ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) — A northwest Iowa day care provider charged with murder in the death of a 3-year-old girl has been released from jail after posting bond. Rochelle Sapp of Orange City walked out of the Sioux County jail on Thursday after a judge allowed her to post 10 percent of her $250,000 bond. Her attorney, Edward Bjornstad, says Sapp is “happy to be home.”

Sapp pleaded not guilty Thursday to first-degree murder and child endangerment in the death of Autumn Elgersma. Investigators say Sapp threw Autumn to the floor after becoming angry with her while watching her on October 29th. They say Sapp falsely told Autumn’s mother that the child was injured after falling down a flight of stairs. An autopsy ruled that the girl died of blunt force head injury.

KINGSLEY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they had to free a person trapped inside a car wreck in northwest Iowa that injured multiple people. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office says the single-vehicle crash early Thursday on a county road near Kingsley injured five people. One of the injured people was trapped inside the wreck.

The Sioux City Journal says the five people were transported to a local hospital. Authorities say the injuries are not life-threatening. The names of the people have not been released. Authorities have not released additional information about the wreck.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — More than 400 people shared ham, potatoes, corn, pie and other tempting offerings at the annual Christmas Day Community Dinner in Mason City. The event rotates between various Mason City churches each year. The Globe Gazette reports this year’s meal was held at Trinity Lutheran Church.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A youth services shelter in Des Moines has added a scruffy new staff member that’s aimed at helping children. The Youth Emergency Services and Shelter in Des Moines says Tango the dog will help children facing a variety of difficult situations. Officials at the shelter tell Des Moines television station KCCI that they’re expanding the facility. They hope to add another dog to the staff soon.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has again delayed the trial of a former Newton doctor accused of prescribing addictive painkillers. The Des Moines Register reports Lafayette Twyner’s trial is now set for March 3rd instead of January 27th. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose made a ruling on the date change last week. Twyner has been charged with 114 counts of health care fraud and unlawfully disseminating controlled substances. His lawyer has said his client denies wrongdoing.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hawkeyes women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder has agreed to a one-year contract extension. University of Iowa Director of Athletics Gary Barta’s announcement yesterday means Bluder will be head coach of the women’s basketball program through the 2019 season.

Greenfield artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II and officials with the Iowa Lottery are set to announce a new project to raise money for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund (IVTF). Sorensen and the lottery will unveil the “Ride to Riches” lottery game 11-a.m. Mon., January 6th, in the Capital Square Atrium (400 Locust St.) in downtown Des Moines.

The first 200 people attending the event will receive a personally autographed poster featuring new artwork from Sorensen, who is well known for his “Freedom Rock” paintings in Adair and many other counties. The Lottery will also provide many IVTF-related items available for give-away.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant in eastern Nebraska is back in operation after nearly three years of being shut down under the heavy scrutiny of federal regulators.  Omaha Public Power District spokesman Jeff Hanson said Thursday that the 478-megawatt plant reached 98 percent power on Christmas Day and was expected to hit 100 percent later Thursday.

Hanson says nothing out of the ordinary arose during restart, which began last week. On Dec. 17th, OPPD received permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to restart the plant across the river from Iowa.

Fort Calhoun initially shut down for routine maintenance in April 2011, but significant flooding that summer, a small fire and a series of safety violations forced it to remain closed. With NRC oversight, OPPD addressed more than 450 concerns at the plant.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The details might seem familiar when a prosecutor reviews an Iowa trooper’s decision to shoot a suspect.  Pottawattamie County Attorney Matthew Wilber is expected to decide in coming weeks whether Trooper Tim Sieleman was justified in the Dec. 1 shooting of 28-year-old Michael B. Lee of Carter Lake.  Five years ago, Wilber concluded that Sieleman’s shooting of Matthew Loth was a reasonable use of force.

In both cases, Sieleman opened fire at a suspect who was driving a stolen car at him during a pursuit. Both suspects were wounded and transported to the Nebraska Medical Center for treatment. And both occurred in similar locations in Council Bluffs.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is expected to give its investigative report on the shooting of Lee to Wilber in January.

Authorities in Mills County report three accidents occurred over the past week, only one of which resulted in injuries. Officials say Cindy Hunt, of Glenwood, was transported by Glenwood Rescue to the Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs Monday evening, after the 2008 Pontiac she was driving left 221st Street for unknown reasons, and struck a tree in a ditch.

The other accidents occurred Tuesday evening in Glenwood, and last Friday afternoon in Malvern. Drivers involved in those collisions included Susanne Plummer and Jenee Zeski, both of Glenwood, and John Benton and Grace Hatfield, both of Malvern.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report an Oakland man was arrested Tuesday for Violation of a Protection Order. 50-year old Christopher Scott Donaldson was arrested on 192nd Street at the Mills/Pottawattamie County line at around 11:45-p.m., Tuesday. Donaldson was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Arrested on Christmas Day in Mills County, was: 30-year old Drema Lynn Burson, of Glenwood, who was charged with OWI/1st offense. Burson was being held on $300 bond. And, 47-year old Michael Scott Holtz, a homeless man, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His bond was set at $1,300.

Cass County Recorder Joyce Jensen has announced she will be retiring at the end of her 2014 term in office. Jensen has served as the County’s recorder since 1991. She was elected to the Iowa State Association of Counties’ (ISAC) Board of Directors in 1998 and served as the organization’s President in 2001. Among her other accomplishments, is being elected to the Iowa County Recorders Association Board, and serving as its President in 2007. She also serves on the Atlantic Municipal Utilities’ Board and is Chair of the 1st United Methodist Church Council.

Jensen says “Serving the citizens of Cass County has been a privilege. It has always been my hope that we continue to keep services local, and that government is accessible to all.”

One estimate finds it will cost more than three-billion dollars to eliminate all ash trees from Iowa’s communities as the infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer marches forward. The estimate comes from state forester Paul Tauke, who says there are more than three-million ash trees in Iowa’s urban areas, which are all at risk of being devoured by the destructive insects.  “Once you reach the point where ash trees are declining and dying, basically, every ash tree in town will be dead in 5 or 6 years,” Tauke says. “The longer you wait, the longer you stick your head in the sand, the more impact you will have and troubles you’re gonna have when it finally shows up on your doorstep.”

Tauke says communities should start with a tree census and an action plan. He expects the Asian beetle to spread relatively quickly through counties in southeast Iowa that are now under a firewood quarantine. It’s not unusual for endangered ash trees to comprise 15-20 percent of a town’s total tree inventory. Tauke says Iowa’s cities and towns will face new budget challenges as the Asian beetle widens its attack on ash trees across the state.

“They have absolutely got to be removed because they’re going to present a public safety hazard to the citizens of that community and to homeowners,” Tauke says. “We estimate just the removal costs of those ash trees as they start to decline is going to be 3 to 3.5 billion dollars. Somebody’s going to have to pay for that.”

Burlington alone is looking at removal expenses of one-million dollars for nearly 900 ash trees. Including rural areas, where cutting them down is not as pressing, the state has up to 60-million ash trees.

(Radio Iowa)