DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A man has been given 50 years in prison for stabbing to death a woman a woman in her northeast Iowa home. Court records say 54-year-old Garry James was sentenced Wednesday in Dubuque. Authorities say he killed 53-year-old Michelle Kinney on July 21. Friends found her body two days later on the floor of her blood-spattered kitchen in Dubuque. James pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after prosecutors reduced the charge from first-degree murder.

(Radio Iowa) — Jake Porter, the Libertarian Party’s candidate for governor, was near the stage — in the audience — for last (Wednesday) night’s televised debate between Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and Democratic challenger Fred Hubbell. “Criminal justice reform, mental health also things with the budget are just things that I would have talked about — in a very positive way,” Porter says. “We wouldn’t go negative against any one of the candidates or anything like that.” Porter says criminal just reform deserves more than just a passing mention in the 2018 campaign.

“There’s about 40,000 to 50,000 Iowans that have served their time, paid for their crime. They need to have their voting rights restored,” Porter says. “At one point they did, now they no longer have their voting rights restored.” In 2005, Governor Tom Vilsack issued an executive order that automatically restored voting rights to felons who had completed their prison time, probation and parole. In 2011, Governor Terry Branstad cancelled that. Felons who’ve completed their sentences must apply — now — to Governor Reynolds and prove fines and restitution have been or are being paid to get their voting rights restored. Porter says just because he and the other candidates for governor aren’t impacted personally by criminal justice issues doesn’t mean the issue should be ignored.

“Currently our prisons are over-capacity. In like seven to eight years, they’re going to be at 142 percent of capacity. The state doesn’t have money to build new prisons, for example, so we have to make decisions: ‘Who are we going to let out?’ It costs $32,000 or so a year to put somebody in prison when it’s a lot cheaper just to treat the addiction and then if we look at people who are addicted, a lot of time they’re afraid to get help,” Porter says. “They’re afraid their kids are going to get taken away from them. They could lose their jobs. They could go to jail for it.”

Porter says it’s time to classify addiction as a health issue rather than a crime issue. Porter runs a marketing and business consulting agency in Council Bluffs. A Des Moines Register Iowa Poll conducted last month found Porter had the support of seven percent of likely voters.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested on separate charges, Wednesday. At around 3-p.m., 19-year old Saxztihn Richard Donaldson, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drug, and Operating vehicle without Owners Consent. His bond was set at $3,000. And, at around 11:30-p.m., 25-year old Nathan Thomas Case, of  Omaha, was arrested in Mills County for being a Fugitive from Justice, and Failure to Maintain or use Safety Belts. Bond was set at $5,000.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A prosecutor will request a review to determine whether an Iowa social worker should be charged with a crime for giving false testimony in child welfare cases. Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen says he’ll refer the case involving former Iowa Department of Human Services employee Chelsie Gray to another agency for investigation. Dalen says he’s trying to determine which office should handle the inquiry to ensure “this potential criminal matter can be evaluated fairly and independently.” He says his office shouldn’t be involved since it uncovered Gray’s false statements and brought them to the court’s attention.

A judge in June found Gray told “lies and misrepresentations” during a proceeding in which parents were unfairly stripped of their rights to four children. She falsely claimed she routinely visited the family as required and spoke to the children’s teachers. Until The Associated Press reported the ruling Tuesday, Gray had apparently avoided any consequences. She resigned from DHS last month.

A traffic stop on a vehicle with no passenger side taillight Wednesday evening in Pottawattamie County resulted in the arrest of the driver on a warrant out of Nebraska. A Pott. County Deputy pulled a 2002 Chevy Prizm over at around 7-p.m. along Highway 92 at Valley View Drive. A records check indicated 29-year old Joseph Vincent Martinez, Jr., of Omaha, was wanted for being a Fugitive from Justice. Martinez was being held in the Pott. County Jail without bond.

And, a Glenwood man was arrested at around 2:45-a.m. today (Thursday), after deputies responded to a report of a vehicle stopped on the roadway in the area of Wabash Avenue and Wabash.  Following an investigation, 24-year old Benjamin Lloyd Ensley was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. Ensley was not listed on the jail roster, meaning that he likely bonded-out of custody.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A county board of supervisors candidate in eastern Iowa is giving away Paul McCartney concert tickets to someone who participates in the candidate’s selfie contest. The Quad-City Times reports that the Ken Croken campaign is hiding life-size cardboard cutouts of him around Scott County. People are encouraged to find one, take a selfie with it and then email the photo to Croken or post it on Facebook with the hashtag #CatchKenCroken.

A campaign Facebook posting Wednesday evening provided the addresses of the first two locations: one in Davenport, one in Bettendorf. He says he wants the tactic to engage voters and doesn’t want to plant hundreds of campaign signs that would spoil the county’s fall scenery. Former Beatle McCartney is scheduled to play at the Taxslayer Center in nearby Moline, Illinois, in June. Croken will give away two tickets to a winner selected randomly from the pool of selfie senders.

The Atlantic School Board, Wednesday, discussed but took no action an early retirement package. As we mentioned earlier this week, the early retirement incentive may be offered to teachers who have at least 10-years of full-time service to the district, and are 55-years of age or older. Currently, that may be as many as 21 teachers/staff, but the board would likely limit the offer to 10 people. Superintendent Steve Barber said a pattern of declining enrollment over the past five-years including the current school year, means the Board will need to consider offering early retirement, or consider making cuts in the 2019-2020 school year.

The school he said is experiencing a loss of 17.75 students this year, all factors considered. Barber said that means a new money loss to the district next year of $128,000. An early retirement plan, if offered, he said, would serve not only as a way for the district to show its appreciation to its staff for their years of service, but it would also act as a “budgetary tool.”  If offered, teachers choosing to take the incentive would receive $25,000, over a three-year period, paid into what is called a “Health Reimbursement Arrangement.” That would allow participants to continue their health insurance as long as they pay the monthly premiums.

The money to pay for this program would come out from the management fund and would free-up funds available in the general fund, based on lower salaries for starting teachers. And, in some cases the district may opt to not fill the position. Steve Barber warned that the district may need to look at cutting positions if an early retirement incentive isn’t offered, or if it isn’t enough to positively impact the General Fund.

In other business, Wednesday, the Atlantic School Board approved contract recommendations for Craig Fredin as JV Girls Basketball Coach, Andrea Reilly as STEM Coordinator and teacher, and Derek Hall as Freshman Boys Basketball Coach. They also approved several action items, including: a new policy for Assistance Animals, to authorize Miniature horses as a federally recognized service animal; a new policy dealing with how public complaints are handled, and a revised policy pertaining to public participation in Board meetings, to name a few.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is warning of a scam targeting citizens by misrepresenting the staff of the Department. The DCI has received reports from citizens that scammers are posing as employees of the “Iowa State Police”.  The callers are claiming they have a seized vehicle with drugs inside and that the vehicle is registered to the citizen.  Citizens are reporting that they are receiving multiple calls from the same 712 area code phone number.  If the citizen does not answer or hangs up on the initial call, a secondary call is being reported as coming from “911” whereas the callers are verbally aggressive, claiming they are with the “Police” and that they have a warrant for the citizen’s arrest.

If you receive a phone call similar to the one mentioned above, you are asked to contact your local law enforcement and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office Hotline at (515) 281-5926 or (888) 777-4590.

Listed below are some helpful tips to prevent being targeted by fraudulent calls:

If you get a call from someone who claims they are collecting money on behalf of the DPS—even if a caller ID device shows the DPS—hang up.
The DPS does not demand immediate payment via prepaid debit cards.
Do not provide or confirm personal information or financial information to anyone who calls.