712 Digital Group - top

Iowa early News Headlines: Saturday, 6/16/18

News

June 16th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Health insurance company Medica says it will offer insurance plans statewide in Iowa again next year through the Affordable Care Act exchange. The Minnesota-based company also says it will expand insurance offering for many Iowans.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Michigan man accused of ordering drugs online and having them shipped to a friend in Dubuque _ who then died of an overdose _ has pleaded guilty. Federal prosecutors for Iowa say 28-year-old Jay Rickert pleaded guilty Thursday in Cedar Rapids’ federal court to willfully causing the distribution of a controlled substance.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled for the first time that workers under union contract with the state may sue for wrongful discharge if they’re fired for retaliation or other improper reasons. The decision came Friday in a lawsuit filed in 2015 by former Iowa Workforce Development judge Susan Ackerman. Her claims include that former IWD Director Teresa Wahlert and other agency leaders defamed her, caused her emotional distress and breached her contract.

NEW HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — The trial of an Iowa father charged in the death of his infant son will be moved from Chickasaw County to Henry County. The Courier reports that a judge on Thursday ordered the change of venue after defense attorneys for 28-year-old Zachary Paul Koehn argued he couldn’t get a fair trial in Chickasaw County because of pretrial publicity. The trial will be held in the Henry County Courthouse in Mount Pleasant, about 50 miles south of Iowa City. Koehn’s trial is set for Oct. 29.