From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says two Des Moines men who were sentenced to life in prison without parole for murders committed when they were teenagers must stay behind bars. James Dorsey and Fernando Sandoval have been trying for decades to have their convictions and sentences overturned. This time lawyers argued that their clients should not have been tried as adults because the crimes were committed when they were 18 and 19 years old. State law states that once someone turns 18 they face the full penalties prescribed by law. Justice Christopher McDonald, who wrote both majority opinions, acknowledges that the 18th birthday might be an arbitrary place to draw a line, but said a line must be drawn somewhere.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The federal government says it will distribute $60 million among 12 states that have waterways that flow into the Mississippi River to help them control farm runoff and other pollution that contribute to a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The money comes from the infrastructure law that President Joe Biden signed in November, the Environmental Protection Agency said. Radhika Fox, EPA assistant administrator for water, made the announcement Friday alongside Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig in Des Moines. The money will be distributed over the next five years to Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
State inspectors say a troubled Iowa center for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities failed to monitor the fluid intake of a 30-year-old resident who died in February due to dehydration. The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has fined the Glenwood Resource Center $10,000 after inspectors found that center staff failed to ensure that the man received about 100 ounces of fluids every day ordered by his doctor after he was hospitalized in November for dehydration. The Glenwood center on Friday referred questions about the man’s death to the Iowa Department of Human Services, which did not immediately answer questions on whether any center staff faced discipline, termination or criminal investigation related to the death.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Big political donations this year in races for local district attorney’s offices show how national groups are seeking to influence those contests in at least a handful of states. Left-leaning groups have stepped in to fund candidates who support criminal justice reforms, while conservatives are pushing back amid concerns that crime in America’s cities is out of control. Whitney Tymas, president of a political action committee that supports progressive district attorney candidates, said money is necessary to bring change to an office where most incumbents run opposed for reelection. Among the biggest donors is a political action committee connected to George Soros, the billionaire investor, philanthropist and conspiracy-theory target.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified a man who was killed in shootout with an officer outside of a convenience store in eastern Iowa. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday that 45-year-old Jason James Morales, of Davenport, died in the shooting. The shooting happened around 1 a.m. Wednesday when an officer responded to a call from the store about someone tampering with its air conditioning unit outside. Police say the officer confronted a man, later identified as Morales, outside the store and discovered that he had outstanding arrest warrants. Police say a fight ensued, and Morales and the officer exchanged gunfire. Morales was shot and died at a hospital. The officer was not shot, but sustained minor injuries.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man who promised to behead President Joe Biden and predicted “blood in the streets” has pleaded guilty to a single charge and faces up to six months in prison for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Kenneth Rader entered the guilty plea via video conferencing Tuesday before a federal judge in Washington. Rader was allowed to remain free on bond pending his Sept. 9 sentencing. Rader initially pleaded not guilty to four counts. In an agreement with federal prosecutors, the 54-year-old Rader pleaded guilty to demonstrating in the Capitol and prosecutors agreed to drop three charges. He was arrested Jan. 20 in Sioux City after the FBI received a tip from a relative.
