ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — An outdoor equipment maker plans to start work this fall on expanding its distribution center in a Des Moines suburb. The Des Moines Register reports that the Toro Co. says the $11 million expansion at its Ankeny distribution center will let it increase the amount of equipment the facility can handle.

The Ankeny City Council on Tuesday agreed to provide Toro with more than $1 million in financial assistance. The project will create at least three new jobs at the facility. Toro expects to complete construction next year.

Red Oak Police report 57-year old Tony Joe Christensen, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 5:40-p.m. Wednesday. Christensen was taken into custody in the 1500 block of Broadway Street, for Public Intoxication. His bond at the Montgomery County Jail, was set at $300.

Firefighters from Marne, Atlantic, Lewis and Hancock were called to assist with a structure fire in rural Walnut, at around 4:30-a.m. today (Thursday). The blaze, which was reported by passing motorists, occurred  at 50507 Sumac Road. According to dispatch reports, a barn was fully engulfed in flames and had collapsed by 5-a.m., and the flames were near some other structures. Fire crews saved two adjacent structures, but the barn was a total loss. A cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:30 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — More details are emerging about the suspect in the killing of an Iowa college student. The Mexican man was known for years on the dairy farm where he worked by an alias: John Budd. Yarrabee Farms faces questions about whether its managers had any idea that Cristhian Bahena Rivera was in the country illegally before Mollie Tibbetts was killed. The alias was confirmed by three people with knowledge of Rivera’s employment history. They spoke on condition of anonymity.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three Des Moines police officers and the city have been sued in federal court for violating the constitutional rights of a man who says he was filming from the sidewalk cars parked illegally at the police station. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Daniel Robbins, who is identified as a Des Moines independent photojournalist.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Officials in Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas are preparing for flooding as the National Weather Service adjusted predictions of when the Cedar River there will crest. The service now says the river will crest Sunday afternoon at 17.5 feet (5.33 meters) _ 5.5 feet (1.68 meters) above flood stage. In the Cedar Rapids suburb of Palo, officials have opened a sandbagging station for public use. City employees also were placing sandbags around parts of the city’s wastewater facility.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lawyer fighting a discrimination lawsuit against Iowa officials is withdrawing from the case. George LaMarca has billed Iowa taxpayers nearly $1 million to fight the case filed by former state official Chris Godfrey against Gov. Kim Reynolds and former Gov. Terry Branstad. Godfrey accuses Reynolds and Branstad of discrimination based on sexual orientation. The 73-year-old LaMarca says poor health is forcing him to retire. Judge Brad McCall accepted LaMarca’s withdrawal Wednesday.

A collision in Atlantic Wednesday night between a Chevy Suburban and a man on a bicycle resulted in the death of an local man. 21-year old Rudy Moses, of Atlantic, died from his injuries at the Cass County Memorial Hospital. Moses was traveling northbound on Locust when he was struck in the middle of the intersection with 6th Street by the SUV driven by 21-year old Kayla Kay Elliott, of Atlantic.

The accident, which happened at around 9-p.m., remains under investigation. Assisting at the scene was the Atlantic P-D, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies, Atlantic Fire and Rescue, and Medivac Ambulance.

A person on a bicycle was struck by a vehicle Wednesday night, in Atlantic. The accident happened near 6th and Locust at around 9-p.m. The bicyclist was transported in serious condition to the Cass County Memorial Hospital. Additional information was not immediately available.

Atlantic Police, Medivac Ambulance and Atlantic Fire and Rescue responded to the scene. The accident remained under investigation as of 9:20-p.m. Additional details are expected Thursday.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, tabled action on the first reading of an amended Ordinance affecting the speed limit on a section of Sunnyside Lane. There is a 25-mile per hour speed limit currently posted from 10^th Street to 2,000-feet south of 10^th. The remaining 1,700-foot stretch of road is unregulated, which was an oversight in planning, or was left as is for reasons unknown, according to City Administrator John Lund. If someone was speeding along that part of Sunnyside, a ticket would be essentially unenforceable because there is no posted speed limit.

The amendment would change the entire length of Sunnyside from 10^th to 22^nd Street to 25-miles per hour, which Councilman Gerald Brink said is not necessary. Brink was adamant that the unregulated section should be 35-mph instead of 25 because there are very few houses in that area and even less pedestrian traffic. Brink said the traffic on that section of Sunnyside is averaging about 40-miles per hour. Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson said the regulated section is 25-mph because it runs by the pool and there are hidden driveways along that stretch of road. Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm explained how speed limits are set. He said speeds are generally set by an 85^th-percentile speed study. Whatever 85-percent of the vehicles travel at or below is where the limits are set. He said from what he knows about that road, the terrain is not likely to dictate what the limit should be. He said a study could be conducted, but that it really isn’t warranted, considering the length of the road in question.

Councilperson Ashley Hayes was in favor of the 25-mph for the entire road to 22^nd Street. She said coming from the south to the north, there’s not enough time to drop from 35-to 25 without it being considered a speed-trap. Hayes said she’s seen countless drivers slam on their brakes when they hit the 25-mph zone, because there is no speed limit coming from 22^nd Street. She said she doesn’t like the idea of having a partial speed-limit on the section of same street in question. A motion to approve the Amended Ordinance on the first reading failed by a vote of 5-to-2, with only Councilpersons Hayes and Jimerson voting in favor. The matter now “goes back to the drawing board,” according to Mayor Jones.

In other business, Mayor Dave Jone said the Council would set the date for Halloween as October 31^st during their next meeting. And, he wanted the public to know the Council will be discussing a raising of the sewer rates. He said people keep mowing their grass clippings into the streets which clogs up the sewers. “They don’t want to listen to us we might have to look at [stricter enforcement] or rate increases.” Councilman Chris Jimerson added, that grass clippings blown out into the street, make it very dangerous for motorcycles, especially when the grass is wet.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three Des Moines police officers and the city have been sued in federal court for violating the constitutional rights of a man who says he was filming from the sidewalk cars parked illegally at the police station. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Daniel Robbins, who is identified as a Des Moines independent photojournalist.

He claims three officers violated his First Amendment right to be free from retaliation and false arrest. He accuses the city of failing to properly train officers. Robbins says the officers accused him of suspicious behavior, patted him down and took his cell phone and camera to search them. He was not charged and was eventually let go.

Robbins’ attorney Gary Dickey says citizens have a constitutional right to film the police from public sidewalks as long as they don’t interfere with official acts.
A police department spokesman says officers investigated when a civilian female city employee reported Robbins as suspicious when it appeared he was videotaping her getting into her car.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Mexican man charged with killing an Iowa college student was known for years on the dairy farm where he worked by another name: John Budd. Yarrabee Farms is facing scrutiny over whether its managers had any idea that Cristhian Bahena Rivera was in the country illegally before the slaying of Mollie Tibbetts.

The name under which Rivera worked for the last four years was confirmed by three people with knowledge of his employment history who spoke on condition of anonymity. The company declined to confirm or deny the alias. An immigration lawyer advising the farms says companies cannot discriminate against workers based on how their names sound.

Farm officials say Rivera presented an out-of-state photo identification and a Social Security number when he was hired in 2014.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have charged two people with first-degree murder in the death of a Des Moines man whose body was found by officers in the back of a vehicle earlier this summer. Television station KCCI reports that 50-year-old Jeffery Lee Stendrup, of Clive, and 24-year-old Jaycie Sheeder, of Coon Rapids, were charged Wednesday in the death of 36-year-old Jeremy McDowell.

McDowell was found dead June 22 in Newton the back of a vehicle Sheeder had been driving. Sheeder had called police that day to say McDowell had been assaulted and needed medical attention. She drove to Newton to meet police, who found McDowell dead in her back seat.

Authorities believe Stendrup suspected McDowell of stealing items from him and beat McDowell with a baseball bat in an effort to get the items back.