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Iowa early News Headlines: Tuesday, Aug. 8th 2017

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August 8th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A federally funded nonprofit says an Iowa school for juvenile boys held under court order is violating their constitutional rights by not providing essential mental health care and instead relying on restraints and seclusion rooms. In a report released Monday, Disability Rights Iowa threatened legal action unless the state makes significant changes at the Boys State Training School in Eldora. State officials say other assessments have lauded the school.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a worker has died after being caught in a grain bin in Waterloo. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports crews were called to an East Central Iowa Co-Op elevator about 11:30 a.m. Monday on a report of a worker who was trapped in soybeans. Firefighters cut holes in the bin and co-op employees used a vacuum to drain the bin as emergency crews entered the elevator to reach the man. Despite the efforts, the man was declared dead.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The head of the agency that oversees Iowa’s flagship history museum is leaving the job. Mary Cownie announced Monday her last day as director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs will be Aug. 17. Cownie, who was appointed in January 2011 by former Gov. Terry Branstad, attempted over several years to seek money from the Legislature to pay for extensive renovations to the State Historical Museum in Des Moines. The effort stalled amid state budget constraints.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) – The Burlington city manager says he’s not meeting the city council members’ expectations, so he’ll be stepping down. Jim Ferneau told The Hawk Eye that he notified council members by email Friday that he intends to leave in October from the post he’s held for more than five years.