Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:55 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A supervisor with Iowa’s state Public Defender’s Office has a part-time side job as a local police officer, creating a potential conflict of interest. Michael Adams is supervisor of the special defense unit, which is appointed to defend low-income defendants in complex criminal cases statewide. But since 2008 he has also served as a part-time reserve police officer in the city of Colfax. The potential conflict of interest surfaced this month in a murder case.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The former head of the Iowa Department of Human Services has filed a complaint with the state seeking $2 million for wrongful discharge. Jerry Foxhoven says in documents filed Thursday with the State Appeal Board that Gov. Kim Reynolds, her chief of staff and legal counsel fired Foxhoven on June 17 as he questioned whether it was legal for the DHS to pay the salary of a governor’s staffer who had moved from the agency to the governor’s office.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A fire on the roof of a prison in Fort Dodge appears to be under control. The Iowa Department of Corrections says the fire was reported about 2 p.m. at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. Officials believe the fire started on the roof of a prison housing unit where contractors were making repairs. Local fire officials say the fire appears to be under control. The Corrections Department says all prison staff, contractors and inmates are accounted for.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrats’ plans for virtual presidential caucuses in Iowa and Nevada are effectively dead as Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez said Friday the results would be vulnerable to hacking and abuse. The two states had submitted plans for telephone voting as part of a national Democratic effort to increase participation in the 2020 nominating fight. But Perez says “there is no tele-caucus system available that meets our standard of security and liability.”

(Radio Iowa) — Many people are using the Labor Day holiday as their last getaway of the summer. Triple-A Iowa’s, Mark Peterson, says you’ll be happy when you gas up. “These are some of the lowest prices we’ve had in two to three years,” according to Peterson. He says everything has worked well to keep the prices from going up — including no major summer issues with supply.

“Production has remained strong and robust as we are moving along,” Peterson says. Peterson says the average cost of a gallon of gas in Iowa is two-dollars, 42 cents. “Last year about this time it was two-75. In 2017, two-49, so this is kind of a surprise. You’ll want to take advantage of it now — fill up those tanks — because you never know what can happen,” Peterson says. Peterson said it’s a possibility we could see a jump in gas prices in a few weeks with a little end of the summer bump in demand.

He says he then expects things to level off or prices could possible drop. Peterson says there are some intangibles — like the hurricanes and the situation in the Middle East that could impact prices. For now he says you can enjoy the lower prices.

(Radio Iowa) — Significantly more Iowans who get their health insurance through their employers are now on high-deductible plans, according to an annual report from the University of Minnesota. Elizabeth Lukanen, deputy director of the university’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center, says employers are likely trying to keep premiums low by raising deductibles.

Lukanen says, “To control costs, what employers are doing is they’re continuing to offer coverage, but they’re shifting some of those costs to consumers and to their employees.” The annual report found the number of Iowans on high-deductible plans jumped from 50-percent in 2017 to 57-percent last year. The national average is 49-percent. Lukanen says many Iowans may not understand these plans can be financially risky.

“The plan might seem affordable because if you have a higher deductible, you often have a lower premium,” Lukanen says, “but if you have a chronic illness or an unexpected health event, and you don’t have any savings, you can really quickly find yourself in debt.” The report found the average deductible for a single person rose 288-dollars over the past two years, an increase of more than 15-percent.

(Thanks to Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A supervisor with Iowa’s state Public Defender’s Office has a part-time side job as a local police officer, creating a potential conflict of interest. Michael Adams is supervisor of the special defense unit, which is appointed to defend low-income defendants in complex criminal cases statewide. But since 2008, he has also served as a part-time reserve police officer in the city of Colfax.

Adams’ unit is routinely appointed to defend clients in Jasper County even as he occasionally patrols one of its cities as an officer. The potential conflict has gone largely unnoticed, but it became an issue this month in a murder case involving a man who was investigated by Colfax police and is being represented by Adams’ unit. Adams says he has no direct involvement on either side of the case.

Still, multiple defense attorneys say they were stunned to learn of Adams’ dual roles.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A fire on the roof of a prison in Fort Dodge appears to be under control. The Iowa Department of Corrections says the fire was reported about 2 p.m. at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. Officials believe the fire started on the roof of a prison housing unit where contractors were making repairs.

Local fire officials say the fire appears to be under control. The Corrections Department says all prison staff, contractors and inmates are accounted for. The Fort Dodge facility is a medium security prison designed to hold a maximum of 1,400 inmates, overseen by a staff of about 260 people.