An Oskaloosa Police Officer’s domestic violence trial has been delayed again.  Janay Pritchett’s trial was to have started April 9.  But because the prosecutor assigned to the case now has a new job, Pritchett’s trial has been rescheduled for May 7.  Pritchett was arrested last May after a fight with her girlfriend. Pritchett is facing misdemeanor weapon, assault and harassment charges.  Her trial was moved from Mahaska County to Poweshiek County because of pre-trial publicity.

There’s new information about a fire last Saturday night (3/9) near Ottumwa.  The man found dead at the scene has been identified as 33-year-old Jeremy Craycraft.  The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office says Tangi Craycraft arrived at the Wapello County Law Enforcement Center with her children that night and said her estranged husband, Jeremy, came to their home on 194^th Avenue with a gas can and a knife. About four minutes after she arrived, there was a 911 call about a house fire at that home.  Deputies and firefighters discovered Jeremy Craycraft’s body a few feet from the home.  An autopsy found he died from self-inflicted wounds.  Further investigation found Jeremy had bought a gas can 15 minutes before arriving at the home and filling that gas can ten minutes before arriving.  The State Fire Marshal has ruled the house fire as arson.

Dan Hendrickson – Des Moines Register

DES MOINES -Another bill that would alter Iowa’s medical marijuana program is moving ahead at the State Capitol after beating a funnel deadline on Thursday.

House Study Bill 244 would make numerous changes to the state’s current medical marijuana laws.  Nurse practitioners and physicians assistants would be allowed to prescribe cannabis-based medication.  The bill would also change the way the strength of those drugs is measured, switching to a system based on how many milligrams of THC are in a product.  The current system lists a percentage of THC in a product.

Earlier this week the Iowa Senate passed its own bill to expand the medical cannabis law.  The Senate bill added post traumatic stress disorder as diagnosis eligible for cannabis-based drugs.  House members acknowledged they are monitoring the Senate bill but are focused on their own bill.  Republicans and Democrats on the House Public Safety Committee thanked each other for the cooperation on their bill.

“I think we are moving in the right direction with this piece of legislation,” Democrat Wes Breckenridge of Jasper County said, “There are a couple of areas we’d like to see if we can tweak and improve and expand upon.  But I truly appreciate the opportunity to work together on this.”

“I’ve been working on this issue for several years now and one of the things I’ve found that works quite well is getting all of the parties together and sit down and figure out ‘maybe there are some improvements'”, said Republican Bob Kressig of Cedar Falls.

The committee unanimously approved the bill.  Any non-budget bill that didn’t make it out of committee by the end of Thursday is dead for this session.