(Radio Iowa) — Federal operations in Iowa are scaling back services as a partial government shutdown continues. Those federal workers who are considered essential are still on the job, including law enforcement. National Monuments and wildlife refuges only have minimal staffing, but are open to visitors and hunters. Chuck Traxler is a regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “At most of our national wildlife refuges, we follow state hunting seasons, so if there is a legal hunting season going on and that refuge is open to that hunting, it’s open to the public to use,” Traxler says. “I would add, we do have law enforcement folks that are all on duty.”

Those federal facilities in Iowa have not been vacated, he assures. “There will be staff at every refuge, just doing the essential stuff to make sure public equipment is safe and secure,” Traxler says, “just to make sure in case something breaks or there’s any kind of emergency maintenance needed.”

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch is closed due to the government shutdown, and National Weather Service offices in Iowa will keep forecasting, but social media updates are limited. Funding for parts of the federal government ran out at midnight Friday as President Donald Trump and members of Congress bicker over building a wall along the southern U-S border.

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 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former shelter dog has retired after eight years of comforting patients at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa. Maggie, a certified therapy dog, has been part of the hospital’s Furry Friends program. Her owner, Sue Braverman, says Maggie seems to have a gift for making people feel better— patients and hospital staffers alike. Maggie’s hospital friends said goodbye to her Wednesday at a retirement gathering. She’s 13. Braverman says Maggie will spend the rest of her days at her home.

(UPDATE 8:15-a.m.: The roadway was last reported to be open to 1-lane) Officials with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office report traffic on State Highway 148 near the 2 mile marker is currently slowed due to an overturned tractor trailer. The road may be temporarily closed this morning to clean up the accident. Please take this into account with your travel plans if this is along your route. Updates will be posted as soon as they are available.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CST

UNDATED (AP) — California is trying to matter in the 2020 presidential election. The nation’s biggest state has moved up its primary in the hopes of getting some love from candidates along with the traditional quartet of early-voting states _ Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. There’s no guarantee the strategy will work. California is expensive to campaign in, and that will limit who can compete there.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors say thousands of individuals and businesses were victims of a large-scale scheme in which ordinary corn and soybeans were fraudulently marketed nationwide as “certified organic.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, says that potentially “tens of thousands” were defrauded by Randy Constant and his associates into paying a premium for products that they didn’t want. Constant, of Chillicothe, Missouri, and three others have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Three former managers at the University of Iowa police department have filed lawsuits claiming that their jobs were eliminated as part of a “culture of discrimination” against older workers. The lawsuits were filed by former UI Department of Public Safety associate director William Searls, Capt. Ian Scott and Capt. Loren Noska. The three were notified on April 20, 2017 that their jobs were being cut by Director Scott Beckner, who cited “an organizational realignment” as the reason.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A judge has issued restrictions for media coverage of the trial for a 12-year-old eastern Iowa boy accused of trying to shoot a junior high school teacher. The Quad-City Times reported Wednesday the Scott County District Court judge ruled the media can’t name the boy or take identifiable photographs of him or witnesses younger than 18. The boy is charged with attempted murder, carrying weapons on school grounds and assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. The incident happened in Eldridge.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors say thousands of individuals and businesses were victims of a large-scale scheme in which ordinary corn and soybeans were fraudulently marketed nationwide as “certified organic.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said in a filing Wednesday that potentially “tens of thousands” were defrauded by Randy Constant and his associates into paying a premium for products that they didn’t want.

Constant, of Chillicothe, Missouri, and three others have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Constant, who owned an Iowa grain brokerage, acknowledged that he sold $142 million worth of corn, soybeans and wheat over a 7 ½ year period that wasn’t organic despite his representations.

Constant was aware that most of his product was grown using non-organic methods. The buyers included companies who processed the grain into other products that were marketed as organic.

(Brownfield Ag News via Radio Iowa) — Many Iowa farmers and agri-businesses continue to suffer the effects of steel and aluminum tariffs. Steve Sukup (SOO-kup), CFO of Sheffield-based Sukup Manufacturing, says trade retaliation this year from China, Canada and Mexico has resulted in a 30-percent increase in steel prices. “Our farmers and end-customers that are having to pay the price, and obviously when prices rise everyone takes a little bit of hesitation (asking) if they really want to pay that higher price. But storage is so needed out there. So, it’s a headwind,” Sukup said.

Sukup told Brownfield Ag News he’s surprised U.S. tariffs on Canada and Mexico remain in place despite leaders from all three countries signing a new trade agreement.  “You know, lead times are the same and the only reason prices went up was because the U.S. steel mills could do it,” Sukup said. “And we’ve always bought all U.S. steel, so it feels like we’re getting a double-whammy there.” Sukup is a leading manufacturer of grain storage and grain handling equipment.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa State University football team won’t be the only group from Iowa to take the field at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday night. The marching band from Gehlen Catholic School in Le Mars will be performing during halftime. Lisa Niebuhr, the school’s development director, says the entire trip will have an educational focus.

“Educational in the sense of the competition as well as working with the clinicians for the mass band performance on music,” Niebuhr says. “We are doing some history education by going to the Alamo.” There’s also science education planned, too, she says, with a trip to SeaWorld and to some natural caverns. While in Texas, the band will compete in a marching band contest with around 20 other bands that will be there from various sizes of schools participating in the Alamo Bowl festivities.

Niebuhr says the trip also serves as community outreach as the bowls are non-profit organizations with proceeds from the event going to Fort Sam Houston Hospital, which serves members of the military. “Since patriotism and citizenship are an important component of what we do at Gehlen, from everything from our Veterans Day prayer service to saying the Pledge every day, one of the reasons why we choose the Alamo Bowl is because it’s a way for us to give back to our servicemen and women,” she says.

Niebuhr’s husband, Paul, is the band’s director and she notes, the 37-member marching band is getting plenty of attention from across Iowa. Niebuhr says, “It’s a real testimony to our community because Ames and Des Moines have picked up the coverage of Le Mars and even the athletic director from Iowa State sent Paul and I a personal note that we shared with the band and said they’re going to be cheering with Gehlen.” This will mark the sixth time Gehlen has performed at a college bowl game.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Three former managers at the University of Iowa police department have filed lawsuits claiming that their jobs were eliminated as part of a “culture of discrimination” against older workers. The lawsuits were filed by former UI Department of Public Safety associate director William Searls, Capt. Ian Scott and Capt. Loren Noska.

The three were notified on April 20, 2017 that their jobs were being cut by Director Scott Beckner, who cited “an organizational realignment” as the reason. All three men are in their 50s. Their lawsuits claim that their duties were given to two employees who were less qualified, had less experience with the department and were about 20 years younger.

They also claim Beckner blocked them from consideration for a sergeant’s position that was later advertised even though they were qualified and that he gave the job to a less experienced 32-year-old.