(Radio Iowa) — More than 11-hundred school board members from across Iowa are gathering in Des Moines today (Wednesday) for the 74th annual Iowa Association of School Boards Convention. Spokeswoman Tammy Votava says there were more than 380 new school board members elected statewide on November 5th. “We’ve got really great programming planned for them at the convention,” Votava says. “We have new board member orientation workshops called ‘Thriving In Your First 90 Days.’ We have basic school finance workshops for them. We have a whole track for just new board members, so we’re ready for all of them to come.”

This year’s convention is focused on two primary issues. “One is mental health which is also one of our proposed priorities on our platform, so we have several sessions focused on mental health,” Votava says. “We have workshops on innovation and also Sir Ken Robinson, our leading keynote speaker, will be speaking a lot about innovation.”

Continuing with the focus on innovation, the second keynote speaker, Scott McLeod, will be presenting a talk called “Unleashing Innovation, How Should We Think About the Future.”  “We also have six school districts coming in for the Ignite Innovation Showcase,” Votava says. “It’s a new thing we’re going this year where attendees can go around to different stations and learn more about innovative programs from across the state.”

The convention is underway through Thursday at the Iowa Events Center. For more information, visit www.ia-sb.org.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A trial has been delayed until February for a Johnston day care operator charged after a child in her care died. Polk County court records show 48-year-old Trina Mazza has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment resulting in death and operating a day care without a license. Her trial was set to begin Dec. 2 but has been rescheduled to begin Feb. 3. She’s also asked the court to move her trial out of Polk County, citing pretrial publicity.

First responders were called to Mazza’s home day care on Feb. 15 because of an unresponsive child who later died at a hospital. Mazza’s attorney has said the child’s death was “a tragic home accident.” Authorities say Mazza received notices in 2011 and 2017 from the Iowa Department of Human Services after complaints that she had more than five children present without a state license.

(Radio Iowa) — Fire forced the evacuation of residents from the La Vista Apartments in Fort Dodge last night (Tuesday). Fort Dodge Fire Department Chief Steve Hergenreter said the fire was started in a second floor apartment by a child playing with a lighter. There was heavy fire damage to the second and third floor apartments with smoke and heat damage throughout the rest of the building. Red Cross volunteers were assisting the residents of the apartment to find a place to stay for the next few days.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The family of Iowa Supreme Court Justice Mark Cady is holding a public memorial service to celebrate his life at Drake University in Des Moines, where Cady earned undergraduate and law degrees. Cady, of Fort Dodge, died unexpectedly Friday night of a heart attack in Des Moines. He was 66. The service is being held at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the university’s Knapp Center.

Gov. Kim Reynolds credits Cady with opening the courts to the public by holding sessions on the road and establishing specialty courts focused on helping businesses, those with drug addiction or family problems and improving the judiciary system technology. The Iowa Supreme Court will create the Chief Justice Mark S. Cady Learning Center on the first floor of the Judicial Branch Building in Des Moines that will serve as a feature for public and school tours. It will show the process of a case through Iowa’s court system, highlight Iowa’s civil rights history and demonstrate the importance of fair and impartial courts.