Iowa News
January 19, 2020
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is stepping up his pitch to women in early-voting New Hampshire on the heels of a squabble over sexism in politics with fellow progressive and 2020 rival Elizabeth Warren. The Vermont senator attended the Seacoast Women’s March in Portsmouth on Saturday and had a message for men: He said if they think abortion rights, and “equal pay for equal work” are just women’s issues, they “are dead wrong.” His remarks came a day after his campaign released two television ads in New Hampshire. One ad says that, under President Donald Trump, “women’s rights are under attack.”
NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — The Senate impeachment trial schedule means this may well be the last full weekend of campaigning in Iowa for some Democratic candidates. Four senators in the race will serve as jurors in the trial of President Donald Trump. They are Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Michael Bennet of Colorado. That’s left their campaigns scrambling to come up with ways to keep them on voters’ radars in Iowa and the early-voting states. It could also be an advantage for two of their rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — A 20-year-old Muscatine man has been found guilty of first-degree murder for the 2018 stabbing death of his grandmother on her birthday. The Muscatine Journal reports that the jury on Friday found Darian Lensgraf guilty of killing 66-year-old Diana Lensgraf on Dec. 12, 2018. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison when he’s sentenced on March 6. He remains behind bars until his sentencing. Lensgraf was arrested after a convenience store clerk called 911 to report that Lensgraf was in the store holding a bloody knife. His grandmother’s body had been found only minutes earlier.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials in Iowa are urging people to use caution and stay indoors as blizzard conditions continued to wreak havoc in northern and central parts of the state on Saturday. The danger on roads was highlighted by a dashcam video recorded Friday from a delivery truck and made public by the Iowa State Patrol. The video shows a state trooper and a person who had been involved in a crash along Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs in western Iowa surveying the damage when another truck loses control on the slick interstate and barrels into the crash scene, barely missing the trooper and other man.
Illinois News
January 19, 2020
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police say a man has been charged with attempted murder in a December shooting at a house party that left 13 people wounded. According to a police statement, 25-year-old Keilon Jones was arrested Thursday. He’s also charged with aggravated battery. Police didn’t release any information about how investigators identified Jones. Police have said the Dec. 22 shooting stemmed from a dispute at a memorial party being held in honor of someone killed in April. Authorities have said the shooting began inside a house in the city’s Englewood neighborhood and more shots were fired as people began fleeing.
CHICAGO (AP) — A winter storm that dumped snow and sleet on the Midwest and Plains is creating travel headaches after airlines canceled flights and officials shut down major roads. The storm system began moving through the Plains and Midwest on Friday, leading to trouble at airports in Chicago and Kansas City. It’s expected to spread to the Northeast through Saturday evening. Blizzard conditions with powerful winds have been reported in some areas. Officials in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa say blowing snow is making it nearly impossible to see in some areas. Stretches of highway in the Dakotas and Wyoming have been shut down.
CHICAGO (AP) — Records show that Illinois’ powerful House speaker spent nearly half a million dollars in campaign contributions on legal fees in the last three months of 2019. The Chicago Tribune reports that $275,000 was for a settlement with a former campaign worker for Democrat Michael Madigan. The worker filed a lawsuit in 2018 alleging that she was hindered from advancing in the speaker’s organization after alleging sexual harassment by a top Madigan lieutenant. A campaign spokeswoman says other funds went to pay for ongoing civil cases and routine staff training. The legal fees were detailed in a quarterly report filed Wednesday with the state Board of Elections.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The office of the State Fire Marshall is accepting applications for its Small Equipment Grant Program. The $3.5 million program provides grants of up to $26,000 for the purchase of small firefighting and ambulance equipment for Illinois departments. This includes items such as self-contained breathing apparatuses, backboards and communication equipment. Applications are due by Feb. 29.The program is particularly helpful to smaller fire and ambulance agencies which are unable to generate revenue to update equipment. The program is open to most fire departments, fire protection districts, township fire departments and non-profit, stand alone ambulance services.
Wisconsin News
January 19, 2020
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Officials say much of the west side of downtown Milwaukee and some areas east of the Milwaukee River will be inside a security zone during next summer’s Democratic National Convention. The Journal Sentinel reports that officials want every resident and business in the zone to have access to their property. The main inconvenience for residents will be travel times. It’s still not known which part of downtown will be behind barriers or fences. Officials say they have outlined a broad security footprint and the small, more restricted area should be announced later.
OCONTO, Wis. (AP) — A house fire in northeastern Wisconsin has killed four people. Firefighters were called to the house in Oconto just before 3 a.m. Friday. Emergency crews arrived to find the house engulfed in flames. Crews were not able go inside until several hours later because the house was unstable. Authorities are withholding the names of the victims until relatives are notified. The Oconto School District says counselors are available for students in school offices.
COLFAX, Wis. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a man in the beating death of a 78-year-old man in western Wisconsin. Dunn County sheriff’s authorities arrested the 51-year-old man on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Edward Styer of rural Colfax. Investigators say the suspect used a blunt object to kill Styer early on Wednesday and remained in the home until later that day. Authorities say the suspect then drove to Eau Claire and told a friend that something had happened in the house. Deputies went to the home Wednesday night for a welfare check and found Styer’s body.
WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin authorities say a suspect who was fatally shot by police in Wausau was trying to steal vehicles and fired at officers first. Both Wausau officers and deputies from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office were called Thursday night about someone trying to steal vehicles. After officers confronted the armed suspect, authorities say the suspect fired at police. Police fired back at the suspect, who fell to the ground. The suspect pointed the gun at officers, and police shot at the suspect again. No officers were hurt. Authorities have not released the name of the person who died of the officers involved.
