GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) – A December trial has been scheduled for a southwestern Iowa mother accused of giving her 8-year-old daughter fatal amounts of an antidepressant drug. Mills County court records say 34-year-old Misty Frazier, of Glenwood, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, child endangerment and giving prescription drugs to a minor without a prescription. The trial is set to begin Dec. 12th.

Prosecutors say an autopsy showed the girl died of an overdose of the antidepressant amitriptyline, commonly sold under the brand name Elavil.

The Governor’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Advisory Council shared the results from its 2016-2017 independent evaluation Monday and reports that they are making progress in advancing STEM education across the state. The president of Accumold in Ankeny,Roger Hargens, is co-chair of the STEM Council.
“It’s really interesting to know that nine out of ten Iowans see STEM as a priority — that means that they are engaged — which we are really interested in seeing that. Parents need to understand that there’s great careers with STEM education,” Hargens says.

He says the annual report shows that the growth in STEM jobs across Iowa is outpacing other occupations and there are more than 12-thousand vacancies. Hargens says some of those jobs are at his company. “My message here is to become involved, we want parents, education involved. We’ve really got to look at this as an economic development tool, not just an economic undertaking,” according to Hargens.

The executive director of the STEM Advisory Council, Jeff Weld, showed a chart that detailed some of the changes in stems jobs across the state beginning in 2011. He says there were 300 professionals working in the STEM network in 2001 to well over 700 in 2017 working in the Stem network.  Governor Kim Reynolds says the state needs to continue working with the STEM Council as it is showing results. She says they want to expose young people to the career opportunities that exist in the state, so they can find their passion. “They are more success if they love what they’re doing,” Reynolds says.

The Stem report says students involved in STEM programs scored an average of three percentage points higher in National Percentile Rank on the Iowa Assessments in mathematics and reading, and four percentage points higher in science compared to all students statewide.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Creston report two people were arrested Monday afternoon on separate charges. At around 2:25-p.m., 28-year old Caleb Fredrickson, of Lorimor, was arrested at 600 Sheldon on charges of Theft 5th and Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent offense. Fredrickson was being held in the Union County Jail on a $5,300 bond. And, at around 4:20-p.m., 37-year old Monica Belew, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a charge of Urinating in Public. Belew was subsequently released on a Promise to Appear in court.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – Campus visits have been scheduled for the four finalists in the search for the next president of Iowa State University. The Des Moines Register reports that the first person is set to be in Ames on Monday, the fourth on Oct. 12. Their identities are being kept secret until a day before their visits.

Officials say 64 people applied to the job, which was left vacant when Steven Leath left to take the top job at Auburn University in Alabama. Benjamin Allen, a former Iowa State provost and past president of the University of Northern Iowa, has been interim president in Ames.

The finalists are scheduled to answer questions from students, staff, alumni and others during one-hour public forums. Live video of each forum will be available at www.presidentsearch.iastate.edu .