SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday for the trial of a Nebraska man accused of killing his estranged wife in northwestern Iowa. Court records say 29-year-old Rogelio Morales, of Hubbard, Nebraska, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say he killed 21-year-old Margarita Morales on April 19, 2015, in his car near a Sioux City residence. The case has been delayed several times as defense attorneys have repeatedly withdrawn from representing Morales.

Court documents say Morales told investigators a fight broke out when his wife told him she no longer wanted to be in a relationship and that she was seeing another man.

Figures recently released from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources show wild turkey hunters harvested 11-thousand-800 birds this year. Wildlife biologist Jim Coffey says that’s 400 below last season. “I think that’s just kind of the case of our hunters this year — our hunters are a little bit beholden to the weather. And our second weekend we had some rainy conditions, and that’s typically one of our big weekends to be out hunting. So, that’s probably what accounted for that little bit of a drop,” according to Coffey.

He says they keep track of turkey numbers every year with a survey. “It varies across the state, and turkeys are kind of a fickle species, they are up and down every year. And that’s why we do our summer brood counts to get an idea of what to expect next year,” Coffey says. “We expected a little bit of a drop in the southern part of the state, but we had some good numbers in the northern part of the state and that kind of balances our overall when you think of statewide averages.”

There were 50-thousand turkey tags purchased for the spring hunt, but only a small percentage took home a bird. “Only about 20 percent of Iowa turkey hunters are going to be successful,” Coffey says, “and I always like to put it into a sports analogy, we are playing on their home court. They know where the draws and ravines are at, they are a predator-related species, so they know everything is trying to get after them so they are always wary and they’ve got great sense. So, it is not an easy sport to participate in.”

The weather has raised a few concerns about how well the turkeys will fair in raising their offspring. “With any ground-nesting birds, turkeys, pheasants, quail, woodcock — any of those, woodcocks included — cold, wet springs are a big nemesis,” Coffey says.

He says wild turkeys are a lot different then the domesticated ones, and their weight can vary quite a bit. He says on if you shoot a young bird known as a Jake, which will weigh about 17 pounds or an adult bird, which can weigh from 22 to 28 pounds, depending on how active they have been. Coffey says the male birds are focused on mating in the spring and will actually lose weight during the mating season.

Hunters are asked to help the D-N-R with collecting population information during its annual turkey count in July and August. You can do to the D-N-R website and report online when see a turkey.

(Radio Iowa)

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say DNR law enforcement Conservation Officers were notifed at around 3:40-p.m. Saturday, that a man had fallen from a bluff at the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area. The incident happened at Horseshoe Bluff, when a group of three men were hiking in an area off of the designated path, which was closed to hikers.

The man who fell has been identified as 23-year old Andrew Freiburger, of Dubuque. He was conscious after the fall of approximately 40 – 50 feet, in an area of heavy vegetation, trees and rocks. Freiburger was transported to Mercy Hospital in Dubuque with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities say it appears likely that alcohol contributed to this fall.

The incident remains under investigation.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s medical marijuana oil program will start in weeks, but obtaining the medicine will be difficult and manufacturers said it’s unclear if the state’s effort will be viable. Although the cannabis oil program approved by lawmakers will begin July 1, there is no immediate supplier of the oil in Iowa. Manufacturers in other states also question whether enough people will enroll in the limited program. Last week, a state forecast estimated 6,022 people will enroll in Iowa’s new program.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Junior high students in a city in Iowa have given homemade fidget quilts to dementia patients in a local hospice. The Courier reports that more than 25 Holmes Junior High students made 10 brightly-colored, multi-textured quilts for UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital patients with dementia who have trouble keeping their hands still. Each square of the quilt has a different activity, such as a button, a metal snap, something to tie or fasten.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified the 22-year-old woman who was fatally wounded in a weekend shooting in Waterloo. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Mikaela Bond, who was also known as Mikaela Hill, died early Saturday. Police said Bond had three young children who were home with her when the shooting happened around 3 a.m. Saturday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrat Kim Weaver is dropping her bid for a rematch against U.S. Rep. Steve King. The Des Moines Register reports Weaver announced Saturday she is ending her campaign. Weaver says she is concerned about her mother’s ongoing health problems and threats she has received for her safety.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Following the limited expansion of a medical marijuana program, businesses say Iowa has a lot to learn to create a sustainable in-state program.

The program is set to start July 1, but businesses are concerned it’s too limited to attract enough patients. Because there is no legal way to get cannabis oil until companies began manufacturing it in Iowa in December 2018, some also worry that people who could benefit will be out of luck.

A nonpartisan analysis predicts 6,022 patients with qualifying conditions will enroll in the program. Cannabis distributors say that might not be enough.

The program could be expanded if the Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board recommends changes. However, the application process for that board hasn’t started and there is no public timeline for its approval.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Junior high students have made homemade fidget quilts to give to dementia patients in an Iowa hospice.

The Courier reports that more than 25 Holmes Junior High students made 10 brightly-colored, multi-textured quilts for UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital patients with dementia who have trouble keeping their hands still. Each square of the quilt has an activity, such as a button, a metal snap, something to tie or fasten.

Hospice unit development coordinator Joyce Coil asked her friend Maxine Barrows, a teacher at the school, last fall if students would be interested in making the quilts.

Coil had noticed that dementia patients’ tendency to play with buttons or zippers was frustrating for both the patients and their caretakers as they ended up taking off their own clothing or taking things apart.

Organizers with non-profit “Take Back Bridgewater, IA” group have announced a Public Forum will be held on Wednesday, June 7th,  from 7-until 9-p.m. , at the Bridgewater Activity Center (Old Elementary School).  Iowa House District 20 Representative Clel Baudler, Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, Adair County Attorney Clint Hight, Bridgewater Mayor Steve Frese and Bridgewater City Council members have accepted an invitation to attend.  Senator Jake Chapman said he would do his best to be in attendance.

Organizers say they “Have heard many requests to continue the discussion on what citizens can do to assist with stopping the drug and related criminal activity in and around Bridgewater.”  In the continued discussions, organizers determined the need to bring in people they feel can answer question and address related concerns.

Baudler has invited ALL Adair County and Cass County Mayors to be in attendance.  He will share information that is pertinent to addressing the groups’ concerns and relate it how it would be beneficial to all area small towns.  “Take back Bridgewater, IA” was formed in February, after someone spray painted the word “Meth” on a County road rock pile, with an arrow pointed toward the community.

An 84-year old man raking hay in a field east of Oakland died Saturday morning, after his tractor came into contact with a dry washout on the land. The tractor flipped over, pinning Charles Pierce, of Oakland, underneath.  The accident happened just before 10-a.m., Saturday.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farm groups and some members of Congress from farm states are decrying proposed cuts to crop insurance and other safety net programs for farmers included in President Donald Trump’s budget. The proposed cuts come as farmers are facing their fourth straight year of falling income. The Trump administration says the proposed cuts help fulfill a campaign promise to balance the federal budget.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Faculty and other long-term employees at Iowa’s three public universities won’t have as long to phase out their retirement under a new proposal before the Iowa Board of Regents. The Press-Citizen reports that older employees who have worked at least 15 years in the system are currently allowed to phase out their retirement over five years. The regents are looking to shorten that to two years.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a woman found dead in Des Moines after reports of a shooting Saturday morning. Police say 36-year-old Mary Dudley, of Des Moines, was killed. Police in Ames arrested 50-year-old Harold Dudley, also of Des Moines, and transferred him back to Des Moines on Saturday. Police did not provide any details of the shooting or the relationship between the victim and suspect.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police are investigating an overnight shooting that killed a Waterloo woman. The Courier reports that police were called to a home just before 3 a.m. Saturday. Officers who first arrived found a woman with a gunshot wound. She was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police say another adult and three children were inside the home at the time of the shooting. No arrests had been reported by midday Saturday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence is trying to solidify the Republican base in Iowa, where some conservatives are cool to President Donald Trump and party leaders say he’s being undermined from within. Headlining Sen. Joni Ernst’s annual summer fundraiser, Pence will promote steady job numbers under Trump, who campaigned last year on promises of economic growth.

But it’s Pence’s boss who has more work to do to satisfy Iowa’s disproportionately influential Christian right, despite carrying Iowa in the 2016 election after Democrat Barack Obama won here in 2008 and 2012.

The vast majority of Iowa Republicans approve of the job Trump is doing. However, some emerging Republican national prospects have accepted invitations from party leaders this year to visit Iowa, host of the leadoff presidential nominating caucuses.