DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Weather is being blamed for a drop in attendance at this year’s Iowa State Fair. Some days were rainy, some extra hot and humid and some apparently were just right for going to the fair, which ended Sunday. The attendance for the 11-day fair was 1,031,278. Attendance dropped about 86,000 this year from last year’s record-breaking 1,117,398.

Fair CEO Gary Slater told The Des Moines Register that “the numbers weren’t down because of any other reason other than weather.”

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) – The former city clerk of Boyden in northwest Iowa has been placed on probation after pleading guilty to stealing money from the city. The Sioux City Journal reports former city clerk Beth Sipma, of Sheldon, was placed on probation Monday after pleading guilty in Sioux County District Court to one count of first-degree theft.

She was ordered to pay a $1,000 civil penalty and nearly $55,000 in restitution to Boyden to cover the lost money and the city’s costs of reviewing and correcting its finances. Police arrested Sipma in June after a state audit showed she made more than $36,000 in improper spending between 2013 and 2015.

Boyden is a city of about 700 people, about 10 miles north of Orange City.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Sioux City police have identified a man who was pulled from the Missouri River and died later at a hospital. The Sioux City Journal reports  police Monday identified the man as 42-year-old Conrad Parker, of Sioux City.

Witnesses told police the man walked into the river Friday afternoon and began floating downstream. They called 911 after losing sight of him, and he was unconscious when rescuers pulled him from the river. They rushed him to a hospital, where he died. Based on testimony from the witnesses and a medical examination, his death was determined to be accidental drowning.

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

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) — The former city clerk of Boyden in northwest Iowa has been placed on probation after pleading guilty to stealing money from the city. The Sioux City Journal reports former city clerk Beth Sipma, of Sheldon, was placed on probation Monday after pleading guilty in Sioux County District Court to one count of first-degree theft. She was ordered to pay a $1,000 civil penalty and nearly $55,000 in restitution to Boyden.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence is doubling down on running mate Donald Trump’s new public push for Hillary Clinton to shut down her long-time charitable foundation. Pence told a crowd Monday at a manufacturing facility in Cedar Rapids that Clinton must shut down the Clinton Foundation immediately. Trump issued the same call earlier in the day through social media.

CLARION, Iowa (AP) — Wright County supervisors have approved a development agreement with a North Carolina-based company that plans to build a $240 million pork processing plant in northern Iowa. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports the supervisors approved the deal Monday with Prestage Foods, of Clinton, North Carolina. The agreement includes building wastewater treatment facilities and improving roads near the plant, south of Eagle Grove. Prestage officials say they eventually plan to employ about 1,750 people.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City police have identified a man who was pulled from the Missouri River and died later at a hospital. The Sioux City Journal reports Monday that police identified the man as 42-year-old Conrad Parker, of Sioux City. Witnesses told police the man walked into the river Friday and began floating downstream. They called 911 after losing sight of him, and he was unconscious when rescuers pulled him from the river. His death was determined to be accidental drowning.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — John Deere has announced more layoffs at two eastern Iowa plants. Company spokesman Ken Golden said Monday that 115 workers in Waterloo will be laid off effective Sept 23 and 30 in Davenport effective Sept. 30.

UAW Local 838 shop chairman Tim Niedert told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that the layoffs came as no surprise. On Friday the Moline, Illinois-based company announced its 10th consecutive quarter of year-over-year earnings declines, citing continuing downturns in the agriculture sector.

Golden says about 870 people are working at the Davenport plant and about 2,930 at the Waterloo plant. Those figures don’t reflect the layoffs. He says the Waterloo plant makes larger farm tractors. The Davenport plant makes construction and forestry equipment,

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest late Sunday night, of 43-year old Michelle Lee Kalkas, of Imogene. Kalkas was arrested at around 11:10-p.m. following a traffic stop on Highway 34. She was charged with two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, along with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving While Barred, and No SR-22 Insurance. Her bond was set at $7,300.

And, Mills County Deputies arrested 61-year old Larry Edward Eggeling, of Malvern, Friday afternoon. Eggeling was charged with OWI/2nd offense. His bond was set at $2,000.

In an update to our earlier reports, the Atlantic Police Department Monday afternoon released additional details about an accident that happened at around 7:40-p.m., Sunday. Officials say Jadon Jahnke, of Lewis, was cited for Failure to Maintain Control, after his Ford Ranger pickup rear-ended an SUV driven by Megan Magers, of Atlantic.

The accident happened near the intersection of 7th and Pine Streets, when Magers pulled over to yield for a passing fire truck responding to a fuel spill incident near the Pizza Ranch restaurant in Atlantic. When Magers slowed to a stop, Janke, who was distracted by the passing fire truck, failed to notice. Magers was transported to the Cass County Hospital by Medivac Ambulance for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Damage from the collision amounted to $5,000.

The A-PD reports also, 26-year old Joshua Olwell, of Atlantic, was arrested Sunday on a Cass County warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. And, 18-year old Kyle Hansen, of Atlantic, was arrested Sunday for Domestic Abuse Assault. Both men were booked into the Cass County Jail.

A new report shows students who participate in Science Technology Engineering and Math or STEM projects in their schools score better on tests and are more interested in working in Iowa once they graduate. Jeff Weld is executive director of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. “Over half of the children of the state have now participated in one or more of these STEM programs, so we’re really at an interesting tipping point,” Weld says. “And I think we’re beginning to prove the concept here, that we’re going to provide a talent pipeline for the IT, agriculture, medicine, engineering, advanced manufacturing pipeline as a result of the work that we’re doing here.”

The State of Iowa began spending money on STEM programs five years ago. Back then, only one out of four Iowans knew STEM stood for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Now, nine out of 10 Iowans say STEM education should be a priority, but only 46 percent think it is in their local school. Governor Terry Branstad says sometimes it takes a while for perception to catch up with reality. “It really is phenomenal, the change that we’ve seen in five years, but we know we still have a ways to go and we want to continue to work on it,” Branstad says.

Branstad wants 70 percent of working-age Iowans to have at least two additional years of college or vocational training beyond high school by the year 2025. Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds is co-chair of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. “‘Greatness STEMS from Iowans’ — our brand that we have — we are hearing more and more people tell us that, you know, they recognize it at STEM festivals that we’ve having across the state, STEM Day at the State Fair, so I mean it’s building and growing and we’re working on really driving public awareness and getting more parents and grandparents involved, so we’ve made a lot of progress,” Reynolds says. “We’re just admitting that there’s more work to do.”

According to the report released today (Monday) by the governor, students who participated in STEM projects scored an average seven percentage points higher on the Iowa Assessments in mathematics, six percent higher in science and four percent higher in reading than their peers. Among the STEM “Scale-Up Program” participants, 45 percent of them said they were “very interested” in working in Iowa someday. That compared to 39 percent of all students who said they wanted to work in Iowa when they became adults.

(Radio Iowa)

The Afton Police Department is asking your help in locating a vehicle that was used to strike several mailboxes along South Browning Street n Afton. Police Chief John Coulter says the vehicle would have damage to the front end and undercarriage, from striking and dragging the mailboxes.The incidents happened Aug. 17th.

Coulter says also, an Afton man reported last week that someone broke into his work truck and took an RD-8000 utility locator device. The theft occurred while the work truck near a residence in Afton. Anyone with information concerning the theft is asked to contact the Afton Police Department at 641-347-5255.

And, on Aug. 19th, a Creston man reported that sometime during the day while his 2006 Dodge RAM 1500 pickup was parked in the 200 block of W. Kansas St. in Afton, when another vehicle (black in color) hit the right rear quarter panel causing damage. If you can help locate and/or identify the suspect vehicle, call 641-347-5255.

Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns says two people filed nomination papers last week to run for County Office in the November 8th General Election. Republican Jody Steffen, of Griswold, filed to run on the Agricultural Extension Council. Steffen joins previously announced Incumbent Republicans Julie Aupperle, of Wiota, Darrin Petty, of Atlantic, and Marcy Jo Dorsey, of Anita, in seeking seats on the Ag. Extension Council.

And, Richard Hoffman, of Cumberland, filed papers last week to run for a vacancy seat as Union Township Trustee. Delmar South, of Cumberland filed for the seat August 9th.

The filing deadline for nomination papers for County Offices is 5-p.m., August 31st. Other (previously announced) candidates having filed papers include: Cass County Supervisor – District 1: Republican Steve Green, of Atlantic; Cass County Supervisor – District 4: Democrat Dana Kunze, and Republican Steve Baier, both of Griswold; Cass County Supervisor – District 5: (Incumbent) Republican Frank Waters, of Cumberland, and No Party candidates Randy J. Pollock, of Anita, along with J. Ford Lillard, of Wiota.

Cass County Republicans, Auditor Dale Sunderman and Sheriff Darby McLaren, have filed for re-election. And, Democrat Jody Lorence, of Atlantic, has filed to run for the Cass County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees – Northwest District.