The State Board of Education unanimously adopted new state standards Thursday for what Iowa school kids in kindergarten through high school should know and be able to do in science. The Education Department’s Bureau Chief for Standards and Curriculum, Erika Cook, says the new guidelines are the result of months of work from a state review team.

“We are hoping with the performance expectations that classrooms teach kids to think like a scientist when that is appropriate, and also have also integrated engineering concepts that will be integrated throughout the classrooms,” Cook says. She says the goal was to refocus the way science is taught. “We are hoping the classrooms continue to come alive for out students and they can learn to behave like scientists,” Cook says. “And the most important thing is so they can become excited about science and engineering and can continue learning and studying about that throughout their lives.”

Cook says each individual district will determine how the new guidelines are implemented. She says the Department of Education will put together guidance for districts and put together opportunities to help teachers learn about the new standards. Cook says they got a lot of input majority of public comments on the Next Generation Science Standards were favorable. She says it is important to review standards.

“Because times do change and we want our students of Iowa to be up on the strongest standards in each of the core content areas. And we want to be leaders in education,” Cook says. The core content she talked about also includes statewide academic standards in social studies, English-language arts, math and the 21st century skills of civic literacy, employability, financial literacy, health literacy, and technology literacy.

(Radio Iowa)

A vehicle went off the road at the T-intersection of Highways 173 and 83 early this (Friday) morning, northwest of Atlantic. The vehicle ended-up in the ditch, just south of the intersection. The accident, which was reported at around 12:15-a.m. resulted in no injuries. Atlantic Fire and Rescue, Medivac and Marne Rescue were initially dispatched to the scene. Additional information is currently not available.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says two beaches at Saylorville Lake are closed due to a blue-green algae bloom that could be harmful to people and pets. Routine water quality monitoring performed at the lake identified high levels of a compound produced by blue-green algae under certain environmental conditions that can cause illness through direct skin contact, by ingesting the water or by breathing airborne water droplets. The compound called microcystin can cause skin reactions, gastrointestinal pain, breathing problems or liver damage.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A female race car driver severely hurt while competing at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids has died from her injuries. An employee of Merdoch Funeral Home in Marion says a celebration of life service for INEX Legends race car driver Joan Feller is set for Saturday. Feller, a long-time supporter of Legends racing, was in her first season as a driver. She died Wednesday at an Iowa City hospital from injuries sustained in a crash when her car struck another stalled on the track during a July 31 race. She was 53.

FAIRFIELD, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa judge says he made a mistake in ordering an ex-felon to pay $254 in court costs in a voter fraud case that was dismissed. District Judge Randy DeGeest told The Associated Press on Thursday that he would amend the order against Cheri Rupe to assess those costs to the state.

WHITTEMORE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the shooting of a crop-dusting plane in northern Iowa. The Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office says the plane owned by Steier AG Aviation was hit in a wing flap while spraying a field in Fairfield Township last Friday morning. The pilot returned to Steier’s landing strip in Whittemore.

The Iowa DNR reports beginning Aug. 10th, small Iowa communities (those with populations of 5,000 or less) can apply for funding to perform asbestos inspections on neglected buildings in a special round of funding from the DNR’s Derelict Building Grant Program. One area of focus for the Derelict Building Grant Program is asbestos inspection and removal. If a building collapses and the presence of asbestos is unknown, it can increase the economic burden on the community. This round of funding may be used by eligible communities to investigate the amount of asbestos present in a building.

The Derelict Building Grant Program provides small communities and rural counties financial assistance for abandoned commercial and public structures to improve the appearance of their streets, revitalize local economies and alleviate the environmental concerns these buildings can pose. This is a one-time opportunity; projects selected may apply for funding in 2016 for additional program-related tasks.

For more information and application details, go to www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/LandStewardship/WasteManagement/BusinessIndustry/DerelictBuildingProgram.aspx or contact Scott Flagg at 515-725-8318 or Scott.Flagg@dnr.iowa.gov.

No applications will be accepted after 4 p.m. on Aug. 21st.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Thursday (Today), said the DNR last Sunday investigated a fish kill on Purgatory Creek in northeast Carroll County after receiving a report of thousands of dead fish in the creek. The DNR found several species of dead fish, including minnows, sunfish and bullheads along approximately one and a quarter miles of the creek, extending northeast into Calhoun County. The fish appeared to have been dead several days.

Field tests showed normal dissolved oxygen levels and no ammonia in the stream. There were no unusual odors or visual signs of contamination. The DNR collected water samples from the creek for testing. Test results from the laboratory should be available in several weeks. However, the test results may not show a pollutant due to the time lapse and heavy rainfall in the area.

Anyone seeing evidence of a fish kill should call the DNR’s environmental hot line at 515-725-8694 immediately. The sooner the event is reported, the more likely a pollutant can be identified and traced to its source. The DNR will continue to investigate for the source of the fish kill.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad wants a judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to force him to reopen two shuttered state mental health centers.  Attorneys for the Republican governor filed a motion Monday in Polk County District Court, asking a judge to throw out the suit from the head of the state’s largest public employees union and 20 Democratic lawmakers.

The lawsuit claims closing the centers in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant was illegal because Iowa law requires the state to operate them. But the filing from the state Attorney General’s office questions that interpretation of state law and whether the group has grounds to sue.

A spokesman for Danny Homan, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, says they will respond soon and hope the case will continue.

A Harrison County man remains free on his own recognizance while a Vehicular Homicide – Operating Under the Influence case, makes its way through the court system in Cass County. According to online court records, Attorney Joseph Hrvol appeared on behalf of 50-year old Paul William Marshall, of Modale,  Tuesday, in Cass County District Court. During the proceedings, it was announced Marshall would waive his preliminary hearing.

A Criminal Complaint filed by the Iowa State Patrol’s District 3 office in Council Bluffs, says Marshall was under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of substances, when he drove the wrong way on Interstate 80 eastbound in Cass County on May 16th, and caused a collision that took the life of 31-year old Peter John Underwood, from Lincoln, NE. Underwood was an assistant soccer coach at the University of Nebraska, who was on a recruiting trip.

The complaint says Marshall’s BAC (or, Blood Alcohol Content) was greater than the legal limit of .08 (point-Oh-eight). No court date has been set.

The Glenwood Police Dept. reports 32-year old Rudy Camarillo, of Glenwood, was arrested Thursday (today), for OWI first Offense, Harassment and Interference with official acts. His bond was set at $3,300.

Iowa ranks in the middle of the pack on a new report detailing how successfully the states are waging war on cancer. The report from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network uses nine key benchmark areas where states play a critical role in reducing cancer incidence and death. Jen Schulte, the organization’s director of government relations, says each state gets either a red mark for falling short, a yellow mark for making some progress or a green mark for doing well.

“We have a split between red, yellow and green,” Schulte says. “We have four red, two yellow and three green. As a result Iowa, continues to look at policies that are in red. We hope to continue to work on the indoor tanning ban for minors and increasing our tobacco prevention funding.”

While the Centers for Disease Control recommends Iowa spend 30-million dollars a year on tobacco prevention efforts, Iowa only spends about 5-million. In the yellow category, Iowa is making some progress in areas like its cigarette tax rates and in Medicaid coverage of tobacco cessation programs. Out of the nine benchmarks, Iowa only had three green ratings for areas where the state is doing well.

“One is pain policy, two is the increased access to Medicaid or our Iowa Health and Wellness plan that we passed in 2013 and then finally, our Smoke-free Air Act,” Schulte says. However, she notes that act — which bars smoking in workplaces and public places statewide — still contains the loophole allowing people to smoke on casino floors, something the group would like to see abolished.

On this year’s report, only three states meet six out of the nine benchmarks that were measured and no state met seven or more, so she says Iowa isn’t doing bad, comparatively. “I think we’re pretty level with a lot of the other states,” Schulte says. “Our bordering states, we’re very similar with the red categories but overall, I think we’re right in the middle.”

This is the 13th year for the report, called: “How Do You Measure Up? A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality.” See the full report for Iowa and any other state at the website of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: www.acscan.org

(Radio Iowa)

A conservative Christian organization that hosted 10 Republican presidential candidates last month at an event in Ames is turning a new lobbying effort toward Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. Bob Vander Plaats, President and C-E-O of The Family Leader, says “To encourage Governor Branstad to defund Planned Parenthood and, if anything, he needs to launch an investigation of Planned Parenthood and be willing to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law when it’s proved that there’s wrongdoing.”

Vander Plaats ran against Branstad in 2010 in the Republican Primary and Vander Plaats points to a statement Branstad made during a primary debate. Branstad said five years ago that state taxpayer funding “for groups like Planned Parenthood” should end. Vander Plaats says “I think Governor Branstad should follow Governor Jindal’s lead in Louisiana, defund (Planned Parenthood) immediately, investigate and prosecute.”

No state or federal tax dollars are being spent on abortions performed at Planned Parenthood, but the organization does get government funding for reproductive health exams, sexually-transmitted disease tests and birth control for low-income patients. Renewed efforts to end taxpayer funding of those Planned Parenthood services comes after an anti-abortion group released undercover videos and has accused Planned Parenthood of profiting from the sale of fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood denies the charge.

The Family Leader has started an on-line petition drive, plus Vander Plaats and others are planning a rally at the statehouse on August 15th to protest those videos.
“We’re going to stand up for the sanctity of human life,” Vander Plaats says, “and hopefully we end the subsidies to such a dark organization.” A spokesman for Governor Branstad says the governor is “appalled” by the undercover videos and has directed officials in the Iowa Department of Public Health to ensure the state’s “Family Planning Block Grant…does not and will not ever fund abortions or operations related to abortion procedures.”

Planned Parenthood’s national president says the American people have “zero appetite” for political efforts to “deny health care, including birth control,” to millions of American women. According to the 2014 annual report from Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, nearly half of its patients were getting birth control. Abortion accounted for two percent of patient services.

(Radio Iowa)