(Radio Iowa) — The number of fire deaths for 2019 is expected to end up above last year’s total. The spokesman for the State Fire Marshal’s office, Ron Humphrey says the number will end up around 50. “It’s going to be up about ten from last year — but it’s also down six from the year before in 2017,” Humphrey says. “The trend over the last 15 years or so has been slightly up. Back in 2006 our average was just over 30.” He says there is not one factor he can link to the increase. “It’s really hard to say. I know in 2017 when we were at 56 — which was the highest we had been in a long time — we had several multiple fatality fires where we lost three, four, five people in one incident and that threw our numbers way up. I can’t put my finger on one thing,” Humphrey says.

He does say newer types of building materials with composite wood and other products do tend to burn faster. “You do get a fire going and they burn through a lot quicker and they’ve got the glues in them that add to the combustibility and the spread of the fire. And add to the toxic fumes in the structure,” Humphrey says. “So, the lightweight building materials do have something to do with it — but again you can’t really put your finger on it and say that causes X amount of additional fatalities a year.” He says one thing they are trying to do is continue to push everyone to install and maintain smoke detectors. “It seems like over 50 percent of our fires — either the structure didn’t have smoke detectors in it — or had smoke detectors that weren’t working properly,” he says.

Humphrey says the smoke detectors can provide the extra seconds needed to get people safely out of a burning structure. “Still find when we have fatality fires that they either don’t have them or they weren’t properly maintained,” Humphrey says. He says the final number could change in the last days of the year. He says a fire death is not added to the list until there is confirmation from the state medical examiner that fire was the official cause.

NORTHWOOD, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman is accused of faking cancer to collect donations. Jennifer Hope Mikesell, of Northwood, is charged with ongoing criminal conduct, theft, fraudulent practices and forgery. The Worth County Sheriff’s Office says Mikesell had said she was diagnosed with cancer and was receiving cancer treatments at Mayo Clinic Health System in Rochester, Minnesota. Iowa court records say Mayo has no record of Mikesell being diagnosed or treated there. The court records say Mikesell received multiple donations of money, food and other supplies, as well as a bedroom makeover.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a former school district official in northern Iowa has been settled. Mason City Schools’ former human resources director Jodie Anderson filed the lawsuit in July 2018, alleging that men employed by the district were being paid more than women for the same categories of work. The district said in a news release Monday that its insurer wanted to settle in order to “avoid the cost and disruption protracted litigation can cause.” A trial had been scheduled to begin Jan. 7. Officials have not disclosed how much money, if any, will go to Anderson in the settlement.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Pork Producers are urging lawmakers to continue taxpayer support of facilities and programs designed to respond to an outbreak of African swine fever here. The association’s Drew Mogler testified at a public hearing in the governor’s office this week. “Iowa Pork is very appreciative of the communication and collaboration that’s existing between pork producers and our partners in state government as we continue to be vigilant and prepare in the unfortunate event that something like this would reach our border,” he said.

African Swine Fever has killed swine herds in Asia and eastern Europe. It has wiped out about one-quarter of all the pigs in the world — but it has NOT reached the United States. Mogler says construction of the new, 75 MILLION dollar Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Iowa State University is a priority for Pork Producers. “It cannot be overstated the critical role that the Vet Diagnostic Lab plays in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak in the not only in the state of Iowa, but really the Midwest and the entire country,” Mogler said.

In addition, the Pork Producers are calling for an increase in state funding to help the Iowa Department of Agriculture prepare for an outbreak of disease among the state’s livestock herds. According to Mogler, one-out-of-12 jobs in the state are connected to pork production and he says 25 percent of the grain grown in Iowa is consumed by Iowa pigs. State officials estimate the entire livestock industry will generate about 13-and-a-half BILLION dollars in the Iowa economy this year.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 21-year-old man who drowned after falling into a pond near Cedar Rapids’ Mohawk Park. The Linn County medical examiner identified the man as Talon Williams, who lived in Cedar Rapids. Rescue workers were sent to the park around 5:45 p.m. Sunday following a report that three people had fallen into the water. A city news release says a 14-year-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy got themselves out but were unable to get the third person out. They went to shore and called 911. Williams’ body was found in the water about 120 yards from shore.

Presidential candidate/Democrat Congressman John Delaney will be crisscrossing Iowa for the entire month of January on a small town blitz of 40 stops, a journey he’s dubbed the Send A Message Tour. Cruising in the campaign RV, “Big Blue,” Delaney and his field staff will be hosting meet and greets, knocking on doors, making supporter calls, and meeting with caucus-goers and precinct captains around the state.

Delaney is an American attorney, businessman, and politician. He was the United States Representative for Maryland’s 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2019.

His schedule (locally) includes, on Jan. 13th:

• 10-a.m. – Defiance:  Delaney & team door knocking
• 2-p.m.  – Lyman: Delaney & team door knocking
• 5-pm. – Griswold: Dusty’s Place (402 Main St.)

And on January 17th, Delaney will be:

• in Carroll at 2-p.m.: Brothers on Main (529 N Main St.)
• and in Templeton at 4-p.m.: for a tour of Templeton Whisky

Delaney will also be in Panora on Jan. 21st at the Owl’s Nest (124 W. Main St.), at 5-p.m.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:10 a.m. CST

GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (AP) — Democratic congresswoman Cindy Axne returned to her southwestern Iowa district last weekend for the first time since voting in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump. Axne narrowly won a Republican-leaning district in 2018 and is a top GOP target in 2020. Republicans have been running ads against her focused on impeachment, and Vice President Mike Pence had spoken on local television to urge her to vote against it. But at her town hall, none of her constituents asked about the vote. Instead, they focused on rural issues and the trade deal that passed last week.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — In a victory for prosecutors, a judge has ruled that they can use key evidence against the man charged with killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts. Judge Joel Yates agreed with prosecutors that some statements made by Cristhian Bahena Rivera must be suppressed because they came during an interrogation after he was not read his full legal rights. But Yates ruled that prosecutors can use information provided by Rivera that led them to the body of Tibbetts, who disappeared in July 2018 while out running in Brooklyn, Iowa. He also ruled that they can use key blood evidence.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman who told police she intentionally ran over a teenager because she believed the girl was Mexican has been charged with another hit-and-run crash that hurt a 12-year-old boy. Des Moines police charged Nicole Franklin with attempted murder in connection with a Dec. 9 crash that occurred less than an hour before another hit-and-run in suburban Clive. In the latest charge, Franklin was accused of hitting a boy in a Des Moines apartment complex. The boy suffered minor injuries. In the later incident, Franklin was charged with attempted murder after her vehicle hit Natalia Miranda as the 14-year-old was walking to school to watch a basketball game.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A group of top state officials has approved payments of nearly $400,000 to continue a lawsuit defending former Gov. Terry Branstad. A jury found in July he discriminated against former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey because he is gay and awarded him $1.5 million. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald and Auditor Rob Sand refused to approve the payment. They say taxpayers shouldn’t continue paying. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Secretary of State Paul Pate and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig approved the bills, bringing total court costs to more than $8 million, which will climb since Reynolds is appealing the case.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests took place over the past week, including that of a Union County man who was taken into custody December 17th. 29-year old Scott Joseph Draman, of Creston, was arrested at the Greater Regional Hospital in Creston, on two Adair County warrants charging him with: (Felony) Domestic Abuse Assault by impeding air/blood flow, resulting in injury; Harassment in the 1st Degree; False Imprisonment, and Obstruction of Emergency Communications. Draman was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond.

On Dec. 21st, 19-year old Tye Michael Joint, of Redfield, was arrested in Stuart on a Story County warrant for Probation Violation, on an original charge of Public Intoxication. He was released later that same day on a $2,000 cash only bond.

And, on Dec. 16th, 37-year old Joseph Lee Reynolds, of Stuart, was arrested by an Iowa State Patrol Trooper, for Driving While Barred, after he was seen driving from a gas station to a restaurant, in Stuart. Reynolds was released that same day on a $2,000 cash or surety bond.