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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds won’t promise to immediately support legislation to improve oversight of the state’s child protective services. The discussion follows the October death of a 16-year-old girl who was allegedly tortured and starved. The governor’s spokesman, Ben Hammes, says Branstad and Reynolds are open to “conversations” aimed at improvements to the current oversight system, but Hammes added that the two officials will wait on lawmakers to introduce proposals.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man who spent 32 days in jail has been exonerated after prosecutors admitted his conviction was based on misconduct by Des Moines police officers. Polk County Judge Gregory Brandt on Monday vacated the conviction of Kyle Jacob Weldon and issued an order exonerating him. Iowa’s Wrongful Conviction Division says the exoneration is the first connected to two Des Moines officers who resigned last month after they were accused of planting evidence on a suspect in at least one case

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have introduced their own plan for dealing with the state’s budget shortfall, and it proposes fewer cuts to state agencies than a plan originally backed by Gov. Terry Branstad. A GOP-led Senate panel approved a bill Monday proposing some Iowa departments cut about $88 million in spending for the budget year that began last July. Branstad had pushed a plan asking agencies to cut about $110 million.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dubuque’s first community-owned grocery store has closed, less than three years since it opened in a historic area near the city’s downtown. The Telegraph Herald reports the Dubuque Food Co-op announced Monday it was permanently closed, less than two weeks after officials said it was going out of business because of poor sales. The co-op opened in May 2014 in a 6,000-square-foot space in the Millwork District. It specialized in local and sustainably produced food and other products.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports two separate arrests on Monday morning.

At 8:30am deputies arrested 43-year-old William Dean Petit of Creston at Highway 148 and Hunter Trail.  William was arrested for Driving While Revoked and Failure to File SR22 Insurance.  He was taken to the Adams County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

At 11:11am deputies arrested 38-year-old Melissa Teeters of Bedford after a traffic stop for a cracked windshield. Teeters was charged with Possession of Marijuana 2nd Offense and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was taken to the Adams County Jail and held on $2,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds won’t promise to immediately support legislation to improve oversight of the state’s child protective services, following news reports of a 16-year-old who was allegedly tortured and starved to death.

Spokesman Ben Hammes says Branstad and Reynolds are open to “conversations” about making improvements to the current oversight system. Hammes added that Branstad and Reynolds would wait on lawmakers to introduce proposals. Branstad was asked Monday about the October death of Natalie Finn, of West Des Moines. Prosecutors say the girl, who was homeschooled, was tortured and starved by her parents.

The Republican governor says it’s important for the Iowa Department of Human Services to investigate alleged child abuse. But he also says DHS must protect the rights of parents and families.

Governor Terry Branstad says “concerning” reports have emerged about cases involving his Department of Human Services, but Branstad says he will not “second guess” the agency’s response thus far. Investigators recently determined some staff at the state-run Glenwood facility where patients with profound mental disabilities live were physically and verbally abusing the patients. During his weekly news conference, Branstad was asked how that culture of abuse was allowed. “That’s a good question and that’s the reason why significant changes have been already made,” Branstad replied. “They’ve added additional supervisors, I think, on the evenings and weekends.”

Six employees at the Glenwood facility were fired, six quit and five others have been disciplined, but no supervisors were disciplined. Branstad says the Department of Human Services has done an extensive investigation and he thinks there’s also additional review now being done by the Ombudsman’s office and elsewhere.

“The Department of Human Services has done an extensive investigation and I think there’s also additional review now being done by the auditor’s office and elsewhere,” Branstad said. “We want to make sure that everybody is treated well and when there is misconduct it’s important that be ferreted out.”

The governor says the department has taken the action they believe is appropriate. “If there’s additional action that should be taken, I’m certain they’ll do what needs to be done, but I’m not one to second-guess,” Branstad says. “I, instead, want to make sure we’re doing all we can to make sure to protect the safety of people that are in the custody of the at Glenwood or Woodward or wherever they might be.”

Branstad says the majority of employees at the Glenwood Resource Center are “hard-working, conscientious people” who do a good job. “But you had a few that didn’t and they were able to basically convince others to keep that secret,” Branstad says. “Eventually that was discovered and action has been taken to dismiss those people.”

Critics are also questioning how the D-H-S is tracking foster children who are adopted. A 16-year-old central Iowa teen died this past October of starvation, five months after a neighbor called authorities with concerns about her welfare. Another former foster child in central Iowa ran away after she says she was beaten and lock in the basement by her adoptive parents. Branstad says there’s a “delicate balance” in these kind of cases.

“When you have thousands and thousands of people, when mistakes are made, they need to be investigated and if there’s wrong-doing or employees in the department who are not doing their job, they need to be disciplined, and they have,” Branstad says, “but that also needs to be made public and not hidden.”

Branstad is calling on legislators to remove privacy restrictions and make records about state employee firings available to the public.

(Radio Iowa)

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports 30-year old Ashley M. Warner, of Fontanelle, was arrested Saturday morning for Assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, in connection with the alleged assault of a woman outside the Fontanelle Bar and Grill. The physical altercation followed a verbal altercation over a previous incident. Warner allegedly struck her victim numerous times in the face, causing swelling and bleeding. The victim was transported by private vehicle to the hospital. Warner was later released from the Adair County Jail on $1,000 bond.

Also arrested early Saturday morning, was 29-year old Andy Joseph Engles, of Greenfield, who was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. Engles was later released on $1,000 bond.

Thursday evening, 38-year old Jason Shane Christensen, of Fontanelle, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, which was found in his vehicle. Christensen was later released on $1,000 bond.

Last Wednesday night, 18-year old Sundiata Ani Edwards, of Des Moines, was arrested by Adair County Deputies on a warrant out of Polk County. He was transferred to the custody of Polk County Deputies.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office says six people were arrested last week following an investigation into the theft from Cass County, of a laptop computer. An Adair County Sheriff’s Deputy assisted Cass County Deputies in executing a search warrant at a residence in the 400 block of N. Main Street, in Bridgewater, Wednesday night. Inside the home, authorities found a Macbook Air computer valued at $1,200, along with methamphetamine in several rooms, and marijuana in another room.

27-year old Matthew Ryan Johnson, of Bridgewater, was taken into custody for felony Theft in the 2nd degree/Possession of Stolen Property. Johnson claimed he bought the laptop from another man for $50.  Also arrested at the same time, for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Meth, 46-year old Thomas Matthew Connors, III, of Omaha, 52-year old Mark Elmer Steil, of Bridgewater, and 53-year old Toni Lynn Reese, of Bridgewater. 62-year old James Jeffrey Reese, of Bridgewater, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Meth-2nd offense.

And, 34-year old Julie Ann Holmes, of Des Moines, was arrested at the residence in Bridgewater, for felony Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Possession of Marijuana-3rd or subsequent offense.

Julie Holmes, Matthew Johnson and Toni Reese were later released on $5,000 bond, each. James Reese was subsequently released on $2,000 bond. Thomas Conners III was released on $1,000 bond. Steil was also wanted on warrants from Adair and Polk Counties, and was being without bond on the Polk County warrant.

Police in Atlantic report the arrest on Friday, of 59-year old Douglas Cook, of Atlantic, for 2nd Degree Sexual Abuse (forcible fondling), Sexual abuse in the 3rd degree (forcible fondling and dissemination of obscene materials). Cook was being held in the Cass County Jail. That same day, 18-year old Ethan Erlacher, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. He was also booked into the Cass County Jail.

And, on Sunday, Atlantic Police arrested 41-year old Nicholas Johnson, of Exira, for Assault causing injury to a Health Care Provider. Johnson was being held in the Cass County Jail.