BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — One of two cousins charged in the death of a gender-nonconforming Iowa teenager is set to go on trial. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has highlighted the case against 23-year-old Jorge Sanders-Galvez by taking the unusual step of assigning a federal prosecutor to assist state and local authorities in the case.

Sanders-Galvez and his cousin Jaron Purham are charged with first-degree murder in the March 2016 slaying of 16-year-old Burlington, Iowa, high school student Kedarie Johnson. Sanders-Galvez’s is set to start Tuesday. Relatives say Johnson was gender fluid, identifying as both male and female. A prosecutor says Sanders-Galvez tried to have sex with Johnson and became enraged after learning that Johnson was gender nonconforming.

Purham is expected to be tried later.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says President Trump is making the right call in releasing the final classified papers from the investigation of J-F-K’s assassination. “Government over-classifies and after 50 years, it’s about time,” Grassley says. Thousands of documents about the November, 1963 assassination of President Kennedy have been kept in the National Archives. The papers will be released Thursday — unless some agency like the C-I-A can convince the president to keep the material secret. Grassley says “for the sake of history” he wants to see all the documents released — and he predicts the move would put a stop to all the “conspiracy theories” about J-F-K’s assassination.

“I don’t think there’s any arguments anymore, maybe they ended 20 years ago, but for sure the ‘single’ or the ‘double bullet’ argument — this ought to put an end to it,” Grassley said, “and take a little mystery out of government.” Earlier this month, Grassley introduced a resolution in congress urging President Trump to make a “full release” of the documents.

(Radio Iowa)

A man whose pickup truck was stopped mostly on the right front-hand lane of southbound Interstate 35, was struck and killed by a semi, early Sunday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports 90-year old Bernard Wayne Zelinsky, of Carlisle, was standing outside his 2015 Dodge truck at around 4:20-a.m. near the 13 mile-marker, in Decatur County, when he was struck by a southbound 2015 Peterbilt semi, driven by 53-year old Richard Eugene Brooks, of Albert Lea, MN.

The Patrol says Brooks swerved to miss Zelinsky and his pickup, but sideswiped the pickup. The semi went out of control after the collision and flipped into the median where it landed on the driver’s side. Brooks was not injured in the crash.

The accident remained under investigation.

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

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — One of two cousins charged with killing a gender-nonconforming Iowa teenager is scheduled to stand trial in a case that is considered a possible hate crime. The March 2016 death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson stunned the city of Burlington, where he was a popular high school junior. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has brought attention to the case by assigning a federal prosecutor to help local and state authorities.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A performing arts group wants to buy and refurbish a historic building in downtown Sioux City, with plans for a 200-plus seat theater, cabaret-style bar and classrooms. The Sioux City Journal reports that the Sioux City Council will decide on Monday whether to approve the Lamb Arts Regional Theatre’s project. The theater is seeking approval for a development agreement that would award it a $350,000 loan to buy the property from a private owner.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Democrats have elected a new leader in the state Senate. State Sen. Janet Petersen of Des Moines was chosen Sunday to be the new Democratic leader of the Iowa Senate.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Nebraska real estate development firm has announced redevelop plans for three historic buildings in downtown Sioux City in northwest Iowa. Sioux City television station KTIV reports that J. Development of Omaha, Nebraska, purchased the Commerce Building, the former Hatch Furniture Building, and the former St. Luke’s/Methodist hospital building. The developer says it plans to convert the buildings into mixed-use and market-rate residential facilities.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A performing arts group wants to buy and refurbish a historic building in downtown Sioux City, with plans for a 200-plus seat theater, cabaret-style bar and classrooms. The Sioux City Journal reports that the Sioux City Council will decide on Monday whether to approve the Lamb Arts Regional Theatre’s project.

The theater is seeking approval for a development agreement. The deal would award the theater a $350,000 loan, which would be used to purchase the property from a private owner. The nonprofit plans to launch a fundraising campaign to repay the loan and pay for the restoration.

City documents say the theater group has leased the former Webster School building for more than 30 years, but has outgrown the space. The downtown building has been vacant since February.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Democrats have elected a new leader in the state Senate. State Sen. Janet Petersen of Des Moines was chosen Sunday to be the new Democratic leader of the Iowa Senate.

Petersen said she is honored to win the job. She is in her second term in the Senate after serving six terms in the Iowa House.

Petersen has lived in Des Moines most of her life. In 2008, she co-founded an Iowa nonprofit called Healthy Birth Day that works to prevent stillbirths.

A traffic stop in Montgomery County late Saturday morning resulted in the arrest of a woman from Adams County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 39-year old Jill Christine Currin, of Corning, was arrested for Driving While License Revoked, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and having expired license plates. Currin was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified some of the victims of a weekend crash in the Des Moines area that killed two people and left two others injured. The Des Moines Register reports that police have released the identities of the two drivers involved in Saturday’s crash in southwest Des Moines.

Investigators say the crash happened when 22-year-old Ryan Rench’s pickup entered oncoming traffic in an attempt to pass another vehicle. Rench’s pickup struck an oncoming white Honda SUV driven by 56-year-old Kathryn Kinley of Des Moines.

Kinley and a 13-year-old boy in her SUV died at the scene. A 12-year-old boy in the SUV was critically injured and remained hospitalized Sunday. Rench was also injured and remained hospitalized in serious condition on Sunday.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Nebraska real estate development firm has announced redevelop plans for three historic buildings in downtown Sioux City in northwest Iowa. Sioux City television station KTIV reports that J. Development of Omaha, Nebraska, purchased the Commerce Building, the former Hatch Furniture Building, and the former St. Luke’s/Methodist hospital building.

The developer says it plans to convert the buildings into mixed-use and market-rate residential facilities. On Friday, Sioux City leaders announced the developer has been awarded $1.5 million by the Iowa Brownfield/Grayfield Program for the redevelopment of the Commerce Building and St. Luke/Methodist Building.

Investment for the projects is expected to be $34 million.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County arrested a Villisca man early this (Sunday) morning, on an assault charge. 33-year old Kyle Wayne Johnston, of Villisca, was taken into custody at around 2:44-a.m. in the 100 block of N. 2nd Avenue, in Villisca. Johnston was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault, an aggravated misdemeanor. He was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail, pending an appearance before a magistrate.