal judge on Tuesday approved an agreement that ends a lawsuit filed against Daniel Gingerich on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Gingerich agreed to give up 514 dogs, which the Animal Rescue League of Iowa is gathering from several properties this week. His main facility was in rural Seymour. Investigators said Gingerich failed to provide adequate nutrition, potable water and veterinary care for his dogs, which caused “unnecessary suffering and death.” Wayne County Sheriff Keith Davis says Gingerich will eventually face criminal charges.
MOLINE, Illinois (AP) – Most workers at Deere & Co. have rejected a contract offer that would have given them 10% raises. Tuesday’s vote means workers will remain on strike in the hopes of securing a better deal. The raises in the latest agreement were twice as big as the ones in the original offer United Auto Workers union members rejected last month, but those raises and improved benefits weren’t enough to end the strike that began on Oct. 14. The new agreement also would have preserved a pension option for new employees and maintained workers’ no-premium health insurance coverage. The disputed contract covers more than 10,000 Deere workers at 12 of Deere’s facilities in Iowa, Illinois and Kansas. A separate group of about 100 workers in Colorado and Georgia voted to accept an identical contract.
PALO, Iowa (AP) – Alliant Energy has announced plans to buy and expand an existing solar farm project at Palo to make it Iowa’s largest solar and battery storage facility. Alliant, based in Madison, Wisconsin, said in a news release that it wants to buy the project located at the decommissioned nuclear Duane Arnold Energy Center at Palo from NextEra Energy. Alliant filed the proposal Tuesday with the Iowa Utilities Board. The plan would have NextEra continue developing its 200-megawatt solar field and 75-megawatt battery storage facility. Alliant would then buy the completed project and add another 200 megawatts of solar at a later date. Alliant says it expects the board’s decision on the Palo project by late next year.
