BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — A Bettendorf counselor has pleaded guilty again to kissing and touching a client against the woman’s wishes. The Quad-City Times reports that 46-year-old Aracely Schutters filed a written plea Wednesday. The charge: misdemeanor sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist. Schutters’ sentencing is scheduled for March 7. Schutters initially pleaded guilty in February, but a judge later allowed her to take back the plea after learning Schutters was not informed of some of the plea’s ramifications, including being required to register as a sex offender.

An arrest affidavit says the incident happened Dec. 4, 2017, when Schutters invited the client to her home to talk about the client’s problems. The client reported getting into Schutters’ hot tub, where the counselor reportedly kissed and touched the client. The client then got out of the hot tub and left Schutters’ home.

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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OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — Police say a train struck and killed a pedestrian in Ottumwa. Officers sent to check a report about a train accident around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday found the body of 22-year-old Duane Heifort. He lived in Ottumwa. Officials have not yet reported on what actions led to Heifort’s death.

(Radio Iowa) — Another proposal to alter the state’s “bottle bill” has emerged in the Iowa Senate. For decades, legislators have debated making changes in the system that charges a deposit fee on bottles and cans of alcohol and carbonated beverages. For years, the stores that sell those beverages have objected to being the place customers go with their empties to get their nickels back. Pam Mackey-Taylor, a lobbyist for the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club, says the group opposes major changes. “We like the convenience of the grocery stores and convenience stores and the accessibility throughout the state, including in rural communities,” she said.

But a bill that got its first hearing at the statehouse yesterday would let grocery stores and convenience stores exit the redemption business. Brad Epperly, a lobbyist for the Iowa Grocery Industry, says retailers spend a lot to process the empties. “We devote square footage. We devote people. We have to do extraordinary cleaning measures…because this is where you buy your groceries,” Epperly said. “There are convenience stores in this state that have to rent space because they have no where to put them.”

The proposal a panel of three senators reviewed would raise the fee paid to recycling or “redemption” centers from one penny to two pennies out of the five cent deposit on each can. Troy Willard owns the “Can Shed” with locations in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. He says that increase in the handling fee is badly needed. “I would say most redemption center owners also have that concern about convenience,” he said, “as far as whether there would be enough redemption centers pop up to replace retail.”

The businesses that bottle and distribute the pop and beer also say the current system is unfair, but they oppose the bill. Senator Mark Segebart, of Vail says going 40 years without making improvements to the “bottle bill” makes no sense.  “As a farmer, you have to adjust things all the time,” he said. “The rule is don’t overadjust. If you adjust 10 things on a piece of equipment, you don’t know what you did that fixed it, so this is a fairly simple bill. It’ll fix a couple of little pieces. It won’t fix everything. But guess what? I’ll be back next year.”

Segebart, gesturing with a nearly empty can of pop, told the crowd at Wednesday’s hearing there will be adjustments in his bill. And groups involved in this decades-long debate over the “bottle bill’s” fate say they’re working to develop other alternatives, too.

(Radio Iowa) — A group of family members and supporters of people with autism plans on filing a proposal with the state’s cannabis board this week calling for access to medical marijuana for severe autism patients of all ages. The state is currently considering allowing medical marijuana treatments for some children with autism, if they have self-injuring or aggressive behaviors. Mary Roberts is the mother of two adult children with severe autism and says they should have the option of cannabis treatment, regardless of their age.  “Autism is a lifelong condition and we need to have access for patients who qualify from childhood through adulthood,” Roberts says.

She says they deserve more treatment options. “My kids for over 20 years have been on cocktails of benzodiazepines and anti-psychotics and often prescribed meds simply to counteract the side effects of other medications,” Roberts explains. “And it really becomes pretty complex and potentially compromising to their well-being.”

The state Board of Medicine is reviewing public comments on the proposal for children. They’re expected to take up that plan next month. Roberts and a group of families and advocates, plans to file their proposal for adults later this week. Sales of medical marijuana grown and produced in the state began in December.

ESTHERVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Children are still doing schoolwork during snow days at a district based in the northern Iowa community of Estherville. The Des Moines Register reports that Estherville Lincoln Central students are given assignments to complete at home and then connect remotely to post completed assignments or answer teacher questions. Teachers can conduct online video chats with small groups of students.

The virtual snow days are new to the district this school year, and Superintendent Tara Paul says there were complaints from students about having to work instead of play on their day off from their classrooms.
Students in kindergarten through second grade are given assignment options that can be completed without computers in case they’re not available to all students. Students in grades three through 12 have Chromebooks provided by the school, so the snow day assignments are completed on their devices.

Red Oak Police report two women were arrested, Wednesday. At around 7:30-p.m., officers took into custody 24-year old Kaylie Louise Hudson, of Red Oak, on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree. Her cash or surety bond was set at $2,000. And, just before 10-p.m., Red Oak Police arrested 35-year old Elysia Tylene White, of Red Oak.  White was taken into custody on a Montgomery County warrantr for failure to appear on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Offense. White was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash-only bond.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports that a traffic stop on Maple street in Sidney Wednesday night, lead to the arrest of two Glenwood residents. At around 7:20-p.m., Deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and the K9-unit conducted a traffic stop in the 2000 block of maple street in Sidney.

During the course of the stop, Deputies located one-quarter pound of marijuana in the vehicle and numerous pieces of paraphernalia. Taken into custody, was 18-year old Logan Christopher Harding,  and 20-year old Chelsey Marie Spiegelberg, both of Glenwood. They were charged with two counts each, of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.

Both subjects were transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center being held on $10,000 bond.

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Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CST

ALBIA, Iowa (AP) — Animal rescue officials in Iowa say they’ve found one dead steer and rescued seven other ailing animals from a rural southern Iowa property. The Animal Rescue League of Iowa says in a news release that its response team helped Monroe County officials rescue three horses, one burro, a steer and two dogs that were left in freezing weather with no food, water or shelter. Charges are pending against the animals’ owner.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former worker at Sioux City’s wastewater treatment plant has pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to tamper with wastewater sampling and testing. The Sioux City Journal reports that 69-year-old Patrick Schwarte entered the plea Wednesday in federal court. Prosecutors say chlorine was added to wastewater on days that E. coli samples were taken, then reduced after the tests, saving the city money.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — House Republicans leading a committee to review the results of a contested northeast Iowa House district election say they plan to recommend not opening and counting 29 absentee mail ballots that could reverse the outcome of the race. Committee Chairman Steven Holt says since the ballots had no postmark and didn’t have a seldom-used county election official tracking barcode, they can’t be counted even though postal officials have confirmed they were mailed in time to be valid votes.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state judge has struck down Iowa’s restrictive “fetal heartbeat” abortion law. Judge Michael Huppert on Tuesday found the law unconstitutional. The law would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. That can happen as early as six weeks into pregnancy. It would have been the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the nation.