City officials in Exira say crews are continuing with repair work on a water leak that was reported this past week, and which resulted in residents being asked to conserve water. The leak is being repaired but residents are still being asked to conserve water through this weekend, as the repairs are in progress. They hope that repairs will be completed by Monday.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — A woman has been sentenced to 10 years of probation for stealing around $160,000 while working as bookkeeper for Ottumwa Christian School. The Ottumwa Courier reports that 42-year-old Joni Stinson also was ordered to pay restitution and was given a suspended prison sentence of 10 years at her sentencing Thursday in Ottumwa. A restitution hearing is scheduled for April 23.

Court records show Stinson pleaded guilty to theft, after prosecutors dropped three related charges. In court Stinson apologized to her former colleagues and acknowledged that she’d embarrassed her family and betrayed her friends.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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SPENCER, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say some student spectators at a predominantly white school in northwest Iowa greeted a visiting rival boys’ basketball team with racist chants. The chants and slogans at the Jan. 19 game at Spencer High School included some fans yelling that the Storm Lake players should “go back where you came from.” Other students chanted, “USA.”

The school superintendents say the Storm Lake district has 2,400 students, and 84 percent are non-Caucasian. The Spencer district has 1,900 students and is predominantly white. Spencer Superintendent Terry Hemann told The Des Moines Register that administrators have disciplined the Spencer students involved, but he declined to provide details. A similar situation occurred during a football game last October between the rival schools.

Creston Police continue to compile reports about damage caused to residences by someone throwing a rock. Authorities said today (Friday), that at around 12:40-p.m. on January 13th, a woman residing in the 600 block of N. Birch Street reported to police the someone threw a rock through her window. The damage was estimated at $100. The incident was the latest in a string of vandalism by rock reports Creston Police have received. No arrests have been made.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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DUNLAP, Iowa (AP) — Officials pulled a man’s body from a Harrison County sand pit, Thursday, hours after the dump truck he was driving fell into water in the pit. Omaha, Nebraska, television station KETV reports that authorities and rescue workers were called Thursday morning to Hallett Materials in Harrison County just south of Dunlap for reports of a missing truck and driver. Sometime later, crews discovered the truck submerged in the sand pit under ice and water.

The driver was trapped inside the truck, where he died. His body was recovered Thursday afternoon. Officials have not yet released the man’s name. Officials are conducting an investigation into what caused the accident. .

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were hurt during a collision between a two cars Thursday evening, south of Red Oak. Officials said a 2012 Ford Mustang, owned and driven by 31-year old Melissa Lynn Bond, of Red Oak, was traveling south on Highway 48 just before 6-p.m., and stopped at the intersection with 230th while waiting for cross traffic, so she could turn east onto 230th. A 1998 Buick LeSabre, owned and driven by 56-year old Donna Diann Franks, of Essex, was also southbound on Highway 48, but Franks didn’t notice Bond’s car was stopped on the roadway. Her Buick struck the Ford, causing a total of $9,000 damage.

Bond and her passenger, 55-year old Mark Kevin Cody, of Villisca, suffered possible/unknown injuries, and were transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, for treatment. Franks was cited for Failure to Stop in an Assured, Clear Distance. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Red Oak Police, Red Oak Fire and Rescue, and Eggleston Towing.

A Semi-tractor tanker accident occurred Thursday morning, in Montgomery County. The Sheriff’s Department says a 2016 Peterbilt semi-tractor pulling a liquid cargo tank trailer owned by Sudbeck Trucking, in Sheldon, was traveling on 110th Street just before 8-a.m. Thursday, when the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The semi entered the south ditch about three-quarters of a mile west of O Avenue, and crashed through a pasture fence. The driver, 58-year old Keith Faber, of Boyden, was not injured. Damage to the semi amounted to $4,500, while the fence sustained $600 damage. No citations were issued.

Wagering on “fantasy” sports teams would become legal in Iowa under legislation that’s cleared one statehouse hurdle, but it would only be legal if the organization hosting the fantasy gaming is licensed by the state to do so. John Cacciatore has been hired by DraftKings and FanDuel to lobby legislators.

“There are hundreds of thousands of Iowans today who play season-long fantasy sports with their friends and neighbors and co-workers, etc.,” he says. “Those same Iowans would like to also play daily fantasy sports which is basically in an online platform but that’s not allowed because, technically, fantasy sports is illegal in Iowa.”

The bill that cleared a five-member House subcommittee Thursday would allow the state’s casinos to take wagers on fantasy sports teams. Businesses like FanDuel and DraftKings would have to apply for a state license, pay state taxes and be subject to oversight from state gambling regulators. Reverend Brian Carter is lobbying against the bill on behalf of the United Methodist Church. He says gambling “fosters greed” and puts faith in chance.

“We would rather support Iowa values of education, hard work and perseverance,” Carter says. “Gambling is a menace to personal character and social morality.”

A lobbyist for the 19 state-licensed casinos says DraftKings and FanDuel ultimately aim to “morph” into online sports betting sites. He points to what happened last weekend as one site allowed “fantasy” teams to be assembled from N-F-L playoff game rosters — and he says the other site plans to offer fantasy sports betting on the Super Bowl.

(Radio Iowa)