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

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A suburban Des Moines Walgreens has been forced to evacuate after several people inside became ill. The incident happened Friday afternoon. Hazmat crews were called to a Walgreens on University Avenue in Clive after several people became ill in the pharmacy area of the store. The Des Moines Register reports that six people in the store were taken to a hospital.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — A new trial has again been set for a northwest Iowa man accused of fatally stabbing his sister. Trial had been set to begin Jan. 30 for 35-year-old Thomas Bibler. He’s pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other counts in the June 11, 2016, stabbing death of 27-year-old Shannon Bogh, of Le Mars. The Sioux City Journal reports that a judge a judge on Friday set Bibler’s trial for May 15.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new report on the rapid expansion of hog farms in Iowa calls for a moratorium on new barns concluding that the state’s regulatory system is failing to protect the environment and public health for the sake of profit of the politically powerful livestock industry. “A tipping point has been reached. Rural Iowans have every reason to be concerned,” said the report released Thursday by retired University of Iowa professors James Merchant and David Osterberg.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman convicted of murder in the starvation death of her 16-year-old daughter has been given three life sentences. The sentences were handed down Friday to 43-year-old Nicole Finn of Des Moines. Authorities say Natalie Finn weighed only 85 pounds when she died in October 2016. Experts testified that her siblings, Mikayla and Jaden, were at risk of starving to death as well and spent months recovering after Natalie suffered cardiac arrest.

Beginning July 1, 2018, the Cass County Landfill will begin sending a per-capita fee to each of the eight entities in Cass County that are members of the landfill’s 28-E agreement. Each entity is responsible to pay the fee to help offset future expenses that have outpaced the landfill’s current revenue source, the tipping fees.

John Danos, from Dorsey and Whitney Law Firm in Des Moines, will be present during a Cass County elected officials Landfill Workshop, to discuss the legalities of collecting this fee. The Workshop takes play 5:30-p.m. January 31st, in the City Council’s Chambers at City Hall.

Please note that although this is an open meeting, and the public is welcome to attend, there will be no public forum, and the public may not have the opportunity to speak.

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports  bridge demolition work on Interstate 29 bridge over Floyd Boulevard in Sioux City, will require closing Floyd Boulevard beginning 6 a.m. Saturday, February 3, until 6 p.m. Sunday, February 4, weather permitting.

Work will be performed 24 hours a day to minimize the length of this closure. Floyd Boulevard traffic will be asked to follow a detour route during this project. (See map for more information about the detour routes for this project.) The trail along Floyd Boulevard will also be closed while the bridge work is being performed.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles and wear seat belts.

Police in Council Bluffs say minor injuries were reported Friday, after a moped collided with a vehicle. The accident happened at around 1:45-p.m. near 2nd Avenue and S. 9th Street. Upon officers arrival, they made contact with the driver of the vehicle and asked what happened.

The driver stated the moped pulled off to the side of the road to let traffic go by. After the first vehicle drove by the moped, the moped reentered the roadway without looking and collided with another vehicle. The driver of the moped had minor injuries and was transported to UNMC by the Council Bluffs Fire Department for further medical evaluation.

Authorities say this is a good reminder for drivers to make sure they have plenty of distance before entering the roadway.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new report on the rapid expansion of hog farms in Iowa concludes the state’s regulatory system is failing to protect the environment and public health for the sake of profit by the politically powerful livestock industry.

The report released Thursday by retired University of Iowa professors James Merchant and David Osterberg recommends a moratorium on new construction until an improved permitting process can be implemented. The pork industry acknowledges rapid growth but considers it good for farmers and the economy.

Eldon McAfee, an agriculture law attorney for the Iowa Pork Producers Association, says environmental and health concerns are being addressed by the current system. He says a moratorium would devastate the industry and Iowa’s economy, adding it’s unneeded because the current permit system has worked for 16 years.

Pat McCurdy, of Atlantic, announced today (Friday), that he intends to run for the Cass County Board of Supervisors in District 2, a seat currently held by Gaylord Schelling. Schelling announced Wednesday that he is not seeking re-election during the June 5th Primary.

McCurdy has a lengthy history in agriculture, and he is currently involved in housing in Cass County. He has also served on many Boards, including the C&M School Board, Southwest Iowa Egg, and the Southwest Iowa Housing Board. His current work in economic development, through Cass/Atlantic Development Corporation and the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, have allowed him to gather the skills he needs to be a qualified candidate for a Cass County Supervisor.

In a statement, McCurdy said “As a lifelong Cass County resident, I would like to see our community grow and prosper, as we are the hub of Southwest Iowa. I will work hard to keep county spending under control, promote the local economy, and encourage growth.”

Gasoline prices have risen 20-cents a gallon in Iowa over the past month. Gail Weinholzer, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says when the nation’s financial markets see escalating figures, gas prices quickly follow. “We’ve seen an increase of all stocks and bonds, and crude oil is no different,” Weinholzer says. “We’ve seen stocks that apply to crude oil increase rather substantially. Crude oil is now selling for between $63 and $65 a barrel.” That price would have to drop to 40-dollars a barrel in order for gas prices to fall below two-dollars a gallon, Weinholzer says. This is normally the time of year when gas prices fall, so she’s expecting them to remain relatively steady, for now. “I don’t know that we’ll see them continue to rise, but we certainly don’t anticipate any sort of fall anytime in the next couple of months,” Weinholzer says. “Once we get into March and April, we’re going to start the switchover from the winter to the summer grade fuel. That costs more to refine and those costs are passed on at the pump.”

Gas prices in Iowa are averaging two-55 a gallon, up from two-35 a month ago. The current national average is a penny higher than Iowa. “We don’t expect prices to decline in the short term,” she says, “but certainly, three to four months out, we would expect prices to increase because of the switchover.” Iowa’s cheapest gas is in Council Bluffs at two-40 a gallon while the highest prices are a three-way tie at two-60 a gallon in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Dubuque.

(Radio Iowa)

The president of the Iowa Senate says it may not be possible to sell the state-owned Iowa Communications Network — because no private-sector buyer wants it. Nearly 30 years ago, the legislature authorized construction of a state-owned fiber optics network to provide video and data connections for schools and state government. Senator Jack Whitver, a Republican from Ankeny, says it may be time to pull the plug on the network.”Right now, we’re mandating certain entities to buy coverage from the ICN at a rate that is higher than the market rate and so I don’t think that’s a good way to do business in the 21st century,” Whitver says. “I mean, frankly, the days of sitting in an ICN room like when I was a kid in Grinnell — those days are over. You pull up your phone now and you have FaceTime Live and so the world has changed and government needs to adapt to it.”

Whitver, who was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2011, has been an advocate of selling the network. “One of my first years in the legislature, we voted to try to sell the ICN,” Whitver says. “That was unsuccessful, but there obviously need to be changes there.” A recent audit found 380-thousand dollars of questionable spending at the Iowa Communications Network. It included the revelation that some state-purchased equipment was delivered to the home of the network’s manager, who was fired early this month. Whitver says it may be time now for the state’s chief information officer to take over as manager of the network. As for selling the network itself, that’s tricky as there was an attempt four years ago to lease segments of the network to private-sector companies. “We put it up for sale and we did not get a bid,” Whitver says.

Whitver says that could be a signal it’s time to just shut the network down. Whitver made his comments today (Friday) during taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program which airs tonight (Friday) at 7:30.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman convicted of murder in the starvation death of her 16-year-old daughter has been given three life sentences. The sentences were handed down Friday to 43-year-old Nicole Finn of West Des Moines. She was convicted last month of first-degree murder and three counts of kidnapping.

Authorities say Natalie Finn weighed only 85 pounds when she died in October 2016. Experts testified that her siblings, Mikayla and Jaden, were at risk of starving to death as well and spent months recovering after Natalie suffered cardiac arrest. Finn’s ex-husband, Joe Finn II, has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, neglect or abandonment and child endangerment. He wasn’t living with the rest of the family when Natalie died. His trial begins April 30.

OAKLAND, Iowa (AP) — A preliminary report on a school bus fire in Pottawattamie County Iowa that killed the driver and a teenage passenger says the fire started in the engine compartment after the bus became stuck in a ditch. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board was issued today (Friday). The Dec. 12 fire killed 16-year-old Megan Klindt and 74-year-old Donnie Hendricks.

The report found that Hendricks was backing the bus out of Klindt’s rural driveway when the bus’ right rear wheels dropped into a 3-foot-deep ditch. As Hendricks tried to drive out of the ditch, a fire began in the engine compartment and spread to the passenger compartment. The report says it is unknown why Hendricks and Klindt did not exit the bus.