Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Federal officials say the former director of Iowa’s workforce agency created a “perceived pressure” to favor employers over workers in unemployment benefits decisions. The U.S. Department of Labor made the assessment about Teresa Wahlert in a recent letter to Beth Townsend, the new director of the Iowa Workforce Development. The letter makes recommendations, including that the position of a chief administrative law judge be merit based. That protects certain state workers from being fired for political reasons.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – A woman has died in a hospital after a fire damaged her home in Davenport. The fire was reported shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday. Authorities say the fire started in a kitchen. The cause is being investigated. The woman, who officials have identified as 34-yer-old Stephanie Ford, was alone in the home when the fire broke out.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A plan for Iowa to hire an outside contractor to vet some Medicaid recipients is under review in the Iowa Senate. The proposal would require the state to contract with an outside vendor to set up a computerized system that would assess whether people who are elderly, blind or disabled meet Medicaid eligibility rules. This would apply to about 78,800 people currently on Medicaid, out of about 550,000 in the program in Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Federal prosecutors say a former Des Moines police officer who was sentenced to less than two years in prison for severely beating a man during a 2012 traffic stop should be locked away for up to 14 years. Merced Dautovic was convicted of using excessive force and obstructing justice in 2012. Federal Judge John Jarvey sentenced him to less than two years and he was released in January 2014.