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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The father of a 16-year-old girl who was tortured and starved to death is pleading guilty to three counts of assault while participating in a felony causing a serious injury. The Des Moines Register reports that 47-year-old Joseph Finn II appeared in court Wednesday to plead to the charges, which each carry up to 10 years in prison. Finn is set to be sentenced May 4 for his part in the October 2016 death of Natalie Finn.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Magazine and broadcasting company Meredith plans to eliminate 1,000 jobs over the next 10 months as it integrates the operations of Time Inc., which it bought six weeks ago. Meredith CEO Tom Harty said Wednesday 200 employees have been notified their positions were eliminated.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Republican strategist has challenged the filing paperwork of the only GOP candidate seeking to run against Gov. Kim Reynolds in the upcoming primary. The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office says a formal challenge was filed Wednesday against Republican Ron Corbett’s paperwork. Craig Robinson, a former political director for the Republican Party of Iowa, claims Corbett’s campaign turned in duplicate signatures that put the former Cedar Rapids mayor below the required signature threshold.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police have arrested a suspect after at least two clerks were sexually assaulted during a string of convenience store robberies in northwestern Iowa. The Courier newspaper reports that the 25-year-old man was arrested Tuesday as he entered a convenience store in Waterloo wearing all black with his face covered. Victims of four other robberies in Waterloo described the suspect as wearing the same attire. The man is jailed on $1.8 million bond.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope said Wednesday evening, that a 14-year old juvenile was taken into custody as the result of an investigation into an incident that occurred at Sidney High School, in Fremont County.

Deputies called to the Sidney High School in reference to threat of a shooting that was made at school by the juvenile, immediately isolated the student upon their arrival. The juvenile was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center located in Council Bluffs and is being charged with Threats of Terrorism.The student’s name was not released

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is still working with the Fremont County Attorney’s Office, Juvenile Court Officials, and Sidney Schools in connection with the matter.

Atlantic City Administrator John Lund Wednesday evening, received a blessing from the City Council, to crack down on property owners who violate the city’s Minimum Maintenance Code, this Spring. (Chapter 148 of the City Code, http://www.atlanticiowa.com/atlantic/city-government/city-code/ )

Lund said “The plan right now is begin issuing orders to correct violations, and people who are not doing that are going to get Municipal Infraction citations.” If the problem is still not corrected, or the citations are not paid, the City will move forward with the magistrate court’s intervention.

He said from this point forward, Code Enforcement Officer Kris Erickson will work with City Attorney Mark Bosworth to deal with the habitual offenders, those who have received prior notices and failed to rectify the situation.

He says “By the time the municipal infraction citation is issued, it becomes a judicial process. Not administrative, not political, and I’m not going to engage people that want to protest or make a scene or complain about the fact that they received a citation because they have a property violation.”

Lund said he’s been working with Erickson for three-years, and he’s not seen one instance where he’s questioned her judgement, or her compassion when it’s reasonable. He says “We need to take this seriously and for people that feel they are being treated unfair by the City, you will get your hearing before the Magistrate. If we are being unreasonable, the Magistrate will step-in and stop us. I am not going to encourage people to come [to City Hall] and protest if they’re in violation of City Code.

He recommended the Council take a similar position, “Otherwise people will try politics and influence to get around the fact that they own property they’re not maintaining and it’s an eyesore in this community. If we start carving out exceptions based on that, we’re going to end up with inconsistent enforcement, and it will compromise the whole purpose of why we’re even bothering with this.”

Attorney Mark Bosworth said the fines for failing to follow the Ordinance are $250 for the first offense, $500 the second offense, and $1,000 for repeat offenses. If fines are not paid, the City would pursue Judgements or liens on the property.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday evening, said on their social media page, that “Area authorities are on the lookout for a black male and female that are going around selling hotel coupons. They are driving a newer maroon Suburban or Yukon. A similar vehicle has been spotted near locations of recent residential burglaries.”

Possible suspects in Montgomery County Burglaries.

Officials say “If you see these individuals please do not approach them and contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.”

The Democrat in Iowa’s third congressional district whose 11th-hour effort to qualify for June’s Primary ballot fell short has a new strategy. Theresa Greenfield of Des Moines is hoping the seven dozen Democrats who serve on their party’s third district governing committee vote Monday to place her name in nomination. Greenfield and her campaign team say their reading of state law indicates it’s a way to get her name printed on the ballot.

“I am confident that a sense of fairness, doing what’s right is important to Democratic leadership and we’ll get this resolved on Monday,” Greenfield says. Iowa’s attorney general has declined to issue a legal opinion on Greenfield’s strategy. And the secretary of state’s office has not indicated whether it would accept Greenfield’s nomination next week. So why is Greenfield in this predicament? Greenfield’s campaign submitted petition signatures last Wednesday to the Secretary of State — paperwork required to qualify for the primary.

The next day Greenfield’s campaign manager admitted he forged some of the signatures. He was fired. Greenfield withdrew the tainted petitions and last Friday, Greenfield’s campaign raced through the 16 counties in the third district to collect the nearly 18-hundred petition signatures she needed by the Friday evening deadline. Greenfield got help from the campaign of a rival as well as the campaigns of three Democratic candidates for governor, but the effort fell about 300 signatures short.

“It’s like an old barn-raising kind of an event,” Greenfield says. “Now, it didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but the effort was spectacular and it also speaks volumes to people’s desire to let me have a chance on the ballot.” Democratic leaders in the third district are pondering whether to even meet Monday. Taking the action Greenfield seeks without the attorney general’s legal opinion could lead to expensive lawsuits for the Democratic Party. Greenfield had raised the most money among the field of Democratic candidates in the third district and she’d been featured by a national magazine profiling female congressional candidates before hitting last week’s stumbling block.

“I was not going to allow forged signatures to stand with my name on it,” Greenfield says. “…The folks here in the third district just learned who Theresa Greenfield is and the kind of decisions I’ll make as a leader in Washington, D.C. and that is (this): ‘I will choose to do what’s right.'” Greenfield could choose to run as a write-in candidate, but Greenfield told Radio Iowa she is not ready to discuss that option. Three other Democratic candidates in the third congressional district DID meet last Friday’s paperwork deadline to submit their names for the June Primary ballot. They are Cindy Axne, Pete D’Alessandro and Eddie J. Mauro (MAR-oh). All three are from the Des Moines area.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Republican strategist has challenged the filing paperwork of the only GOP candidate seeking to run against Gov. Kim Reynolds in the upcoming primary. The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office says a formal challenge was filed Wednesday against Republican Ron Corbett’s paperwork to be on the June 5 primary ballot.

Corbett submitted petition signatures last week. Craig Robinson, a former political director for the Republican Party of Iowa, claims Corbett’s campaign turned in duplicate signatures that put the former Cedar Rapids mayor below the required signature threshold.

A review board that includes the secretary of state will meet as early as next week to discuss evidence and issue a decision. A Corbett aide says the campaign is confident it has enough signatures. Reynolds formally launched her gubernatorial campaign this month. Six Democrats and two libertarians are also running for governor.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The father of a 16-year-old girl who was tortured and starved to death is pleading guilty to three counts of assault while participating in a felony causing a serious injury. The Des Moines Register reports that 47-year-old Joseph Finn II appeared in court Wednesday to plead to the charges, which each carry up to 10 years in prison. Finn will seek to have the sentences on the three counts served all at once when he’s sentenced on May 4.

Finn’s ex-wife, Nicole Finn, is serving three life sentences for the October 2016 death of Natalie Finn. Officials have said the emaciated girl weighed just 81 pounds when she died.

Joseph Finn did not live in the West Des Moines home where his adopted daughter died, but prosecutors say he boarded up the windows in the house after Nicole complained Natalie and other adopted children were escaping and begging neighbors for food.