The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — A former teacher in the North Polk Community School District has been sentenced for having a sexual relationship with a teenage student. Court records show Kevin Muehlenthaler, of Ames, was given six years in prison at his sentencing Wednesday in Nevada. He also was fined $625 for each count. A jury had found the 30-year-old Muehlenthaler guilty in October of three counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee.

Authorities say a woman told police she had a relationship with Muehlenthaler between November 2013 and July 2014 when she was a student of 16 and then 17 years old. The district says Muehlenthaler was employed from August 2013 to June 2016 and that the district became aware of the allegations only after he left the district.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have recovered a male body from the Des Moines River. The Des Moines Police Department says the body was reported around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, south of the Grand Avenue bridge. Police are investigating. The person’s name hasn’t been released yet.

The Iowa Senate had a heated debate about the water quality bill Governor Kim Reynolds has pledged to sign into law. A bill that passed the Republican-led Senate LAST YEAR got final legislative approval in the Iowa HOUSE on Tuesday. Senator Rob Hogg a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says the bill fails to target the state money to where it would do the most good and fails to restart the state’s water monitoring program.”It is a facade. It is not a bill that helps water quality in this state…There is no monitoring, reporting or accountability,” Hogg says. “If you don’t measure it, you don’t really care about it.”

Senator Jerry Behn, a Republican from Boone, says he’s using conservation tillage practices on his farm.”The Iowa Soybean Association right now has been monitoring my tile, just exactly to find out what’s good coming out of that stuff, so don’t tell me that I’m not monitoring because I don’t care, “Behn says. “We are monitoring because we do care.” Senator David Johnson of Ocheyedan, the lone independent in the legislature, says the bill was “bought and paid for by the Farm Bureau.”

“You know I could spit in the Little Sioux River in Spencer and think I made an impact,” Johnson said. “…This isn’t a water quality bill. It falls far short of what this state needs.”Senator Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull who’s a banker, accused Johnson and other critics of “tramping” on farmers. “Farmers are good people and the ag economy, it’s the number one economy we have in this state and so I’m standing up here,” Feenstra says. “I’m standing up for the farmers.”

The bill’s backers say it will provide 286 million dollars for water quality projects over the next 12 years. However, there’s just a four-million dollar allotment for next year. Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey expects most of that will be used as incentives to farmers for “edge of field” projects that prevent run-off from cropland. “That’s the bio-reactors, saturated buffers, nutrient-reduction wetlands,” Northey says.

And Northey says the four million dollars in state money can leverage far more in federal funds along with the investments from landowners. As for measuring how voluntary nutrient management is working on farms, Northey says in “a big state with billions of gallons of water moving all the time,” it’s hard to chart progress at “scores” of locations.

(Radio Iowa)

It was something similar to a scene from a popular movie Tuesday when two Woodbury County Supervisors forgot to turn off their microphones and went into the bathroom during a break in their meeting. Supervisors Jeremy Taylor and Rocky Dewitt went to the men’s room after finishing the budget portion of their meeting — but left their microphones on and their comments were broadcast on the county’s YouTube channel. Taylor is heard over sounds of a towel dispenser when Dewitt walks into the restroom. “Well, there’s a quorum in the bathroom,” Taylor says.

The two then talk about some of the discussion during the budget hearing and in-between bathroom sounds appeared to make fun of some of the people who spoke up at the hearing. Taylor ended the conversation appearing to again make fun of the people who where there to talk about budget cuts. “I didn’t know who was going to stand up last and say ‘this all started when I was six years old and had a dream’,” Taylor says and then laughs.

Taylor told K-S-C-J radio he was not making fun of those at the meeting and downplayed the significance of the comments. “If this is what our taxpayer watchdogs are paying attention to — then good on them — they finally got something to report,” Dewitt says. “You know, there is nothing in that conversation in the bathroom that wasn’t already taken place. There was not voting taking place, it was simply a microphone got left on.”  Dewitt is the chair of the supervisors and says he sees no reason why anyone would be upset by their conversation. “At worst I think it was a more cordial conversation that transpired in the bathroom that probably would have happened in a regular meeting. So, I’m just not seeing what the fuss is about,” Dewitt says.

Dewitt says he learned about the open microphones while he was driving home from Tuesday’s meeting and says no one from the public has called to complain to him.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Red Oak arrested a 16-year old male from New Market on a drug charge early this (Thursday) morning. The unidentified teen was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor, and subsequently released to the custody of his parent(s). His arrest took place a little after 3-a.m., in the vicinity of N. 3rd and Oak Streets, in Red Oak.

One of the clerks hired to work as a secretary for a member of the Iowa House was arrested yesterday (Wednesday) morning for being drunk and disorderly. Twenty-one-year-old Jessica Leeper, of Altoona, had been working as a clerk for State Representative Tom Moore.

Observers on the House floor say she appeared to be intoxicated yesterday morning. The head of state capitol police says Leeper was “definitely not cooperative” as four state troopers arrested her and escorted her out of the statehouse in handcuffs. Leeper was booked into the Polk County jail shortly before 11:30.

Leeper’s been charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and failure to maintain safety belts. That last charge is related to her conduct during the ride to the jail. Leeper has also lost her job as a clerk in the state capitol.

Each legislator hires a clerk to work for them during the legislative session in their “office space.” Office space for rank-and-file legislators like Moore is a desk, a filing cabinet and two chairs on the House floor. The only legislators who have separate office space in the statehouse are the chairmen and chairwoman of committees and legislative leaders.

(Radio Iowa)

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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa has reached an agreement with federal regulators to resolve concerns about potential disparities in opportunities provided to female athletes. The Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education found that Iowa was spending more on male athletes in areas such as equipment, recruiting and locker rooms but didn’t rule on whether that violated federal law. Instead, it negotiated a resolution in which Iowa will voluntarily take steps to demonstrate compliance.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City plans to partner with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for a project that would bring parking and commercial space to an area of downtown. The Sioux City Journal reports the proposed $11 million development would fill an empty 1.2-acre lot that sits just south of the casino. The city purchased the land in 2015 for additional parking for Tyson Events Center functions.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A Texas woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for causing a fatal Davenport crash last year. The Quad-City Times reports that 58-year-old Lauria Lee Kelly, of Alvarado, Texas, was sentenced Wednesday in Scott County District Court after being found guilty in December of vehicular homicide. Police say Kelly was speeding and had run at least two stop lights in January 2017 when her pickup truck hit a car, killing 53-year-old Cynthia Elaine Jones, of Davenport.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Firefighters in northeastern Iowa have been battling a large fire at a scrap yard northwest of Waterloo. The Courier reports that firefighters were called to Alter Metal Recycling on Wednesday morning for a fire near the facility’s shredder. Smoke from the scene could be seen billowing from miles away.

The Atlantic School Board spent more than an hour discussing the direction they would take with regard to the District’s Athletic Facilities. It included possibly buying land to relocate the baseball and softball fields, and, leaving things where they are, but making them ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. They also talked about a possible bond referendum. There were a lot of stops and starts during the meeting, but the general consensus appeared to be, that the Trojan Bowl will remain where it is.

Board President Ali Bruckner said “As a Board, we feel very comfortable leaving the athletic facilities where they are currently, today, and working toward a plan to make them safe, playable and ADA compliant.” She said, however, “That will take time, and we will do our Due Diligence. And at our next Board meeting we will have a vote on if that’s the way we’re going to go, or not. And then after that, there’ll several steps.”

One of those steps includes meeting with bonding agent Travis Squires with Piper-Jaffray, because, according to Bruckner, “Our capital dollars will not stand for this type of improvement project. You have to keep capital dollars at hand for things that come up, [such as] roof leaking, or things that need to be fixed.”

Superintendent Steve Barber said “We are in the process of developing a timeline and doing it an expedient manner.” Board member Kristy Pellett, added the District currently has no debt service, which is a positive aspect when going after a bond. The high school was the last debt service, she said.

A security upgrade is in the works for the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Fair spokesperson Mindy Williamson says a 20-percent boost to the fair’s security budget has been approved and the extra money will be directed toward personnel, training and equipment. Williamson calls it a precautionary move.

“I think this is just a different world we live in today and something that’s been needed at the fairgrounds, but there weren’t any specific events or anything that happened,” Williamson said. The increase in funding will allow the fair to hire sworn police officers, both full-time and part-time. According to Williamson, the Iowa State Patrol, Des Moines Police and the Polk County Sheriff’s Department will continue to help with security during the Iowa State Fair.

“So, this is just another way to enhance that and be a little more proactive than reactive, given some of the world events that we have seen,” Williamson said. The new public safety force will oversee security for more than 350 events that happen on the fairgrounds each year, including the Iowa State Fair in August. Considering how many people attend the 11-day run of the fair, police have not had to deal with many serious issues.

“We’re thankful to have, you know, a million people who come visit the fairgrounds and less than two-percent of those people have something, an incident, where they’re working with our police officers on the grounds,” Williamson said. “So, great people come to the Iowa State Fair.” The 2018 Iowa State Fair is scheduled for August 9-19.

(Radio Iowa)