SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Parents and Sioux City residents are lamenting the latest delay in the opening of a new elementary school after several homes were demolished to make room for it. The Sioux City Journal reports that plans to start classes at the new Bryant Elementary School in the fall of 2019 unraveled March 14 after the low bid for the project’s final phase came in nearly $3 million higher than estimated. The main reason for the high bids is likely rising concrete costs.

The school board decided to revisit the architectural plans to save costs rather than pay more money, which superintendent Paul Gausman says will push the school opening to August 2020. Resident Erik Peterson says the dirt blowing from the construction site has created an annoyance for neighbors.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa union leaders approached this legislative session with apprehension but say they never envisioned lawmakers would approve such dramatic changes governing worker rights and pay.

GOP legislators, with support from Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, tightened the workers’ compensation system, severely limited the scope of collective bargaining rights for public employee unions and banned local minimum wage increases. They also cut budgets amid a tax revenue shortfall.

Republicans say the changes ensure stability and will spur business activity. Others describe it as a war on workers. The director of labor education research at Cornell University, Kate Bronfenbrenner, says the changes may push more workers onto Social Security disability and Medicaid.

Union leaders worry the multiple changes regarding worker rights will spark unintended consequences, calling this session a nightmare scenario for workers.

A traffic stop Saturday night in Shenandoah, resulted in the arrest of a Nebraska man on a warrant for Failure to Appear in Court. Shenandoah Police stopped a vehicle at around 11:30-p.m. near Highway 48 and E Avenue. After making contact with the driver, 34-year old Tyler Morrow, of Omaha, Morrow was arrested on a valid warrant out of Lancaster, NE. for failure to appear. After further investigation Morrow was also charged with possession of a controlled substance. His warrant did not allow Morrow to post bond. He was transported to the Page County Jail and held, pending extradition to Nebraska.

Two people were arrested on separate charges early this (Sunday) morning, in Montgomery County. Sheriff’s officials say 50-year old Kristine Courtney Ryan, of Elliott, was arrested at around 1:55-a.m. at 508 5th Street, in Elliott, on a valid Red Oak Police Department warrant for Failure to Appear, on an original Breach of Peace charge. Ryan was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond, after failing to comply with the booking process.

And, at around 1:57-a.m., Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 32-year old Nicholas John Horgdal, of Henderson, following a traffic stop at 150th Street and F Avenue. Horgdal was taken into custody for Driving While Barred. His bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $2,000.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:40 a.m. CDT

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque woman has been stabbed to death, and her boyfriend has been charged. The Telegraph Herald reports that 21-year-old Samantha Link was killed in her apartment early Friday morning. Police say 25-year-old Fontae Buelow told officers he and Link had been arguing when Link stabbed herself in the stomach with a butcher knife, which was found at the scene. But police say Link had been stabbed twice in the chest and had bruises on her nose and forehead.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Police in eastern Iowa say a man has been shot and wounded in a Davenport alley. The Quad-City Times reports that police were called Friday afternoon to a home, where they found a 19-year-old man who had suffered gunshot wounds not believed to be life-threatening. Police say the man was shot in the alley by someone in a vehicle. The victim was able to walk up a small hill near the alley and get help at the house.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old western Iowa woman has been arrested following a crash in Omaha that left her young son critically injured. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports that the crash happened late Thursday night on Interstate 80 in Omaha. When officers arrived, no one was there. Officers later found the women and boy at an Omaha hospital, where the boy was being treated for critical head injuries. Police say the mother had been drinking.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — The University of Northern Iowa has launched a digital media program that will focus on new ways of reporting and production. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the university held an event to introduce a digital media program Thursday that will replace its electronic media program. Three majors, including digital journalism, digital media leadership and digital media production, will be added to the new program.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Seth Staashelm, Saturday, released the link to a new website designed to inform the public about possible renovations to the Sunnyside Pool, and garner input on the expected, future project.
During the March 27th Parks and Rec Board meeting, Staashelm said the Sunnyside Pool Steering Committee looked at several pool renovation and or construction concepts provided by Waters Edge Aquatic Design out of Lenexa, KS., and came to the conclusion a $4.5-million dollar pool renovation would be the best out of four plans presented by the company, using some elements of each plan.

The new website provides illustrations of past conceptual pool plans, plan features, and the version selected by the steering committee, with the idea of having those plans made available to the public for further scrutiny and input. You can find the link to the Sunnyside Pool Renovation website here:
https://sunnysideswimmingp.wixsite.com/poolplan

Later, there will be tri-fold handouts available, along with a traveling display with 3-D renderings of the pool layout and design. That information will be made available during local events such as Produce in the Park, AtlanticFest and other activities or events. The plans presented is not the final picture of what the pool will look like, and will likely be tweaked, depending on public feedback.

Once enough feedback is received, it’s expected the process will begin to request a bond vote. The earliest any work on the project could begin, according to Staashelm, assuming a bond is approved, would be in 2020.

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) — A 19-year-old Orange City man has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting two teenagers. The Sioux City Journal reports that Axel Reyes pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse last week in Sioux County District Court.

Investigators say they learned in September that Reyes had provided alcohol to a 14-year-old, and that Reyes had sex with her while she was intoxicated. He was arrested Feb. 3 after authorities completed their investigation. While in custody, another 14-year-old reported that Reyes had sexually assaulted her against her will in January.

On Friday, a judge sentenced Reyes to two separate two-year prison terms to be served at the same time. Reyes must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old western Iowa woman has been arrested following a crash in Omaha that left her young son critically injured. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports that the crash happened late Thursday night on Interstate 80 in Omaha. Police say Jeanica Lovejoy told officers she was driving when she and another woman in the car began arguing. She says the other woman grabbed the wheel, sending the car into a light pole.

When officers arrived, no one was there. Officers later found Lovejoy and the boy at an Omaha hospital, where the boy was being treated for critical head injuries. Police say Lovejoy had been drinking, and that she had a blood alcohol content of .198 — more than twice the legal limit to drive.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Iowa’s weather for March was one of clouds, rain, snow,warmth and some severe storms. State climatologist Harry Hillaker said the month continued a trend of being warmer. He says the month will average around one degree above normal, with a lot of extreme temperatures in the first half of the month and slightly above normal in the second half, despite a lot of cloudy days.

Hillaker says both ends of the thermometer got some action. “Lowest temperature we had for the month — got down to minus 9 degrees on the morning of the 15th in Stanley in Buchanan County in northeast Iowa,” Hillaker says. “And just four days later it got up to 84 degrees in Sydney in the far southwest corner of the state.”

Hillaker says that was the second day we had temperatures in the 80s. The other was on March 6th, which he says is pretty early in the month for temperatures to climb that high. In Atlantic, the average High for the month was 51, while the average Low was 30.

The month was just slightly wetter than normal. Hillaker says the one change was the southern part of the state got much more rain, where it was needed to help the drought situation. “For the state as a whole, roughly two-point-six inches of rain for the month. About a third of an inch more than what is typical for March,” according to Hillaker.

Rainfall in Atlantic for the month of March amounted to 2.26-inches. Snowfall was just one-half inch. Hillaker says statewide, the snowfall total didn’t set any overall records.
He says we had around five inches of snow on average, which is typical. There was one big snowfall on the 12th and 13th where the northern part of the state got hit hard — and that followed the pattern of this winter.

Hillaker says it looks like March will end up being the 9th wettest on record.

(Radio Iowa/KJAN weather data)