Charge dropped against Des Moines officer accused of abusing power thegazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thegazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Associated Press
IOWA CITY Prosecutors dropped a misconduct charge against a Des Moines police officer accused of interfering with an investigation into a fellow officer who is his girlfriend, saying Wednesday that the evidence showed he didn’t commit a crime.
Des Moines Police Officer Rodney Briggs had been charged with non-felonious misconduct in office and placed on administrative leave in February. A criminal complaint alleged that he used his police identification to try to obtain video from a school district of an unspecified incident involving his girlfriend that police in the Des Moines suburb of Altoona were investigating.
He also said the School Board has not listened to the recommendations from top state officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran, and Florida Department of Health State Surgeon General Dr. Scott A. Rivkees, instead opting to listen to doctors recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
State government officials have recommended removing masks, and the governor has ordered county and city lawmakers not to institute any more emergency orders. Doctors with the CDC and WHO have recommended continued mask use.
The school district, however, is not ignoring anyone.
Its last meeting was April 27, nearly a week before the governor rescinded emergency orders put in place last year at the start of the worldwide pandemic. The board that night listened to more than a dozen speakers, who urged them to halt mask use. The School Board has planned to discuss the issue at Tue
Polk County is second-fastest growing area in U.S.
Ken Suarez reports
LAKELAND, Fla. - It is not just your perception anymore. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, you probably have an idea that Polk County is growing in leaps and bounds.
It just became official.
According to new U.S. Census data, over a two-year period, Polk County is one of the fastest growing areas in the entire country.
It tied with Boise City, Idaho for second place. Austin, Texas came in first.
So what’s the draw to Polk? Like the rest of Florida, people who live there don’t pay income tax, and enjoy the state’s beautiful weather.