From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Abby Finkenauer’s bid to clinch the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Iowa wasn’t supposed to be so fraught. She built a wunderkind reputation in the Legislature before toppling a Republican congressman in 2018. She was the second-youngest woman elected to Congress, helping Democrats retake control of the House that year. But her Senate campaign faced unexpected trouble last month when, at least for a moment, it appeared she wouldn’t be allowed to compete in the June 7 primary. A judge found errors in her nominating petitions after Republican activists challenged her filings. Some Democrats blame her for quickly blaming political motivations and not acknowledging her campaign’s organizational mistakes.
FAIRFIELD, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa teenager accused of killing his high school Spanish teacher will be tried as an adult. The judge’s ruling Thursday in the case against 16-year-old Willard Miller comes a day after his accused accomplice also saw his request to have the case moved to juvenile court rejected. Miller is charged with first-degree murder in the November beating death of 66-year-old Nohema Graber, who taught at Fairfield High School. The judge said the juvenile court system would not have enough time to rehabilitate Miller “for a crime of such magnitude.” Miller and 17-year-old Jeremy Goodale were both 16 when they were arrested in Graber’s killing.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new congressional report says that in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, the meat processing industry worked closely with political appointees in the Trump administration to stave off health restrictions and keep slaughterhouses open even as COVID-19 spread rapidly among workers. The report issued Thursday says meat companies pushed to keep their plants open even though they knew workers were at high risk. The lobbying led to health and labor officials watering down recommendations for the industry and culminated in an executive order from President Donald Trump designating meat plants as critical infrastructure that needed to remain open. The North American Meat Institute trade group says the report distorts the truth and ignores steps companies took to protect workers.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to a lesser charge for the shooting death of another teen during a botched robbery. Court records show that 20-year-old Kyler Carson pleaded guilty Tuesday to assault and other counts and was sentenced to three years’ probation. He also must pay $150,000 in restitution to the family of 18-year-old Andrew Gaston. Prosecutors say Carson was 16 when he fatally shot Gaston and injured Gaston’s cousin, Tyrell Gaston, when the Gastons ambushed Carson during a drug deal in an effort to rob Carson of marijuana.
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of killing an Iowa state patrol trooper had plenty of opportunity to surrender before the fatal shooting. Assistant Iowa Attorney General Douglas Hammerand made the remarks Tuesday during opening statements in the first-degree murder trial of 42-year-old Michael Thomas Lang. The Waterloo-Cedar Rapids Courier reports that Lang’s attorney, Aaron Hawbaker, told jurors the trooper’s death was tragic but did not amount to murder. Lang is accused in the April 2021 killing of Patrol Sgt. Jim Smith, who was shot as he led a tactical team to arrest Lang in his home. Lang was wanted for assaulting a police officer after a traffic pursuit earlier that day.
PERRY, Iowa (AP) — The police chief of the central Iowa city of Perry was shot in the leg while trying to apprehend a man with a gun. Police Chief Eric Vaughn was shot in the upper leg after he and officers from several agencies responded to a call of shots fired and then found a man with a handgun. Police say officers negotiated with the man, identified as Jeremiah Messner, and convinced him to place the gun on the ground. When officers tried to take Messner into custody, police say he regained possession of the gun. During a struggle with officers, police say Messner shot Vaughn. Vaughn was flown to a Des Moines hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery.
