IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Education is launching an investigation into the University of Iowa’s handling of gender discrimination claims against athletic director Gary Barta. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the department’s Office for Civil Rights notified the school of the investigation last week and requested numerous documents.

Four members of the women’s field hockey team filed a complaint in August alleging that Barta’s decision to fire coach Tracey Griesbaum was part of a pattern of discrimination against strong female coaches. Barta has denied the allegation. He says Griesbaum was fired after an investigation found concerns about how some players were treated.

The Office for Civil Rights says it will look into the school’s failure to investigate a sex discrimination complaint against Barta filed by students in October.

West Central® Cooperative today (Wednesday) announced its plan for a $27 million, multi-year project to increase soybean processing capacity by 50 percent and build additional grain storage at its Ralston, Iowa complex. At full capacity, the expansion would create demand for an additional six million bushels of soybeans each year and create more than 11 full-time jobs. Like the current plant, the expansion will produce SoyPlus®, an industry-leading high bypass protein dairy feed ingredient used across the world.

The company plans to increase the current plant’s capacity by up to 50 percent with actual production coming online in phases. When complete, the construction project would include an additional line of mechanical presses, soybean oil treatment, load-out access, and nearly three million bushels of additional soybean storage. New production volumes are slated to be available as early as fall 2016.

At full capacity, ten of the 11 new positions will be manufacturing roles. Company officials are looking to begin the hiring process for those jobs as early as this summer.
To introduce potential applicants to the company, West Central will host a job fair for SoyPlus manufacturing positions, as well as other company positions, at their main office in Ralston on Thurs. June 11, 2015 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

During the event, staff will offer plant tours, accept applications, and conduct instant interviews. Applications are also available online now
at http://west-central.com/about/careers/.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A veteran county prosecutor based in Waterloo is stepping down to take a state job in charge of training county attorneys across Iowa. Black Hawk County Attorney Thomas Ferguson will begin June 30 as the state’s prosecuting attorneys training coordinator and executive director of the Iowa County Attorneys Association.

He’ll retire the same day from the elected county position he’s held since 1990. Ferguson, a Democrat, was re-elected to a seventh four-year term last year. Attorney General Tom Miller announced Ferguson’s new appointment Wednesday. He says Ferguson’s expertise and experience will be a huge asset to prosecutors in Iowa’s 99 counties.

Ferguson’s state job will involve providing support, continuing education and training for prosecutors and their assistants. He replaces Corwin Ritchie, who is retiring.

Officials with Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign have announced the opening of five new organizing offices in Iowa, bringing the total number of offices in the State to nine. Among the new offices is one located in Council Bluffs (at 1851 Madison Avenue).

The others can be found in Des Moines, Dubuque and Iowa City. The offices will serve as hubs for phone banking, canvassing, organizing meetings and other activities the Hillary for Iowa team hosts across the state.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s State Fire Marshal Division says authorities are investigating multiple cases of arson. According to Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, the arsons occurred between May 7th and May 11th at 1693 330th Street in southern Adair County.

Anyone with information pertaining to the fires is asked to call the Adair County Sheriff’s Office at (641) 743-2148 or the Grinnell Mutual Arson/Fraud Alert Committee at 1-800-362-2041, ext. 8265.

Persons providing credible evidence leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of those who committed the crimes, may be eligible for an award.

More area and State news, from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The 7:06-a.m. report w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Police in Council Bluffs are investigating an early morning car jacking incident. Bluffs Police Sgt. Ben Roth says officers were sent to the 1200 block of 7th Avenue today (Wednesday) at around 3:15-a.m.  The victim, 18-year old Caine Petersen, of Council Bluffs, told police he was driving down the street when someone hit his VW Jetta with a hard object. When Petersen stopped and got out of his vehicle to investigate, he got into a confrontation with a white male, who produced a metal chain with a lock on the end. The suspect began swinging the lock and chain at Petersen.

Petersen began to run down the street with the suspect chasing him, but at some point, the suspect ran back to Petersen’s vehicle, which was left idling on the street. The man jumped into the car and took off. Officers found the car shortly thereafter, in the area of South 9th Street and 5th Avenue. The vehicle was still running.

The suspect, who was described as being about 6-feet tall, weighing 170-pounds, was wearing a black hoodie, jeans, and had brown facial hair. The incident remains under investigation by the Council Bluffs Police Criminal Investigations Division.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Many Iowans can expect higher electric bills soon, thanks to higher summer temperatures and higher rates being charged by MidAmerican Energy. The Des Moines Register reports that the Des Moines-based utility is notifying customers their bills will likely climb during the summer months of June, July, August and September.

MidAmerican Energy spokeswoman Ruth Comer says summer rates are higher “because our cost to produce electricity increases … as demand increases.” In addition, MidAmerican is raising its base rate this month by 3.5 percent, thanks to Iowa regulators who approved three years of rate increases. Last year’s 3.6 percent annual average increase didn’t become effective until September. Comer says the average annual increase next year will be 3.3 percent.