DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa elected officials pride themselves on working in a politically divided government that still gets things done. But after a combative budget process, capped with several vetoes by Gov. Terry Branstad, some are questioning how well the system is working. Simply put, is Iowa politics becoming more like Washington?

Branstad has spent weeks defending his decision to veto several budget compromises negotiated by the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-majority House. The governor says he’s not concerned about his relationships with lawmakers or ability to get legislation passed in the future.

Branstad says officials dealt with worse situations during the farm crisis of the 1980s. But Democratic Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal says relations between Branstad and lawmakers are near “an all-time low.”

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s annual sales tax holiday set to coincide with back-to-school shopping also brings Nebraskans looking for bargains across the Missouri River. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports that Iowa’s sales tax holiday this year is being held August 7th through 8th. Nebraska doesn’t have a sales tax holiday, although the idea has been discussed from time to time by Nebraska lawmakers.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Public school officials in northern Iowa say a shortage of special education teachers have left districts struggling to fill those teaching positions. The Globe Gazette reports that enrollment numbers last school year show the Clear Lake school district had 136 students receiving special education services, while Mason City had 508.

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A Coralville man has been arrested and charged with stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a pizza restaurant he managed. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that 32-year-old Samuel Rainey is charged with first-degree theft. Police say Rainey was a night manager at Domino’s Pizza, where he was responsible for making night deposits.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police are looking for a Black Hawk County man who failed to return to a work release facility. Authorities say Nicholas Toles was transferred to work release after his parole on a robbery conviction was revoked last month. The Iowa Department of Corrections says in a written release that Toles was absence from the facility on Friday.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s annual sales tax holiday set to coincide with back-to-school shopping also brings Nebraskans looking for bargains across the Missouri River. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports that Iowa’s sales tax holiday this year is being held Aug. 7-8. Nebraska doesn’t have a sales tax holiday, although the idea has been kicked around from time to time by Nebraska lawmakers.

The Iowa holiday allows shoppers to buy select clothing and footwear priced at less than $100 without paying sales tax or local option taxes. The two days are usually among the best of the year for Iowa retailers. Although the sales tax holiday falls during the back-to-school shopping season, the tax exemption applies to merchandise for adults, too.

In an update to our story that posted Friday afternoon, officials say it was an Omaha man who died and whose wife was critically injured, during a motorcycle crash in Monona County. The Sioux City Journal reports that 81-year-old Willard Crowl was killed and 78-year-old Sonya Crowl was injured in the Thursday morning crash near Onawa on Interstate 29.

The Iowa State Patrol says the motorcycle was northbound when it began to drift into the right lane, then switched back to the left lane and crashed into the median. Investigators say Willard Crowl died at the scene. Sonya Crowl was taken to an Onawa hospital, then transported to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City.

It is not known who was driving the motorcycle at the time. The investigation into the crash continues.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Ames are warning of a phone scam targeting Iowa State University students. The Des Moines Register reports that multiple Iowa State students have received calls demanding money. Police say the callers threaten to take a student’s diploma, issue an arrest warrant or cause problems with a visa. Often, the callers mask their phone numbers through caller ID, posing as police departments.

Police are asking on-campus residents who have given money to the callers or who think they have received a call from a scammer to contact ISU Police. Off-campus students are asked to report incidents to the Ames Police Department. All are urged to contact the Federal Trade Commission through the commission’s website.