WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has refused to block the execution of four federal prison inmates who are scheduled to be put to death in July and August – including an Iowa drug-dealer convicted of killing five people. Among them, was two children. The executions would mark the first use of the death penalty on the federal level since 2003. The justices rejected an appeal from four inmates who were convicted of killing children, including Dustin Honken.

Honken was a northern Iowa drug dealer facing federal charges for manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine in 1993 when he shot and killed five people. Gregory Nicholson had planned to testify against Honken in his trial. Nicholson, his girlfriend Lori Duncan, and her two children Amber and Kandi were shot to death execution-style in July of 1993. Honken was convicted of the murders in 2004 and given the death penalty. He appealed but a district judge upheld the ruling in 2013. All of his appeals have been exhausted.

The court’s action leaves no obstacles standing in the way of the executions, the first of which is scheduled for July 13. The inmates are separately asking a federal judge in Washington to impose a new delay on their executions over other legal issues that have yet to be resolved.

OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — A Kansas man has been sentenced to four years of probation in a Nebraska crash that killed four motorcyclists from Iowa. The Kearney Hub reports 24-year old Jeser Cisneros-Hernandez, of Liberal, Kansas, also was ordered Friday to serve 400 hours of community service. He pleaded no contest in February to reckless and willful vehicular homicide. Prosecutors dropped three more counts and two other charges in return for his pleas. Prosecutors say on July 1st, 2017, his vehicle crossed the center line on U.S. Highway 26 near Ogallala, south of Lake McConaughy, and hit two motorcycles carrying two people each.

The Iowa motorcyclists were identified as 54-year-old Sheila Matheny and 61-year-old James Matheny, from Bedford, along with 58-year-old Michal Weese and 59-year-old Jerolyn Weese, both of whom lived in Council Bluffs.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man drowned after going for a swim while fishing at a Linn County quarry. Linn County sheriff’s deputies were called about 9:30 a.m. Sunday to the Martin Marietta quarry, southeast of Cedar Rapids. Friends and relatives of a man told deputies he was fishing but opted to swim a short distance. He went under the water and didn’t surface. Teams from Cedar Rapids and Mount Vernon used boats to search and found the man’s body shortly after 11 a.m.

The man’s name was being withheld until relatives can be notified.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police have identified the victim of a weekend fatal shooting as a Keokuk man. Police were called Saturday night to an industrial area east of downtown and found a dead man on a road. He was identified Monday as 41-year-old Michael Thurman. On Sunday, police charged 27-year-old Andrew James Hall, of Des Moines, with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. He was being held in the Polk County Jail.

The Griswold School Board will hold a Special Session 3-p.m. Tuesday, in the Elementary School Library. The meeting is being held to take action on steps necessary to refinance about $1.8-million worth of School Infrastructure Sales, Service and Use Tax Revenue Bonds. That includes:

• Consideration of Sealed Bids opened and reviewed by Superintendent Dave Henrichs, and the Financial Advisor.
• The possible awarding of bid to refinance the bonds
• And, action on a Call Notice Resolution to be filed with UMB Bank.

The Audubon Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a special, electronic session, 7:30-a.m. Tuesday. The meeting takes place in the High School Board room, but there is a limit of 10 participants, with preference toward Board members and others necessary to conducting the meeting. Members of the public wanting to see the meeting, are strongly encourage to attend via Zoom. You may request the link from Superintendent Eric Trager, by e-mailing etrager@audubon.k12.ia.us.  The link will be sent out this (Monday) afternoon, to those who request it.

On the agenda for Tuesday morning’s meeting, is approval of the End of Fiscal Year Expenditures, and a copier lease, along with personnel matters. The Board will also receive an update on the district’s facilities project.

Police in Creston report 40-year old Aaron Riepe, of Creston, was taken into custody, Saturday afternoon. Reipe was arrested at his home, on a Union County Warrant for the charge of Violation of Probation and was additionally charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd or subsequent. He was being held in the Union County Jail while awaiting a bond hearing.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) — While the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines will not be hosting the state fair this summer, the engine is still running for the big classic car event over the upcoming Fourth of July weekend. Harry Daviess, a spokesman for the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, says the 29th annual Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals will be held starting Friday, with a multitude of precautions in place due to COVID-19. “We’re asking our participants and our spectator attendees to bring a personalized, alcohol-based sanitizer,” Daviess says. “We will have many hand washing stations throughout the facility to keep everybody safe. You can bring and wear a mask.”

Masks are optional on the 16-hundred acres of outdoor space, but masks are mandatory if you enter any of the buildings. Thousands of shiny vehicles will be lined up for spectators to admire, including hot rods, trick trucks and muscle cars. Part of the allure of attending the show is chatting with the owners about how they restored the vehicles, and he says the pandemic won’t be able to quash those interactions. “Everybody that’s attending the event, they have a personal responsibility and that responsibility is to stay social distanced,” Daviess says. “You can still talk with somebody and have a conversation about their vehicle from six feet away. We’re not asking people to do anything differently from what they’re doing in the community today.”

Attendance over the three-day event has reached 50-thousand in past years, though the number of show cars on display this year may be somewhat reduced.”We’ve had as many as 4,500 to 5,000 cars and yeah, we’re expecting a slight decrease in attendance just because some people aren’t ready to travel yet, they’re not ready to drive their car 1,000 miles from out of state,” Daviess says. “It’s hard to tell until we do the actual event.”

Many of the traditional features are still planned, including the vendor midway, swap meet, model and pedal car displays, and the fireworks show, as well as Autocross racing events. Daviess says online ticket sales are discounted for advance sales. The Heartland Nationals run through Sunday.