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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the number of acres planted in wheat this year will be the lowest on record and much of that will be planted instead in soybean which will be at a record high of 89.5 million acres. Four years of good wheat growing weather led to a global glut pushing prices low making it unprofitable for farmers to grow.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill that would have prohibited so-called sanctuary cities and legislation that would have banned most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected are among measures not advancing beyond a procedural deadline in the Iowa Legislature. The deadline Friday required policy bills to have secured several procedural votes. Bills moving forward include proposed restrictions on how authorities can seize money from people suspected of illegal activity.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two young children in Des Moines escaped serious injury when a car crashed through their bedroom wall and landed on the bed on which they were sleeping. The Des Moines Register reports that the crash into the ground-level apartment happened Friday morning. The driver told police she went to back out of a parking spot, but put the car in drive instead of reverse, sending her into the building.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A former executive of a western Iowa transportation company has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for wire fraud. Federal prosecutors say 40-year-old Bradley Cornelsen, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced Friday in a federal courtroom in Council Bluffs and also ordered to pay more than $1.4 million in restitution to MV Transportation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill that would have prohibited so-called sanctuary cities in Iowa and legislation that would have banned most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected are among measures not advancing beyond a procedural deadline in the Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature. The deadline Friday required policy bills to have secured several procedural votes. Some bills have been selectively kept alive and their futures are unclear.

Bills moving forward include proposed restrictions on how authorities can seize money from people suspected of illegal activity. Other legislation would dismantle Des Moines Water Works, moving the water utility’s oversight to local officials.

Gov. Terry Branstad recently signed into law a ban on local governments raising the minimum hourly wage and reductions in compensation for workers injured on the job.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The amber waves of grain are about to turn into bean pods as farmers report they’ll plant millions of acres in soybeans instead of wheat this year as a global glut of the grain has made it unprofitable to grow.

In its annual prospective plantings report released Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said wheat acres will be the lowest on record this year at 46.1 million acres and soybean planting will be at a record high of 89.5 million acres.

The United States has more than 1 billion bushels of surplus wheat in storage and the oversupply has driven wheat farmers in several states including Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota to shift previously planted wheat acres to soybeans.

“The big trend there is that wheat is grown in just about every continent around the world except Antarctica so those acres elsewhere have increased dramatically. The U.S. has lost production to the rest of the world,” said Todd Hultman, a grain market analyst for DTN, an Omaha, Nebraska-based agriculture market data provider.

He said wheat overproduction caused prices to collapse and made production unprofitable. Good growing weather for wheat worldwide for four consecutive years has been a contributing factor, he said. Corn has experienced a similar trend leading farmers to cut corn acres 4 percent from last year to 90 million, the USDA report said. If this year’s planting weather favors soybeans and more acres are shifted out of corn, this could be the first year since 1983 that farmers planted more acres in soybeans than corn.

Soybeans have produced large harvests too, but it is a hot commodity around the world with demand highest in China where soybean meal feeds pigs, cows and fish in a culture increasingly seeking to eat more meat. The record global demand has maintained more favorable prices for soybeans making them more profitable to grow than corn or wheat, said Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University.

It all shouldn’t change much at the grocery store except that plentiful grain and soybean supplies lead to low livestock feed prices which help keep the cost of producing beef lower. Friday’s report is based on a survey of farmers and is the first indication for the year of planting intentions.

The Iowa Supreme Court says a central Iowa woman should be paid damages for secret recordings made by her ex boyfriend. Brenda Papillon and Bryon Jones lived together in Waukee and had twin infants before breaking up in 2014. Jones put a recording device in the home and recorded several conversations Papillon had, including strategy sessions about custody of the children. Jones gave the recordings to his attorney to use to prepare for the custody hearing.

Pappillon sued Jones for actual damages, attorney fees, and also punitive damages for what she said were his illegal use of the recordings. The district court awarded her actual damages, attorney fees and punitive damages of 18-thousand dollars for Jone’s use of the recordings. The Court of Appeals reversed the punitive damages, saying Jones did not knowingly violate the law.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that Jones did knowingly break the law in using the recordings because Papillon had previously threatened to sue him over their use and ordered the case back to district court to refigure the damages.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa is opposing a bill moving quickly through the Legislature that would block public access to 911 calls involving injuries. The nonprofit registered against the bill Friday, one day after The Associated Press reported about the legislation.

The bill would declare that audio, video and transcripts of 911 calls involving injured victims of crimes or accidents are confidential medical records and exempt from the Iowa open records law. Calls involving minors would automatically be confidential.

Republican Rep. Dean Fisher says the bill was crafted after the AP sought 911 calls that shed light on gun violence in an Iowa county. Fisher says medical privacy outweighs the public’s right-to-know.

ACLU legal director Rita Bettis says 911 calls provide accountability on law enforcement and private organizations.

Officials with the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office report the arrest today (Friday), of a rural Stuart man on sex abuse charges. 36-year old Dr. Justin Hillock, D.D.S, who is with the Guthrie Center Family Dentistry office, was taken into custody based on trial information, charging him with two counts of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd degree, and two counts of Indecent Contact with a Child.The identity of the alleged victim is being withheld according to Iowa law.

Dr. Justin Hillock

The Sexual Abuse charges are Class C felonies, punishable if convicted by up to 10-years in prison, while the Indecent Contact charges are Aggravated Misdemeanor’s, punishable by up to two-years in prison.

Hillock is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge April 17th, at 9-a.m. The charges are merely accusations, and the man is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Officials with the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said Friday (today), a judge has sentenced 40-year old Bradley R. Cornelsen, of Council Bluffs, to four-years in prison, based on his convictions on five-counts of wire fraud. United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose today (Friday) also ordered Cornelsen to serve 3 years of supervised release to follow the term of imprisonment, and ordered him to pay more than $1.4-million in restitution to the victim of his scheme to defraud.

A jury convicted Cornelsen at his trial on November 1st, 2016, finding him guilty of five counts of wire fraud. The case was the result of an investigation by law enforcement of Cornelsen’s scheme to defraud his former employer, MV Transportation, where he was employed as Chief Financial Officer.

The scheme involved paying himself large, unauthorized monetary bonuses amounting to more nearly $298,000. Additionally, in furtherance of the scheme, Cornelsen used his company credit card and company manual checks for multiple personal expenses, including Rolex watches, collector baseball cards, Louis Vutton luggage, and furniture for his personal residences in Council Bluffs and Okoboji, Iowa. The estimated loss to MV Transportation arising from this fraudulent conduct was determined to be approximately $1.4 million dollars.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

One in five elderly individuals is a victim of some form of financial fraud. ISU Extension and Outreach has teamed up with the Senior Volunteer Program to educate on how to identify scams directed at seniors and what to do to protect financial and personal information.  The Savvy Seniors Avoiding Scams workshop will be held Thursday, April 20, 2017 at the Shelby County Extension Office meeting room from 10am to 11am.

Each year consumers lose billions of dollars due to being a victim of fraud. What you can do to protect yourself is the topic of this special ‘Savvy Seniors Avoiding Scams’ presentation. Carol Ehlers, Human Sciences Specialist, Family Finance, from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering this program help consumers to learn about the different types of scams and schemes that are present in today’s society. Savvy Seniors Avoiding Scams will provide you with tips to protect your assets from scams. If you are a victim, the program will explain how a scam occurs and how to report them to the officials. As a consumer there are things that you can do to protect your financial and other personal information in order to reduce your chances of being a victim. The warning signs of fraud will also be highlighted. Although this program is focused on seniors, all ages are welcome and will benefit from learning more about avoiding scams. ISU Human Sciences Extension and Outreach ‘Savvy Seniors’ is a public educational opportunity designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. Although this program is focused on seniors, all ages are welcome and will benefit from learning more about avoiding scams.

To register for the program please contact Shelby County Extension & Outreach at 712-755-3104 or email mtaggs@iastate.edu.

MARION, Iowa (AP) – A 15-year-old boy has been convicted of fondling three kindergarten students while volunteering at an eastern Iowa elementary school. A judge in Linn County says the boy was guilty of felony sexual abuse for his actions at Starry Elementary School in Marion. Her ruling was filed Thursday after two days of proceedings in juvenile court. It’s unclear what punishment he could face at his April 28 disposition hearing. The Associated Press generally doesn’t name juveniles who are charged with crimes.

The parents of two of the children have sued the classroom teacher and the district, alleging they should not have let the boy have unsupervised contact with the students last fall. The teacher’s attorney declined to comment to The Associated Press. In court documents the district denied allegations of wrongdoing.

The Young Professionals of Atlantic (YPA) organization, today (Friday) announced the 2017 nominees for the Annual Awards Gala presented by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce and Megan Roberts, State Farm. The event is designed to celebrate the achievements of young professionals who demonstrate excellence and innovation in their profession and within their community. In addition to recognizing the success of area young professionals, one Chamber business will also be recognized as the YP Choice Workplace of the Year. The YP Choice Workplace Award recognizes companies who effectively attract, retain and develop young professionals.

Nominations were received in the following categories: YP Newcomer, YP Business Leader, YP Entrepreneur, YP Public Servant and YP Choice Workplace. The nominees are as follows:
• YP Newcomer: Brian Ruge, Brown’s Shoe Fit; Joel Rodriguez, Atlantic Locksmith;  Andy Niemann, Cass County Health System.
• YP Business Leader: Sara Hechenbach, Roland Funeral Home; Brad Henningsen, Henningsen Construction; Megan Roberts, State Farm; Ann McCurdy, Cass County Health System.
• YP Entrepreneur: Amanda Graham, The Picker’s Parlor; Nate Robinson, Robinson Landscaping & Patio Design, LLC.; Rachel Johnson, Villa Dance Company.
• YP Public Servant: David Wiederstein, Otto, Lorence & Wiederstein, P.L.L.C; Amanda Martin, City of Atlantic; Ashton Koehlmoos, Nishna Valley Family YMCA; Kelsey Smith, Iowa Child Care Resource & Referral.
• YP Choice Workplace: Olsen Fuel Supply; Nishna Valley YMCA; Rolling Hills Bank & Trust; Atlantic Dental Center PC.

The 2017 award winners will be announced at the YPA Awards Gala on Friday, April 28th, starting at noon. The event will take place at the Atlantic Golf & Country Club. Visit www.atlanticiowa.com to register on the Events Calendar page or call the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712.243.3017.