Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa legislators are moving forward with a bill to ban traffic enforcement cameras, despite concerns from police that it could increase crashes. A three-person Senate Judiciary subcommittee unanimously approved legislation Wednesday that would remove traffic enforcement cameras from Iowa roadways. It now moves to the full Judiciary Committee. Several Iowa police chiefs oppose the bill. Urbandale Republican Sen. Brad Zaun, who filed the bill, says he thinks governments primarily use the cameras to generate revenue. He says they also violate motorists’ right to due process.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A charity controlled by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has disclosed the names of donors who collectively gave $1 million toward 2015 events celebrating his tenure in office, two months after missing a deadline for doing so. The filing reveals that 68 Iowa companies, lobbying groups or individuals gave $5,000 or more for events celebrating Branstad’s inauguration to a sixth term and his achievement of becoming the nation’s longest-serving governor. The late filing could bring IRS penalties.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa fire academy official has been charged with making up scores on tests that were used to improperly certify more than 1,700 firefighters and emergency responders. A criminal complaint alleges that former Fire Services Training Bureau certification manager John McPhee assigned “random scores to exams” without properly checking or correcting them. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says bureau issued nearly 2,300 improper certifications between 2012 and 2016.
MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Muscatine officials are studying the feasibility of building a container port facility on the Mississippi River. The Muscatine Journal reports the study is funded by a state grant and a matching fund from Kent Corp. The Muscatine Community Development Office is expected to conclude the study in a few weeks. At a League of Women Voters event Tuesday, Dave Gobin of the MCDO says the port will divert truck and rail traffic from the highway to the river, benefiting the region economically.
CRESCENT, Iowa (AP) — School district officials recommend closing Crescent Elementary at the end of the 2016-2017 school year due to declining enrollment. The Daily Nonpareil reports the Council Bluffs Community School District board will hear a presentation on the potential closing on Feb. 14. Superintendent Martha Bruckner says the school is too small and only half full. Crescent Mayor Brian Shea says the move “pulls the guts out of the town.”