From the Associated Press:
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.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Charges against a man accused of pummeling another man in downtown Davenport on Christmas Eve have been upgraded after the other man later died. The Quad-City Times reports that 31-year-old Jaret Leonard Lee Peck, of Davenport, is now charged with second-degree murder after 47-year-old Terrance Woodard died from his injuries on Sunday. Peck had been charged with willful injury and interference with official acts in the case. Police say officers found Woodard on Dec. 24, beaten and suffering from critical injuries. He was first taken to a Davenport hospital, then transferred to an Iowa City hospital, where he died Sunday. Investigators say Peck punched Woodard in the head multiple times, including after Woodard already was on the ground.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A 45-year-old woman has been given two life sentences for setting a fire that killed a 9-year-old boy and his mother in Waterloo. Susanna O’Brien was sentenced Monday for the deaths of 32-year-old Ashely Smith and her son, Jaykwon Sallis, in April 2018. Prosecutors said O’Brien set the fire because she was upset her boyfriend was staying with another woman at Smith’s home. The boyfriend and the second woman escaped. While handing down the sentence, the judge said O’Brien set fires at the home’s front and back doors in order to trap everyone inside. O’Brien’s attorney said she continues to maintain her innocence.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State public health data indicates Iowa is beginning the new year with a large surge in coronavirus cases. The state Department of Public Health on Monday posted 17,773 confirmed positive tests in the past seven days. That rate of about 2,500 cases a day is a significant jump from the 1,300 to 1,400 daily average during December. The surge pushed Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate to 13.5%, a rate that signifies a high rate of spread. Hospitalizations fell slightly to 768 from 773 reported on Friday. The state reported 163 COVID-19 patients in intensive care, a slight drop from 170 reported Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 59% of Iowa’s population is fully vaccinated.
