From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man and his Minnesota son have pleaded guilty to a charge of civil disorder related to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, admitting that they entered the building through a broken window and pushed through a police line once inside. Both 51-year-old Daryl Johnson, of St. Ansgar, Iowa, and 26-year-old Daniel Johnson, of Austin, Minnesota, made social media posts noting their participation in the insurrection. They admitted guilt in a video hearing Tuesday. They’re likely to get up to six months in prison at their April 12 sentencing. They agreed to pay restitution of $2,000 each to help defray the $1.5 million in damage to the Capitol.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Waterloo Democratic Rep. Ras Smith announced he will suspend his campaign for Iowa governor. Smith, who in June 2021 became the first person to announce his run for governor, on Wednesday cited a “drastic disconnect between the current political system and the people” in explaining his decision to drop his campaign. Smith is serving his third term representing an area of Black Hawk County. He has chaired the Legislative Black Caucus. His decision leaves Deidre DeJear as the highest-profile Democrat remaining in the race. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds hasn’t announced her plans but is expected to seek reelection.
CRESCENT, Iowa (AP) – A 60-year-old ski and sledding attraction in western Iowa has been sold to Pottawattamie County for $3.5 million. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports that the county’s purchase of Mt. Crescent Ski Area, which sits adjacent to Hitchcock Nature Center, was finalized on Dec. 30. The money for the purchase came from a $1.4 million Iowa West Foundation grant and federal pandemic stimulus funds. Former owners Korby and Samantha Fleischer will manage the attraction through the remainder of the current season and have the option to continue managing for at least two years.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A county attorney with a long history in Republicans politics has announced she’ll run for Iowa attorney general. Guthrie County Attorney Brenna Bird said Tuesday that Iowa needs someone who will “stop Joe Biden and the radical socialists in DC.” Bird says she’s heard from many Iowans about the need for new leadership in the attorney general’s office, held for most of the past four decades by Democrat Tom Miller. Bird has a long resume of serving Republican politicians. She was chief of staff for former U.S. Rep. Steve King and served as the staff lawyer for former Gov. Terry Branstad. She was elected county attorney for Guthrie County in 2018. She ran against Miller in 2010 and lost.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Kim Reynolds says Iowans can expect another round of tax cuts, proposed new laws to incentivize unemployed Iowans to get a job, additional education reform measures including a parental bill of rights and proposals to address a shortage of teachers and child care workers. The Republican governor and legislative leaders spoke Tuesday at an annual pre-session legislative forum conducted by the Iowa Capitol Press Association. Legislative priorities will include individual income tax cuts, proposals to push unemployed Iowans back to work and a parental bill of rights that gives parents information on what is taught in schools and opportunities to review whether books in libraries are age appropriate.
DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) – A regional tourism agency in Alabama is standing up for its chief executive despite his federal fraud indictment related to a music festival in Iowa that lost more than $2 million. WTVY-TV reports that a Visit Dothan statement says the agency is aware of the charges against president and CEO Aaron McCreight, but plans to keep him in the job. The statement says the agency is confident in its financial management practices, and McCreight has done a good job. Court documents show McCreight signed an agreement saying he plans to plead guilty. Prosecutors say he could face 30 years in prison.
