DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with a shooting last April. Littleton Clark, 41, was sentenced Friday in the April 12 shooting that took place outside a Des Moines apartment complex. Police said Clark fired into a group of people and wounded another man twice in the torso. The victim survived but needed surgery after the shooting.

Court records show that 41-year-old Littleton Clark pleaded guilty last month to assault and two weapons charges as part of a deal with prosecutors. In return, an attempted murder charge and two other charges were dropped.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature will convene Monday with Republicans holding large majorities and promising an agenda that could include tax cuts and changes to voting, gun and school attendance laws. Republicans expanded their majority in the House in November and maintained their edge in the Senate. They see the election as an affirmation that voters support the conservative actions they have taken since winning full control of the Legislature in 2016.

The GOP to-do list is expected to include efforts to reduce taxes, making changes to voting rules, expand gun rights and require in-school attendance despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The 150 lawmakers will gather in the Statehouse with no mask requirements and rules that do not require disclosure of a positive COVID-19 test.

The CAM School District Board of Education will meet 6:30-p.m. Monday (Jan. 11) in the CAM High School Superintendent’s Office. Among the matters on their agenda is:

• Discussion/action on: Open Enrollment; Resignations; andContracts.
• Administrative reports.
• Approval of the 2022 trip to Washington, D.C.
• Approval of Mid-term Graduates.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors will receive additional funding requests for Fiscal Year 2022, during their Special Sessions set for 9-a.m., Monday. During a Special Session last Friday morning, they received funding requests from: the County Engineer; Environmental Services; Fair Board; Adair County Historical Society; Library Association; Ag Extension and Midwest Partnership.

On Monday, they’ll hear funding requests from:

• SICOG (the Southern Iowa Council of Governments)
• DHS
• County Treasurer Brenda Wallace, and
• County Recorder Janelle Schneider.

The meeting will be conducted via dial-in to (605)-313-6157 (Access Code 526272#)

(Radio Iowa) – With the pandemic, many Iowans are spending more time outside to get exercise, even during the winter, and some may be noticing the cold can quickly sap the power from their cell phones. Most phones use lithium-ion batteries which contain a liquid. Dee Taylor, the western Iowa sales director for U-S Cellular, says that liquid can definitely be impacted by the cold air. “Anything below 32 degrees is going to start slowing down your phone when you have complete exposure,” Taylor says.

We typically think of the heat of an Iowa summer causing issues for smartphones, but extreme cold can do the same. When it’s freezing outside, Taylor says the molecules shrink and can cause trouble with displays, buttons and battery life. “Having your phone in your pocket is definitely better than throwing it in a bag or a purse,” Taylor says, “but you should also protect your phone by keeping it in a case.”

Some cases protect shield the phone from impact, but the screen is often only covered by a thin layer of clear plastic. Does that really help? “It can because it’s still creating a barrier for your device and the screen,” she says. It’s best to keep your device fully charged to avoid the battery being completely drained in outdoor temperatures. We’ve all seen joggers on the sidewalks, even during the winter, with their phones strapped to their biceps so they’ll have music for the run. Taylor says those arm straps aren’t the best idea for a phone during an Iowa winter.

“When you’re out in the cold, it’s much better to keep that in a pocket versus just complete exposure, such as your arm,” Taylor says. “Certainly, it’s better than keeping it in a purse or a bag that’s completely open. You want to have some type of protection.”

If you’ve been outside, she suggests letting your device warm up before using it and don’t leave your phone outside in parked car. If a phone powers off due to the cold, she says to give it time to warm up to room temperature before you hit the power button.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division reports liquor sales for December hit a record for a single month at 42-point-eight million dollars. That is an increase of nearly 18-and-a-half percent (18.48) compared to December of 2019.

The pandemic pushed the liquor sales for the last fiscal year that ended in June to a yearly record and an increase of eight-point-two percent compared to the previous fiscal year. The department reports sales continued to rise through December — with the number of cases already sold in the new fiscal year up by nearly 19 percent (18.5).

(Radio Iowa) The Republican leaders in the Iowa legislature say they’re confident in the security at the Capitol building in Des Moines. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver of Ankeny says Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol was a sad day for the country. “This is a great country that has given me so much and given all of us so much, allowed me to grow up in Grinnell, go play football at Iowa State, become a state senator,” Whitver says. “…Violence like that should never stand and should always be condemned.”

House Speaker Pat Grassley of New Hartford says Americans have every right to express their opinions, in a non-violent way. “I hope that this is not the way that this country is moving towards,” Grassley says. “…I’ve been very consistent, even going back into the summer, that’s not the proper way to do it. There’s a proper way to do it and what we’ve seen the last eight months isn’t always it.”

There were protests in June outside the 135-year-old Iowa Capitol building when the legislature was in session. “Between the security we have inside the Capitol and the State Patrol as well, I think that we’re well equipped,” Grassleys says. “Some of what we saw in June, if it were to be anything like that, kind of prepared us and we know what steps may need to happen.”

Whitver says the small group of people who protested in the U.S. Capitol do not speak for Iowa Republicans. “Part of the reason we’ve been successful here in Iowa with our elections in the House, in the Senate, with the governor is because we focused on Iowa and we focused on what we need to do to make Iowa the best state we can,” Whitver said, “and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

The lawmakers made their comments during taping of “Iowa Press” which today (Sunday), on Iowa P-B-S.