Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

A man who lived in Harlan in 1998 has been charged in Pottawattamie County with three-counts of 3rd degree sexual assault, in connection with a case that dates back 14-years. 68-year year old Bobby Ervin Smith, a former youth coordinator was being held in the Pott. County Jail. According to Omaha television station KETV, the alleged victim, who was 12 years old at the time, said Smith was his youth coordinator at First Baptist Church. The victim claimed Smith assaulted him during a fishing trip. Smith and his family moved to Missouri in 2008. He’s due in court in November, and if convicted on all charges, he faces 30 years in prison.

Authorities in Harrison County say no injuries were reported when a train struck a semi near Dunlap on Friday morning. Dunlap Police Chief Darren Klein says the semi was unable to get across the tracks, “It was an eastbound train and the Quality Liquid Feeds (QLF) was unable to cross the tracks. No injuries at all to either the driver or engineers. The impact drug the truck down about 50 yards and broke the cross arms off. That’s about it.”

The Dunlap Police Department was working with the Union Pacific to estimate the damage. The semi and trailer, owned by Quality Liquid Feeds, were a total loss while there was some damage to the locomotive. The accident happened around 10-am Friday. Traffic had to be re-routed while crews cleaned up the area.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Atlantic City Council will hold its first meeting of the month Wednesday evening, at City Hall. During their session, the Council will receive a report from AMU General Manager Steve Tjepkes. They’ll also possibly act on a resolution awarding a bid for improvements to the traffic signals at 7^th and Walnut, Chestnut and Poplar Streets. Only one bid (amounting to $123,838) was received, from a company out of Oskaloosa. The engineer’s original cost estimate for the project was $93,000, so it’s possible the Council may reject the bid, and stick with the current signals until next year, or conduct what City Administrator Doug Harris calls “Value engineering,” to reduce the cost of the project.

The Council will also hold the third and final reading of an ordinance amending the City Code, with regard to Illegal Dumping, to make the rules consistent throughout the County. And, the Council will hold the first reading of a revised ordinance pertaining to “Private Wells,” with regard to Iowa DNR identified contaminated sites on Commerce, East 7^th and West 2^nd Streets. The ordinance allows closed-loop systems for non-drinking water wells use greater than 1,000-feet from an area of contamination, and drinking water wells greater than 1,000-feet from an area of contamination, and are more than 250-feet from an accessible public water supply.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, is expected to pass on the second- and third-readings, an ordinance prohibiting parking  on Linn Street, on the east side, from 8^th Street north 100-feet, from 7:45-a.m. to 3:15-p.m., for the purpose of loading buses when school is in session. They’ll also act on an expanded Tobacco Free Policy for City Hall, which was originally enacted in February of 2007, but now includes a tobacco cessation program for City employees.

The Council’s session begins at 5:30-p.m., Wednesday, and is scheduled to be broadcast locally, on Cable Channel 18.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and University of Northern Iowa President Ben Allen today (Tuesday) announced a series of community conversations featuring Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and economic development, will take place across the state in September and October. Two of the meetings will be held in the southwest Iowa towns of Bedford and Creston, on Wed., Sept. 19th.

The first session will take place 1:30-p.m. Sept. 19th, at Southwestern Community College, in Creston. The event will be held in Instructional Center Room 180. The second session takes place at 4-p.m. Sept. 19th, in the Auditorium at the Bedford High School. Both meetings feature Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and UNI President Ben Allen.

The community conversations are designed seek feedback from Iowans about what priorities the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council should focus on as the STEM initiative continues to build across Iowa.  Reynolds, co-chair of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, says “We are determined to provide Iowa’s young people with engaging STEM education opportunities, no matter where they live. That will help assure more students are well equipped to be knowledgeable citizens and to someday begin college or career training prepared for success. It also will help assure a stronger STEM employee pipeline for Iowa’s businesses and industries.”

All parents, grandparents, educators, business and civic leaders, legislators and other Iowans are invited to attend the hour-long, town hall style meetings. Ben Allen, co-chair of the STEM Advisory Council,  said they  “Are in the process of rolling out STEM programs through our scale-up initiative and these community conversations are a way to foster STEM relationships between local businesses, the regional STEM networks and area schools.  The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is a public-private partnership whose overarching goal is creating greater student achievement in STEM subjects and a stronger STEM workforce.