Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Two top managers at the Iowa Department of Administrative Services have been asked to return for a second day of questioning before a joint legislative oversight committee. Doug Woodley and Paul Carlson didn’t help lawmakers clarify the big question: who authorized settlement agreements in which money was paid for secrecy.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A plan to enroll more 4-year-olds in preschool and incentivize the creation or expansion of programs has won the Iowa Senate’s approval. The legislation that now goes to the House would offer additional funds to school districts with existing programs or those that initiate new programs, in an effort to expand preschool enrollment. These incentives would be offered for three years beginning in 2015, and would be based on increased enrollment.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) – An Ottumwa man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the brutal beating of a toddler under his care. Dustin Dewayne Armstrong agreed to a plea deal before his trial on multiple charges of child endangerment was scheduled to begin this year. Prosecutors say in April 2013, the 20-year-old Armstrong grabbed Brayden Young’s jaw and slammed his head against a wall. The then-two-year-old boy was later hospitalized with broken bones and extensive brain damage.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Young hunters will have a special opportunity thanks to the generosity of a Webster County family. Donald Seltz and his family decided to sell 75 acres of land to the county for $1,000 per acre. That’s far less than the $8,000 or more an acre the family could have earned for the land. The conservation area has been named the Shirley Kirchner-Seltz Prairie, in honor of Donald Seltz’s late wife.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s office has received two reports recently of attempted phone scams in the area. Authorities say a man has been phoning people and representing himself as a member of the Shelby County Sheriff’s office. He then threatens certain legal action in order to try and get the victims’ money.

Those who live in Shelby county and the surrounding areas should be aware the Shelby County Sheriff’s office will not seek payment for legal matters over the phone, and you should never give personal information to anyone claiming to be from the Sheriff’s Office, or provide payment over the phone. Neither of the two previous victims gave any money to the scammer.

The case remains under investigation.

Authorities in Mills County report two arrests over the weekend. On Saturday, deputies arrested 22-year old, Andrew Mark Schoening, of Mineola, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Schoening was taken into custody at the Pottawattamie County Jail and held on $25,000 bond.   And, 22-year old Nile Johnathan Packett, of Glenwood was arrested on south Locust Street in Glenwood, on a charge of Disorderly Conduct. His arrest occurred at around 1:35-a.m., Saturday. Bond was set at $300.

Sheriff’s deputies in Mills County also investigated a single-vehicle accident Saturday. At Around 9:37-a.m.,  a 1997 Honda driven by Richard Miller, of Carter Lake, was traveling south on Highway 59, about a mile north of Emerson, when the left front tire blew out. The car then swerved into the west ditch and hit an embankment. No injuries were reported.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports five people were arrested over the past week. On Saturday, 24-year old Kevin Damien Engles, of Atlantic, was arrested on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Interference with Official Acts, and Driving Under Suspension. That same day, 29-year old Ehren Michael Mardesen, of Anita, was arrested on a charge of Interference with Official Acts. Both men were brought to the Cass County Jail and later released, with Mardesen being released on $300 bond, and Engles released on his own recognizance.

Last Friday, Cass County deputies arrested 22-year old Devin Allen Foote, of Griswold, on an Atlantic Police Department warrant charging him with Harassment in the 3rd Degree. Foote was later released on $300 bond. Last Thursday, 29-year old Tyanna Karee Monrreal-Robles, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in Cass County on a District Court warrant for Violation of her probation. Monrreal-Robles remains in the Cass County Jail on $10,000 bond.

And, on April 7th, 36-year old Jared Mark Smith, of Atlantic, turned himself in on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Assault w/Injury. Smith was booked into the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $1000 bond.

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) – A judge has sentenced a Council Bluffs man to 20 years in prison for the death of a Glenwood woman. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports 24-year-old Chad Fortner was sentenced today (Monday) in Mills County District Court after pleading guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of causing bodily injury in the death of Carol Meston.

Fortner was staying with the 47-year-old Meston in October 2013 when she intervened in a shoving match between him and another man. Meston fell, hit her head and lost consciousness. She died the next day.  Fortner was charged with second-degree murder before making the plea agreement. He will serve a concurrent sentence for four drug charges.

Fortner was released from prison last June after a 2012 conviction for involuntary manslaughter.