IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Leaders in Johnson County say they won’t pursue a ban on plastic bags, but will instead focus on voluntary measures to decrease their use. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports county officials have been considering a ban for months. It was pushed by the environmental group 100 Grannies for a Livable Future.

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) — Officials say the northwest Iowa city of Cherokee accidentally released several hundred gallons of wastewater into a storm drain feeding the Little Sioux River. The state Department of Natural Resources says repairs were completed about 2 p.m. yesterday.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A discrimination complaint by a former Mason City Human Rights Commission director filed with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission has been administratively closed. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that Perry Buffington, the city’s human resources director, said Wednesday that the closure means the state commission will take no further action on Lionel Foster’s complaint. The 76-year-old Foster had claimed race and age discrimination in his complaint after he was let go last year.

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) — A community group is working toward raising money to reopen a historic theater in central Iowa. The Help Entertain and Restore Organization, also known as HERO, says it’s nearing a major fundraising goal to reopen the Webster Theater in Webster City. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports the theater, which was built in 1906 and opened as the Orpheum Theater in 1909, closed last year.