Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 2:20 a.m. CST

IOWA – Two people died and a total of four people were injured during separate crashes Monday, in Iowa. The State Patrol says 17-year old Noah Moore, of Madrid, died in a Hardin County crash between a car and a semi at around 12:47-p.m. The second fatal crash happened in Cedar County, at around 6:02-p.m., Monday. The Patrol says a 2007 Chevy Impala and a 2016 Ford F-350 pickup collided in the 1800 block of Iowa Highway 38. One of the victims died from their injuries. The other was transported to the University of Iowa Hospital for treatment of their injuries. No names had been released as of early Tuesday morning, pending notification of family.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has approved a competency evaluation of a woman accused of hate crimes in the Des Moines area, including intentionally running over a girl she believed was Mexican. Nicole Poole’s attorney told a judge Monday that he thinks Poole has a mental disorder and is incompetent to stand trial. The Des Moines Register reports that prosecutors didn’t fight the defense request for a competency evaluation. Poole is accused of throwing items at a store clerk and directing racial epithets at him and customers and of intentionally hitting a 14-year-old Hispanic girl and a 12-year-old black boy with her vehicle. Both children survived.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — New U.S. Census estimates show Iowa’s population continued to increase slowly in the last year and now numbers 3,155,070. The July 1, 2019, estimate released Monday was up 108,199 from the 2010 population. Iowa’s population would have been significantly lower if not for international migration, which since 2010 has added nearly 48,000 people to the state. That migration offset nearly 30,000 residents who moved from Iowa to other states during that period. The national population was estimated at 328.2 million.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Jan. 13 hearing has been scheduled for a Dubuque man charged with neglecting livestock and failing to properly dispose of dead animals. Court records say 31-year-old Cesar Gonzalez faces nearly three dozen counts. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him. Officials say several of the 26 animals rescued from the Dubuque farm earlier this month were in poor health. The bones and rib cages of some animals could be seen, and they had matted hair. The animals removed included horses, a pony, goats, sheep, pigs and geese.