DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State Auditor David Vaudt says he is resigning his elected position to become chairman of a national nonprofit accounting board. Vaudt, a Republican who has served as auditor since January 2003, announced Thursday he would leave the position to become chairman of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board.  His new position will begin July 1.

Gov. Terry Branstad will appoint a replacement, who will serve until Vaudt’s term expires. The next election for auditor will be in November 2014.

The Shelby County Emergency Management agency says because vegetation in the county is very dry, and fires that start can spread quickly, the Fire Danger Index is being upgraded to the “Moderate” category.

Emergency Management Director Bob Seivert says several weather systems will be passing through the area over the weekend. The resulting, shifting winds, will created problems with controlled burns . Seivert advises residents and land owners to develop a burn plan, and check the weather prior to lighting any controlled burns, as well as your local fire chief.

The next, scheduled update on the Fire Danger in Shelby County will be on Monday, April 8th.

w/ Ric Hanson

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A 10-member panel of legislators could be assembled as soon as this afternoon (Thursday) to begin work on a compromise education reform plan. On Wednesday afternoon Democratic Senator Herman Quirmbach, of Ames, urged his colleagues to quickly vote to advance the legislation. “See how fast we can get the ping-pong ball bouncing so that we can get it to conference committee,” Quirmbach said.

Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, suggests it won’t be easy to strike a deal. “Although the House and Senate plans share many components that we all agree upon, there are numerous differences,” Ernst said. Aside from the policy debate, there’s a more than 100-million dollar difference in the spending levels Democrats and Republicans have proposed.

w/ Ric Hanson

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FREMONT, Neb. (AP) – Midland University in Fremont, NE, has announced it will acquire the former Dana College campus in Blair, NE, just across the Missouri River, not far from Missouri Valley.  Midland announced the plan today (Thursday), saying in a news release that its growing enrollment in the last four years has necessitated expansion of its campus.

Dana and Midland had shared Lutheran affiliations – and served as athletic rivals – in eastern Nebraska for decades before the Blair school closed its doors in 2010 following years of financial struggles and the loss of its accreditation.

More than half of Dana’s 600 students transferred to Midland, sending the Fremont school’s 2010 enrollment from 643 to 962. Midland has continued to see enrollment growth, and currently has more than 1,000 students.  Midland officials did not disclose how much it plans to bid for the Dana campus.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 3:15-a.m. today (Thursday), of a Villisca man. 74-year old Carter Levi Bennett was charged with Sexual Abuse in the 2nd Degree. The charge is the result of an investigation into allegations Bennett had inappropriate contact with children on different occasions. Bennett was taken into custody at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, without incident.

An investigation into his alleged activities is ongoing. Authorities say additional charges are anticipated. Bennett remained in the Montgomery County Jail early this (Thursday) morning, on $25,000 bond.

Police in Red Oak say a motorcycle accident Wednesday evening resulted in one person being flown to an Omaha hospital for treatment of serious, unknown injuries. 38-year old David Aaron Fillmore, of Red Oak, was traveling east on Highway 34 just before 8-p.m., when he lost control of the 2011 Ducati motorcycle he was riding, as the bike was maneuvering a curve and merging onto Highway 48 southbound.

The Ducati hit an area of sand/gravel before sliding partially out of control and hitting a curb of the median. Fillmore then lost complete control of the cycle, which toppled onto  its right side. He was transported by Red Oak Rescue to the Montgomery County Hospital before being flown by Mercy One helicopter to a medical facility in Omaha.

The motorcycle sustained $500 damage during the crash. Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies and Red and Fire and Rescue assisted Red Oak P-D at the scene.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press