DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bird flu that resulted in the deaths of 48 million chickens and turkeys has finally waned, but industry officials and government researchers will gather this week in Des Moines to discuss next steps if the virus returns this fall or next spring.

Meetings scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Des Moines are coordinated by the Georgia-based U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. The trade organization represents egg and meat chicken companies as well as businesses handling turkeys, ducks and breeding stock.

Organizers closed most sessions to the public and media, saying they wanted participants to talk freely about what caused the outbreak and how to respond more effectively to future problems. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad are scheduled to talk Tuesday morning.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said she never knowingly sent or received classified information using her private email server and did not know what messages were being cited by intelligence investigators as examples of emails containing classified information. Clinton spoke briefly Saturday about the email matter after a Democratic gathering at the Madison County Historical Complex.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Mason City Schools plans to implement a new grading system for its elementary students in kindergarten through sixth-grade this fall. The Globe Gazette reports that instead of receiving a letter grade, students will receive proficiency ratings for their knowledge of specific items. The district’s executive director of educator quality and leadership, T.J. Jumper, says the standards-based scale will be more detailed, with ratings ranging from “emerging” to “advanced.”

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — A popular phone gadget that’s been banned from amusement parks throughout the country has now been banned in Adventureland Park in Altoona. Des Moines television station KCCI says selfie sticks weren’t just becoming a safety concern for people trying to use them on rides. Adventureland spokeswoman Molly Vincent says guests often complained about people using them during shows and walking with them in crowded areas.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Police say a 62-year-old Davenport man who was stabbed last week has died. The Quad-City Times reports that Claude Hanson died Tuesday at Genesis Medical Center-East in Davenport. Police say arrests have been made, and detectives continue to investigate.

Police in Red Oak arrested a woman this (Saturday) afternoon, for Driving While Suspended. 33-year old Bobbie Jo Bruce, of Red Oak, was taken into custody following a traffic stop at around 12:30-p.m.  Bruce was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond.

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — A popular phone gadget that’s been banned from amusement parks throughout the country has now been banned in Adventureland Park in Altoona. Des Moines television station KCCI says selfie sticks weren’t just becoming a safety concern for people trying to use them on rides. Adventureland spokeswoman Molly Vincent says guests often complained about people using them during shows and walking with them in crowded areas.

Adventureland’s ban started earlier this month after Disney parks announced their ban. Earlier this week, Six Flags theme parks also banned the long metal poles used to take smartphone pictures at more than arm’s length.

But Iowa State Fair spokeswoman Mindy Williamson says fair officials view selfie sticks as a “fun family-type thing” and are still allowed on the fairgrounds.

Firefighters from Menlo, Stuart, Casey, Dexter, Adair, Greenfield, Guthrie Center and Panora Fire battled a fire late Friday night at an ethanol plant, in Menlo. According to a report in the Perry News, the blaze at the Koch Brothers-owned plant was reported at around 11-p.m., Friday.

The paper says a security guard at the Flint Hills Resources ethanol refinery said plant workers told him the fire started in the factory’s energy center and was caused by a faulty ignition switch in a thermal oxidizer. The guard, who did not wish to give his name, said this was the first time a fire occurred in the facility during his three-year tenure.

A Stuart firefighter, who also did not wish to be identified, said the fire was located in the conduits of the facility. He said large quantities of water were called in to standby in case the ethanol and other volatile chemicals produced at the plant caused an explosion.

The 110 million gallon ethanol production facility began operating in September 2008 as Hawkeye Energy Holdings. Flint Hills Resources LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc., acquired the plant in 2010 from Hawkeye Energy Holdings.

Authorities in Montgomery County are asking for your help in solving a case of vandalism. Officials say deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office were called to the 200 block of E. 4th Street in Villisca, upon receiving a report of vandalism to a vehicle. When they arrived, deputies observed the front hood of a 1994 Izuzu Amigo had been pushed in. The damage was estimated at $300.

The incident is believed to have occurred between the hours of 1-a.m. and 6-a.m. Saturday (today). Anyone with information about the incident should call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 712-623-5107.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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A rural Atlantic man who has been heavily involved in the local saddle club and numerous events throughout the County, was honored Friday afternoon for his dedication and service. Larry Randell presented an award to Bob Bebensee during a ceremony held in the horse show barn on the Cass County Fairgrounds.

Larry Randell (Left) presents Bob Bebensee with the award (Photo courtesy Carol Bebensee South)

Bebensee said his association with the Cass County Fair began about the same time he and his wife Dee moved to Atlantic in 1958. He says it’s been his honor to have worked with fair officials and volunteers, and to have carried the colors of the U-S Flag during the various county parades and at other events.

The 7:06-a.m. report w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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The free, Cass County Fair rolls on today, in Atlantic. Here’s what’s on the schedule:

• 8-a.m.: Sheep Show (Outdoor Show Ring)
• 10-a.m.: Pet Show (Cass County Community Center)
• Noon: Working Exhibits, Educational Presentations and Extemporaneous Speaking (Cass County Community Center).
• Noon Special at the Foodstand: Lamb or Ham Balls
• 2-p.m.: Dog Show (Outdoor Show Ring).
• 6-p.m.: Tractor Pull (in front of the Grandstand).