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

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a central Iowa woman and her dog were killed while driving the wrong way down a state highway. Authorities say 58-year-old Kim Pfantz, of State Center, was driving with her dog eastbound in the westbound lanes of Highway 30 in Marshalltown around 8 p.m. Saturday. Pfantz collided with another vehicle. She and her dog were both pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released, according to the Iowa State Patrol. Both people involved were wearing seat belts. The crash is under investigation.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Federal authorities in Iowa are placing a new priority on prosecuting violent crime and firearm offenses. The Sioux City Journal reports that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa is handling an increasing number of cases that would typically be considered state-level offenses. U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan says it’s a deliberate effort to crack down on violent offenders. Deegan says that, in some cases, firearms offenses carry longer federal prison sentences than similar charges in the state legal system.. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in northern Iowa prosecuted 189 defendants in gun cases in fiscal year 2019, compared to 90 defendants in 2016.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An executive order by President Donald Trump giving governors the right to refuse to accept refugees is putting Republican governors in an uncomfortable position. They’re caught between immigration hardliners who want to shut the door and Christian evangelicals who want to welcome them. More than 30 governors have confirmed they will keep accepting refugees so far, but about a dozen Republican governors have stayed silent on the issue. Trump’s order requires governors to publicly say they’ll accept refugees or they cannot come to their states, even if cities and counties welcome them. No state has announced plans to shut out refugees entirely.

INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) — “Field of Dreams” actor Kevin Costner returned to Iowa to go to bat for Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Costner is pitching the small-town mayor as someone worth listening to in the crowded lineup of White House hopefuls, saying Buttigieg speaks of the kind of unity that Costner has been waiting and hoping to hear about. More than 1,000 people packed the high school gymnasium of Indianola, a town of about 16,000 people located south of Des Moines, to see Costner on Sunday. His 1989 film offered a mixture of baseball and fantasy amid Iowa cornfields.

Actor Kevin Costner arrives to speak at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Indianola, Iowa. Costner endorsed Buttigieg’s candidacy at the event. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Former Vice President Joe Biden and former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and his wife Christie made a campaign stop in Atlantic Sunday afternoon. Biden and his guests spoke to a crowd of 200 people (according to campaign spokesperson Laurie Anderson) at the Cass County Community Center, and his main theme was the damage President Trump has done to the “soul of America.”

A large crowd gathers prior to hearing Biden and others speak. (Ric Hanson/photo)

Former V-P Joe Biden talks with members of the crowd in Atlantic. (Randy Hanson/photo)

Biden said “plain” and “Simple decency” is found in Iowa, but not in the current leadership. He said “You all reflect what the nation needs most [basic simple decency], and I think people are so hungry for a return to a sense of decency in our leadership in this country.”

He said also “We have to bring this country together. We have to unite this country.” He added that “a lot of people think that isn’t possible or within our purview.” He said he’s been through two impeachment processes, and it’s hard on the country. “There’s nothing to celebrate about it.” Biden said also, Trump brought his impeachment upon himself.

He said Congress and the House has a Constitutional duty to uphold the Constitution. Biden says his critics said he’s “Living in the past,” that he “Doesn’t understand today’s Trump Republican Party,” and that he’s “Naive.” Biden says he’s not angry about the money Republican’s have spent lying about him, trying to destroy his only living son and his family. He said this race isn’t about him, it’s about “We the people,” and serving their needs. Right now, he said, the government, and the people, are “In gridlock.”

Biden said spoke also about “restoring the Middle Class.” He said he doesn’t believe the vast majority of registered Republicans and Independents are “As heartless and careless as this President and this administration is. We can’t let that be, for our own safety’s sake.” Biden said overcoming four-years of Donald Trump can be done with great difficulty, but if he’s given another term in office, he will “Fundamentally change the nature of who we are, at least for several generations. Democracy is earned every generation, and it’s really on the brink.”

He said in conclusion, “Let’s give Donald Trump his walking papers.”

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a central Iowa woman and her dog were killed while driving the wrong way down a state highway. Authorities say 58-year-old Kim Pfantz, of State Center, was driving with her dog eastbound in the westbound lanes of Highway 30 in Marshalltown around 8 p.m. Saturday. Pfantz collided with another vehicle. She and her dog were both pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released, according to the Iowa State Patrol. Both people involved were wearing seat belts. The crash is under investigation.

Sheriff’s officials in Adams County, Sunday, said deputies were dispatched at around 10:30-p.m. Friday, to a residence in Corning for a domestic dispute. Upon further investigation, 39-year old Jay John Russell, of Corning, was arrested for Domestic Assault resulting in bodily harm, and Harassment.

Authorities said also, that at around Noon on Sunday (today), Joleen Most, of Carbon, was arrested on an Adams County warrant for Failure to Appear.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An executive order by President Donald Trump giving governors the right to refuse to accept refugees is putting Republican governors in an uncomfortable position. They’re caught between immigration hardliners who want to shut the door and Christian evangelicals who want to welcome them. More than 30 governors have confirmed they will keep accepting refugees so far, but about a dozen Republican governors have stayed silent on the issue. Trump’s order requires governors to publicly say they’ll accept refugees or they cannot come to their states, even if cities and counties welcome them. No state has announced plans to shut out refugees entirely.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Federal authorities in Iowa are placing a new priority on prosecuting violent crime and firearm offenses. The Sioux City Journal reports that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa is handling an increasing number of cases that would typically be considered state-level offenses. U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan says it’s a deliberate effort to crack down on violent offenders. Deegan says that, in some cases, firearms offenses carry longer federal prison sentences than similar charges in the state legal system.. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in northern Iowa prosecuted 189 defendants in gun cases in fiscal year 2019, compared to 90 defendants in 2016.