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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans in the Iowa Legislature are again rewriting the state’s gun laws with a bill that would allow people to buy guns and carry a concealed handgun without first obtaining a state permit. The bill that passed the House Wednesday with all Republican votes and one Democrat would eliminate current state permit requirements which carry with them background checks to ensure the person obtaining or carrying a gun isn’t disqualified from ownership due to past felonies or abuses. Supporters says it improves Iowans’ basic right of self defense outlined in the Second Amendment but opponents say it will make Iowa much more dangerous for police and citizens and will make it much more difficult to stop gun violence before it happens.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A decommissioned eastern Iowa nuclear plant could become the site of a new massive solar energy project. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that NextEra Energy of Florida this week laid out plans with nearby landowners to build a solar farm near the now-idle Duane Arnold Energy Center. The company said the project, planned for 2023, could bring in a $700 million capital investment and about 300 construction jobs. The solar farm would stretch across 3,500 acres near the plant in Palo and would produce up to 690 megawatts of solar energy — even more than the nuclear plant had generated.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly survey of bankers points to a quickly recovering economy in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states as the survey’s individual indicators soared and the overall index rocketed to its highest reading since it began in 2006. The overall index of the Rural Mainstreet Survey shot up more than 18 points to 71.9 in March from February’s 53.8. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss credits in part sharp gains in grain prices, federal farm support and the Federal Reserve’s record-low interest rates. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.