When parents separate and fathers move out, children often experience long term negative effects. But what happens when mom and dad get back together? A new Iowa State University study finds parents reconciling benefits a daughter’s mental health. I-S-U human development researcher Cassandra Dorius is part of a team that studied a national sample of 3,700 children.

The group looked at the implications of “boomerang” dads — fathers who separate and then reunite with their child’s mother. Dorius says while sons don’t seem to benefit from the reconciliation, daughters do. “Girls are much more likely to be depressed. And so they might be more responsive to this because one of the reasons they’re more depressed is because they tend to internalize a lot of the emotions from the relationships that they’re in,” Dorius said.

A boomerang dad’s additional time and financial resources may also play a role. Dorius believes dads who reconcile with their child’s mother tend to be more invested in their children. “And they’re actually kind of blocking other men from coming into the home, which may also be associated with some negative things. And I think that the fact the dad is present, investing more money…and then also there is not another father figure in the home, we are hypothesizing that those are some of the reasons these children are able to maintain higher levels of mental health,” Dorius said.

The national study is published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say only minor injuries were reported following a collision Wednesday afternoon on the southwest side of Villisca. Authorities say 37-year old Heather Posten, of Villisca, was traveling west on 265th Street at around 12:45-p.m., and had stopped at the intersection with Highway 71, but then proceeded into the intersection, where her 2015 Chevy Cruze was struck on the passenger side, by a 2006 Ford Escape, driven by 45-year old William Robertson, of Clarinda.

Both vehicles entered the ditch on the southwest side of the intersection. Damage was estimated at $15,000 altogether. Deputies issued Posten a citation for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department was assisted at the scenew by Villisca Fire, Villisca Rescue, and Red Oak Rescue.

Two people were arrested on assault charges Wednesday evening, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 38-year old Anthony Thomas Anderson, and 35-year old Stacy Lynn Anderson, both of Red Oak, were taken into custody at around 8-p.m. in the 600 block of E. Joy Street. The couple were charged with Domestic Abuse Assault, a simple misdemeanor. They were being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail, until making an appearance before a magistrate.

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

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A West Des Moines police officer has been killed in a motorcycle crash. Authorities say Officer Shawn Miller was traveling south on Highway 169 after attending a court hearing in Dallas County when he collided with a car. He was pronounced dead at the scene. West Des Moines Police Chief Shaun LaDue said at a news conference that the 47-year-old Miller was married with three children.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has proposed new daily catch limits and a harvest season for commercial turtle trapping. The Des Moines Register reports that the proposal limits the daily catch to 14 snapping turtles, one softshell turtle and three painted turtles. Trappers have been allowed to catch an unlimited amount of turtles year-round. The DNR also proposes a commercial trapping season that begins July 1 and runs through Dec. 31 to protect turtles during their nesting season.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Marshalltown voters have overwhelmingly approved plans to spend $17.5 million on a center for the city’s police and fire departments. The Times-Republican reports voters approved the center Tuesday night, with 65.2 percent supporting the proposal and 34.8 percent opposed. The margin of victory was enough to top a 60 percent threshold required for passage of such tax measures in Iowa. The vote came 15 months after about 65 percent of voters defeated a police-only measure.

YARMOUTH, Iowa (AP) — Environmental specialists and fisheries biologists from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are investigating a second fish kill in a week in southeast Iowa likely caused by aerial spraying of crop fields. A fish kill near the headwaters of Big Creek about a mile west of Yarmouth includes several species of dead and stressed catfish, bullheads, bass, suckers and creek chubs.