WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Iowa authorities are investigating a weekend fire that killed a woman and child in Waterloo. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the fire was reported around 6:30 a.m. Sunday by a newspaper carrier. Waterloo Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Mike Moore says firefighters found the victims on the second floor of the home. Three other people escaped the fire.
The names of the fire victims weren’t immediately released.

Investigators are working to determine what caused the fire. Sunday’s fire was the second fatal blaze in Waterloo in the past month. On March 15, a fire killed a woman and her son and daughter.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As the Iowa legislative session inches toward adjournment with Republican leaders focused on tax cuts and the state budget, some lawmakers and advocacy groups are still pushing for other bills that have received less attention.
It’s unclear what measures, if any, could be approved in the session’s last days, but here is a look at several possibilities.

ABORTION
Pro-Life advocates haven’t given up on a bill that would ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks of pregnancy. The Senate approved the bill with all Republicans and one independent in support, and all Democrats in opposition, but the House hasn’t taken up the measure. If approved, the ban would be the most restrictive in the nation, though such a law would be challenged as a violation of U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

The heartbeat bill follows a Republican-backed law approved last year that banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and required a three-day waiting period for women, making it among the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. The waiting period portion of the law hasn’t taken effect because of a lawsuit before the Iowa Supreme Court.

OPIOIDS
The House unanimously approved a bill intended to reduce opioid abuse, but the Senate has yet to take up the proposal. The House-backed measure would require that pharmacies dispensing controlled substances report it within one business day, that prescriptions be made electronically by 2020 and that patients potentially abusing opioids be identified. An analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency states the bill wouldn’t require legislative funding to be implemented.

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said in her January Condition of the State address that she wants to expand participation in prescription monitoring and called for legislation to reduce the number of opioids prescriptions.

MEDICAID
Patients and health care providers have continued to file complaints about Iowa’s privatized Medicaid system, which provides health care for poor and disabled Iowans, and Reynolds has acknowledged the state made “mistakes” during the transition to a private system. The House voted 97-0 for a bill requiring companies that now run the program to make timely payments of claims, provide reasons for denying them and fix errors within three months. The Senate hasn’t taken up the legislation, but supporters are still calling for action. An LSA analysis estimates the bill’s cost at $4.7 million annually.

BACKFILL PAYMENTS
Reductions or elimination of so-called “backfill” payments to local government remains possible, though cuts don’t appear likely for the budget year that begins in July. The payments, which are capped at $152 million annually, were established by a 2013 law that cut taxes for commercial and industrial property owners.

The payments were a key in gaining support for the earlier tax cuts, but Republicans say the payments weren’t intended to last indefinitely and the state can’t afford them. Democrats argue that ending the payments would break a promise to local governments and would cause local taxes to increase. Republican leaders have said a new round of tax cuts and current budget plans don’t rely on reducing backfill funding.

OTHER ISSUES
Among other issues that still have a pulse is a bill designed to help utilities by granting rate changes more quickly and limiting energy efficiency programs. The Senate approved the bill but the House hasn’t voted on the measure. The Senate approved a bill banning traffic cameras and some lawmakers are still pushing for the proposal, but the House favored an approach adding further restrictions to their use rather than a ban. House Speaker Linda Upmeyer said she doesn’t think there are enough votes in that chamber to approve a ban.

Advocates of a victims’ rights bill also haven’t given up and earlier this month held a Capitol rally to call attention to the proposed constitutional amendment. However, a crime victims group and some prosecutors have opposed the proposal, known as Marsy’s Law, which they fear would be difficult and costly for court officials to implement.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A riverfront amphitheater that draws thousands of people to downtown Des Moines will close for two years to accommodate the construction of a bridge. The Simon Estes Amphitheater will be closed from 2019-20, the Des Moines Register reported.

Bridge construction is expected to start August and estimated to cost up to $9 million. The new bridge will replace the downtown Locust Street bridge. No events will take place at the city-managed amphitheater during construction, said Ben Page director of Des Moines Parks and Recreation. “There’s not going to be any parking down there,” Page said. “(It’d be a) dusty, dirty mess.

The 2018 Nitefall on the River concert series, is typically held at the amphitheater and the nearby Brenton Skating Plaza. Construction won’t cause any of this year’s events to be relocated, said Tim Leach, the senior vice president of downtown development for the Des Moines Partnership, which manages the plaza.

“We don’t think any of these closures are going to affect (Nitefall),” Leach said.
This year’s concert series includes performances by Turnpike Troubadours, Lake Street Dive, Arch Allies and The Nadas.

The performances will be hosted at the skating plaza full-time when the amphitheater closes for construction, Leach said.

Red Oak Police report the arrest late Saturday night, of 26-year old Whitney Marie Stephens, of Red Oak. Stephens was taken into custody at around 10:25-p.m., for Failure to Provide SR-22 Insurance. She was also cited for Driving While license Suspended. Stephens was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.

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

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Federal authorities have charged a former central Iowa high school educator who taught for 30 years with multiple child pornography counts. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that federal investigators say 67-year-old Glen Sedlacek, of Marshalltown, had numerous computer files containing pornography of children younger than 12, dating back to March 2013. Sedlacek retired from the Marshalltown Community School District in 2010.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The Dubuque City Council is supporting plans to turn a crumbling 120-year-old brewery complex into apartments and retail space. The Telegraph Herald reports that City Council members voted unanimously this month to support developer Stephen Emerson’s application for state workforce housing tax credits for the project. Architecture and design firm Aspect Inc. is looking to redevelop the brewery.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — Residents in northeast Iowa are facing strong opposition from utility giant Alliant Energy as the community considers establishing a municipal utility in hopes of investing more in renewable energy. The Des Moines Register reports that Decorah residents hope to take millions of dollars built into the utility’s rates and use them for community projects and initiatives instead. The Decorah Power group is supporting a May 1 referendum that would encourage the city to explore the option.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say three people have died in a two-vehicle crash in northeastern Iowa. Mason City television station KIMT reports that the crash happened around 5 p.m. Friday at an intersection east of Charles City. Investigators say a pickup truck driven by 28-year-old Jacob Allen Mahnesmith, of Nashua, ran a stop sign and collided with another pickup, killing Mahnesmith, his passenger, 28-year-old Shane Allen Wiltse of Charles City, and the driver of the other truck.