Case against former Ankeny Chamber CEO headed to trial
POLK COUNTY, Iowa – The case against the former Ankeny Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer is headed to trial.
Court records show 47-year-old Melisa Cox entered a not guilty plea on Feb. 27.
Cox has been charged with nearly a dozen felonies for allegedly stealing more than $250,000 from the organization during her time as CEO. Police told WHO 13 that a criminal investigation was launched after an internal audit at the Ankeny Chamber of Commerce found 'financial irregularities.'
Name of driver killed after semi veered off Marshall County highway released
A pre-trial conference is set for April 3. A jury trial is scheduled to begin on May 5 at the Polk County Courthouse.
Cox, who stated in a document that she made $100,000 in the 12 months before her arrest, was previously granted a public defender, but court filings showed she has since retained a private attorney. She is free on a $75,000 surety bond.
WHO 13 reached out to Cox's attorney for comment.
Metro News:
Case against former Ankeny Chamber CEO headed to trial
Thousands waking up without power amidst blizzard
Mr. Worldwide and legendary rock band to play Grandstand at Iowa State Fair
Blizzard conditions impact central Iowa Wednesday
Des Moines Public Works prepping for blizzard conditions
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sergeant dies from wounds sustained in training accident in Hungary
A 24-year-old Army sergeant died as a result of a training accident near Camp Croft, Hungary, on June 5. Sgt. Aaron Cox, of Mabank, Texas, was an infantryman with the 'Strike' 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The sergeant died from wounds sustained during a vehicle accident during preparations for the upcoming Exercise Saber Guardian 25. The accident is under investigation. 'The loss of Sgt. Cox is a tragedy for all of us on the Strike team,' said, Col. Duke Reim, commander, 2MBCT, 101st Airborne Division. 'He was a strong soldier and leader, who quickly rose through the ranks while serving. We are in direct contact with his family, for care and support that they need during this difficult time. We would like to thank our Hungarian Allies for their prompt response and support to our soldiers.' Cox enlisted in 2021 and graduated basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, before being assigned to the 101st at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in 2022. The sergeant was a graduate of the Army Basic Leader Course and Combat Lifesaver Course. He previously deployed to Poland. The Hungary deployment was his second deployment. His awards include the Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Expert Infantryman Badge and Air Assault Badge.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Punxsutawney Phil could deliver Michigan GOP tax cut proposals
PUNXSUTAWNEY, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 2: Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil after he saw his shadow predicting 6 more weeks of winter during the 139th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Friday February 2, 2025 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day is a popular tradition in the United States and Canada. If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his den. Early spring arrives if he does not see his shadow, causing Phil to remain above ground. (Photo by) As Republicans attempt to regain control of state government next year, I'm reminded of the movie, 'Groundhog Day.' In this 1993 film, Bill Murray plays a cynical weatherman who goes to Punxsutawney, Pa. to film the town's annual Groundhog Day celebration and finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. Likewise, Michigan Republican office holders and those seeking statewide and legislative seats have for decades repeatedly called for tax cuts they say will make us richer and transform the state's economy. They won't, but I'll get to that in a bit. Republicans running for office this year are turbocharging their tax-cut message. Not content to just slash tax rates, some are calling for the elimination of the personal income tax. (Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term limited and cannot run for reelection.) Former state Attorney General Mike Cox, who is seeking the GOP nomination for governor, is among those attempting to rebrand the income tax as a 'tax on work' and calling for its demise. Cox doesn't say on his campaign website how or if he would replace the approximate $12 billion the personal income tax annually generates. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Our paychecks should go toward our families, not Lansing's pet projects,' Cox said. Republicans say killing or at least cutting the income tax would put Michigan on a more competitive footing with Florida, Tennessee, Texas and a handful of other states that don't levy income taxes. A bill to trim the personal income tax rate from 4.25% to 4.05% passed the House in March but hasn't been taken up by the Democratic-controlled Senate. 'If we cut taxes now and scale back regulations, we could become one of the nation's strongest economies,' Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) wrote on X this week. The wealthy West Michigan DeVos family is bankrolling a multimillion-dollar effort to return Michigan to GOP control. Former Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has been named CEO of the newly formed Michigan Forward Network. 'We need to make Michigan reliably red,' McDaniel told the Wall Street Journal. 'We need to become a state like Ohio.' Fun fact: Michigan adopted the income tax in 1967 during the administration of Republican Gov. George Romney, McDaniel's grandfather. But taxes aren't the root of Michigan's long-term economic slide. A recent in-depth study of state tax policies by the conservative Tax Foundation shows that Michigan's tax structure stacks up pretty well with other states. The Foundation's 2025 State Tax Competitive Index ranks Michigan 14th best overall, ahead of every Great Lakes state except Indiana, which ranks 10th. The index is a compilation of personal, corporate, sales, property and unemployment insurance taxes. Notably, Michigan ranks ninth best in corporate taxes, ahead of fast-growing states such as Florida, South Carolina and Texas. The study also describes Michigan's 4.25% personal income tax as 'relatively low.' Ohio, McDaniel's model state, ranks 35th in the Tax Foundation's tax competitiveness index. Michigan has the 33rd lowest state tax burden in the country, an April study by Wallet Hub found. State taxes as a percentage of personal income are lower now than they were 25 years ago, according to the Michigan House Fiscal Agency. Yet as business taxes were slashed and the tax burden on residents fell, Michigan became alarmingly poorer compared to the rest of the country. From at least as far back at 1970 until the mid-1990s, Michigan's per capita income was above or about the same as U.S. per capita income. But it has since fallen to about 88 percent of national per capita income, a revealing state Senate Fiscal Agency chart shows. The stunning decline occurred throughout Democratic and Republican administrations, largely caused by the significant loss of high-paying blue-collar auto and other manufacturing jobs. Most of those jobs aren't coming back, despite the focus on restoring manufacturing by both parties. And there's another problem: most Americans don't want to work in factories. Automaking will continue to be a critical part of the state's economy—unless President Donald Trump destroys it with his foolish trade war. But Michigan won't get wealthier unless it shifts from a business-focused to a talent-and-place-centered economic strategy. Boosting educational attainment, making our cities more attractive to young talent, and developing transit are requirements. Detroit 'would be a different city' with transit, billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert once said. 'And again, it would give us the ability to attract more talent here.' The Tax Foundation and Wallet Hub studies show that low taxes don't automatically translate to high incomes. States such as Illinois, Massachusetts and Minnesota have some of the worst tax climates and burdens in the country, the studies show. But they're also among the wealthiest states in the country. Those states feature a high percentage of college graduates, good public transit, and attractive cities and metro areas. Illinois and Minnesota, both blue states, have the highest per capita incomes among Great Lakes states. They should serve as economic models for Michigan, not Ohio. Otherwise, it will continue to be Groundhog Day in the Wolverine State.


The Hill
2 days ago
- The Hill
US soldier dies in training accident in Hungary
Sgt. Aaron Cox died on Thursday as a result of a vehicle accident during training near Camp Croft, Hungary during preparations for the upcoming Exercise Saber Guardian 25 in Hungary, according to Army officials. Cox, 24, was identified on Saturday. 'We are in direct contact with his family, for care and support that they need during this difficult time. We would like to thank our Hungarian Allies for their prompt response and support to our Soldiers,' Col. Duke Reim, said in a statement sent to The Hill. The Exercise Saber Guardian 25 is set to enhance NATO's land component mission command through long tactical marches, river crossings, live fire events and a rocket live-fire over the Black Sea to improve service members' abilities to help the United States defend Allies. Cox joined the Army in 2021 and was enlisted in the 101st Airborne Division, which specializes in air assault, during the time of his passing. He received the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Expert Infantryman Badge and the Air Assault Badge for his service. 'The loss of Sgt. Cox is a tragedy for all of us on the Strike team. He was a strong Soldier and leader, who quickly rose through the ranks while serving,' Reim said. The accident remains under investigation after response teams worked together for a week to recover the vehicle from a peat bog, CBS reported. They used specialized equipment to drain water from the side and 'stabilize the ground,' to pull the 70-ton vehicle ashore, the outlet said.