Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Police say the ex-boyfriend of an Illinois woman whose body was found at an arboretum in Iowa is charged with her death. Twenty-year-old Jennifer Lopez, of Galena, Illinois, was found dead Monday on the grounds of the Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Her ex-boyfriend, 21-year-old Richard Forsythe, of Galena, is charged with first-degree murder in her death. He is being held on $1 million bond in Galena awaiting extradition to Dubuque. No further information has been released.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A fifth person working at the Iowa Capitol has tested positive for coronavirus. Iowa House Chief Clerk Meghan Nelson says in a notification sent Tuesday that the individual was last in the building on Thursday. She says the person worked on the House side of the building and had worn a face covering at all times. Two cases were reported Saturday and Rep. Amy Nielsen of North Liberty confirmed she was one of them. That marks the first known case of an Iowa lawmaker contracting the virus during the session. She says she believes she was infected at the Capitol where Republican leaders do not require masks.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Democrats in Nevada are making a play to bump Iowa and New Hampshire from their early spots on the presidential primary calendar. If the move is successful, it would upend decades of political tradition and give a more urban and racially diverse group of voters a greater say in picking the party’s nominee. The behind-the-scenes lobbying seeks to capitalize on the party’s discontent with Iowa’s and New Hampshire’s performances last year. Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses devolved into a technological and logistical mess, leaving the winner unclear. New Hampshire’s first-in-the-state primary wound up a near tie between two candidates who ultimately lost, while the eventual nominee, now-President Joe Biden, came in fifth.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa conservation officials say four people in Linn and Buchanan counties have been convicted of dozens of wildlife violations. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Monday that a routine inspection of taxidermy operations led authorities to issue search warrants, leading to the arrest of Jason Webster, of Quasgueton, and Jeremiah Pillard, of Troy Mills. Webster was charged with more than 20 violations. Under a plea deal, Webster will pay $15,500 in civil damages plus criminal costs. Pillard pleaded guilty to illegal taking of animals and must pay $6,750 in civil damages and criminal fines. Two women from Quasgueton pleaded guilty to violations related to hunting tags and licenses.

A head-on collision in Dallas County Tuesday night claimed the life of an adult female, and injured two others, including a child. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta driven by 53-year-old Stephen Joseph Wink, of Council Bluffs, was traveling south on Dallas County Road P-58, about one-mile south of Perry, at around 10:54-p.m., when the vehicle crossed into the northbound lane and struck a 2001 Toyota Echo passenger car, driven by 40-year-old Danyel Denise Hardisty, of Minburn.

Hardisty died at the scene. Her passenger, seven-year-old Javen Sorensen, of Minburn, and Stephen Wink, were injured and transported to hospitals in Des Moines by Dallas County EMS. Authorities say driver impairment is suspected as the cause of the crash, which remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa conservation officials say four people in Linn and Buchanan counties have been convicted of dozens of wildlife violations. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Monday that a routine inspection of taxidermy operations led authorities to issue search warrants, leading to the arrest of Jason Webster, of Quasgueton, and Jeremiah Pillard, of Troy Mills. Webster was charged with more than 20 violations.

Under a plea deal, Webster will pay $15,500 in civil damages plus criminal costs. Pillard pleaded guilty to illegal taking of animals and must pay $6,750 in civil damages and criminal fines. Two women from Quasgueton pleaded guilty to violations related to hunting tags and licenses.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Democrats in Nevada are making a play to bump Iowa and New Hampshire from their early spots on the presidential primary calendar. If the move is successful, it would upend decades of political tradition and give a more urban and racially diverse group of voters a greater say in picking the party’s nominee. The behind-the-scenes lobbying seeks to capitalize on the party’s discontent with Iowa’s and New Hampshire’s performances last year. Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses devolved into a technological and logistical mess, leaving the winner unclear.

New Hampshire’s first-in-the-state primary wound up a near tie between two candidates who ultimately lost, while the eventual nominee, now-President Joe Biden, came in fifth.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Police say the ex-boyfriend of an Illinois woman whose body was found at an arboretum in Iowa is charged with her death. Twenty-year-old Jennifer Lopez, of Galena, Illinois, was found dead Monday on the grounds of the Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.

Her ex-boyfriend, 21-year-old Richard Forsythe, of Galena, is charged with first-degree murder in her death. He is being held on $1 million bond in Galena awaiting extradition to Dubuque. No further information has been released.

(Radio Iowa) Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack’s nomination to be U-S Ag Secretary is moving to the full Senate after an Ag Committee hearing today (Tuesday) on his second stint in the job.”It’s not lost on me ironically that this is Ground Hog Day and I realize that I am back again,” Vilsack says,”but I also realize that this is a fundamentally different time — I am a different person and it is a different department. And we have to recognize that.”

Vilsack in his opening statement said there are some key areas he has to address — including fixing what he says are inequalities, unfairness and discrimination in farm programs. “Where there is zero tolerance for discrimination, where programs actually open up opportunity for all who need help. And lift the burden of persistent poverty for those most in need,” according to Vilsack. He says openness and competitiveness in trade needs to be addressed.

“I think we want to provide advice and counsel and direction and efforts to try to look at additional free trade agreements,” he said. Vilsack says he will also have to address climate change and food insecurity. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst asked Vilsack how the president’s executive order that government vehicles should be electric will impact biofuels like ethanol produced in Iowa. Vilsack says there is room for both.

“I think we look for expanded opportunities in a variety of different ways. At the same time, I think we recognize that there will be more and more electric vehicles that will be utilitized in the country — and we also recognize that’s going to require energy — where does that energy come from,” Vilsack asked. “I think there are opportunities within rural America to promote rural renewable energy .” The Renewable Fuels Standard or R-F-S which sets the amount of renewable fuels required in the country expires in 2022. Ernst asked Vilsack about his support for continuing the measure.

“What will you do in your capacity to make sure we get this done. Get the renewal of the R-F-S done when we are facing near-unanimous support among Democrats when it comes to electric vehicles.” Ernst asked. Vilsack says he will talk with the president about the need for different types of vehicles.

“The reality is that General Motors and Ford and all of those other care companies, they are not going to stop producing cars with combustion engines, they are not going to stop that process,” according to Vilsack. “So we need an alternative fuel source in addition to, and to complement our efforts on the electric. I don’t see why we can’t have both over a long period of time. We are going to need both.” Vilsack served as U-S Ag Secretary for eight years in the Obama administration.

(Radio Iowa) – Especially during the wintertime, some Iowans like to feed the ducks and geese in parks and nearby ponds, but one expert implores — don’t. Orrin Jones, a waterfowl biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says when we toss bread and other treats to our feathered friends, it’s teaching them to become dependent on us.  “We want to encourage them to find food on their own,” Jones says. “These birds are migratory in nature and it’s very important that they go and distribute, and finding food is part of that migratory process.”

As we’ve all learned during the past pandemic year, sometimes being in close proximity to one another is a bad thing, and the same goes for birds, which will cluster around when there’s free food. Jones says, “It’s important not to concentrate them more than they would naturally from a disease prevention perspective.” One of the biggest problems with feeding ducks and geese is that, while well-intentioned, it could be a critical mistake for the health of the birds.

“They really need to find natural foods to get a wide range of items in their diet to satisfy their nutritional needs,” Jones says. “Human food is oftentimes detrimental and can even be dangerous to these birds so you might actually be harming them by feeding them.” Geese are quite plentiful in Iowa right now, particularly in urban communities, as there are several groups mingling at once, those that live here year-round and those that are migrating.

(Radio Iowa) – Cities and counties could not have ordinances banning certain breeds of dogs, like pit bulls, under legislation being considered in the Iowa Senate. Colin Grace of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa says aggressive dogs that bite are typically owned by someone who improperly trained or restrained the dog. “Where you want to focus your energy is not on breeds of dogs, but on irresponsible owners,” he says.

“You can go through all the rigmarole of removing a dangerous animal from an irresponsible owner and by 5 p.m. that day they can go on Craig’s List and find a new dog and start the process all over again. You know when you focus on breed as well, you also punish responsible owners of that breed.” The Iowa Veterinary Medical Association supports the bill, too. Randy Wheeler, the association’s executive director, says breed-specific bans give the public a false sense of security.

“I’m a veterinarian of 44 years. I’ve dealt with many different breeds as well as many different dogs,” he says. “…It’s a behavior of that specific dog and not the specific breed.” Christopher Collins is a police officer who lobbied to get rid of a pit bull ban in Anamosa. He says breed-specific bans are often based on prejudice against the poor and racial minorities. “When I was going through overturning the ban in Anamosa, frequently they kept referring to ‘those people,'” he says.

Lobbyist Emily Piper represents a non-profit called Stray Dog Policy, Incorporated. “This bill, at its heart, has nothing to do with dogs,” Piper says. “What it does have to do with is whether or not local government can deny its citizens the right to own something that is otherwise perfectly legal.” The bill does have opposition. Daniel Stalder is a lobbyist for the Iowa League of Cities. “Any piece of legislation which forces a city councilor or a mayor or a city clerk…to tell their constituents that, ‘I can’t help you because the state won’t let me,’ is of great concern to the League,” he says.

Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh voted against his city’s ban on pit bulls, but now supports it.  “Unfortunately ‘bully dogs’ attract the wrong type of owner…that want a dog that will send a statement that they are a tough guy with a tough dog,” Walsh says. “…I think our community’s safer by having the ban.”

An initial public hearing on the bill was held Monday, but senators working on the bill say they want more input. Illinois, South Dakota and 20 other states have passed laws banning local ordinances that restrict citizens from owning certain breeds of dogs.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A fifth person working at the Iowa Capitol has tested positive for coronavirus. Iowa House Chief Clerk Meghan Nelson says in a notification sent Tuesday that the individual was last in the building on Thursday. She says the person worked on the House side of the building and had worn a face covering at all times.

Two cases were reported Saturday and Rep. Amy Nielsen of North Liberty confirmed she was one of them. That marks the first known case of an Iowa lawmaker contracting the virus during the session. She says she believes she was infected at the Capitol where Republican leaders do not require masks.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of 40-year-old David Daniel Wells of Red Oak for Failing to Appear on a previous charge of OWI. Wells was arrested at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon at 2400 N 8th Street. He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.