DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lawyer fighting a discrimination lawsuit against Iowa officials is withdrawing from the case. George LaMarca has billed Iowa taxpayers nearly $1 million to fight the case filed by former state official Chris Godfrey against Gov. Kim Reynolds and former Gov. Terry Branstad. Godfrey accuses Reynolds and Branstad of discrimination based on sexual orientation. The 73-year-old LaMarca says poor health is forcing him to retire.

Judge Brad McCall accepted LaMarca’s withdrawal today (Wednesday). He also granted a delay in the trial that was scheduled for Jan. 14. Godfrey’s attorney Roxanne Conlin argues the withdrawal is a delay tactic and says LaMarca should have to repay taxpayers. Branstad in 2010 pressured Godfrey to resign. When Godfrey refused, Branstad cut his salary. Branstad says his actions were justified by Godfrey’s performance.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Supreme Court Justice Daryl Hecht says he will resume hearing cases and participating in decisions as he continues treatment for skin cancer. The high court announced Hecht’s decision Wednesday in a news release. Hecht revealed in April that had been diagnosed with melanoma, considered the most serious type of skin cancer. Hecht has been treated in Sioux City and Rochester, Minnesota.

The 66-year-old Hecht has not participated in hearing oral argument since March and participated in only a few cases during the remainder of the court term that ended June 30. Hecht says he expects improvement resulting from a new treatment regimen will allow him to resume a more active role. The new court term began Tuesday. Hecht was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 2006.

In an update to our story yesterday, Pottawattamie County Chief Deputy Rob Ambrose reports an Atlantic man was injured during a motorcycle accident late Tuesday morning, in Pottawattamie County. 71-year old Paul Fischer was riding a 2009 Kawasaki westbound on Highway 6 at around 11:25-a.m., when his leather coat came loose from the straps and caught the rear wheel. The coat became entangled in the wheel and caused it to lock-up.

Fischer managed to keep the cycle upright until it rolled onto its side on the road in front of 48606 Highway 6. The man was wearing a helmet. Fischer suffered injuries to his face, arms and chest, and was transported by Griswold Rescue to the Cass County Memorial Hospital, in Atlantic. No citations were issued. The cycle sustained about $5,000 damage.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A former church northeast of Fort Dodge is transforming into a homeless shelter for women and children who need help. The Messenger reports that the former St. John’s Lutheran Church in rural Webster County will become the home of the Lotus Community Project. Iowa District West, a part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, has donated the property. The district took control of the church after it closed last year.

Lotus Executive Director Ashley Vaala says there will likely be $105,000 in renovations before the shelter can open in December. Vaala says there will potentially be eight rooms available to provide temporary living space to women in Webster, Hamilton, Humboldt, Wright, Calhoun and Pocahontas counties.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The governor has issued a disaster proclamation for two counties struck by storms and flooding. They are Bremer County in northeast Iowa and Iowa County in eastern Iowa. The proclamation from Gov. Kim Reynolds allows use of state resources to recover from severe storms and flooding that began Sunday. Grants for people who qualify are available for home or vehicle repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses.
Information on the Disaster Case Management Program is available online .

A Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy on patrol in the area of Antique City Drive and North Street in Walnut, Tuesday night, conducted a traffic stop on an SUV without license plates. The driver, 38-year old Daniel Harvey Pash, of Harlan, was subsequently arrested on charges that include: Possession of a Controlled Substance (4.2 grams of marijuana); Possession of drug paraphernalia (a marijuana pipe); and Forgery. Bond was set at $2,000.

The Pott. County Sheriff’s Office reports also, an inmate at the jail, 38-year old Robert L. Bopp, of Shenandoah, was served with a warrant out of Douglas County, NE., Tuesday, for being a Fugitive from Justice. He was being held without bond on the warrant, and a $10,000 bond on an original Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug, charge. Late Tuesday morning, 32-year old Corey Andres Stephens, of Council Bluffs, turned himself-in to the sheriff’s office. Stephens was taken into custody on three active Pott. County bench warrants for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $20,000. Tuesday afternoon, 35-year old William Crittenden Kaltoft, of Council Bluffs,  turned himself-in to the sheriff’s office. Kaltoft was wanted for Violation of Probation. Bond was set at $2,000.

And, a bail bondsman brought to the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday afternoon, 23-year old Dushuan Hogan, of Carter Lake. Hogan was wanted on a bench warrant for Violation of Probation. Stephens, Kaltoft and Hogan were all turned over to Corrections staff at the Pott. County Jail. Bond for Hogan was set at $10,000.

(Radio Iowa) — The University of Iowa College of Nursing is getting a federal grant of nearly two-million dollars to set up a center to study treatments for chronic diseases. U-I nursing professor Sue Gardner is one of the co-directors of the research center and says it could make significant contributions to improve the lives of patients with multiple such illnesses.

“The research will specifically target persons who have more than one chronic condition,” Gardner says, “and actually the prevalence of people who have more than one is pretty astounding.” Gardner describes a chronic condition as one that cannot be cured, only managed, such as diabetes, heart disease or arthritis. Gardner says it’s fairly common for people to have multiple chronic diseases.

“This will enable us to very much tailor both prevention and treatment interventions for this very complex population,” she says. The U-I College of Nursing is one of five institutions nationwide granted federal funds to research chronic diseases. The grant money covers five years.

(Radio Iowa) — The city of Cedar Rapids is bracing for flooding after days of heavy rains. The Cedar River is forecast to crest at 16-and-a-half feet tomorrow (Thursday), which is six inches above major flood stage. City workers are closing roads, parks and boat ramps. Cedar Rapids Public Works Director Jen Winter says any impacts would likely come from the river flowing into the storm sewer system.
“Unless something fails, we anticipate that there would not be damage,” Winter says. “In some cases, depending on the age of a building, some people do get water in their basements despite the fact that we have kind of plugged off the river from backing up.”

While the forecast is for 16-and-a-half feet, city workers are preparing for at least 18 feet of water, just to be safe. Winter says they’re also plugging manholes and storm drains to prevent backflow. “The majority of the risk is from underground,” she says, “so the majority of the risk is from water coming back into our storm sewer system and backing up.”

City leaders are urging residents to stay away from the river and to let workers finish their preparations. As updated forecasts become available, the city will consider adding more protections. Cedar Rapids’ last major flood came in 2016, when the river crested at 22 feet.

The Shelby County Auditor’s Office has released the names of candidates who have filed nomination papers for the Nov. 6th General Election.

County Supervisor (Select 1) – Republican Darin Haake, and Democrat Roger Schmitz

County Treasurer (1) – Rep. Carolyn Blum

County Recorder (1) – Rep. Geralyn S. Greer

County Attorney (1) – Dem. Marcus Gross, Jr.

Other, Non-Partisan Office candidates:

Hospital Trustee: Kelli Klaasen, Terry R. Torneten and James B. Zimmerman, all of Harlan.

Shelby County Extension Council: Elaine Baughman, and Gwen E. Hanson, both of Kirkman; Renee L. Hansen, Lorie Knudsen and Jane Schmitz, all of Harlan, and Klare Veath, of Elk Horn.

Soil & Water Conservation Board: Cathy Johannsen, of Harlan, and Allan Reinig, of Portsmouth.

Township Clerks/Trustees:

• Cass Township: Clerk – Kenneth Stein; Trustee – Jim Voge.
• Center Township: Clerk – Keith Burchett; Trustee – Steve Ineson.
• Clay Township: Clerk – Steve Jacobs and Joel Schlueter; Trustee – Rex Thomas.
• Douglas Township: Clerk – Michael Rasmussen; Trustee – Keith Fiscus.
• Fairview Township: Clerk – No candidate; Trustee – Neil Ohms.
• Greeley Township: Clerk -Michael A. Miller; Trustee – Norman Campbell.
• Grove Township: Clerk – Brad Gross; Trustee – Gaylord Gross.
• Jackson Township: Clerk – Cathy Clark; Trustee – Lyle Campbell.
• Jefferson Township: Clerk – Dan Buman; Trustee – No candidate.
• Lincoln Township: Clerk – H. David Boettger; Trustee – Duane Errett.
• Monroe Township: Clerk – Bryan Greve; Trustee – John Clayton.
• Polk Township: Clerk – Roy North; Trustee – Karl Hanson.
• Shelby Township: Clerk – Chris Evans; Trustee – Ron Peters.
• Union Township: Clerk – Jim Scheuring; Trustee – Neal Gaul.
• Washington Township: Clerk – Connie Klein; Trustee – No candidate.
• Westphalia Township: Clerk – No candidate; Trustee – No candidate.

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

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