NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — Central Iowa law enforcement officials say a second arrest has been made in a home invasion robbery last year in which an 82-year-old woman who was sexually assaulted.

The Des Moines Register reports that 20-year-old Manuel Eduardo Balderas was arrested Thursday in Des Moines on a warrant charging him with sexual abuse, robbery, theft and willful injury. He was booked into the Story County Jail.

Police continue to search for another suspect, 18-year-old Jacob Jimenez. Police say Jimenez is the grandson of the elderly victim and that he led Balderas and a 17-year-old to the woman’s home last August. The three broke in, tied the woman up, beat her and sexually assaulted her. Police say the trio took about $1,000 worth of items from the home before going to burglarize the home of another one of Jimenez’s relatives.

The 17-year-old was arrested last month in Texas.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has denied a request by the attorney for former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to stop a civil trial in which Branstad is accused of discrimination against a gay former state worker’s compensation commissioner.

Branstad and two former staffers were sued by Christopher Godfrey, who was pressured to quit after Branstad took over as governor in 2010 and received a pay cut. Godfrey claims it was because he’s gay. Branstad denies he knew that Godfrey is gay.

An eight-person jury is hearing the case in Polk County District Court. Branstad attorney Frank Harty claims the trial judge is allowing Godfrey to put Branstad’s and the Iowa Republican Party’s “anti-gay” views on trial, violating their free-speech rights.

Supreme Court Justice Thomas Waterman on Friday denied the request to stop the trial.

NEWTON – The State Historical Society of Iowa and the nonprofit group Preservation Iowa presented the state’s highest awards for historic preservation Thursday, during the 2019 Preserve Iowa Summit in Newton. The State Historical Society, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, presented its annual Preservation Project of Merit Awards to historic properties in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Northwood and Waterloo.

The awards recognize projects that exemplify the best practices of historic preservation, meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings, and use the State Historic Preservation and Cultural and Entertainment District Tax Credit Program.

Among the winners were those located in:

Coon Rapids: Rural Preservation: Historic Garst Farm House – The Historic Garst Farm House, owned by Whiterock Conservancy, is a visible reminder of the agricultural innovations Roswell Garst introduced, which changed the course of farming in Iowa and the world. In 1959, during the height of the Cold War, Garst hosted Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at the Garst family farm. The visit not only helped open conversations about worldwide agricultural practices but also eased some of the tension of the Cold War. Under the guidance of RDG Planning & Design, the home was carefully restored to its 1959 condition.

Sioux City: Special Projects: Woodbury County Courthouse Website – The Woodbury Court House in Sioux City is one of the finest examples of Prairie Architecture in the United States. It is a National Landmark and listed on the National Register. To commemorate the building’s 100th anniversary, the Woodbury County Supervisors appointed a committee to plan a week-long celebration in order to encourage locals and out-of-towners to tour the property. The committee developed an eye-catching website that depicts not only the building’s beauty but also the rich architectural history of Prairie School buildings. The Courthouse Foundation funded the project.

Sioux City: Community Effort: Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District and Railroad Museum – The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District in Sioux City is a 30-acre site that contains surviving structures, foundations, buildings, and a rail yard from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad shops. The district is home to one of seven surviving roundhouse terminal landscapes in the nation. After being abandoned by the railroad in 1980, the district became a junkyard for farm equipment. Twenty-five years ago, there was little indication of the area’s historic significance, but the Siouxland Historic Railroad Association acquired the property in 1995 and began to celebrate the district’s long-ignored historical assets. During the past 10 years, more than 160,000 volunteer hours helped transform the district and implement many educational programs to keep the history of the rail industry in Iowa alive.

The State Historical Society of Iowa is a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. More information about Iowa’s historic properties and locations are available on the Iowa Culture app or iowaculture.gov.

(Radio Iowa) — High water on the Missouri River has resulted in the U-S Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers closing the river to all boat traffic. Woody Gottburg reports: (click on the left side of the audio bar below, to listen)

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation today (Friday), for Fremont County in response to severe weather beginning May 17 and continuing. The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for Fremont County.

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For more information:

The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Human Services website.  For information on the Disaster Case Management Program, contact your local community action association or visit www.iowacommunityaction.org.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) reports officials have used the state’s safe haven procedures for the 36th and 37th time since the law went into effect. A girl was born May 24, 2019, and a boy was born May 27, 2019. Both infants were released to the custody of DHS.

A court hearing to terminate parental rights is held within a month. Specific details are withheld in order to protect the identity of the parents and the children.

Through Iowa’s safe haven law, parents have the option to safely hand over custody of babies age 30 days or younger without fear of prosecution for abandonment. The
parent, or their authorized representative, can leave the newborn at a hospital or health care facility, and can remain anonymous.

The safe haven law was approved in the wake of a high-profile case in 2001 involving a teen mother in eastern Iowa who killed her home-delivered newborn. Infants who are safe haven babies are placed with currently-approved foster or adoptive families.

If you are interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent, please visit
https://iowafosterandadoption.org/.   For more information on the safe haven procedure: http://dhs.iowa.gov/safe-haven