Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields is the new Miss America. Shields topped a field of 52 contestants to win the crown and the title of Miss America 2017 Sunday night in Atlantic City. She succeeds the outgoing Miss America Betty Cantrell.

The pageant from Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall included contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Miss Iowa Kelly Koch, from Waukee, made to the final 15 selection, but failed to advance closer to the crown.

The pageant began in Atlantic City in 1921 as a way to extend the summer tourist season beyond Labor Day weekend.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say 20-year-old man pulled from Iowa River was a student at the University of Northern Iowa. The Johnson County Sheriff’s office says Nathan Twedt’s body was pulled from the river in Iowa City on Saturday evening. Investigators are still trying to determine the circumstances of his death.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has transferred 800 sex offenders to Newton Correctional Facility, which will provide treatment for them. Prison officials say it will help to house sex offenders in a more-secure facility. Previously, the offenders were housed in a dormitory-style prison that made it hard to respond to problems with inmates.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dubuque agrees to $54,500 settlement with worker who injured shoulder after falling off a tractor. Worker needed shoulder replacement surgery after the injury in 2012.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — For Thad Lents of Marshalltown, Pepsi is more than a refreshing soft drink – it’s a lifestyle, a passion and his livelihood. From his days working at Econofoods store as a teenager, to climbing the corporate ladder at the Pepsi Company, Lents has stockpiled a collection of Pepsi memorabilia in excess of 5,000 pieces.

One person was arrested following a traffic stop early this (Sunday) morning, in Red Oak. Red Oak Police say 28-year old Jack Edward O’Brien, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 4:30-a.m., for OWI/1st offense. O’Brien was brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, and held on a $1,000 cash bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:40 a.m. CDT

VILLISCA, Iowa (KJAN) — A 26-year old man from Villisca died late Saturday night when the vehicle he was driving was struck by a train in Villisca. Authorities say Bradley Lee Dumler died at the scene, when his vehicle was hit as it sat on 7th Avenue between the railroad crossing arms, and was hit by an eastbound BNSF train. An investigation revealed the crossing arms and all other markers were in working order prior to, and after, the crash.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — C.J. Beathard threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns and 16th-ranked Iowa throttled Iowa State 42-3 on Saturday night, its biggest win over the rival Cyclones in 18 seasons under coach Kirk Ferentz. LeShun Daniels rushed for 112 yards and a TD to help the Hawkeyes (2-0) beat Iowa State in consecutive seasons for the first time in six years.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Clinton’s campaign believes the path to the presidency will rely heavily on volunteers making contact with individual voters. Donald Trump is bringing new staff on and hoping to make up for lost time. The biggest unknown in the 2016 contest is how voter turnout will be affected by the unusual combination of high interest in the election and low approval for both candidates.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The owner of a crumbling Dubuque landmark says a developer has offered to buy the 120-year-old building and transform it into apartments. But a representative of the developer says a litany of contingencies must be met before the deal is done, and a new engineering report says it’s too late to salvage some parts of the building. The Telegraph Herald cites an engineering report that found a portion of the former Dubuque Malting and Brewing building cannot be salvaged.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — A former Marshalltown prosecutor has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and trespassing charges following his arrest in late August for stealing underwear from a co-worker. Ben Stansberry entered the pleas Friday and will pay more than $200 in fines and court costs. Stansberry resigned from his job in the Marshall County Attorney’s Office in August after his arrest and has also submitted his resignation from the local school board.

Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman reports one person was killed during a collision late Saturday night between a train and a vehicle, in Villisca. Authorities received a call from Burlington Northern – Sante Fe train dispatch at around 11:24-p.m., that a train vs. vehicle accident had occurred in the area of the train crossing on 7th Ave in Villisca.

Villisca Fire & Rescue and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene and found a single vehicle had been struck by a train accident east of the 7th Ave train crossing in Villisca.  The driver of the vehicle, 26-year old Bradley Lee Dumler, of Villisca, was dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.

An investigation determined the vehicle was stopped in the middle of the crossing between the rail arms prior to being hit by the eastbound train. All railway markers, lights and stop arms were in working order and inspected after the accident and continued to show in working order.

Villisca Fire & Rescue, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Emergency Management and Burlington Northern Santa Fe assisted at the scene.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The sashes have been steamed, the hair teased and the routines polished. Now, it’s up to the 52 contestants in the Miss America pageant to win the crown tonight (Sunday night) in Atlantic City and become Miss America 2017.

The nationally televised finale will be held in Boardwalk Hall (beginning at 8-p.m. Central Time on ABC). It includes contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. One of them will have their lives changed forever, and receive a $50,000 scholarship.

Miss Iowa, Kelly Koch

Representing Iowa for a chance at the crown and title, is 20-year old Kelly Koch (last name sounds like “Cook”), from Waukee. Koch is a junior at ISU, majoring in child, adult and family services. In June, she was crowned “Miss Iowa.” No contestant from Iowa has ever won the national Miss American title, although two Miss Iowa’s have been named First Runner-up’s.

A motorcycle accident Saturday morning in Polk County has claimed the life of a Clarke County man. The Iowa State Patrol reports 20-year old Vyacheslav Zinchenko, of Osceola, died at scene of the crash that took place at around 7:30-a.m. Officials say the 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle he was riding southbound on Highway 65 near Altoona, went from the right lane across the traveled portion of the road and struck a guard rail. Zinchenko was ejected from the cycle and landed in the median.

The cycle bounced off the guardrail and traveled across the road to the west and came to rest near the west bridge wall.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The pilot killed in a south-central Iowa plane crash has been identified as the owner of a West Des Moines construction company. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that 42-year-old Scott Wolfswinkel died when the small plane he was piloting went down in northwestern Lucas County as he returned from a business meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. Wolfswinkel, who owned Wolf Construction and was the father of four, was alone in the plane.

The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office said the wreckage was found around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday after air traffic controllers reported losing radar contact with it. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

Hamilton’s Funeral Home says a memorial service will be held Tuesday at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines.

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) — Officials say all the hogs packed into a trailer were killed in a rollover crash north of Sibley on Iowa Highway 9. The Osceola County Sheriff tells the Sioux City Journal that the crash happened Tuesday when the semi’s 26-year-old driver swerved to try to avoid a cow in the road. The semi tipped, landing partially in a ditch. The driver was taken to a local hospital with injuries.

Officials say all the pigs were killed — a loss estimated at $30,000. The semi and trailer, estimated at $145,000, were destroyed. Deputies say the cow, owned by a Sibley farmer, also was killed.

A public hearing is set to take place this Tuesday evening (Sept. 13th) in Atlantic, with regard to proposed changes to the City’s current Zoning Ordinance. The Planning and Zoning Commission meeting and public hearing begins at 5:30-p.m. in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. Following the hearing, the Commission is expected to act on approving the Ordinance changes.

City Administrator John Lund says the last major update to the Zoning Ordinance happened 21-years ago, on June 7th, 1995. In the updated Ordinance, four new chapters have been added: Wireless Communication Facilities, Solar Energy Systems, Wind Energy Systems and Landscaping and Screening Standards. Lund says those four chapters represent the biggest developments in zoning issues since the Ordinance was last updated.

Definitions were also greatly expanded he says, to provide a solid footing in which to execute and enforce our regulations with transparency. Where ambiguity exists, there are openings for selective administrative application. Four new sections were also added: Compliance with State and Federal Regulations; Severability Provision; Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan; and Publication. A time limit on the effectiveness of building permits was placed in the Ordinance, “To prevent semi-completed construction projects for existing in perpetuity,” according to Lund.

Among the changes, in Article 1 “General Provisions,” a time limit was placed on the effectiveness of building permits to prevent semi-completed construction projects for existing in perpetuity.

In Article 4, “R-1 Residential/Agriculture/Open Space,” the two biggest changes to the agricultural zone was the expansion on regulations for commercial feedlots and an elimination of setbacks and lot size. Another minor change was the removal of the words “non-commercial” regarding allowed stables as an accessory use. Single family homes are now a specified permitted use. Single family homes are now a specified permitted use.

In Article 6, the “R-3 High Density Single Family Residential District,” ordinance proposes setbacks for the district be variable, pending a conditional use permit by the Board of Adjustment. Also, the street side yard was reduced from 25 feet to 14 feet for corner lots.

A portion of Article 18 pertaining to “Non-conforming Uses” was stricken and replaced, because Lund says he recently found two instances where the existing ordinance prevents interested buyers in a property from securing a mortgage or insurance. In the final draft of this document, that section has been removed. It was replaced by a section saying “Residential properties in industrial zones shall not be considered nonconforming uses and may be completely rebuilt if destroyed.”

Article 21, which pertains to Signs has been changed to remove section limiting the time in which political signs can be posted had been stuck. Lund says in 1994, the Supreme Court ruled such ordinances were unconstitutional. In reviewing other cases and precedent, Lund “Outside of outright pornography, it appears cities have very little power to control the actual content of signage.”

In Article 23 of the proposed ordinance, (Exceptions and Modifications) the only change was to expand exceptions for  R-3 district to make them more flexible for existing homes. The Article now says “In the R-3 zone, expansion may be allowed on buildings and structures not in conformance to the yard requirements and setbacks, provided a written and signed document is provided by the building permit applicant from the affected abutting property owner.”

*****************************************

A PDF of Lund’s Executive Summary of the changes can be downloaded here:

Executive Summary of Changes to the Zoning Ordinance

You can download a copy of the final Zoning Ordinance Draft (PDF form) here :

FINAL ZONING ORDINANCE DRAFT 09-08-2016