WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Closing arguments have been scheduled for Monday in the fourth Iowa trial of an Illinois man accused of killing a 9-year-old girl in 1990. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the defense rested its case for 57-year-old Stanley Liggins on Thursday in Black Hawk County District Court in Waterloo. Jurors were dismissed until Monday.

He’s charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jennifer Lewis, of Rock Island, Illinois. Her burned remains were found in September 1990 near a school in neighboring Davenport, Iowa, which is just across the Mississippi River.

Liggins has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison twice in the death of Lewis. Both convictions were overturned. His third trial was moved to Black Hawk County because of extensive pretrial publicity in Scott County. It ended in a mistrial in September 2018 because jurors couldn’t reach a verdict.

Medivac Ambulance and Atlantic Fire & Rescue were dispatched at around 6:53-a.m. to a two-vehicle accident at 11th and Chestnut Street. (Update 6:55: Atlantic Police advised no one complained of injuries and, contrary to initial reports, no one was trapped.) Additional details are currently not available.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AP) — The flood-damaged U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha has reopened its runway to aircraft. The Omaha World-Herald reports that some of the nine aircraft flown from Offutt Air Force Base to other bases returned Thursday, once it was determined that the flooding didn’t damage the runway and taxiways. Other aircraft had been towed to higher ground.

Earlier this month Missouri River floodwaters breached one levee and overtopped another near the sprawling complex, flooding the southeastern third. The water inundated nearly 80 buildings and covered more than a quarter of the runway. On Wednesday Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said the Air Force needs $4.9 billion in extra funding over the next three years to rebuild and repair Offutt and Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, which sustained hurricane damage last fall.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — The adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard has announced his plans for retirement. A National Guard news release says Maj. Gen. Tim Orr intends to step down effective May 1 after 10 years as the Iowa Guard’s commander. He was named to the post by then Gov. Chet Culver in March 2009. Brig. Gen. Stephen Osborn will serve as the interim adjutant general.

Brig. Gen. Osborn

Maj. Gen. Tim Orr

Orr enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard in 1978 while still a senior at Boone High School and rose through the ranks.

Red Oak Police, Thursday night, arrested a man wanted on a Page County warrant for Theft in the 5th Degree (loss less than $200). 19-year old Brandon Kyle Beckstead, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 10:50-p.m. and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $300.

The Iowa Dept. of Transportation reports flood waters are beginning to recede in some flooded areas around Iowa. However, just because water may no longer remain on the roadway that does not mean the roads are ready to be opened to traffic. There are several stages the Iowa Department of Transportation must go through to make sure roadways are safe for you to travel.

Depending on the extent of damage caused by floodwaters, the recovery process may take anywhere from a few days to several months. As soon as floodwaters recede, the Iowa DOT is working as diligently as possible to move through the recovery process and reopen the roadway.

The following is a list of roads currently closed due to flooding and what the recovery process is:

• I-29 in both directions, MILE MARKER 0-10 Between the Missouri State Line (near Hamburg) and the Iowa 2 interchange (south of Percival) – Water over the roadway
• I-29 in both directions, MILE MARKER 10-25 Between the Iowa 2 interchange (South of Percival) and one mile north of Bartlett – Debris on the road, cleanup in progress.
• I-29 in both directions MILE MARKER 25-35 Between one mile north of Bartlett and the U.S. 34 interchange (near Glenwood) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• I-29 in both directions MILE MARKER 55-61 Between North 25th Street in Council Bluffs and the I-680 interchange (near Crescent) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• I-29 in both directions MILE MARKER 61-71 Between the I-680 interchange (near Crescent) and the I-680 interchange (near Loveland) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• I-680 in both directions MILE MARKER 0-3 Between the I-29 interchange (Old Mormon Bridge Road near Crescent) and I-680 in Nebraska (Mormon Bridge) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• U.S. 34 westbound MILE MARKER 0-4 Between the Nebraska State Line and the I-29 interchange (near Pacific Junction) – Debris on the road, cleanup in progress.
• U.S. 275 in both directions MILE MARKER 0-2 Between the Missouri State Line and Iowa 333 (near Hamburg) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• Iowa 2 in both directions MILE MARKER 0-10 Between the Missouri River bridge at the Nebraska State Line and U.S. 275/ Fremont County Road J-46 (near Sidney) – Water on the road, waiting for the water to recede before cleanup and inspection.
• Iowa 333 in both directions Between I-29; Fremont County Road J-64 and U.S. 275 (near Hamburg) – Water on the road, waiting for the water to recede before cleanup and inspection
• Iowa 4 in both directions Between Palo Alto County Road B-53 and U.S. 18 (one mile south of Emmetsburg) – Water on the road, waiting for the water to recede before cleanup and inspection
• Iowa 141 in both directions Between Woodbury County Road K-64 (near Hornick) and Iowa 31 (near Smithland) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.

Barriers blocking access to roads will remain in place until the road has been deemed safe for traffic. If you see a barricade, don’t drive around it. Just because a road looks safe, doesn’t mean it is safe. While some structural damage to the road surface is very visible, damage to the ground underneath the road may be more difficult to see. Barricades are in place to protect you from hurting yourself, damaging your vehicle, and potentially causing further damage to the road. If you are a resident or property owner and need to get to your property, your county emergency management office can help coordinate safe access. For the latest in flooding information and recovery resources, go to https://floods2019.iowa.gov/

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

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — After this spring’s massive flooding along the Missouri River, many want to blame the agency that manages the river’s dams for making the disaster worse, but it may not be that simple. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says much of the water that created this month’s flooding came from rain and melting snow that flowed into the river downstream of all the dams. At the same time, massive amounts of water filled the reservoirs and some had to be released.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has overwhelmingly approved a resolution that seeks to amend the state constitution and restore voting rights to felons who complete their sentences, but it’s only the first step in a long process. The House on Thursday voted 95-2 to approve the resolution and send it to the Senate. If approved by the Senate and passed again by the Legislature in 2021 or 2022, it would go to voters. The proposal is a priority of Gov. Kim Reynolds, but it could face opposition in the Senate.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has unanimously approved a bill that would increase the penalties for animal mistreatment. The measure approved Thursday by a vote of 96-0 moves to the Senate. The bill heightens the criminal penalties for animal abuse and neglect, animal torture and abandonment. It exempts farm livestock and some wild animals. Animal welfare advocates have long considered Iowa among the worst states for mistreatment of animals in puppy mills.

DAWSON, Iowa (AP) — An Oskaloosa man charged in the stabbing death of a college basketball player in Oskaloosa will go to trial next month after a judge rejected his “stand your ground” defense. Television station KCCI reports that the judge on Tuesday denied 24-year-old Luke VanHemert’s argument that he was defending himself when he fatally stabbed 22-year-old Marquis Todd in March 2018. VanHemert’s trial is set to begin April. 9.