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Iowa early News Headlines: Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019

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December 12th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

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

CRESCENT, Iowa (AP) — This year’s record rainfall and devastating flooding are forcing tough decisions about the future of farming in the face of climate change. Farmers who lost billions of dollars in grain, livestock and equipment must decide whether to continue to gamble on fertile bottomlands, as federal officials determine how many damaged levees can and should be rebuilt. Many farmers now believe heavier rains are the new normal _ even those skeptical that human activity is a factor. With the ground still soggy heading into winter, experts say the stage is set for more flooding next spring.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced a public service campaign to address increased vaping by Iowa teenagers. The campaign announced Wednesday will focus on social media and information programs for parents and students. Reynolds says increasing awareness and education on the known risks of vaping will help prevent young people from suffering nicotine addiction and health problems. The campaign will feature videos targeted at teens on SnapChat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Hulu and other sites. Reynolds says she won’t sign an executive order to ban the sale of flavored vaping products because such moves have been blocked in the courts in other states.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say an armed man shot by a Fort Madison police officer has died. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says Wednesday that officers encountered the man after being sent late Tuesday to a manufacturing warehouse. The man was armed with a handgun. An officer shot the man, and he died later at a Fort Madison hospital. He was identified as 42-year-old Robert Allen Elfgen. The officer’s name hasn’t been released. Fort Madison Police Chief Mark Rohloff told station WGEM the warehouse incident was related to the earlier shooting of another man.

VAN HORNE, Iowa (AP) — The mother of a 26-year-old Iowa woman who died in a car crash last month is calling for better signage at rural intersections to protect motorists. WOI in Des Moines reports that Dawn Hess wants the Iowa Department of Transportation to take a closer look at areas where lighting or rumble strips might not be enough to warn people about upcoming stops. Her daughter, Baylee Hess, of La Porte City, was killed Nov. 30 at a Highway 30 intersection near Van Horne, in eastern Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol says Hess failed to stop and crossed under a trailer, landing in a ditch.