DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price says an independent review will determine what went wrong in the state caucus process that led to a dayslong delay in reporting the results, inconsistencies in the numbers and no clear winner. Price said Friday that the independent forensic investigation will determine what went wrong.

Almost nothing went right Monday, first when an app used to report the results failed and then when a massive backlog of phone reports and inquiries followed. Pete Buttigieg narrowly leads Bernie Sanders in Iowa’s released results, but The Associated Press has been unable to declare a winner based on the available information.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Pete Buttigieg says he raised $4 million since the Iowa caucuses, an impressive haul for a candidate looking to capitalize on his strong showing to continue building a national political brand. The campaign of the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, announced Friday that it had collected $4 million since Tuesday.

The results from Monday’s caucuses are too close for The Associated Press to call. In figures released by the state party, Buttigieg leads Bernie Sanders by 0.09 percentage points. Both have declared victory. Buttigieg’s fundraising numbers are another sign of strength for a candidate who was unknown in national politics a year ago.

(By BILL BARROW Associated Press) – Joe Biden is reorganizing his top presidential campaign leadership after a fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. He’s elevating Anita Dunn to a role that effectively puts her in charge of his third White House bid, just days before the New Hampshire primary.

Biden had spent months leading national polls of Democratic primary voters. But he’s faced persistent doubts about the quality of his campaign operation in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states in the presidential nominating process. And his campaign fundraising has lagged behind other leading contenders.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — President Donald Trump has tweeted reassurances to Iowa and New Hampshire that the two states will be first in the presidential primary schedule “as long as I am President.” He called it a “Great tradition!”

The Iowa Democratic Party has spent the week trying to verify results from Monday’s caucuses, adding fuel to complaints that the earliest voting states should be more representative of the U.S. demographically. Trump’s tweet today (Friday) will appeal to many voters in the two states leading up to the general election because they want to preserve their states’ special role in the presidential race.

“I agree — thank you, Mr. President!,” tweeted New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican. The head of New Hampshire’s Democratic Party, Ray Buckley, wouldn’t say Friday if he has confidence in Tom Perez’s leadership at the Democratic National Committee.
Perez has called for a recanvass of the Iowa caucuses and sought to shift blame onto the Iowa Democratic Party.

New Hampshire’s primary is next Tuesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Democratic Party has extended until Monday a deadline originally set for midday Friday for presidential candidates to request a review of the results of this week’s Iowa presidential caucuses. That’s in light of the reporting debacle that forced a days-long delay in final numbers from the contest and left inconsistencies in the final count. After a breakdown in tallying the results caucus night, it took until Thursday for the state party, which operates the series of roughly 1,700 local meetings statewide, to issue final numbers.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A house fire in Sioux City has left two people dead and one critically injured. Firefighters were called to the fire Thursday morning in the rental home and found residents of the main floor outside. The Sioux City Journal reports that while extinguishing the fire and searching the basement, firefighters found three people and rushed them to a hospital, where two died. Those killed were identified Friday as 57-year-old Andrew Godberson and 24-year-old Jessica Fischer, both of Sioux City. The injured man is 26-year-old Juan Galarza, of Sioux City. Fire Marshal Mark Aesoph said fire investigators didn’t find any working smoke alarms in the house.

A U-S District Court judge in Davenport, Tuesday, sentenced 57-year old Jeffrey Scott Walter, of Burlington, to 104 months (slightly more than  8 1/2 years) in prison, for receiving and
distributing child pornography. Walter was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment, pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund, and comply with the sex offender registry requirements upon release.

On September 24, 2019, Walter pleaded guilty. The investigation began between September 2016 and February 2018, when a Homeland Security Investigations agent identified an IP address
advertising child pornography files. On March 5, 2018, a search warrant was executed at Walters’ residence, which was tied to the IP address. A forensic examination of the electronic devices seized  revealed multiple images and videos containing child pornography. Walter admitted that he did  receive, distribute, and possess child pornography.

The matter was investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This case was prosecuted
by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A man from eastern Iowa was sentenced Wednesday to 12-years in prison for possession of child pornography. 55-year old Ricki Charles Hess, of North Liberty, was also ordered to serve five-years of supervised release, following the term of his imprisonment.  He was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution and $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. Hess must also comply with the terms of the Iowa Sex Offender Registry requirements, upon his release from custody.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports that on August 19, 2019, Hess pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. The investigation began in August 2017 when the North Liberty Police Department received a cyber-tip from the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force relating to Hess. Agents searched Hess’s residence and seized several electronic devices. A forensic analysis was conducted on Hess’s HP computer, a hard drive, and a cellular phone and it revealed numerous images of child pornography. In excess of 160 video files and more than 30 images of child pornography were found in Hess’ possession.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Center  for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), with assistance from the North Liberty Police
Department and ICAC. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern  District of Iowa.
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Staffers at a Cedar Rapids winter homeless shelter are working with police to reduce problems that have led to complaints from neighbors. The Fillmore Center opened in mid-November to offer a warm place to sleep. The Gazette reports that police since then have received 82 calls for service. Those calls include 41 for disturbances and 31 for medical needs, as well as others for theft, a warrant and other issues. Police said there have been 10 arrests, including seven for public intoxication. That led to neighborhood complaints and an effort by staff to take a firmer stance with rule breakers.