Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

OAKLAND, Iowa (AP) — An autopsy blames a fire for the deaths of a driver and teenager who were killed when a school bus burst into flames in western Iowa. An autopsy by the Iowa State Medical Examiner released Wednesday found that 16-year-old Megan Klindt and 74-year-old Donnie Hendricks died Dec. 12 from smoke and soot inhalation and thermal injuries. Their deaths were found to not be related to injuries from a crash. It’s unclear what caused the bus to burst into flames near Oakland.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced a date early next year for a special election to fill a state House seat. Reynolds says in a Thursday press release that the election for state House District 6 will be held on Jan. 16. District 6 covers areas of Woodbury County in northwest Iowa. The seat became vacant after Rep. Jim Carlin, a Sioux City Republican, was elected to the Senate in a special election earlier this month.

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — The former director of a southeast Iowa boarding school testified he never hurt students, at times tearfully rejecting charges he sexually and physically abused children before the school was closed in 2016. The Burlington Hawk Eye reports Benjamin Trane broke down on the witness stand Wednesday in South Lee County District Court during three hours of questioning by his attorney. He’s pleaded not guilty to sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and child endangerment charges.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Delhi city clerk has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $100,000 from the eastern Iowa city. U.S. District Court Judge Linda Reade sentenced former Delhi City Clerk Angela Billings, of Anamosa, to 15 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay $133,915 in restitution to Delhi. Billings acknowledged stealing more than $100,000 from Delhi by using the city’s credit card for personal expenses and adjusting her utility bill. The thefts were from 2007 to 2015.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday, reviewed the renewal rates for the County’s full funded health insurance program (member of Iowa State Association of Counties [ISAC] Group Health Program).  Auditor Dale Sunderman said the rates will go into effect July 1, 2018.  The county’s plan base rate has increased 11.61%.  The county also buys down the full funded plan deductibles and out of pocket to a lower deductible and out of pocket amount using a third party administrator (TPA).  The board decided to offer flexible spending accounts beginning January 1, 2018 using the same TPA.  The board proposed increasing the employee contribution towards premium by $30 per month.

And, the County Compensation Board met December 12, 2017 and submitted its recommendations for compensation of Cass County’s elected officers for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018.  The recommended annual compensation schedule was: Auditor, Recorder and Treasurer $60,000; Sheriff $79,000; full time county attorney $100,000; and each supervisor $30,000.  The Board of Supervisors officially receive and act upon the recommendations at the public hearing on the county budget in March of 2018.  At the hearing, the recommendations are reviewed and the board determines whether or not to reduce the recommended increases and determine the final compensation schedule which shall not exceed the recommendations.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly survey of bankers suggests the economy remains weak in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states, but it improved slightly. The overall economic index for the region grew to 47.8 in December from 44.7 in November, but any score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy in the months ahead. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says low commodity prices and concerns about trade continue to weigh on the economy in rural areas.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

The Iowa State Patrol reports a man from Denison was injured during a single-vehicle accident Wednesday afternoon, about two-miles west of Vail, in Crawford County. 68-year old Donald Ladehoff was traveling west on Highway 30 at around 2:20-p.m., when he lost control of the 2010 Hyundai Elantra he was driving. The car went off the road to the left and came to rest in the south ditch. Ladehoff, who was wearing his seat belt, was transported by Crawford County Ambulance to the Crawford County Hospital. The accident remains under investigation.

The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office along with Vail EMT & Fire assisted at the scene.

Police in Council Bluffs responded at around 8:47-a.m. today (Thursday), to a report of an armed robbery at the Frontier Bank, located at 940 Valley View Drive. Upon arrival officers spoke to employees of the business, who told officer that two male suspects entered the bank, one armed with a handgun and demanded money. Both suspects were wearing masks. Following the robbery, in which a yet to be determined amount of cash was taken, the two suspects fled the area in a White Pontiac Grand Am.

While checking the area, officers located the suspect vehicle abandoned in apartment complex lot nearby. The vehicle had been recently reported stolen in Omaha. The two unknown suspects were not located. The robbery is currently under investigation by members of the Criminal Investigation Division. Anyone having possible information is urged to contact police at (712) 328-4728 or Crime Stoppers at (712) 328-7867.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state audit says that a University of Iowa professor misused nearly $100,000 on hosting unauthorized conferences between 2011 and 2017. Iowa State Auditor Mary Mosiman said Thursday that physics professor Michael Flatte improperly used his university procurement card to pay for $47,203.81 in expenses for three conferences. He also collected $44,161.69 in registration fees and used most of that for the conferences.

The University of Iowa says it identified Flatte’s unauthorized transactions in November 2016 and requested the state audit. University officials are reviewing potential disciplinary action.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports an eastern Iowa man was arrested Wednesday evening on a Union County warrant. 19-year old Brazon Jordan Davenport, of Tama, was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear on the original charge of domestic abuse assault. Davenport was being held in the Union County Jail on $2,000 bond.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency reports Mulberry Loop in Shelby County, is currently closed for a bridge replacement with low water crossing. The bridge is in the 800 block of Mulberry Loop in Fairview Township Section 23. The bridge has been removed and will be replaced with a low water crossing. Work will continue as weather conditions permit.

Area affected by closure

The Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office reports the two victims of a Riverside School bus fire on December 12th, died of smoke and soot inhalation coupled with thermal injuries. The deaths of a passenger, 16-year old Megan Klindt, and the driver, 74-year old Donnie Hendricks, have been ruled accidental. The fire broke broke out around 7 a.m. after the vehicle backed out of a farm driveway and entered a ditch across the road.

Deputies arrived on scene around 7:20 a.m. but were unable to board the bus because it was fully engulfed in flames. Fire department crews from Carson and Oakland extinguished the fire. The farmstead was the first scheduled stop on the bus route. No one else was on board.