Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:15 a.m. CDT

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A deadly jail escape has prompted officials in a southwestern Iowa county to consider spending up to $200,000 to install body scanners that would be used on inmates when they enter the jail. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker tells The Daily Nonpareil that the scanners would be used to find contraband inmates try to smuggle into the county jail. It would be used as they enter the jail and for trips to and from the courthouse.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — A former southern Iowa teacher has pleaded guilty to a felony count of sexual exploitation by a school employee. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that 61-year-old Alan Stewart, of Oskaloosa, pleaded guilty this week. He was charged in March after a report was filed of an inappropriate relationship he had with a student in 2015.

EXIRA, Iowa (AP) — A fire that started in a downtown bar has destroyed four businesses in the small western Iowa town of Exira (ex-ZYE’-ruh). The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that fire began early Friday morning in a two-story building housing Jerry’s Bar. The fire spread to nearby businesses, including a hardwood floor and decor store, a gift shop called Gabby’s and Crabby’s Place, and a building where a local psychologist lived. No one was injured.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — A Democratic congressman from Iowa has announced a $400,000 federal grant awarded to the Ottumwa Regional Airport. Rep. Dave Loebsack says the grant comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration. . The funding will be used for the reconstruction of 6,500 feet of the existing runway pavement that has reached the end of its useful life.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has reiterated criticism of Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act to a receptive crowd in Iowa, calling a bill in the Senate “disastrous.” The Vermont senator told community organizers in Des Moines the bill is “anti-working class legislation.” The speech marked his first time in Iowa since the 2016 presidential election.

Hours earlier inside the same building complex, senior White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told a conservative audience it’s a “moral imperative” to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates at least 22 million more people would be uninsured under Republican legislation. U.S. Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst also addressed the conservative audience. Sanders asked the senators in his speech to reject the proposal.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A deadly jail escape has prompted officials in a southwestern Iowa county to consider spending up to $200,000 to install body scanners that would be used on inmates when they enter the jail.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker tells The Daily Nonpareil that the scanners would be used to find contraband inmates try to smuggle into the county jail. It would be used as they enter the jail and for trips to and from the courthouse.

A May 1 attempted escape at the jail that resulted in the death of a deputy has led to the push for more security. County Supervisor Tim Wichman says the jail recently brought in $600,000 above the anticipated revenue which could be used to fund the purchase of the machines.

w/ Chris Parks

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (9.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS

A Red Oak woman was arrested by Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies on multiple charges after being caught on a private camera.  On July 10th at 5:30am Sheriff’s Officials received a call about a truck parked in the middle of 260th Street near Nodaway. The property owner had cameras set up on the property and had captured pictures of a male and a female.

The female was identified as 20-year-old Amanda Dawn Kessler of Red Oak who was involved in a previous car chase and burglary. Kessler was subsequently arrested on charges of Burglary, Criminal Mischief, Trespassing, and Theft. She was being held on $5,000 bond.

Members of the Cass County Board of Supervisors, Friday, adopted a Resolution approving Audubon County’s plan of reimbursement to Cass County, for County Attorney services rendered to Audubon County. Cass County Attorney David L. Wiederstein and Cass County Assistant County Attorney Mark R.  Bosworth are serving as the acting Audubon County Attorney and Assistant County Attorney;

The Resolution affirms that the Board desires to classify them as employees of Audubon County and to compensate them for their services offered to Audubon County for so long as they are acting Audubon County Attorney and Assistant County Attorney, and that the agreement, if approved by the Audubon County Board of Supervisors, serves to compensate Cass County for county paid benefits, plus expense for legal research, registrations/schools, and dues & memberships.

Wiederstein’s annualized base pay rate will be $100,000 and Bosworth’s annualized base pay rate will be $40,000. Cass County will serve as the administrative and fiscal agent for the agreement.  Audubon County shall reimburse Cass County an amount equal to 35% of all payroll and county paid benefit expense, and expense for legal research, registrations/schools, and dues & memberships. The plan of compensation and reimbursement is effective as of July 1st, 2017, and will remain in place until order otherwise by the Board.

The Supervisors also passed a Resolution approving the contract and bond executed by Manatt’s Incorporated, of Brooklyn (IA), for the “Glacier, Buck Creek and Echo Road paving project, as it pertains to the Elite Octane Ethanol plant project.

Officials with the Glenwood Police Department, Friday, arrested a Pottawattamie County man on a warrant for Sexual Abuse. 77-year old Donald Brammer, of Council Bluffs, was being held in the Mills County Jail on a $210,000 cash bond or surety. No other details were provided.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — President Donald Trump has nominated two men to serve as U.S. attorneys in Iowa’s northern and southern districts. The Trump administration announced Friday that the president had nominated Peter E. Deegan Jr. as U.S. attorney for Iowa’s northern district, based in Cedar Rapids. Deegan now works at an assistant U.S. attorney and is the chief of the northern district’s criminal division.

The president also nominated Marc Krickbaum as U.S. attorney for the southern district of Iowa, based in Des Moines. Krickbaum now works as an assistant U.S. attorney in the northern district of Illinois and previously worked in the Iowa southern district office.

The nominations are subject to Senate approval.

These pictures, taken by a helicopter that flew over the Exira fire this morning, are courtesy of Kyle Johnson, with Johnson Flying Services, in Exira.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A southwest Iowa hospital has joined a national campaign that encourages bystanders to assist in a bleeding emergency. The Daily Nonpareil reports that CHI Health Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs received a more than $25,000 grant from the Loess Hills Health Care Coalition to take part in the Stop The Bleed campaign.

Barb Roenfeld is the hospital’s director of emergency services. She says the hospital will teach area health care workers how to train nonmedical people on how to stop serious bleeding in an emergency. Roenfeld says the training has focused on people with medical backgrounds, but future training will include nonmedical personnel at the hospital.

CHI Health says someone can die in as little as five minutes from uncontrolled bleeding. Roenfeld says the national campaign began after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.