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Iowa early News Headlines: Thursday, Jan. 12th 2017

News

January 12th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad’s plan to defund Planned Parenthood would cost Iowa millions of federal dollars that had gone to family planning services, and the state plans to replenish the losses by tapping a fund for vulnerable children, adults and families. Ben Hammes, Branstad’s spokesman, said Iowa would make up the difference out of the Social Services Block Grant. The roughly $15 million program includes discretion to spend on family planning services.

UNDATED (AP) — A member of the Board of Regents says his colleagues’ decision to take no action against Iowa State University President Steven Leath for misusing university airplanes was “a slap in the face” to Iowa taxpayers. In a Dec. 20 email obtained under the public records law, Regent Subhash Sahai told colleagues that he was “embarrassed for the board” for letting Leath off the hook. He says any other professional “would have been severely sanctioned.”

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Leaders of a Marshalltown hospital are moving ahead with the sale of the facility. The Times Republican reports the sale of Central Iowa Healthcare’s assets to Unity Point Health-Waterloo was unanimously approved by corporate members Tuesday. Unity Point Health-Waterloo offered $12.5 million for the assets. Members also outlined the loss of more than $18 million as of Nov. 30, 2016. The sale must be approved by a bankruptcy court.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — South Korea is suffering from a shortage of eggs due to bird flu and has finalized agreements to accept imported fresh eggs from United States. South Korea’s government says about 26 million chickens have been killed, including one-third of the country’s egg-laying hens, since the H5N6 strain of avian influenza first surfaced in November. The export is an opportunity for U.S. producers to alleviate a surplus of eggs post-2015 outbreak, which killed 49 million turkeys and chickens in 15 states.