DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man has been killed while working on a dump truck south of Dubuque. The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office says deputies and medics sent to a rural property around 7 p.m. Wednesday found the 61-year-old man pinned between the truck’s dump box and the truck body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His name hasn’t been released. Authorities say it appears he’d been cutting metal on the truck frame when the dump box came down on him.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports one person was arrested at around 7:30-p.m., Wednesday, in connection with an assault that took place Wednesday morning, in Villisca. 44-year old Marshall Larry Adams, of Stanton, was taken into custody and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $1,000.

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

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence says he is working with the White House counsel’s office to release transcripts of his own calls with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. He says the phone conversations help exonerate President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing. Pence was asked about releasing his transcripts and told reporters, “I’d have no objection to that.” He spoke Wednesday after an event in Waukee, Iowa, where he addressed supporters about the president’s trade policy.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police are investigating the discovery of human remains in a homeless camp near downtown Des Moines as a homicide. Television station KCCI reports that the police received a tip Tuesday that led investigators to a wooded area behind an abandoned manufacturing plant. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says the case is being treated as a homicide, noting that the body had been “cleverly concealed” and that the person did not appear to die of natural causes.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A top aide to Gov. Kim Reynolds is working as an expert witness in a private property lawsuit, backing a family that is seeking millions of dollars from neighbors in a zoning dispute. The outside work by Department of Administrative Services Director Jim Kurtenbach is unusual for an agency leader. His testimony supporting a family seeking to develop an Ames campground over the objections of neighbors could give the appearance that the executive branch is taking sides in a local dispute.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals says the Sioux City Human Rights Commission may sue the owners of rental properties for housing discrimination for rejecting renters with disabilities who asked to keep companion animals in their homes. A panel of three judges has concluded the city and its civil rights commission have standing to sue the James W. Boyd Revocable Trust and its trustees for violations of the law under the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber said Wednesday, that because the Department of Education agreed with another company to handle the Certified Enrollment Data each school in the State is responsible for completing and that drives the funding mechanism, the District had not received the file from the State to certify the enrollment.

Barber said the results are therefore unofficial until the certification process can be completed. As it stands, Certified enrollment this year is nearly the same as last year, if not flat. The latest data show an enrollment of 1329.7 this year, versus 1328.8 in 2018 (or, +.9 students). Open enrolled-in numbers are down 2.5 students from 2018, and Open enrolled-in versus Out, is up 3.4 students.

In other news, Barber said the Washington Parking Lot project was nominated for an award by the Statewide Concrete Organization. Their members visited Atlantic Wednesday and are comparing the project to others nominated within the State, to determine the award winners. He said also, there have been few if any complaints about the new drop-off and pickup locations.

Superintendent Barber said also, some members of the Atlantic media are sponsoring a School Board Candidate Forum. The event will be held 7-p.m. Monday, Oct. 28th, in the Atlantic Middle School Auditorium.  In the Atlantic School District, five people are running for one, At Large seat on the School Board: Mark C. Foegen; Nicholas Hunt; Laura McLean; Incumbent Jenny Williams; and Benjamin Winford.

Members of the Atlantic Athletic Facilities’ Steering Committee were recognized Wednesday evening, during a meeting of the Atlantic School Board. Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber said “About a year ago we started a Steering Committee. We had a lot of conversations about a pre-existing plan that was put together a couple of years beforehand, and they’ve been on-board since that time.” Committee members Kip Harris, Nicholas Hunt, Bob Sweeney and Jennifer Saathoff, were presented with plaques by School Board President Josh McLaren.

Members of the Athletic Facilities Steering Committee pose with the Atlantic School Board (10/9) Ric Hanson photo

A bond issue for Athletic Facilities Improvement was passed by the voters on April 2nd. Barber said “A lot of work and effort took place from these four folks during that time period, in regards to not only making some decisions about what the current plans were, but getting a lot of stakeholders together and getting their opinion and feedback throughout that process…communicating with the [School] Board, meeting of their expectations and resolutions,” and he says they “Worked hard in communicating not only with a public hearing, but also with District Staff and getting the word out to the voters.”

Barber said “They went above and beyond. Spent many hours getting it to the finish line.” Currently, Little League is removing the Aglime from the baseball and softball fields, along with the batting cages. In fact, on Monday, Oct. 14th, the Rochon Corporation will be starting on the Baseball/Softball fields.

Next Summer, Atlantic’s home Softball games will be played at the Little League Complex (across from KJAN). Athletic Director Andy Mitchell is working with area schools to determine where our home Baseball games will be played. Griswold has offered to work the schedule out, CAM and Avoca are looking into it as well, according to Steve Barber. As for the Trojan Bowl, Brad Devore will be taking down the white fence, prior to the start of the project. A pre-construction meeting is set for Oct. 17th, where details will be further discussed and decisions made moving forward. Barber said that will be the official “Kick-off” to the construction season.

Work on the Trojan Bowl will begin once the last game is played on the football field.

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday he is working with the White House counsel’s office to release transcripts of his own calls with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Pence said records of his two phone conversations would help exonerate President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing.

Pence was asked about releasing his transcripts and told reporters, “I’d have no objection to that.” He spoke after an event in Waukee, Iowa, where he addressed supporters about the president’s trade policy.
Pence said he “never discussed the issue of the Bidens” with Zelenskiy. And he again defended the president, insisting that a “plain reading” of the rough transcript of Trump’s call with the Ukranian leader shows “there was no quid pro quo.”

The Trump administration came under fire after a whistleblower complaint filed by a CIA officer suggested Trump and other administration officials worked to withhold aid from Ukraine and pushed the country’s government to investigate the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading candidate in the Democratic primary for president.

Pence also said he stands by his assertion during a 2016 vice presidential debate that foreign governments shouldn’t get involved in domestic elections. He ignored shouted questions noting that Trump suggested, in front of network cameras on the White House lawn, that China should start an investigation into the Bidens.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police are investigating the discovery of human remains in a homeless camp near downtown Des Moines as a homicide. Television station KCCI reports that the police received a tip Tuesday that led investigators to a wooded area behind an abandoned manufacturing plant.

Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says the case is being treated as a homicide, noting that the body had been “cleverly concealed” and that the person did not appear to die of natural causes. He did not share other details of how the person died.

Police says the body was likely in the area for a few months. Officials have not determined the person’s race, gender or age.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals says the Sioux City Human Rights Commission may sue the owners of rental properties for housing discrimination for rejecting renters with disabilities who asked to keep companion animals in their homes. In a decision filed Wednesday, a three-judge panel concluded the city and its civil rights commission have standing to sue for violations of the law under the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

The city first sued James W. Boyd Revocable Trust and its trustees James Boyd and Jennifer Boyle in March 2017, claiming they violated the law by denying reasonable accommodation of a disability. The city seeks a court order to stop the practice, civil penalties and punitive damages.

The city says applicants for rentals were told that no animals were allowed in 2014 and again in 2016. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in March 2018, finding the commission was not an “aggrieved person” eligible to sue under Iowa law. The appeals court judges applied the federal discrimination law definition, which allows a local civil rights commission to directly litigate discrimination concerns.

They sent the case back to district court for trial.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Adams County have arrested a woman on an Assault charge. Authorities say 18-year old Emmeline Stougard, of Corning, was arrested Wednesday (Today), for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Stougard was being held without bond in the Adams County Jail, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

Stougard was previously arrested Sept. 30th, on an Adams County warrant for Harassment.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Officials with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, Wednesday (today), announced three sentences for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine were imposed Tuesday: 35-year old Joseph A. Brown, of Omaha, was sentenced to ten years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release; 31-year old Christopher M. Rouse, of Omaha, was sentenced to twenty years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release; and, 28-year old Bernave Navarrete, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to twenty years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Their convictions were the result of a lengthy investigation by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force into methamphetamine trafficking in Western Iowa. The investigation revealed that methamphetamine was being brought into the Omaha, Nebraska, area from Mexico, and then transported to various locations in Nebraska and Western Iowa for distribution.

As part of the investigation, the following individuals were previously sentenced to prison: Jackie Thielen, ten years; Brandy Kumpula, eight years; Chase Richard, fifteen years; Jessica Snavely, ten years; and William LaBenz, five years. The sentencing hearings for Omar Martinez, Laura Rausch-Anderson, Colby Dunn and Manda May Rowell are still pending.

The matter was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force, Omaha Police Department, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department, Harlan, Iowa Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Io