Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) – Police say they’re looking for an escaped inmate in central Iowa. The Clive Police Department says the male inmate escaped yesterday afternoon during a transfer, but additional information was not provided. Residents in the Des Moines suburb were alerted by automated phone message about the escape.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The state’s top human resources officer says the most common reason state workers are excluded from being considered for rehire is for bad behavior or poor performance. Michelle Minnehan, human resources chief operating officer for the state, told the Senate Government Oversight Committee yesterday the reasons workers are fired and not eligible for rehire have included abuse of sick leave, falsification of records and urinating on prison inmates’ food.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Education must gather information from schools about whether they are testing for radon gas under a bill Governor Terry Branstad has signed into law. Branstad signed the bill today to require school districts to tell the department about radon testing by the end of this year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Democrats are looking to expand access to Iowa’s presidential caucuses to people who are typically unable to attend them. It’s a tricky task with these local political meetings that thrive on in-person discussion. Party leaders said yesterday it’s not in response to criticism, but a way to expand access to grass-roots democracy.