DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Des Moines school district wants the Iowa Supreme Court to review a judge’s ruling that allows a former superintendent’s lawsuit to proceed. Judge Glenn Pille ruled last month that emails sent and received by former superintendent Nancy Sebring through her district-issued email account and electronics should have remained confidential.

Her invasion-of-privacy lawsuit argues that the emails were personal and not subject to the state’s open records laws. Des Moines Public Schools says the emails were public records. The case is scheduled to go to trial in November. The Des Moines Register says the school district is arguing that Pille’s ruling could have a “chilling effect” on the release of public records.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Authorities in Montgomery County say two Red Oak men were arrested Wednesday, on drug charges.The Sheriff’s Office says Charlie Daniel Brooms and Dustin Lee Doyen were taken into custody at around 11:30-a.m.

Brooms was charged with two-counts of delivery of marijuana, while Doyen faces one count of delivery of marijuana.Both men were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 cash bond, each.

Firefighters in Montgomery County had a very busy day, Wednesday. Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman reports firefighters from Stanton were finishing up with a previous field fire at around 2-p.m., when they noticed heavy smoke south of Stanton. A crew from Stanton responded to investigate the area and found a large fire in a field in the area of 110th Street and M Avenue, in Page County.

Photos courtesy Brian Hamman, Montgomery Co. EMA.

Fire crews from Essex, Red Oak, and Villisca assisted on the scene for several hours. Multiple tractors with discs also aided with controlling the fire. While this was ongoing, a rekindle of a previous fire west of Stanton occurred and a second crew from Red Oak and Stanton were able to control the fire in a short amount of time. The cause of this fire appears to have been from previous burn pile that was reignited by strong winds.

Earlier in the day, the Villisca Fire Department was paged to a small waterway on fire around 8:30-a.m., and another fire around 11-a.m., in Villisca. Stanton was paged almost simultaneously to two separate field/ditch fires around 11:30-a.m. The first was a half mile south of Stanton on O Ave and the second fire was west of Stanton on the train tracks around 220th Street and M Ave. Fire crews from Red Oak and Villisca Fire assisted Stanton Fire on both fires, using with grass trucks and tankers.

Although most of fires were unintentionally set, some were from old burns that had taken place or others were set and left. Red Flag conditions were in effect Wednesday. When that type of warning is in-place, no one should conduct any outdoor burning, at any time.

There were also reports of field fires in Shelby County, and near the Lake Anita Dam in Cass County, Wednesday afternoon.

A House committee has advanced a bill that supporters say could be the vehicle used to ratify a deal that would end greyhound racing in Iowa. Representative Guy Vander Linden, a Republican from Oskaloosa, was one of 23 members of the House Ways and Means Committee to vote for a bill that will be altered later with the details of whatever deal is struck. “It is the intent of the General Assmebly to enact legislation relating to live dog racing requirements at parimutuel dog race tracks,” Vander Linden said.

Representative Todd Pritchard, a Democrat from Charles City, says officials from the greyhound industry and the casinos in Council Bluffs and Dubuque where dogs race today have been negotiating for a couple of weeks. “It’s my understanding that the parties are close to an agreement, if not having an agreement and they’re finalizing that,” Pritchard says. “I would hope that process continues and we have an acceptable agreement.”

The casinos say they’re sinking 13-million dollars a year into subsidizing greyhound races that few patrons bet on or watch. Legislators anticipate a deal between the greyhound industry and the two casinos that would have the casinos pay a “cessation fee” and pay into a multi-million dollar “retirement fund” for greyhound owners and breeders in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — Wapello County officials have agreed to make repairs to the 120-year-old courthouse. The Ottumwa Courier reports the Wapello County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night approved spending $139,000 on repairs and maintenance for the courthouse, built in 1894. The work will be done by Karr Tuckpointing of Vinton.

ACKLEY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa inspectors have cited a care center after incidents in which residents weren’t properly supervised. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports state inspectors cited the Presbyterian Village in Ackley. In one, a resident with dementia left the home during the early hours of February 4th and was found outside later with a 78.3 degree temperature. In another incident, residents with Alzheimer’s engaged in sex.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Iowa City say a man accused of dropping his pants in front of two women blamed a faulty belt. Iowa City police tell the Press-Citizen say 51-year-old Vincent Vogelsang approached two women Tuesday afternoon and dropped his pants. He is also accused of making lewd and sexual gestures toward them.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man has been charged in federal court with murder in connection to a fatal stabbing on the Meskwaki Settlement in central Iowa. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for northern Iowa says 20-year-old Jonathan Youngbear made an appearance yesterday in Cedar Rapids federal court. He was held without bond. Youngbear was arrested in February.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State University’s president has halted a popular annual celebration after a rowdy crowd caused damage near the school that hurt one student and led to the arrest of two people. University President Steven Leath said at a news conference that Veishea, an annual multi-day celebration on campus, would be canceled after 5 p.m. Wednesday. Officials have not decided whether to hold it again in future years.

The university says one student was seriously injured after a crowd disturbance near the campus late Tuesday, in which people overturned cars and threw rocks at officers. Police Cmdr. Geoff Huff says people knocked down two light poles, striking the student who was badly hurt. The school has not identified the student.

Police told The Associated Press that the crowd dispersed early Wednesday.

Police in Atlantic say no injuries were reported following a collision late Tuesday morning at the intersection of Highway 6 and 22nd Street. Authorities say a vehicle driven by Mark Darrow, of Merriam Woods, MO., was preparing to turn onto 22nd Street off of southbound Highway 6, and had stopped to wait for traffic to pass before making the turn.

A vehicle driven by Thomas Dahl, of Dexter, was also traveling south on Highway 6, and failed to stop in time before rear-ending the Woods vehicle. The accident happened at around 11:15-a.m. Damage from the collision amounted to $6,500. Dalh was cited for Failure to Maintain Control and/or reduce Speed.

Officials with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency have moved the county’s “Fire Danger” Index to “HIGH” until further notice. Dry and windy weather conditions prompted the change. All open burning is prohibited in Shelby County until the danger of rapidly spreading grass and field fires is reduced.