IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge has ruled that the University of Iowa must pay nearly $21.5 million, plus interest, to a plumbing contractor for work done on the new Hancher Auditorium and university’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Television station KCRG reports that the Johnson County District judge made the decision this week after the Iowa Board of Regents sought to have an arbitrator’s decision favoring Modern Piping Inc., of Cedar Rapids, overturned. The university was also ordered to pay arbitration and court costs.

The children’s hospital project was originally estimated to cost $270.8 million, but ended up costing more than $360 million and was delayed by months. Modern Piping sued, saying it incurred substantial expenses because of miscommunication, budget overruns and design changes.

The nursing team at Atlantic Medical Center recently held a special food drive to help out kids in the Atlantic community. The nursing team collected a number of goods, which were given to the Atlantic Community School District, to help with the backpack program. The backpack program provides non-perishable foods to students in need to take home over the weekend.

Shown in the photo are, left to right, Wendy Hunter-Williams, Trisha Cook, Tina Killian, Cecilia Schuler, and Katie Ladehoff. (Photo submitted)

NEW YORK (AP) — The political network created by the billionaire Koch brothers announced plans to support eight House Republicans on Thursday, pledging financial resources and activists to help re-elect several vulnerable congressmen deemed “principled” conservatives. The first wave of endorsements includes a handful of sometime-critics of President Donald Trump, particularly on immigration and spending.

The announcement comes a month after Trump assailed the Koch brothers as “a total joke in real Republican circles.” Days earlier, network patriarch Charles Koch had condemned the increased government spending under the Republican president’s leadership and Trump’s push for import tariffs.

Despite the clash with the White House, the Koch network remains one of the most powerful political organizations in the country. The sprawling organization is on pace to spend as much as $400 million on politics and policy ahead of November’s election. And its coalition of trained activists across 36 states has no rival.

The candidates backed by the network’s political arm, Americans for Prosperity, include eight men from seven states: Reps. Rod Blum and David Young of Iowa, Dave Brat of Virginia, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Steve Chabot of Ohio, Will Hurd of Texas, Erik Paulsen of Minnesota and Peter Roskam of Illinois.

For each of the candidates, Americans for Prosperity “will fully activate its grass-roots infrastructure through phone banks and neighborhood canvassing, as well as deploy targeted digital, mail and radio advertising,” according to a statement. All but one of the endorsed candidates supported efforts to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law, including the popular provision that required insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions.

All of them voted for the sweeping tax cuts and the GOP plan to ease banking regulations put in place after the 2007 financial collapse. Most supported the White House-backed $1.3 trillion spending bill Congress adopted earlier in the year over the Koch network’s objections. The opponents included three people on the endorsement list: Freedom Caucus members Blum, Brat and Budd.

Some of the group also oppose Trump’s immigration policies. The Koch network favors a more forgiving immigration policy in line with much of the business wing of the GOP.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans it is very important to use insect repellent to protect against mosquito bites, especially if spending extra time outdoors over the long Labor Day weekend. West Nile virus is transmitted through mosquitoes.

“Our West Nile virus numbers are increasing significantly,” said IDPH Deputy State Epidemiologist, Dr. Ann Garvey. There are currently 18 confirmed cases of West Nile virus in Iowa and 16 are under investigation. There have been two deaths attributed to West Nile virus this season.

The best way to prevent West Nile virus is to eliminate mosquito breeding areas and to use insect repellent when outdoors. Iowans should take the following steps to reduce the risk of exposure to West Nile virus:

• Use insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Always read the repellent label and consult with a health care provider if you have questions when using these types of products for children. For example, DEET should not be used on infants less than 2 months old and oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under 3 years old.
• Avoid outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, shoes, and socks whenever possible outdoors.
• Eliminate standing water around the home because that’s where mosquitoes lay eggs. Empty water from buckets, cans, pool covers and pet water dishes. Change water in bird baths every three to four days.

About 20 percent of people infected with West Nile virus will have mild to moderate symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches and vomiting. Less than one percent of people infected become seriously ill and rarely, someone dies.

Since West Nile first appeared in Iowa in 2002, it has been found in every county in Iowa, either in humans, horses, or birds. In 2017, 12 Iowans were diagnosed with West Nile virus and two Iowans died.

For more information about West Nile virus, visit https://www.idph.iowa.gov/cade/vectorborne-illness.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports one-person died following a single-vehicle accident Wednesday afternoon, about six-miles northwest of Greenfield. The Adair County Communications Center received a cellular 911 call reporting a vehicle on its top in the 2000 block of Lewis Avenue, in Adair County.

The caller reported that someone was still inside of the vehicle and was unsure as to the extent of his/her injuries.  The Greenfield Fire Department, Adair County Ambulance and the Adair County Sheriff were dispatched to the scene. Upon their arrival, first responders found 60 year-old John William Schmeling of Casey, severely injured. Schmeling was extricated from the vehicle and was being transported to meet with a medical helicopter when he died.

The preliminary investigation reveals that Schmeling lost control of his 2006 Ford F-150 on the gravel road before it rolled and came to rest on its top.  The investigation is ongoing. The Iowa State Patrol and the Adair County Medical Examiner assisted with the investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa-based MidAmerican Energy Co. has filed a plan that it says will help protect bald eagles and four bat species at the company’s wind farms. The company says in a news release that the habitat conservation plan filed Thursday with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reflects four years of research. The plan aims to help protect the bats by modifying nighttime turbine operations during certain months and making additional operational changes at wind farms with signs of higher bat activity.

The plan also proposes measures to reduce impacts on bald eagles, including educating nearby landowners about removing animal remains that may attract eagles. The company is seeking a 30-year federal permit to allow for an average of 10 turbine-related eagle deaths per year across its Iowa service territory.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Seven higher education institutions in the Quad-City area are collaborating in a recruitment campaign. The Quad-City Times reports that the “QC Colleges: Raising the QC by 4,171 degrees” campaign was announced Wednesday in Davenport. The initiative will be presented in partnership with “Q2030,” a community-development initiative for the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce.
Some of the initiative partners include Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Augustana College, St. Ambrose University, and Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences.

Augustana President Steven Bahls says the initiative aims to attract more local students who attend to stay in the Quad-Cities area. Q2030 Director Greg Aguilar says current Quad-City college and university students come from all 50 states and 61 countries, “from Australia to Zimbabwe.”

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA – The Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has voted to endorse and support the Council Bluffs Community Schools school bond issue to renovate and upgrade Kirn and Wilson Middle Schools. Denise McNitt, Chair of the Chamber’s Board, said “Our board believes that supporting our children and schools is one of the best investments we can make. When families are searching for a home, one of the top considerations they take into account is the quality of the community schools and we need to make sure our educational product is top-notch. We have seen the positive impact of the improvements made to all of the other school buildings in Council Bluffs and it is time to complete the two middle schools.”

McNitt noted that the $37 million bond issue will cost an average household about .10 cents a day and in the process, increase residential property value. “When the construction is complete and the schools are modernized to accommodate today’s learning and safety standards, the result should increase homeowner equity and value,” McNitt said. “In the long-run, homeowners should view bond election as an opportunity investment in their own property value.” The Chamber encourages all registered voters to go to the polls on Tuesday, September 11 and cast a ‘yes’ vote in support. Polling sites are open 7AM – 8PM and are located at:

• Carter Lake City Hall, 950 Locust Street, Carter Lake
• Crescent Elementary School, 401 East Welch, Crescent
• Epworth United Methodist Church, 2447 Avenue B, Council Bluffs
• Broadway United Methodist Church, 11 South 1st Street, Council Bluffs
• Bethany Presbyterian Church, 1900 South 7th Street, Council Bluffs
• Queen of Apostles Church, 3304 4th Avenue, Council Bluffs

A man from California was arrested Wednesday afternoon in western Iowa on an attempted murder charge. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker told KJAN News 27-year old Edgard Castillo, of Vallejo, CA., was arrested at a weigh station off westbound interstate 80 at around 2:10-p.m., following an incident that occurred earlier at a car wash just south of I-80, on the north side of Walnut. Danker says two men came into the Econolodge in Walnut asking for help, after one of the men, 22-year old Gustavo Cervantes-Romero, of Vallejo, CA had been stabbed 11 times, in both the chest and the back. (click on the left of the audio bar to listen)

Danker says after they grabbed some food at a convenience store, they went across the street to a car wash parking lot.

Romero was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, and then flown to an Omaha hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. The suspect (Castillo) took off and traveled west on I-80 before pulling off at the weigh station near mile marker 44, where he attempted to hide his vehicle among the semi’s parked there.

The third individual, Manuel Ortega, of Vallejo, CA, was charged with offenses unrelated to the stabbing. Castillo had warrants out of California for being a Fugitive From Justice.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man suffered severe burns during a fire in a Council Bluffs apartment. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Council Bluffs police and firefighters were dispatched around 10:20 a.m. Wednesday. They found the injured man outside his home, and he was taken a hospital in nearby Omaha, Nebraska. His name hasn’t been released.

Acting Assistant Fire Chief Mike Godbout says investigators suspect the fire resulted from a cooking accident. The apartment sustained minor damage.