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Iowa early News Headlines: Friday, 1/26/2018

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January 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state ethics board says a Republican activist violated the law by failing to disclose income she earned by working as an agent of Saudi Arabia while serving as a governor-appointed state board member. The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board concluded Thursday that Connie Schmett made omissions on personal finance disclosure statements. She must pay a $250 fine and get a reprimand. Schmetts’ consulting firm collected $103,500 for a Saudi Arabia-funded public relations campaign.

DUNLAP, Iowa (AP) — Officials pulled a man’s body from a western Iowa sand pit hours after the dump truck he was driving fell into water in the pit. Omaha, Nebraska, television station KETV reports that authorities and rescue workers were called Thursday morning to Hallett Materials in Harrison County just south of Dunlap for reports of a missing truck and driver. Sometime later, crews discovered the truck submerged in the sand pit under ice and water. The driver was trapped inside the truck, where he died.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — Wind turbine blade maker Siemens has announced it will lay off 202 workers at its Fort Madison plant in the southeastern corner of Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that Siemens notified affected workers on Wednesday and plans to eliminate their positions by March 24. A statement from the company says business volume at the plant through the 2018 fiscal year “does not support the existing workforce level.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have arrested a man already in custody on a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of another Des Moines man last year. Police say Alonzo Marlon Gibbs was arrested Thursday, following the end of his trial on federal firearms charges. Police say Gibbs shot 24-year-old Trey Leon Lee and 24-year-old Patrick Young, both of Des Moines, at a Des Moines residence near Evelyn Davis Park on March 17. Both were taken to hospitals, where Lee died.