Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Acclaimed opera singer Simon Estes joined forces with fine arts lobbyists to advocate for arts education. Estes, along with members of the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education, urged lawmakers to add fine arts to the Iowa Core Curriculum in a presentation Wednesday before the Senate Education Committee.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has appointed former U.S. Representative Leonard Boswell to the Iowa Department of Transportation Commission. Branstad announced the appointment yesterday. Boswell, a Democrat, will take over a seat vacated by former Democratic state Senator Tom Rielly, who resigned due to a professional conflict of interest.

MARENGO, Iowa (AP) — A former county treasurer in eastern Iowa has been accused of stealing more than $62,000 from the county over several years. The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office says Kimberly Tanke has been charged with felony first-degree theft in connection with missing funds. A private auditing firm and Iowa County officials say the money was taken between 2006 and 2010, when Tanke served as treasurer. They gave their findings to authorities, including the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

BOONE, Iowa (AP) — Boone police say autopsies are complete on the bodies of two people found dead in their home last week, but it’s still unclear how they died. KCCI-TV reports the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s report showed no apparent injury or trauma to the bodies of 47-year-old Lisa Kurth and 56-year-old David Morrison. They were found in a Boone home on Friday.