Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A high school wrestler from southwest Iowa who collapsed and went into cardiac arrest at the state duals tournament has been released from a Des Moines hospital. Spokesman Gregg Lagan for Mercy Medical Center said last night that Creston/Orient-Macksburg student Tayler Pettit is heading home. Tayler’s parents Scott and Melissa Pettit said in the statement that doctors found Tayler has a previously unknown condition in which an extra electrical pathway in his heart caused a rapid heart rate.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has suggested Iowa residents could one day buy cannabis oil in neighboring Illinois, a move that industry experts say has major legislative roadblocks if it’s ever seriously considered. Branstad recently said he was open to working with officials in Illinois, which has a pilot program to produce and distribute medical marijuana.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The federal government predicts that trains hauling crude oil or ethanol will derail an average of 10 times a year over the next two decades. The projection was contained in a Department of Transportation analysis from last July.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The trial over plans to develop a sports complex at the “Field of Dreams” movie site in eastern Iowa is underway. Neighboring landowners filed the lawsuit to challenge the way Dyersville city officials decided to rezone the area around the site for commercial use. The trial began last Monday and was expected to last seven days.

It appears a bill that would raise the state gas tax by a dime a gallon in on the fast track at the statehouse. The bill is eligible for debate in the Iowa House on Tuesday. Last Thursday, House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican from Hiawatha, used his authority to replace two members on a key House Committee who opposed the bill. His moves ensured the bill passed on a 13-to-12 vote, but they also heightened the ire of the bill’s opponents. Drew Klein, the Iowa director of Americans for Prosperity, accuses Paulsen of favoring road builders over Iowans in general.

“Leadership is clearly more interested in appeasing special interest groups that have been funding the movement than in looking for ways to shield the taxpayer,” he said. A Des Moines Register “Iowa Poll” released this weekend found that while 61 percent of Iowans consider the deteriorating condition of Iowa’s roads and bridges to be an issue lawmakers should address, Iowans are evenly divided over idea of raising the state gas tax. The poll found 48 percent support the move and 50 percent oppose it. Senate Republican Leader Bill Dix of Shell Rock has been among those who opposed the idea of raising the state gas tax in the past, but he suggests a majority of Republicans and Democrats in the legislature now agree it’s the best means to plug a shortfall in the state fund that finances transportation projects.

“We need to find additional resources to get it into the road funding, to solve those long-term problems, and I’m prepared to cast a vote in favor of it,” Dix says. For the past four years the Iowa Farm Bureau have been lobbying for a gas tax increase, citing the closure of roads and bridges that create long detours for farmers and rural residents. Over 200 Farm Bureau members were at the statehouse last week to lobby legislators on the issue. And earlier this month, Governor Branstad said the “timing is right” to pass a gas tax increase this year.

(Radio Iowa)

The leaders of Iowa’s private colleges and universities say the stability of the state’s higher education “eco-system” is threatened by the proposed “performance-based” funding formula for the three state-supported universities. Mark Putnam, the president of Central College in Pella, says rewarding the state universities with more tax dollars if they enroll more Iowa high school graduates is “perilous” not only for private colleges, but the public universities as well.

“Instability is not a friend to students’ education or research, so changes that occur abruptly can be incredibly disruptive and it creates behavior patterns that are not healthy for institutions,” he says. “So if institutions begin to look at: ‘How can I take students from the others?’ or ‘How can I start to position myself to win?’…then it becomes something that’s not helpful.” Grand View president Kent Henning says even though legislators haven’t approved the plan yet, the University of Iowa is already reacting.

“It’s now financial aid season and we are getting reports of students receiving very generous financial aid packages from the University of Iowa, almost free rides,” he says. “And while that’s wonderful for those students…I think the state’s taxpayers should be wondering and asking: ‘What’s going on? How is that possible?’ if the state universities keep coming back to the legislature pleading poverty.” University of Dubuque president Jeffrey Bullock says it is “ludicrous” for the public universities, especially the University of Iowa, to start adjusting enrollment policy to more strongly favor in-state rather than out-of-state students.

“Right now over 90 percent of the college-going population of this state stays in the state anyway,” Bullock says. “Why would we want to erect a wall…that effectively keeps potential not just students out — higher net paying students, by the way — but also future employees that help grow the economy and fill the gap, the employment gap that we all know exists in this state?” The three private college presidents discussed the issue during a joint appearance on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program this past weekend. Gary Steinke, the executive director of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, says “every other state” that has tied state tax dollar support to in-state student enrollment has abandoned the effort.

Tennessee was the first to try it in 2009 and it doesn’t work and they don’t do it any more. They have taken the enrollment weighting out of their performance-based funding plan and so so has Indiana and so has Virginia and so has Maine,” Steinke says. “I mean, they don’t use it any more because it doesn’t work.” Steinke says the proposal has sparked a “sector war” in Iowa’s high education community — for an idea that research shows ultimately makes no improvement in student performance.

The Board of Regents — the nine-member panel that governs the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa — has proposed a change in the formula that distributes state tax dollars to the three public universities. Regents officials say it’s designed, in large part, to reward U-N-I which has gotten the smallest share of state support in the past and where over 90 percent of students are Iowa residents. The loser in the change would be the University of Iowa, where nearly half of the students come from out-of-state.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic School Board will hold a work session Monday evening at the high school. During their 7:30-p.m. meeting in the high school Media Center, the Board will hear from the high school Building Leadership Team (BLT), and discuss the district’s 5-year Capital Improvement Projects Plan (CIP). No action is expected to be taken on the plan during the meeting.

A drug bust Friday evening in Villisca culminated in the arrest of six people. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, a five-month long investigation into narcotics activity resulted in the execution at around 5:30-p.m., of a search warrant at 129 north 4th Avenue, in Villisca. The search warrant resulted in the discover of about 127 grams of marijuana, more than $2,200 in US currency, numerous items of drug packaging material, a 9-millimeter handgun, and around 600 rounds of ammunition. Those items were taken into evidence and and those in the home arrested.

Among those arrested was: 19-year-old Jeffery Steven Whitt of Villisca, who was charged with 3 counts of delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and drug tax stamp violation. 20-year-old Jesse Leroy Barger of Villisca was charged with delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, drug tax stamp violation, child endangerment, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Barger was also wanted on a Pottawattamie County warrant for contempt of court associated with a 3rd degree burglary charge

24-year-old Andrew Jackson Rice, 27-year-old Brandon Scott Johnson, and 27-year-old Lacey Faye Dorris, all of Villisca, were all charged with child endangerment, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.  26-year-old Joseph Dean White, of Villisca, who was also charged with child endangerment, faces an additional possession of drug paraphernalia charge.

Each of the suspects were being held in the Montgomery County Jail, pending an appearance before a magistrate. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s office was assisted by the Adams County Sheriff’s office, Page County Sheriff’s office and the Red Oak Police Department.

Two people died following a motorcycle crash Saturday evening, in Warren County. The Iowa State Patrol said the crash happened on Highway 28, at around 5:15-p.m., when the driver of a 2005 Harley Davidson cycle lost control on a curve and hit a cable barrier south of the Highway 5 bypass. Friends and family members told WHO-TV the victims were Jon “Dutch” Richeson and Lanette LeCroy, of Des Moines.

Authorities said both riders were transported to Mercy Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

A man from central Iowa faces multiple charges in connection with a police chase and standoff incident Saturday. KCCI TV reports 52-year old Monte Allen Stuart, of Des Moines, was arrested on charges that included assault with a dangerous weapon, eluding police, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police said Stuart was first pulled over about 1:15 p.m. Saturday in Windsor Heights, during a routine traffic stop. The man took off in his SUV and later stopped in the 1800 block of 55th Street, where police say he displayed a handgun and a rifle

Video from the scene showed Stuart had a rifle on the hood of his Ford Bronco before he got into a vehicle with the rifle and drove around a police barricade. Police say he again got out of his SUV in the 2500 block of 51st Street and showed a handgun and rifle to authorities.

Stuart eluded police until his vehicle spun out near Euclid Avenue and Beaver Avenue. He was taken into custody following the incident, which lasted about 45-minutes. Stuart is currently in the Polk County Jail.

The City Manager in Avoca is getting some heat over potential conflicts of interest involving his work for other cities, and his outside business interests. The Omaha World-Herald reports 37-year old Clint Fichter who became Avoca’s first city manager in 2007, is chief executive officer of a company he founded that advises and provides administrative services for area communities, including Adair, Shelby and Neola. He also is executive director of the nonprofit Avoca Betterment Association, which develops affordable housing in that city of 1,600, and is one of three partners in A-Town Capital Group, which has purchased two commercial buildings on the town’s main street.

Mayor Jennie Maassen said she questions whether his work for other cities represents a conflict of interest. She also doesn’t think Avoca gets enough work out of Fichter because of his outside commitments. Both State Ombudsman Ruth Cooperrider and the president of the Iowa City/County Managers Association said Friday that when it comes to conflict of interest issues, appearances matter. Nonetheless, neither had enough information to say if Fichter’s actions were contrary to professional ethics or state law.

Councilwoman Sandy Petersen said for every dollar spent on Fichter’s salary, he has returned $11 to the city as a result of his grant writing. Fichter is paid $81,000 per year by the City of Avoca. He said he works about 45 hours at his job as city manager and about 15 more hours per week on other projects. He and his consulting business received about $49,000 for the outside work last year.

Fichter claims his opponents are trying to make his life unpleasant to get him to leave Avoca. He noted that his five-year contract, approved by the City Council in 2013, allows him to do work for other cities. Fichter advises other cities through a consulting company he founded called Polychronic. Polychronic provides a variety of services, including financial accounting, record-keeping and strategic planning for both Adair and Neola. He also serves as the city attorney in Shelby. He represented the city in its recent dispute with its volunteer firefighters.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad has suggested Iowa residents could one day buy cannabis oil in neighboring Illinois, a move that industry experts say has major legislative roadblocks if it’s ever seriously considered. Branstad recently said he was open to working with officials in Illinois, which has a pilot program to produce and distribute medical marijuana. Iowa has a law that allows residents with some forms of epilepsy to use oil with an ingredient derived from marijuana for treatment.

Illinois law would need to be changed to let Iowa residents purchase the oil there. Federal law would prohibit them from bringing it back to Iowa. Chris Lindsey, with the Marijuana Policy Project, says the situation highlights the dilemma for states that allow some medical marijuana without a clear path to access it.