NEW VIRGINIA, Iowa (AP) – Officials have removed 14 neglected horses from two properties in south-central Iowa’s Warren County. The Animal Rescue League says 10 malnourished horses were taken from a site in New Virginia and four severely neglected horses from a property in Indianola.

All 14 will be nursed back to health at the league’s Second Chance Ranch in Des Moines. No arrests have been reported.

A public auction of state-owned equipment will be held by the Iowa Department of Transportation on its grounds in Ames, Saturday, April 22, beginning at 9 a.m. The sale will be held in the auction building south of the Iowa DOT’s sign shop on South Fourth Street in Ames.

Laptop computers, equipment for offices and shops, automotive supplies, and many other items are included in the sale. The computers are sold with no operating system or software. There will also be a limited number of vehicles included in this auction.

Office equipment to be sold includes 60 laptop computers, several copiers, tables, chairs, and storage and file cabinets. Shop equipment items include a bench grinder, a chain hoist, jacks, various saws, drill presses, generators, mowers, a pressure washer, and truck boxes. Automotive supplies, radios, and many other items are also included in this sale.

Items for sale may be inspected at the sale site from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 21, and from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday, April 22.

Please bring a driver’s license or state-issued identification card with you to the sale. The information from your driver’s license will be scanned into the system and a bid number will be printed for you to use at the auction. For those without a driver’s license, information will be entered manually.

Final payment for all items is due the day of the sale. Payment for the items must be made in cash, cashier’s check, or certified check. Personal or company checks will be accepted, if accompanied by satisfactory identification. Sales tax will be collected. Dealers must provide tax-exemption numbers to be exempted from the tax. All items must be removed from Iowa DOT property within five business days of the sale.

Lynch Auction Co. of Boone will conduct the auction. Coffee, sandwiches, and cold drinks will be available for purchase at the auction site.

A listing of auction items is also available on the Iowa DOT’s website at www.iowadot.gov/auction/auctlist.htm.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, Monday, commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. The report is released weekly from April through October. Northey said “The damp weather has mostly kept farmers from starting spring field work. There have been some fertilizer applications that have taken place as the weather allowed. Just 6 percent of oats have been planted, which is nearly a week behind the 5-year average.”

The weekly report is also available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s website at www.IowaAgriculture.gov

Statewide there were just 0.6 days suitable for fieldwork last week, with only northeast, central and southeast Iowa reporting 1.0 or more days suitable. Fertilizer, manure, and anhydrous applications were made as conditions allowed.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 6 percent short, 67 percent adequate, and 26 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 2 percent very short, 6 percent short, 72 percent adequate, and 20 percent surplus. South central Iowa reported the highest surplus subsoil moisture level at 38 percent although just a week ago, according to the USDA’s U.S. Drought Monitor, portions of the area were still considered to be in a moderate drought along with much of southeast Iowa.

Six percent of oats have been planted, 3 days behind last year’s progress, and almost a week behind the 5-year average. Livestock conditions are generally good although muddy lots are reported to be an issue. Calving is already complete for some cattle operations.

State Climatologist Harry Hillaker said last week was the wettest week in 25 weeks. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged from eight degrees above normal in far northwest Iowa to one degree below normal over the extreme southeast. Soil temperatures as of Sunday (2nd) were averaging in the mid-forties over nearly all of Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The school board could vote today (Tuesday) to change school starting times at Des Moines public schools. The board is expected to discuss the proposal and could either vote Tuesday or April 18.

Under the proposal, elementary schools would begin at 7:50 a.m., roughly 30 minutes to an hour earlier. Middle schools would start at 8:35 a.m., 50 minutes later, and high schools would start at 8:30 a.m., also 50 minutes later. The proposal would take effect either for the 2017-18 or 2018-19 school years.

Officials say research shows the later starting times would better align with teenagers’ natural sleep schedules. The Des Moines Register reports Ankeny and West Des Moines schools already have later middle and high school start times. Davenport and Iowa City made the change recently.

The group “Iowans for Gun Safety” is urging state senators to either reject the gun-related bill that has cleared the House in its entirety or make some major changes. “Human rights are being overlooked for gun rights.” That’s Carletta Knox-Seymour, president of the board of Iowans for Gun Safety. She spoke at a statehouse news conference.

“We’ve done a lot of work. This is not our last effort, but it is one of our stronger efforts that we hope to get something across to them,” Knox-Seymour said. “…If this doesn’t do anything, we’re geared up to go in front of the governor…This is not the last call. We are moving forward.”

The group is particularly concerned about provisions that remove a gun owner’s duty to retreat if their life or property are threatened. Reverend Erin Gingrich of the First Unitarian Church in Des Moines says those “stand your ground” provisions deserve “intense scrutiny.”

“Black people are far too often perceived as threatening simple because they are black. ‘Stand Your Ground’ gives legal sanction for racism,” Gingrich said. “We must not legislate evil.” The group is also calling on senators to reject House-passed language that would allow children under the age of 14 to handle pistols and handguns. Dr. Amy Shriver works at Blank Children’s Clinic in Des Moines and she has this message for senators:

“Childhood firearms injuries and deaths are preventable. The pediatricians in Iowa implore you to help us do our job. Please don’t make it harder for me to keep children out of harm’s way.”

Iowans for Gun Safety has a list of things they’d not only like to see subtracted from the bill, but their list of additions includes a yearly criminal background check for Iowans who want a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The group says that’s not infringing on gun rights, but is a method of keeping guns out of criminal’s hands. The bill’s floor manager in the senate recently said he’d ask his fellow senators to make some “technical corrections” in the House-passed bill, but he and others predict the major components of the bill will remain.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Civil rights groups, media advocates and some lawmakers are opposing an Iowa bill that would end public access to many 911 calls. The bill would declare that 911 calls involving emergencies in which people are injured are confidential “medical records” and exempt from the open records law. The measure says the secrecy would apply to some video records, a clause that critics fear could apply to recordings documenting the aftermath of police shootings.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A decision by Iowa’s dominant health insurance company to stop selling individual policies could leave thousands of resident scrambling to get new policies. The Des Moines Register reports Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield announced Monday it would stop selling the individual policies because of instability in the insurance market. The decision means more than 21,000 Iowa residents who bought health insurance policies since Jan. 1, 2014, will need to find another provider.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A judge has sentenced a 19-year-old Dubuque man to life in prison without parole after his conviction of first-degree murder in the killing of a man at a Dubuque trailer park. The Telegraph Herald reports Judge Thomas Bitter sentenced Imere D. Hall to the life term despite defense lawyers’ argument that the sentence was unconstitutional for someone Hall’s age. Prosecutors say Hall and two other men broke into the trailer of Collin Brown, intending to rob him. Brown was shot trying to escape.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad says he’ll have private meetings with members of Congress this week to discuss his consideration as U.S. ambassador to China. The Republican governor is scheduled to be in Washington between Monday and Thursday. Branstad says he’ll meet with members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and officials at the State Department. A spokesman for the governor says no formal hearings are scheduled.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A decision by Iowa’s dominant health insurance company to stop selling individual policies could leave thousands of residents scrambling to get new policies. The Des Moines Register reports Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield announced Monday it would stop selling the individual policies because of instability in the insurance market due to the Affordable Care Act and congressional Republicans’ failed effort to replace the law.

The decision means more than 21,000 Iowa residents who bought health insurance policies since Jan. 1, 2014, will need to find another provider. The change won’t affect those who have Wellmark insurance through an employer or those who bought individual policies that took effect before Jan. 1, 2014.

The carriers Aetna and Medica also sell individual policies but haven’t committed to doing so for 2018.

One of the planet’s largest robotics competitions for students in grades K-through-12 will be held this week in southwest Iowa. Jim Schulte is president of the CREATE Foundation which will stage its U-S Open Robotics Championship in Council Bluffs. There will be around 500 teams and many thousands of contestants.

“We have teams coming from China, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Canada, from around the world,” Schulte says. “There are 40 different states registered to compete and, of course, the international flavor gives a great experience to all the participants.” Teams from all areas of Iowa are taking part in the competition as robots designed and built by students are piloted through a series of obstacles and tasks.

“We’re starting to see Iowa really grow, in part, because of the U.S. Open and they’re also very supportive, as all of the teams are,” Schulte says. “They come in with volunteers and the quality of the teams in Iowa are really expectional.” The CREATE Foundation is based in Omaha and its name stands for Competitive Robotics Enhancing and Advancing Technology Education. Schulte says it’ll be a challenging, rewarding week for the students.

“With judged events, they’ll go through interviews as well as on-field competitions where they do go back and forth,” Schulte says. “Of course, our objective is to get as many kids as we can interested in science and technology.” The tournament is free and open to the public. It runs Tuesday through Saturday at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs.

(Radio Iowa)

ATLANTIC – Cass County Health System (CCHS) is honoring the many volunteers who share their time and talents throughout the health system by hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Open House on Wednesday, April 12th from 3:30 to 5:30 pm in the cafeteria.

More than 250 individuals volunteer each year at CCHS. Volunteers work in a variety of roles including the Auxiliary, CCMH Board of Trustees, CCHS Foundation Board, Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, Meals on Wheels, IPOST, Mentoring, SHIIP, Lifeline, and through other programs and events.

Carole Schuler, Volunteer Coordinator, says “We are so grateful to all of the people who volunteer to help us make CCHS the best it can be. We’re lucky to have a wide range of backgrounds, ages, and expertise in our volunteer pool, and the work they do is so important to the people they serve. Really, volunteering is a win-win. It’s good for the volunteer, too!”

The Volunteer Appreciation Open House theme this year is “Volunteers Make the World a Brighter Place.”

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Some Sioux City residents are getting anxious about a rash of sinkholes, typically caused by broken water mains or storm sewers that cause the surface to collapse. The Sioux City Journal reports that residents worry the sinkholes could cause motor accidents or impact their property.

City utilities director Mark Simms says the city is taking a more proactive approach to fixing sinkhole problems as they arise. He says the city has begun responding to all resident reports of sinkholes as if they’re a result of city utilities.

Officials say the city has worked on at least three sinkholes in public areas so far in 2017, while also fielding several reports of sinkholes on private property. Simms says he doesn’t believe the city has an exorbitant number of sinkholes for its scale.