KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A July sentencing has been scheduled for an Iowa mom and dad whose underweight 3-month-old daughter tested positive for cocaine. Marion County District Court records show 20-year-old Stazia Kirk and 21-year-old Zak Herman pleaded guilty last week to felony neglect of a dependent person. Their sentencing is scheduled for July 18.

Court documents say their baby, Charlotte, weighed less than her birth weight when she was taken to a hospital in December. A doctor says the baby tested positive for cocaine and was suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. The documents also say Kirk and Herman admitted to using cocaine recently. They lived in Pella at the time.

(Radio Iowa) — One person was killed when two pickup trucks collided near Duncombe in Webster County on Sunday afternoon. Reportedly, a southbound 2011 Dodge Ram pickup truck operated by 72-year-old Larry Dencklau of Eagle Grove and an eastbound 2004 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven by 20-year-old Noah Tesler of Fort Dodge collided at the intersection. The Dencklau pickup came to rest facing east in the south ditch while the Tesler pickup entered the field and rolled ejecting the driver.

Larry Dencklau died at the accident scene while Noah Tesler was taken to Unity Point Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines for treatment. A passenger in the Tesler pickup, 15-year-old Nathan Tesler of Fort Dodge was transported to Unity Point Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge for treatment of injuries. The accident remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) — May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and one mental health expert says people’s attitudes toward mental health illnesses have begun to change. Kim Keleher with Plains Area Mental Health Clinic of Le Mars says that is good news for everyone. “Mental health is really no different than any physical health ailment that people seek primary care for — so we’re very glad that the stigma is lessening — and we hope that continues,” Keleher says. Keleher says stress, anxiety, and depression are all common types of mental health issues — but many people don’t seek counseling or assistance. She says you should seek counseling when day-to-day problems grow and become major concerns with our daily lives.

“What we usually say if it’s ongoing for more than two weeks and it’s really affecting various parts of your life — such as going to work, eating, sleeping ….being out among your friends — then we really urge you to really seek help. Because that’s not normal,” Keleher says. Keleher says family members, friends, and colleagues should look for the clues that indicate a person may be suffering from anxiety, stress, or deep depression. “Just a a change in their normal lifestyle,” she says, “so people who usually go to work every day, shower, take care of themselves, they usually have a healthy appetite. If things like that are changing they are maybe retreating. If it’s a child retreating to their room, they are sleeping all the time, they don’t want to go out with their friends, a drop in grades. You know, they just don’t act like themselves.”

Keleher say there has been an increase in suicides over the last few years, and she says some people choose to deal with their issues by ending their life. “There’s different situations and everybody experiences things differently. But, that feeling of complete hopelessness. That feeling that people would be better of without them, that they would be better off not living on this earth any more, that they are a burden, those kinds of things,” according to Keleher. Keleher says depression is an actual physical aliment clinical condition. “It’s clinically proven that it is just like diabetes or heart disease. There’s something within our system that is out of balance and can be controlled through medication and along with psychotherapy to work through some strategies for coping skills,” Keleher says. Keleher says often times with senior citizen patients they are more reluctant to discuss their concerns relating to their mental health.

A chain of facilities that treats head lice reports an 84-percent increase in cases between last spring and this spring at its four outlets that offer services to Iowans. Dr. Krista Lauer, medical director of Lice Clinics of America, says a large factor in the growing problem is that the tiny insects are highly contagious and have become a much greater problem over time.

“Lice have evolved and become superlice, which means they’ve developed resistance to the traditional pesticide-containing over-the-counter treatments,” Lauer says. “They are no longer effective and people are spending time and money going to the pharmacy on these treatments that don’t work.” In addition, Lauer says there’s a lack of understanding by the public on the life cycle of lice and how they spread.

An adult louse will live for about a month and over that time can lay over 100 eggs,” Lauer says, “so, you can see how rapidly an infestation can escalate.” Lice, she says, only spread by direct head-to-head contact, like on the playground, while taking part in sports or at slumber parties and camp. As the insects have evolved, she says treatments have evolved as well, touting the clinics’ use of a proprietary tool that can eradicate the problem in a single, one-hour treatment.

“It uses precision-controlled heated air so it works by dehydration,” Lauer says. “It dehydrates not only the live hatched lice but also the eggs, and that’s the really hard part to kill, the eggs.” People need to educate themselves, she says, as it’s a very misunderstood affliction.

“It’s really important to know that lice have nothing to do with personal hygiene. They have nothing to do with the cleanliness of your home or your school,” Lauer says. “They are purely an infestation that happens by opportunity. Don’t panic and don’t be embarrassed or ashamed. They are so common.”

The Lice Clinics of America has offices in Dubuque, Bettendorf, Des Moines and Omaha/Council Bluffs. A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Health says lice are not a reportable disease, so the state maintains no data on the number of cases.  www.liceclinicsofamerica.com

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

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police have released the identities of two people killed in a weekend shooting in Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids Police said two 18-year-olds, Matrell Eugene Johnson and Royal Ceiz Abram died as a result of the shooting early Saturday morning.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) — One sheriff in eastern Iowa is looking forward to moving into a new jail this fall because it is a significant upgrade over the current eight-bed facility. The Burlington Hawkeye reports the new Henry County jail will be able to hold 108 inmates, and it will be much more secure than the current jail.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Normally this time of year, huge barges can be seen chugging up the Mississippi River, carrying grain to market and bringing agriculture-related products to farmers in the Midwest for the new growing season. But historic spring flooding has left parts of the Mississippi closed for business. The interruption is hitting an agriculture industry that’s already suffering, including from trade disputes that have helped drive down commodity prices.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Nearly 35 years after she started, one Iowa mom is receiving her college degree from Loras College this weekend. Karen Leisen told the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald she always focused on her goal of finishing college as she was raising her nine children.