ADEL, Iowa (AP) — A man charged with murder and other crimes in the starvation death of his 16-year-old adopted daughter has reached a plea deal with Iowa prosecutors. Dallas County District Court records say a plea hearing is scheduled Friday afternoon for 43-year-old Marc Ray. He and his wife, 40-year-old Misty Bousman-Ray, already have pleaded not guilty in the May 2017 death of Sabrina Ray in their Perry home. Authorities say the girl weighed just 56 pounds when she died.

The records don’t outline what his plea deal includes. The records don’t show that Misty Bousman-Ray has reached any deal. Her trial is still scheduled to start Feb. 4 in Sioux City. The trial was moved to Woodbury County because of pretrial publicity in Dallas County.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of rural bankers in parts of 10 Plains and Western states suggests the regional economy is growing. The overall index of the Creighton University Rural Mainstreet survey for December climbed back above growth neutral to hit 54.2, compared with 49.9 in November. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy in the months ahead, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the surveys over the past several months indicate the regional economy is expanding outside of agriculture. The survey’s confidence index slumped to 44.3 from November’s 47.0, and Goss says tariffs, trade tensions and weak agriculture commodity prices harmed the economic outlook of bank CEOs.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A man has been imprisoned for setting fire to a vehicle in the parking garage of Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. The Messenger reports that 22-year-old Terrell Adams had pleaded guilty to arson and criminal mischief. He was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison. Adams admitted at the sentencing hearing that he set fire to the vehicle of an acquaintance that was parked in the garage on Sept. 4. That fire led spread, damaging at least 10 vehicles and causing structural damage to the garage.

(Iowa News Service )DES MOINES, Iowa – When it comes to taking care of their health, research shows Iowans have cut down on smoking and improved their diets, but many still don’t get enough exercise to live the longest, healthiest lives. To encourage overall health improvement among the state’s residents, the American Heart Association of Iowa is changing its mission, from focusing primarily on cardiovascular issues to a more holistic approach. Executive Director Kayla Kovarna says the organization’s new mission is to be a “relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.”  “This is the first time ever in our history that we have not called out cardiovascular diseases, which includes stroke, in our actual mission statement. And really, what we’re looking at is shifting gears and focusing on health improvement,” says Kovarna.

Kovarna believes Iowa communities could benefit significantly if more people had better access to a wider variety of exercise options, and more nutritious food choices – especially in areas of Des Moines, where there are several so-called “food deserts.” Des Moines recently implemented “Move DSM” – the first citywide, multi-modal vision for transportation. State AHA Government Relations Director Stacy Frelund hopes it will be a model for other communities to make biking and walking easier and more accessible. “A big part of this is safety, and really, some of that’s even lighting in certain areas, so that if kids are out and walking to friends’ houses or parks, that they can easily get there with the walkways and feel a lot more safe,” says Frelund.

Kovarna says getting kids and adults exercising more is critical, based on a new report that showed Iowa is now one of the top three states in the nation for a significant increase in obesity – 35 percent over the past 12 years.  “So here in Iowa, blood pressure is one that is definitely a health-risk factor that pops up; childhood obesity is another one. Those are big ones, that we really need to take a look at to move the needle,” says Kovarna. Iowa was the only state in the top seven with obesity gains not located in the southern half of the U.S..