Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press:

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa is the first state to make it a crime to lie to get onto a farm to secretly record animal abuse. Republican Governor Terry Branstad signed the law yesterday that makes lying on a job application to get access to a farm facility a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $1,500. Branstad signed the measure that’s strongly opposed by animal rights groups in a private ceremony.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – A Dubuque County sheriff’s deputy is charged with burglary and stalking for allegedly threatening his ex-wife’s boyfriend and damaging the man’s boat. The Department of Public Safety says James Doyle was charged yesterday with vandalizing the boat in October 2011. Doyle has been relieved of his duties, ordered to relinquish all firearms and stay away from the couple.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man suspected in a 2008 killing in Des Moines has been extradited from Mexico back to the United States. Police say 32-year-old Mario Cordero is accused of killing 32-year-old Miquel Cano on July 4th, 2008.

Western Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King says he’s been in contact with Tyson Fresh Meats, Incorporated, and will work with the company’s leadership to explore new uses for its Denison beef processing plant. The company Thursday announced it was exploring closing its facility in Denison, because of planned improvements to its plant in Dakota City, NE. The move would effectively eliminate 400 jobs in Denison, although employees would be encouraged to apply for about 200 jobs created by the Dakota City plant improvements.

King says he knows closing the Denison plant is a “tough decision for Tyson to make, especially given the history of the Denison plant as the flagship location for the former IBP company.” He said in the coming months, he will continue to work with Tyson Foods to find other uses for the Denison facility, and is “Hopeful that a decision will be reached that will continue to put the plant and its workforce to good use.”

If the company closes the Denison facility, it will not come until sometime next year.

In response to rapidly expanding problems associated with herbicide resistant weeds, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will conduct a series of meetings in March to address the issue. The meetings will provide information about the causes of herbicide-resistant weed populations, objectively evaluate weed management programs currently used in Iowa and support the development of durable weed management programs. The meetings will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude with a noon meal. One of the meetings will take place in Atlantic, on March 14th, at the Cass County Community Center.  

There is no cost to attend the program, due to funding provided by several partners. However, advance registration is appreciated for meeting logistics and lunch counts. Additional information regarding the program and online registration is available at http://www.aep.iastate.edu/weeds/ .

Visitors to the Atlantic Trojan Baseball field will notice a modern, new scoreboard this Spring, thanks to a donation from the Trevor Frederickson Memorial Foundation. Trevor’s mother and Foundation spokesperson Melanie Petty along with her husband Darren, presented a ceremonial check to Atlantic High School Assistant Principal and Activities Director Josh Rasmussen this (Friday) morning, for just over $13,000.

(from left ti right: Josh Rasmussen, Melanie Petty, Darren Petty)

Rasmussen said the acquisition of a new scoreboard is something that’s been a long time in the making.  He said the new scoreboard, which will be place near the left-center field, will be a vast improvement over the current scoreboard.

It will allow up to 10-innings, feature “hits,” “errors” and “runs” indicators. The information will be controlled wirelessly, from the Press Box. The scoreboard will be 26-feet long, and approximately eight- to 10-feet high tall by then time advertising is included on the bottom.

Rasmussen says the scoreboard is expected to arrive in April, and installed shortly thereafter.

Conceptual Drawing of the new Trojan Scoreboard

In 2009, Trevor Fredrickson died in a Council Bluffs fire. Melanie Petty said the scoreboard was the perfect gift in his honor, and he would be smiling, because baseball was his life. She said he loved baseball since he was five-years old. Trevor was a four-year letter winner for the Atlantic Trojans, went on to play for Southwestern Community College in Creston, the Atlantic Braves, and “Treynor Wombats,” and other teams. Trevor played for the Wombats the night before he died in the 2009 apartment fire.

Petty said proceeds from the annual T-Fred Golf Tournament makes the scoreboard, and other donations from the Foundation possible. Since its inception, the Trevor Frederickson Foundation has given about $35,000 in donations to non-profit organizations in Atlantic. The 4^th Annual T-Fred Golf Tournament and Silent Auction takes place August 11^th.

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Four-hundred jobs at the Tyson beef slaughtering plant in Denison are in jeopardy. Tyson spokesman, Gary Mikelson, says the company is expanding its Dakota City, Nebraska meat processing plant, and that means Tyson may no longer need the smaller plant in Dension. He says they have not made a final decision yet, but he says if the Denison facility did close, the employees would be encouraged to seek jobs at the Dakota City plant. Dakota City, Nebraska is across the Iowa border near Sioux City, about 80-miles west of the Denison’s Tyson Foods beef processing plant. Mikelson says the decision is based on the availability of cattle to slaughter in the Denison area.

“This is a very difficult scenario to consider, given the impact it would have on our people and the long history that that plant has had in the meat industry. However, unless area cattle supplies increase significantly, it may make sense to discontinue operations there next year,” Mikelson says. Mikelson says they are making millions of dollars in upgrades at the Dakota City plant, and will add 200 job there. He says the work should be done by the middle of 2013.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The Cass County Conservation Board reports it is partnering with West Pottawattamie Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) and Iowa Western Community College (IWCC), to present Rainscaping Loess Soils. The free Intro to Rainscaping classes will be held at the IWCC Campus Centers in Council Bluffs Harlan, Atlantic, Clarinda and Shenandoah. The workshop in Atlantic will be held 5:30-p.m. March 27th. For other class dates and times and to register for the free classes go to http://www.iwcc.edu/ce/classes/GoGreen.asp

Rainscaping Loess Soils is a series of workshops to educate the public in what rainscaping is and how landowners can plan and install conservation best management practices in their sites landscape. Workshops will cover topics such as rain gardens, rain barrels, composting and soil quality restoration. The program is made possible thanks to a grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources – REAP Conservation Education Project.

Authorities in Harlan said Thursday a man and woman from Omaha were arrested Wednesday (2/29) on theft charges following an incident at the “Do it Best” Hardware Store, in Harlan. According to the Harlan Police Department, 40-year-old Terry Cottonwood and 34-year-old Peggy Robitaille were taken into custody during a traffic stop as they attempted to leave town. Video security footage showed the pair allegedly taking items which had not been paid for, from the hardware store.  Cottonwood and Robitaille were charged with 4th degree theft, possession of stolen property, and ongoing criminal conduct.  Cottonwood was also charged with failure to have a valid drivers license and failure to have proof of insurance. That same day, 64-year-old Dennis Peters, of Harlan, was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.  Peters was taken to the Shelby County Jail.

Officials said also, 18-year old Brett Wilke, of Harlan, was arrested February 24th, on three counts of Ongoing Criminal Conducts,  three counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, and Prohibited Acts. The arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation. And, on Feb. 22nd, a complaint was filed in Shelby County District Court against 52-year old Kenny Carl, of Omaha, following a reported theft at the NAPA Store in Harlan. Carl faces a charge  of 5th Degree Theft. That same day, 18-year old Johana Torres, of Harlan, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order, and, a complaint was filed in court against 23-year old Theodore Behrens, of Harlan, who faces a similar charge.

Harlan Police report also, 43-year old Mark Boardman, of Portsmouth, was charged Feb. 19th, with 5 counts of identity theft, following an investigation into the theft from a residence in Harlan, and use of, a stolen credit card.