CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — An April sentencing is scheduled for an eastern Iowa school nurse accused of having sex with a 16-year-old student. Linn County District Court records say 47-year-old Angela Beik, of Marion, entered an Alford plea Monday to a charge of sexual exploitation by a school employee. In an Alford plea, a person doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a likely conviction.
Her sentencing is set for April 23.

Beik was the school nurse at Linn-Mar High School in Marion and also employed at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids. Police began an investigation of Beik last March. They’d learned that state officials were checking a report that Beik told fellow St. Luke’s nurses that she’d had consensual sex with the boy. They reported the conversation to officials.

(Radio Iowa) — A three-member Senate panel has unanimously advanced Governor Kim Reynolds’ proposal that would expand access to birth control in Iowa. The bill would let Iowa women get birth control pills and some other forms of contraception directly from a pharmacist. Patients would still have to go through a health screening and might be referred to a doctor. Jodi Tomlonovic is director of the Family Planning Council of Iowa.  “We think this is a good step forward and adds to our ability of women, in particularly in the more rural parts of the state, to access birth control,” she said.

Kathryn Kueter of Concerned Women For America, says a woman’s health could be harmed if she takes the wrong dosage of birth control. “We’re also concerned about the lack of accountability this bill provides since there’s no liability for the pharmacist,” she said. “And we think there needs to be some accountability on those fronts.”

Senator Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa, the Republican in charge of guiding the bill through the senate, says she wouldn’t be supporting it if she thought it would endanger women’s health. Miller-Meeks is the former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. A three-member House subcommittee is scheduled to consider a similar proposal tomorrow (Thursday).

Police in Red Oak conducted a traffic stop in the vicinity of N. Broadway and W. Reed Streets, at around 8:40-p.m., Tuesday. As the result of the stop, 25-year old Shilo J. Major, of Red Oak, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension, with three withdrawals in effect. Major was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on bond amounting to slightly more than $566.

Police in Council Bluffs, Tuesday night, updated their information with regard to a hit-and-run incident that occurred on the South Expressway, Saturday night. Authorities say 45-year old Billie Rowe, of Council Bluffs, admitted to being involved in the incident that happened just before 8-p.m., in the northbound lanes in the 2200 block area of the South Expressway.

During the event, 20-year-old Kane Fideler, of Council Bluffs, was struck by a silver or gray pickup with a business logo on the doors, and possibly a large letter “C” with a tree symbol. The accident happened as Fideler was alongside the road due to a previous fender-bender accident.

For his role in the incident, Rowe was cited for Failure to Maintain Control, Leaving the Scene of an Injury Accident, and for having no insurance. He was released with the citations.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:47 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A 50-year-old Iowa man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for having and producing child pornography. Federal prosecutors for Iowa said in a news release Tuesday that Joel Thomas Augard was sentenced Monday in Des Moines’ federal courthouse. Augard had pleaded guilty in October to two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — The trial of an Indiana man accused of killing a Fort Dodge woman has again been postponed and moved. The Messenger reports that trial for Phillip Williams was to start Monday in Mason City, but a judge granted his request Tuesday to delay and move the trial. That came after Williams, who is black, objected to the composition of the jury pool, which had only one African American. Williams is charged with first-degree murder in the August 2017 death of 26-year-old Jessica Gomez.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say three people perished in a fire that heavily damaged a two-story house in the eastern Iowa city of Muscatine. Firefighters dispatched around 6:40 p.m. Monday found flames coming from several doors and windows. One injured person found outside the home was taken in critical condition to a hospital. The Muscatine Fire Department says firefighters found three bodies inside the home. Their names haven’t been released. The fire cause is being investigated.

AUBURN, Neb. (AP) — A southeast Nebraska man has pleaded not guilty to stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of brass from his employer. Nemaha County District Court records say 26-year-old Justin Heard, of Auburn, entered the pleas Monday to 11 counts of burglary and three of theft from Magnolia Metal in rural Auburn. Investigators say he sold the brass to a recycler in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

AUBURN, Neb. (AP) — A southeast Nebraska man has pleaded not guilty to stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of brass from his employer. Nemaha County, NE., District Court records say 26-year-old Justin Heard, of Auburn, NE., entered the pleas Monday to 11 counts of burglary and three of theft. A trial date has not been set. A court document says surveillance shows Heard loading brass into a vehicle at Magnolia Metal in rural Auburn. Investigators say he sold the brass for nearly $14,000 to a recycler in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The records say the crimes began occurring in August.

The Harlan Police Department reports three arrests occurred last week. On Feb. 19th, 19-year old Juan Carlos Lara Juarez, and 24-year old Brett Allan Ballantyne, both of Harlan, were arrested following a call about a disturbance. Lara Juarez was arrested on assault, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia charges. Ballantyne was arrested for gathering where a controlled substance is unlawfully used.

And, 47-year old Wade Michael McFarland, of Harlan, was arrested on the 19th on an active Shelby County warrant. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 37-year old Jamie Lynn Opalia, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced Feb. 19th to three months in prison for Social Security Representative Payee fraud. United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey also ordered Opalia to serve three years of supervised release following her prison term and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. She must also pay restitution to the Social Security Administration in the amount of $22,552.

On October 23, 2018, Opalia pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted she applied for and was granted Social Security benefits to support another person, but converted almost all of the funds from Social Security to her own personal use. This matter was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Members of the Griswold and Lenox Boards of Education will hold a Special Joint Meeting 7-p.m. Wednesday, in the Griswold Middle School/High School Library. On their agenda is discussion, with regard to Superintendent Sharing and an Individual Contract. The combined Boards will then consider entering into a closed session to evaluate the professional competency of an employee “Whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered…”

The closed session will be followed by the resumption of an open session, whereby the Boards will consider approval of a Sharing Agreement and approval of a Superintendent Contract. Immediately after the Joint Meeting adjourns, the Griswold School Board will hold a Special meeting to consider approving an Open Enrollment request.

Members of the Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will meet during a Work Session 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27th, in the Middle School Media Center. During their session, the Board will discuss a “High School Academic Opportunity,” and discuss upcoming notable dates, including:

• Special Election (Bond-related) voting begins March 4th
• A Public Hearing for the 2019-2020 School Calendar (during the Board’s regular meeting on March 13th)
• Parent-Teacher Conferences (March 13-14)
• and a presentation by Aaron Thomas 10-a.m. March 22nd.

Following their session, the Atlantic School Board will hold a closed session (as allowed under the Iowa Code) for the Superintendent’s Annual Evaluation.