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[ad_1] An Iowa woman who falsely claimed to have cancer and documented her "battle" on social media will stay out of prison after a judge gave her probation and a suspended sentence.  Madison Russo , 20, never hadpancreatic cancer, leukemia nor the football-sized tumor wrapped around her spine she that claimed in postings on TikTok, GoFundMe, Facebook and LinkedIn. But over 400 people sent her donations. As part of the 10-year suspended sentence handed down Friday, she was ordered to pay $39,000 in restitution and a $1,370 fine. If she stays out of trouble for three years of probation, she'll stay free. This photo provided by the Scott County Jail shows Madison Russo.  Scott County Jail via AP The Bettendorf woman pleaded guilty in June to first-degree theft. In court on Friday, Judge John Telleen declined a defense request that would have wiped the

[ad_1] Even as the U.S. economy shows signs of slowing down, many states around the U.S. are flush with cash, with their so-called rainy day funds estimated to reach a record high of $136.8 billion this fiscal year.  And lawmakers in more than half of states are responding to their new cash cushions with similar proposals: cutting taxes.  Twenty-seven states are weighing tax cuts this year, according to a recent analysis from the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), which termed the push "tax cut fever." Some officials are considering totally eliminating their state income tax, including in Mississippi and Arkansas, while others are floating property tax cuts, among other ideas. The drive to cut state taxes has accelerated during the pandemic. During the past two years, dozens of states reduced their income tax rates or created new tax credits and rebates, partly as their coffers overflowed due to strong economic growth and billions in

[ad_1] An Iowa ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy was signed into law Friday, forcing clinics to scramble to arrange out-of-state care for many women whose access immediately ended as a judge considered whether to temporarily put a hold on the law. A court hearing took place Friday, but the judge said his ruling on whether to halt the new law as the courts assess its constitutionality will likely not come until Monday at the earliest. Barely a mile away, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the measure into law in front of 2,000 conservative Christians. The new legislation prohibits almost all abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant. That's a dramatic shift for women in Iowa, where abortion had been legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs into law a bill that will ban most ab

[ad_1] Des Moines, Iowa — While most tweens in America might fawn over the likes of Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber or Harry Styles, 11-year-old Paisley Gardner of Des Moines has a different idol, a boy she kept hearing on the radio. "Sounds like an angel, somehow," Gardner told CBS News. Parents Tony and Jessica said they didn't know what to think, when a few months ago, their daughter became obsessed with that buttery smooth voice of 1970s soft rock legend Michael McDonald. They said Paisley was smitten. "So one day, she Googled a picture of Michael McDonald, and she came running up the stairs and flailed herself on the bed and was like, 'nooo!'" Jessica Gardner said. Her pop star turned out to be a 71-year-old grandpop. "I just had to deal with it, but it's ok," Paisley said. So last month, Tony got tickets to see McDonald in Des Moines for $7 apiece, and then surprised Paisley with