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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans in the Iowa Legislature are again rewriting the state’s gun laws with a bill that would allow people to buy guns and carry a concealed handgun without first obtaining a state permit. The bill that passed the House Wednesday with all Republican votes and one Democrat would eliminate current state permit requirements which carry with them background checks to ensure the person obtaining or carrying a gun isn’t disqualified from ownership due to past felonies or abuses. Supporters says it improves Iowans’ basic right of self defense outlined in the Second Amendment but opponents say it will make Iowa much more dangerous for police and citizens and will make it much more difficult to stop gun violence before it happens.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A decommissioned eastern Iowa nuclear plant could become the site of a new massive solar energy project. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that NextEra Energy of Florida this week laid out plans with nearby landowners to build a solar farm near the now-idle Duane Arnold Energy Center. The company said the project, planned for 2023, could bring in a $700 million capital investment and about 300 construction jobs. The solar farm would stretch across 3,500 acres near the plant in Palo and would produce up to 690 megawatts of solar energy — even more than the nuclear plant had generated.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly survey of bankers points to a quickly recovering economy in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states as the survey’s individual indicators soared and the overall index rocketed to its highest reading since it began in 2006. The overall index of the Rural Mainstreet Survey shot up more than 18 points to 71.9 in March from February’s 53.8. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss credits in part sharp gains in grain prices, federal farm support and the Federal Reserve’s record-low interest rates. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Sheriff’s deputies in Page County arrested a man from Coin, Thursday, following a traffic stop. 48-year old Gary Lynn Runyon, Jr., was arrested for Driving while license is barred, an Aggravated Misdemeanor.

Runyon was transported to the Page County Jail where he was booked into the jail later posted bond before being released, pending future court proceedings.

(Radio Iowa) – A state panel meets tomorrow (Friday) to set official estimates of state tax revenue for the next 15 months. Robust projections could lead House Republicans to accept the Iowa Senate’s plan to accelerate state income tax cuts. But House Speaker Pat Grassley says a 2018 law includes a benchmark that state tax collections grow by at least four percent before the tax cuts are triggered to kick in.

“We might sit here tomorrow and revenue has grown to a point where it’s not an issue, but if that’s not the case, we’re going to take a cautions approach to looking at the triggers,” Grassley says. Governor Kim Reynolds supports removing that tax revenue measurement, so a series of promised income tax cuts automatically take effect in 2023.

“We recognize that’s been a priority of the governor’s so we’ll engage in those conversations,” Grassley says. Another factor in the tax debate has been federal pandemic relief money, which is not to be used by states to cut taxes. The U.S. Treasury Department has issued a statement, saying states may cut taxes — so long as an accounting shows the extra federal funds aren’t the reason a state is in a position to cut taxes. Grassley says he hasn’t seen that statement, but lawmakers will look at potential tax changes if it doesn’t jeopardize the federal aid.

“We obviously want to get money back in the pockets of hardworking Iowans, but we also want to do that in a responsible way that we don’t end up upside down like some of our neighbors,” Grassley says. Last month, the governor of Illinois proposed corporate tax changes that would raise 932 million more in taxes. The State of Illinois faces a budget deficit. Iowa has nearly a billion in cash reserves and the state’s economic emergency fund.

The Atlantic Police Department reports 26-year-old Bryce Baker, of Atlantic, was arrested on separate charges, twice in one week. On March 8th, Baker was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Institution, and Public Intoxication. And, on Monday, March 15th, Baker was arrested again. This time on a Cass County warrant for Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree.

Chief Dave Erickson reports also, 22-year-old Sean Smith, of Atlantic, was arrested March 8th, on Cass County warrants for Child Endangerment, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Meth, and Theft in the 5th. The following day (March 9): 32-year-old Justin Patton, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd of subsequent offense; 33-year old Randy Frazier, of Atlantic, was arrested for Compulsory Education Violation/1st offense; and, 27-year old Mark Nyanchoka, of Clive, was arrested for Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations.

Baker and Patton remained in the Cass County Jail, as of March 18th.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa City park has been renamed for a late resident and the first Black winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The Iowa City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved changing the name of Creekside Park to James Alan McPherson Park. McPherson enrolled at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop after graduating from Harvard Law School, and in 1978, won the Pulitzer for “Elbow Room,” a collection of short stories. He joined the Writers’ Workshop faculty in 1981. He died in 2016. The park that now bears his name was recently renovated and features a new playground, shelter, basketball court, and restroom.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly survey of bankers points to a quickly recovering economy in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states as the survey’s individual indicators soared and the overall index rocketed to its highest reading since it began in 2006. The overall index of the Rural Mainstreet Survey shot up more than 18 points to 71.9 in March from February’s 53.8. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss credits in part sharp gains in grain prices, federal farm support and the Federal Reserve’s record-low interest rates.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.