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

ALBIA, Iowa (AP) — Animal rescue officials in Iowa say they’ve found one dead steer and rescued seven other ailing animals from a rural southern Iowa property. The Animal Rescue League of Iowa says in a news release that its response team helped Monroe County officials rescue three horses, one burro, a steer and two dogs that were left in freezing weather with no food, water or shelter. Charges are pending against the animals’ owner.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former worker at Sioux City’s wastewater treatment plant has pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to tamper with wastewater sampling and testing. The Sioux City Journal reports that 69-year-old Patrick Schwarte entered the plea Wednesday in federal court. Prosecutors say chlorine was added to wastewater on days that E. coli samples were taken, then reduced after the tests, saving the city money.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — House Republicans leading a committee to review the results of a contested northeast Iowa House district election say they plan to recommend not opening and counting 29 absentee mail ballots that could reverse the outcome of the race. Committee Chairman Steven Holt says since the ballots had no postmark and didn’t have a seldom-used county election official tracking barcode, they can’t be counted even though postal officials have confirmed they were mailed in time to be valid votes.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state judge has struck down Iowa’s restrictive “fetal heartbeat” abortion law. Judge Michael Huppert on Tuesday found the law unconstitutional. The law would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. That can happen as early as six weeks into pregnancy. It would have been the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the nation.