CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A former Tama County day care director has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $5,000 in federal funds. The Gazette reports that 48-year-old Kristine Daniel, of Grinnell, entered the plea Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. The charge: federal program theft. The court records say Daniel took more than $5,000 from Tama County Day Care Inc./Kids’ Corner between December 2009 and April 2016. Kids’ Corner was receiving federal money at the time.

Daniel already has pleaded not guilty to state charges of theft and other crimes. The state auditor’s office says auditors identified nearly $279,000 in improper and unsupported spending, undeposited collections and forgone grant revenue involved in the finances of Kids’ Corner. The audit covered December 2009 through May 31, 2016, when Daniel was working for Kids’ Corner.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors met Thursday morning, in Atlantic. Board Secretary/County Auditor Dale Sunderman said during their session, the Board heard from representatives with the Cass County Library Association, representing the six city libraries in the county. Those representatives presented a report on services provided in FY2019 for each and all libraries in the County. They also requested that the current county funding ($85,800) be increased by a total of $13,000 (divided based on library size) for FY2021. Their request was taken under advisement.

Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation (CADCO) Director Jennifer McEntaffer announced during the meeting, that their Economic Development proposal to bring an unnamed east coast light industrial manufacturer to the County, was moving forward. Previously, it was announced during a Supervisor’s Board meeting, that the company was looking to expand in the Midwest, and had some specific parameters they were looking for, such as a population center of about 7,000 that was within 10 miles of four-lane highway system, within 60 miles of major airport, had rail access, and a local airport that could handle a private jet would be a plus. The company would employ 25-30 people with wages in the $18 to $22 per hour range. How far the proposal advances now, depends on the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA).

County Veteran Affairs Executive Director Mitch Holmes gave report of 1st quarter FY20 activity. He said during the quarter 158 veterans were assisted: Federal VA benefits and/or local general assistance. Holmes mentioned also, that they received two donations to help Veterans: one from the Iowa Interstate Railroad and one from the Griswold American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, and that Hy-Vee is doing a red bag program to benefit Cass County Veterans, as well. Customers can buy a red reusable bag and Cass County Veterans will get $1 per bag sold.

County Attorney Vanessa Strazdas reviewed current legal activity. Strazdas spoke about a jury trial that was held over the past couple of days for Joshua Chapalonis of Atlantic. Shes said they started with eight counts of Class B Sex Abuse of a Child under the age of 12, with seven counts made it to the jury. The jury found him guilty on all seven counts, each of which carries a mandatory minimum of 17 ½ years with a maximum of 25 years. Sentencing is set for January 6th.

And the County Engineer reviewed current road projects. He said the Olive Street and Lewis road projects are almost completed.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowans who have diabetes are waging a campaign with emails, calls and letters to members of Congress, urging them to pass what’s called the Special Diabetes Program. Aryn Lloyd, a volunteer advocate for the Eastern Iowa Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, says the program pumps 150-million dollars each year into vital research at the National Institutes of Health.

“Renewal of the Special Diabetes Program is JDRF’s top legislative priority and it will ensure that promising research can continue delivering results toward better treatment, therapies and ultimately cures for type 1 diabetes,” Lloyd says. “Thanks to the Special Diabetes Program, there’s been pretty incredible progress over the years.”

Funding for the program actually would have expired in September but it was extended through the end of November. Lloyd, a Davenport native who has type 1 diabetes, says members of Congress are typically overwhelmed with requests to support various initiatives as the year’s end nears and she hopes this important program won’t be lost in the fray.

“We have worked hard to gain support within Congress so we do know that we have very strong bipartisan support of this program,” Lloyd says. “It’s just a matter of depending on how this bill is grouped. We don’t know how it’ll come into play so we’re just trying to be patient.”

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley chaired a hearing in February that called executives from seven large pharmaceutical companies as witnesses to discuss bounding prescription drug costs. The price of insulin, used in treating diabetes, has jumped 500-percent or more in recent years. Lloyd says there’s been little in the way of a resolution. “We’re starting to see some movement in some states but the ultimate problem is definitely not fixed yet,” Lloyd says. “They’re working on possibly creating some bills but nothing’s in place. We’re just watching that.”

More than one-and-a-quarter million Americans have type 1 diabetes, while in Iowa, it’s about 262-thousand people. (more info. at www.jdrf.org)

Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County, Thursday, arrested 30-year old Dustin Ray Aherns, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Suspended, case. Aherns was transported to the Mills County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:25 a.m. CDT

UNDATED (AP) — Gender reveal parties that were once considered private gatherings are becoming social media spectacles, sometimes with dangerous consequences. The death of a 56-year-old Iowa woman this weekend highlights a small but growing trend of families who use flashy gimmicks to announce the gender of their soon-to-be-born child. Pamela Kreimeyer was killed instantly Saturday when a homemade device that was meant to spray colorful powder into the air instead exploded like a pipe bomb.

MORAVIA, Iowa (AP) — Law enforcement officials in southern Iowa have identified a woman who died following an explosion in a home involving an oxygen tank. The Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday that 58-year-old Diane Golos died in the Wednesday incident. Officials say Golos was found on the kitchen floor and pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say she had been using an oxygen machine for medical purposes when an unknown ignition source caused an explosion and fire.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man who has long been suspected of involvement in the death of an Iowa man who disappeared last year has been charged with murder, obstruction of justice and abusing a corpse. Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner says a grand jury hearing evidence in the death of Christopher Bagley has indicted 32-year-old Drew Blahnik on those charges. Investigators testified earlier this year that Blahnik had allegedly confessed to stabbing Bagley in retaliation for his robbery of a large-scale drug trafficker.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she is appointing a committee to focus on getting as many Iowans as possible to participate in the 2020 Census. She says the goal of the Iowa Census Complete Count Committee is to increase awareness among Iowans about the importance of participating. The 2020 Census will determine how many congressional seats each state gets and guide the allocation of hundreds of billions of dollars of federal funding. Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg will chair of the committee.