Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

OAKLAND, Iowa (AP) — An autopsy blames a fire for the deaths of a driver and teenager who were killed when a school bus burst into flames in western Iowa. An autopsy by the Iowa State Medical Examiner released Wednesday found that 16-year-old Megan Klindt and 74-year-old Donnie Hendricks died Dec. 12 from smoke and soot inhalation and thermal injuries. Their deaths were found to not be related to injuries from a crash. It’s unclear what caused the bus to burst into flames near Oakland.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced a date early next year for a special election to fill a state House seat. Reynolds says in a Thursday press release that the election for state House District 6 will be held on Jan. 16. District 6 covers areas of Woodbury County in northwest Iowa. The seat became vacant after Rep. Jim Carlin, a Sioux City Republican, was elected to the Senate in a special election earlier this month.

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — The former director of a southeast Iowa boarding school testified he never hurt students, at times tearfully rejecting charges he sexually and physically abused children before the school was closed in 2016. The Burlington Hawk Eye reports Benjamin Trane broke down on the witness stand Wednesday in South Lee County District Court during three hours of questioning by his attorney. He’s pleaded not guilty to sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and child endangerment charges.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Delhi city clerk has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $100,000 from the eastern Iowa city. U.S. District Court Judge Linda Reade sentenced former Delhi City Clerk Angela Billings, of Anamosa, to 15 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay $133,915 in restitution to Delhi. Billings acknowledged stealing more than $100,000 from Delhi by using the city’s credit card for personal expenses and adjusting her utility bill. The thefts were from 2007 to 2015.