MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Mason City woman has pleaded guilty to theft and four counts of insurance fraud. Cerro Gordo County District Court records say 34-year-old Amber Griffin entered the written pleas Monday. The records say that in return for her pleas prosecutors will recommend three years of probation, suspended five-year prison terms and that Griffin pay restitution. Her sentencing is scheduled for May 20.

Criminal complaints say Griffin submitted two fraudulent claims in October 2016 and one each in November and December that year. Each said a family member had been treated at a local medical facility. The complaints also said she submitted false medical records with the claims.

The Creston Police Department reports two arrests took place Tuesday. 33-year old Trel Peterson, of Massena, was arrested for Driving While Barred. He was subsequently released from the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond. And, 35-year old Nichole Rinehart, of Creston, was arrested for Theft in the 5th Degree. She was cited and released on a Promise to Appear in court.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Transportation is going to being taking bids soon on some of the flood repair projects. D-O-T Engineer Mark Dunn talked with the Transportation Commission about the work, Tuesday. “As you look at all of the repairs the total package is around, we think 70 to 90 million dollars,” Dunn says.

He says they hope to start taking bids today (Wednesday). Dunn says they will be doing emergency lettings weekly, and may not always have projects ready weekly, but will be ready to do them when necessary.

Dunn say the goal is to do as much as they can in the next 180 days to take advantage of the federal emergency funding guidelines. “In the first 180 days where it is related to restoring essential traffic — that’s reimbursable at a rate of 100 percent,” Dunn says. “When we move beyond that, that’s reimbursable 80 or 90 percent, depending on the type of roadway,” Dunn says.

He told the Transportation Commission the work should not impact their regular construction budget.

OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska trial of a Kansas man charged with the traffic deaths of four Iowa motorcyclists has been delayed until August. Keith County District Court records say the trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday for 23-year-old Jeser Cisneros-Hernandez, of Liberal, Kansas. He’s pleaded not guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide, one of reckless driving and one of failing to drive in his lane.

The records say the judge last week granted the delay because the attorneys have not completed the pretrial discovery process. The new starting date is Aug. 6. Prosecutors say Cisneros-Hernandez’s vehicle hit two motorcycles carrying two people each on July 1, 2017, near Ogallala. Authorities say 54-year-old Sheila Matheny and 61-year-old James Matheny, from Bedford, Iowa, were on one motorcycle. The other motorcyclists were 58-year-old Michal Weese and 59-year-old Jerolyn Weese, who lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Atlantic Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts will be out and about this Saturday, from 10-a.m. until Noon, Scouting for Food. They’ll pick up your non-perishable food donation items for delivery to the Atlantic Food Pantry. If you’re accidentally missed and would like to make a donation, call Melissa Ihnen at (712)-254-2689.

The Audubon School Board will hold a Special Session 5:30-p.m. today in their Board Room, at the High School. Their session begins with a Public Hearing on the FY 2020 Budget, followed by approval of: a Budget Guarantee Resolution; the Budget Plan for Certification, and approval of the FY2020 Bargaining Agreement with the Audubon Education Association.

Prior to adjourning, the Audubon School Board will hold an exempt (closed) session for discussion with regard to negotiations with those employees not represented by a collective bargaining unit. Their next regular meeting is 7-p.m. Monday, April 15th.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa has joined 40 other states in passing a law that lets hospital patients designate a family caregiver to receive information about their care once they return home. “Caregivers are unsung heroes who generously give their time to selflessly care for their loves ones.” Governor Kim Reynolds was surrounded by dozens of A-A-R-P members yesterday (Tuesday) as she signed the “Iowa Care Act” into law. “It passed with bipartisan support, with a vote of 49-0 in the Senate and 94-3 in the House,” Reynolds said, as the crowd applauded. “That’s good stuff.”

An estimates 317-thousand Iowans are caregivers. The Iowa Care Act calls on hospitals to notify a designated family caregiver when a patient is to be released from the hospital and discuss the patient’s home care needs as well as whether the family caregiver is able to perform all those tasks. A-A-R-P State Director Brad Anderson says the bill was five years in the making and the result of accommodations to address concerns raised by hospitals and nurses. “It required a lot of conversation with a lot of stakeholders,” Anderson says, “but the great thing is it had broad, bipartisan support, so that’s why we’re so excited about the passage here today.”

Several A-A-R-P members held huge red hearts printed with a “Thank You” message as they stood around the governor’s desk and watched her sign the bill into law.

MONTICELLO, Iowa (AP) — Federal investigators still aren’t certain what caused a small plane to crash near an eastern Iowa airport, killing the pilot. Station KCRG reports that the final National Transportation Safety Board report says the plane was in good working order before crashing in June 2017. The single-engine aircraft came down in a cornfield near Monticello Regional Airport.

The report says 90-year-old Jerry Naylor died in the crash. He lived in Scotch Grove. He was the only person on board.