Soderberg And Anderson Hold Legislative Forums At Pierson, & Remsen Today
(Des Moines) — State lawmakers Chuck Soderberg and Bill Anderson will hold two legislative forums scheduled for this morning. The legislators will begin their day with an appearance at the Pierson Community Hall beginning at 9:00 a.m. then they will hold a second forum at the Mid-Sioux Opportunity Center in Remsen at 10:45 a.m. The public is welcomed to attend either legislative forum.
Lawmakers Study Bullying Bills
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Bullying victims, school superintendents and other officials have testified before Iowa lawmakers to advocate for anti-bullying and anti-harassment legislation in the state.
Education subcommittees in the House and Senate debated bills Thursday to address bullying situations in Iowa schools. Both will go before their respective education committees.
The bills require that parents receive notification on instances of bullying. It would allow school officials to respond to cases of cyberbullying as they affect students within schools, and ensure training for officials to handle the situations.
Republican Rep. Quentin Stanerson, of Center Point, says legislation won’t completely solve the bullying problem across the state but it will definitely be helpful.
Gov. Terry Branstad has made cracking down on school bullying a priority this year.
State Supreme Court Issues Stay On Woman’s Prison Sentence
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa Supreme Court justice issued a stay in the case of a woman who was on the verge of being released from prison decades after her conviction of murder for a 1987 stabbing when she was 17.
Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins issued the stay Thursday following a request from the Iowa attorney general’s office.
The case involved Yvette Louisell, who was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of 40-year-old Keith Stilwell of Ames.
Story County District Court Judge James Ellefson resentenced Louisell to 25 years, which would have allowed her release February 10th.
The resentencing followed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandatory life sentences for juveniles were illegal.
The Iowa attorney general’s office is appealing the judge’s ruling.
Authorities Investigate Double Homicide At Indian Reservation
MESKWAKI SETTLEMENT, Iowa (AP) – A 25-year-old man has been charged with killing his mother and father on the Meskwaki Settlement in central Iowa.
A news release from Tama County Attorney Brent Heeren says Gordon Lasley Jr. is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held on $2 million bail. Online court records don’t list the name of Lasley’s attorney.
Lasley is accused of killing Gordon Lasley Sr. and Kim Lasley. A Meskwaki Nation police detective says their bodies were found Wednesday night by another son, Tyler Lasley, who also found a bloody machete.
The arrest complaint says a Tama County sheriff’s deputy found Gordon Lasley Jr. driving his mother’s vehicle early Thursday.
Gordon Lasley Jr.’s next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 14.
Pharmacist Denies Tattoo Artist Medication
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) – The owner of a suburban Des Moines tattoo parlor says he thinks his appearance led a local pharmacist to deny him service.
Mark Jagerson says he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a stocking cap when he went to the CVS pharmacy Wednesday to buy a congestion medication. He says his knuckle tattoo would have been visible, too.
Jagerson says the pharmacist told him he didn’t feel comfortable selling him the medicine, which contained pseudoephedrine. Since 2005 in Iowa, medications containing the substance – a main ingredient in methamphetamine – have been kept behind pharmacy counters to limit availability. A CVS spokeswoman said Thursday the store’s pharmacists consider several factors when deciding whether to sell pseudoephedrine products.
—
Edgar Allen Poe Exhibit Featured At Old Capitol
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Old Capitol Museum in Iowa City is preparing to host an exhibit about Edgar Allan Poe.
The exhibit, in conjunction with the University of Iowa’s special collections and archives department, will feature first and early editions of the author and poet’s work. It will also explore Poe’s life, death and legacy.
The museum, which served as Iowa’s first capitol, will feature Poe-themed programming throughout the semester. It includes selected readings and film screenings.
The exhibit “Poe: A Wilderness of Mirrors” opens on Feb. 13.
