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Iowa early News Headlines: Tuesday, Dec. 27th 2016

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December 27th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:23 a.m. CST

CASCADE, Iowa (AP) — A 61-year-old man has died in an eastern Iowa rollover crash. The Dubuque County sheriff’s office says the man was traveling south on U.S. Highway 151 shortly before 7 a.m. Monday when he lost control and rolled his Chevy Tracker into the median. The crash happened near Cascade. Authorities say the man was not wearing a seat belt, and was ejected from the sports utility vehicle.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities charged a former Iowa judge with insurance fraud days after she appeared in court to challenge her two-year-old firing over the same allegation. Former Administrative Law Judge Susan Ackerman joined her union Dec. 16 in asking a judge to throw out an arbitration decision that upheld her termination. Days later, Ackerman was charged with a felony for allegedly falsely certifying that her daughter was single so that she could qualify for state insurance.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A preliminary hearing has been scheduled Jan. 6 for a Bettendorf woman accused of stealing more than $434,000 from her employer. Court records say Joan Maureen Smith is charged with felony theft. Her attorney didn’t immediately return a call Monday from The Associated Press. Smith is accused of stealing from Chest and Vascular Surgery in Davenport.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Utilities have restored power to most of their Iowa and Nebraska customers following the high winds and heavy rains on Christmas. The National Weather Service says 70 mph gusts were recorded Sunday at Nebraska airports in Norfolk and Wayne. Gusts topping 60 mph knocked out power to more than 4,300 customers in the Sioux City, Iowa, area. MidAmerican Energy says fewer than 200 Iowa customers were still without power.