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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Joni Ernst says she’s pushing EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to fulfill the promises the president has made to blend a mandated 15 billion gallons of ethanol into the nation’s fuel supply. If it doesn’t happen Ernst says she’ll call for the president to fire Wheeler.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A hospital association spokesman has been fired after criticizing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ handling of Medicaid privatization. The Des Moines Register reports that Thomas “Scott” McIntyre was dismissed from his post as vice president of communications for the Iowa Hospital Association after his personal, nonpublic Facebook post in March. He said at a state unemployment hearing that his post was satirical and intentionally over the top in what he described as “Donald Trump language.”

GRUNDY CENTER, Iowa (AP) — A man has died after being hit by a car in a convenience store parking lot in Grundy Center. KWWL-TV reports 29-year-old Anthony Guyer, of Aplington, was in a Casey’s General Store parking lot on Wednesday when he was hit by a car driven by 77-year-old Jean Newton, of Grundy Center. Police say Newton was backing out of a parking spot and abruptly accelerated backward, hitting Guyer and pinning him between the vehicle and a work trailer.

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — As Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s star rises in early states like Iowa, the scrutiny of him is increasing, too. So far, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has glided through the campaign, raising large sums of money and impressing voters with his calm demeanor. But since he pointedly challenged Elizabeth Warren and others in the last debate, he has been criticized for being too cozy with the tech industry and faced renewed questions about his ability to attract black voters.