Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

LOGAN, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they’re investigating a fatal hit and run in western Iowa. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says authorities found 50-year-old Charlotte Anderson dead on the side of the road Saturday night. She was located near a mile marker on Highway 127 on the north side of Logan. DCI says an Iowa State Patrol trooper located a suspicious vehicle in the area Sunday morning that appeared to have front end damage consistent with evidence at the scene, but additional information was not provided.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say an Iowa inmate managed to escape from one of the state’s most secure cells by sneaking through the building’s piping and onto the roof. The Iowa Department of Corrections SAYS Justin Kestner escaped early Sunday from a building on the Iowa State Penitentiary complex in Fort Madison. He was living in a unit for disruptive maximum-security inmates who are typically confined 23 hours per day. Hours later, he was captured near Geneseo, Illinois. The escape comes as authorities are preparing to close the prison and move prisoners into a new lockup.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrats and Republicans in Iowa are planning to host presidential forums that focus on minority communities. Organizers of the Brown and Black Forum say the Republican Party of Iowa and the Iowa Democratic Party will host events that allow presidential candidates to answer questions concerning Latinos and African-Americans. Topics will include education, immigration and criminal justice. A forum for Republican candidates will be held Dec. 3 at Drake University. Democratic candidates will be invited to an event in Des Moines on Jan. 11.

A man wanted on a warrant stemming from an investigation into an assault that took place June 27th in Shambaugh, has surrendered to authorities in Page County. Sheriff Lyle Palmer says 26-year old Joseph Cody Foster, of New Market, turned himself-in to the Sheriff’s Office at around 1:30-p.m. Monday.

Foster has since posted bond and was released pending further court proceedings.

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748 PM CDT MON JUL 6 2015

...SMOKE SPREADING ACROSS MUCH OF IOWA...

A LARGE AREA OF SMOKE FROM WILD FIRES IN NORTHERN CANADA HAS
DESCENDED TO GROUND LEVEL AND MOVED INTO IOWA THIS EVENING. THE
SMOKE WILL BE MOST NOTICEABLE ACROSS ABOUT THE NORTHWEST HALF OF
THE STATE EARLY TONIGHT. ANYONE WITH BREATHING DIFFICULTIES OR
OTHER HEALTH ISSUES...AS WELL AS THE VERY YOUNG AND
ELDERLY...SHOULD CONSIDER AVOIDING OUTSIDE TRAVEL UNTIL THE
SITUATION IMPROVES.

The victim of a hit-and-run accident near the High School in Logan has been identified. The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports 50-year old Charlotte Anderson, of Logan, died after being struck by a vehicle at around 11-p.m., Saturday.

A Harrison County Deputy Sheriff and a Logan Police Officer came upon Anderson’s body on the side of the road near the 115 mile marker of Highway 127, on the north side of Logan. Officers discovered she was already dead upon their arrival and it appeared she was a victim of a hit and run.

Anderson’s body was transported to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner  in Ankeny, where an autopsy was performed.  Anderson’s death has been ruled a homicide.

At around 7-a.m. Sunday, an Iowa State Patrol Trooper located a suspicious vehicle in Logan that appeared to have front end damage consistent with evidence located at the scene of the hit and run. The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.

Several agencies are working on the investigation to include the Logan Police Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Harrison County Attorney’s Office, Harrison County Medical Examiner, Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner, Logan Fire and Rescue, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa State Patrol (ISP) and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports that his deputies arrested three people in connection with an assault that occurred on June 7th at the County Line Bar & Grill at 1503 West Sheridan Avenue, Shenandoah.

Deputies were called to a fight in progress at the bar that night.  They arrived along with Shenandoah Police, to find a large crowd had gathered and were dispersed by the officers.  Officials report that two people, 33 year old Carol Barnett and 30 year old Russell Higgins, both of Shenandoah, had been assaulted while leaving the bar.  They both suffered minor injuries.

Three Shenandoah residents, 21 year old Drew Alexander, 20 year old Claudia Alexander and 25 year old Taylor Buick, were arrested.  Drew Alexander was charged with two counts of serious assault, while Claudia Alexander and Buick were both charged with one count of serious assault.

The Atlantic Police Department, through the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, is warning area businesses about bad checks being passed on a Wells Fargo account. The name on the checks is Albert L. Smith.

Bank Routing #073000228

Bank Account #6916029561

If you have received these checks or are aware of someone trying to use checks with that name and account numbers mentioned, contact the Atlantic Police Department.

Police in Atlantic arrested a local man on drug charges last week. 32-year old Terence Magill, of Atlantic, was arrested July 2nd for OWI/1st offense, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Magill was booked into the Cass County Jail.

On Friday, Atlantic Police arrested 36-year old Heather Christensen, of Atlantic, for Driving While Revoked, and 38-year old Donald Loury, of Davey, NE, on Cass County warrants for Violation of a No Contact Order and Failure to Appear in court. Both were booked into the Cass County Jail.

On Independence Day, 31-year old Adam Morris, of Atlantic, was arrested for Simple Assault. 23-year old Michael McConnell, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Probation Violation, and a Woodbury County warrant for Serious Assault. And, 43-year old Rodney Doss, of Exira, was arrested in Atlantic on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Assault Causing Bodily Injury. All three men were booked into the Cass County Jail.

And on June 30th, 38-year old Kevin Milliam, of Atlantic, was arrested for 5th Degree Theft (shoplifting). He was cited and released.

The bird flu outbreak won’t keep a fan favorite from the Iowa State Fair next month. The free egg-on-a-stick will still be available free at the fair despite the aftermath of bird flu and soaring egg prices. Iowa Egg Council consumer affairs director, Katie Coyle, says it’s especially important to have the egg-on-a-stick this year. “There’s a lot of consumer questions that are going on and we just want to show that we’re still here, we still have plenty of eggs for everyone, we’re not going anywhere, so that’s why we’re still continuing with our original plan,” Coyle says.

The avian flu forced Iowa producers to kill millions of laying hens, which has led to an increase in egg prices in stores. Coyle says the organization buys some of the eggs and others are donated by producers. The Iowa Egg Council handed out more than 11-thousand dozen hardboiled eggs-on-a-stick last year. “Eggs are the most affordable source of protein out there and they are still healthy, and nutritious and delicious,” Coyle says. “Egg-on-a-stick is just a hardboiled egg on a popsicle stick, cause everything at the fair is on a stick so why not eggs.”

Coyle says the group expects to hand out as many free eggs as last year, nearly 137-thousand from their booth in the Agriculture Building.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad says he vetoed several appropriations approved by lawmakers because he opposes one-time spending for ongoing expenses. Branstad said Monday that he has long been clear about his concerns over such budgeting practices. Last week, he vetoed much of a one-time spending bill backed by the legislature, which included nearly $56 million for K-12 education.

Democrats and education leaders are criticizing the move, saying it will hurt schools. Branstad says he has made other investments in education. After Branstad’s actions the state will spend nearly $7.2 billion in ongoing general fund expenses in the current fiscal year. The legislature sought $135 million in one-time payments, but Branstad cut that to $56 million. That money comes from surplus fund dollars left at the end of the previous fiscal year.

No injuries were reported after a trailer hauling hay bales caught fire Sunday evening, near Red Oak. The Red Oak Fire Department reports they were dispatched to 260th Street and B Avenue at around 5:45-p.m., Sunday, for a report of a pickup hauling a load of hay bales that were on fire.

Upon arrival their arrival at the scene, the trailer of bales was fully engulfed in flames, with the trailer still attached to a 2000 GMC Sierra pickup. Red Oak Fire requested and received mutual aid from the Essex Fire Department. Local residents assisted through the use of farm equipment in the fire suppression efforts, as well as in the removal of the trailer from the truck. Additional assistance was provided by the Montgomery County Secondary Roads Department. The cause of the blaze was believed to be “Kinetic Heat Energy transferred to the load of hay bales.”

Nine bales of hay and the trailer were lost, while the pickup belonging to Parker Ridge Farms sustained minimal damage. The total loss was conservatively estimated at $5,200. Fire officials say they greatly appreciate the assistance provided by Essex Fire and local residents for helping during the event.