Racist phone calls mocking Florida’s black Democratic gubernatorial nominee appear to be from a white supremacist podcast that has also taken credit for inflammatory robocalls in Iowa and California.

In the recorded calls, someone falsely identifying himself as Andrew Gillum speaks in a racist, old-time minstrel dialect while asking voters for their support. The calls, which according to the Gillum campaign started Friday, are said to be paid for by The Road to Power — an Idaho-based video podcast. Gillum campaign spokesman Geoff Burgan said it’s unclear how widespread the calls have been, but that he’s only heard reports of them in Tallahassee, where Gillum is mayor.

Gillum’s Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, is not affiliated with the podcast behind the calls. His campaign spokesman, Stephen Lawson, called them “absolutely appalling and disgusting.”

In Iowa , anti-immigrant robocalls from The Road to Power began Tuesday — two days after the funeral of Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student who authorities say was abducted and killed by a man believed to be in the U.S. illegally.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Decorah man severely injured in an attack in July has died from his injuries. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office tells the Courier that 46-year-old David Hansen was injured in an attack on July 12. He died Thursday.
A man and a teenager have been charged.

Officials say 18-year-old Dalton Adam and a 17-year-old boy, both of Decorah, were arrested after the assault. Officials say they currently face charges of attempted murder, but those charges could be upgraded in the wake of Hansen’s death. The Associated Press generally does not name juveniles charged with crimes.

Court records say someone called 911 to report the attack, and deputies and medics found Hansen severely beaten with a bloody and swollen face.

Due to the weather, the following events or services are cancelled and/or rescheduled:  (For additional announcements as available, see the Cancellations page under Community Hub)

9/1/18 – Anita Masonic Golf Night – postponed (Reset for Sept. 15th)

Unrelated to the weather:

9/2/18 – The Marne and Buck Creek United Methodist Church services have been cancelled for today (Sunday).

AUDUBON, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says a driver distracted by texting rammed into the back of a trooper’s patrol car. The Des Moines Register reports that the patrol reported crash Friday in a Facebook post. The post shows a photo of the patrol car with heavy back-end damage. The patrol says the crash happened Aug. 8 when a young driver in Audubon hit the parked patrol car in a residential neighborhood near the trooper’s home. Investigators say driver had been texting and driving when the crash happened.

Photo from Post 4 in Denison, showing the accident scene in Audubon. (from the ISP Facebook page)

No one was in the parked patrol car at the time of the crash. The driver of the car that hit it was ticketed and will pay for damages.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dubuque officials are working to update the city’s 27-year-old sexual harassment policy. The policy, which was last updated in the early 1990s, is being reviewed following the resignation of former Dubuque Fire Department Capt. Jim Abitz, the Telegraph Herald reported . Abitz had been accused of making inappropriate comments to an intern for the city. Dubuque City Council Member Kate Larson said she learned in May that the city hadn’t updated its sexual harassment policy since the early 1990s. Larson said “I was stunned to learn that our policy hasn’t been updated in so long. Things have changed so much in those years.”

She noted that current policy doesn’t mention electronic forms of sexual harassment, which weren’t prevalent in 1991. “It doesn’t cover digital communications at all,” Larson said. “We need to get it updated for the safety of our employees.” The sexual harassment policy and several other administrative policies are being reviewed this year, said Randy Peck, personnel manager for the city. He said officials have reviewed the policy periodically in the past and had determined that it didn’t need to be updated.

A study by the newspaper of area communities in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois shows Dubuque stands in stark contrast to several of its neighbors. Of the 10 communities surveyed, Dubuque has the oldest policy.
Leaders in most communities said they had updated their policies within the past three years.

Police in Council Bluffs responded early Saturday morning to 1400 Ave A, in reference to a man who was bleeding from his abdomen. When Officers made contact with the subject, he informed them he had been stabbed by an unknown male. The victim said also, the assailant took his backpack. The victim – whose name was not immediately released – was transported to University of Nebraska Medical Center for treatment on his non-life threatening injuries.

The incident remains under investigation. If have have information that might be helpful in solving the crime, call the Council Bluffs Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.