Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says two beaches at Saylorville Lake are closed due to a blue-green algae bloom that could be harmful to people and pets. Routine water quality monitoring performed at the lake identified high levels of a compound produced by blue-green algae under certain environmental conditions that can cause illness through direct skin contact, by ingesting the water or by breathing airborne water droplets. The compound called microcystin can cause skin reactions, gastrointestinal pain, breathing problems or liver damage.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A female race car driver severely hurt while competing at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids has died from her injuries. An employee of Merdoch Funeral Home in Marion says a celebration of life service for INEX Legends race car driver Joan Feller is set for Saturday. Feller, a long-time supporter of Legends racing, was in her first season as a driver. She died Wednesday at an Iowa City hospital from injuries sustained in a crash when her car struck another stalled on the track during a July 31 race. She was 53.

FAIRFIELD, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa judge says he made a mistake in ordering an ex-felon to pay $254 in court costs in a voter fraud case that was dismissed. District Judge Randy DeGeest told The Associated Press on Thursday that he would amend the order against Cheri Rupe to assess those costs to the state.

WHITTEMORE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the shooting of a crop-dusting plane in northern Iowa. The Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office says the plane owned by Steier AG Aviation was hit in a wing flap while spraying a field in Fairfield Township last Friday morning. The pilot returned to Steier’s landing strip in Whittemore.

The Iowa DNR reports beginning Aug. 10th, small Iowa communities (those with populations of 5,000 or less) can apply for funding to perform asbestos inspections on neglected buildings in a special round of funding from the DNR’s Derelict Building Grant Program. One area of focus for the Derelict Building Grant Program is asbestos inspection and removal. If a building collapses and the presence of asbestos is unknown, it can increase the economic burden on the community. This round of funding may be used by eligible communities to investigate the amount of asbestos present in a building.

The Derelict Building Grant Program provides small communities and rural counties financial assistance for abandoned commercial and public structures to improve the appearance of their streets, revitalize local economies and alleviate the environmental concerns these buildings can pose. This is a one-time opportunity; projects selected may apply for funding in 2016 for additional program-related tasks.

For more information and application details, go to www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/LandStewardship/WasteManagement/BusinessIndustry/DerelictBuildingProgram.aspx or contact Scott Flagg at 515-725-8318 or Scott.Flagg@dnr.iowa.gov.

No applications will be accepted after 4 p.m. on Aug. 21st.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad wants a judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to force him to reopen two shuttered state mental health centers.  Attorneys for the Republican governor filed a motion Monday in Polk County District Court, asking a judge to throw out the suit from the head of the state’s largest public employees union and 20 Democratic lawmakers.

The lawsuit claims closing the centers in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant was illegal because Iowa law requires the state to operate them. But the filing from the state Attorney General’s office questions that interpretation of state law and whether the group has grounds to sue.

A spokesman for Danny Homan, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, says they will respond soon and hope the case will continue.

A Harrison County man remains free on his own recognizance while a Vehicular Homicide – Operating Under the Influence case, makes its way through the court system in Cass County. According to online court records, Attorney Joseph Hrvol appeared on behalf of 50-year old Paul William Marshall, of Modale,  Tuesday, in Cass County District Court. During the proceedings, it was announced Marshall would waive his preliminary hearing.

A Criminal Complaint filed by the Iowa State Patrol’s District 3 office in Council Bluffs, says Marshall was under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of substances, when he drove the wrong way on Interstate 80 eastbound in Cass County on May 16th, and caused a collision that took the life of 31-year old Peter John Underwood, from Lincoln, NE. Underwood was an assistant soccer coach at the University of Nebraska, who was on a recruiting trip.

The complaint says Marshall’s BAC (or, Blood Alcohol Content) was greater than the legal limit of .08 (point-Oh-eight). No court date has been set.

The Glenwood Police Dept. reports 32-year old Rudy Camarillo, of Glenwood, was arrested Thursday (today), for OWI first Offense, Harassment and Interference with official acts. His bond was set at $3,300.

Iowa ranks in the middle of the pack on a new report detailing how successfully the states are waging war on cancer. The report from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network uses nine key benchmark areas where states play a critical role in reducing cancer incidence and death. Jen Schulte, the organization’s director of government relations, says each state gets either a red mark for falling short, a yellow mark for making some progress or a green mark for doing well.

“We have a split between red, yellow and green,” Schulte says. “We have four red, two yellow and three green. As a result Iowa, continues to look at policies that are in red. We hope to continue to work on the indoor tanning ban for minors and increasing our tobacco prevention funding.”

While the Centers for Disease Control recommends Iowa spend 30-million dollars a year on tobacco prevention efforts, Iowa only spends about 5-million. In the yellow category, Iowa is making some progress in areas like its cigarette tax rates and in Medicaid coverage of tobacco cessation programs. Out of the nine benchmarks, Iowa only had three green ratings for areas where the state is doing well.

“One is pain policy, two is the increased access to Medicaid or our Iowa Health and Wellness plan that we passed in 2013 and then finally, our Smoke-free Air Act,” Schulte says. However, she notes that act — which bars smoking in workplaces and public places statewide — still contains the loophole allowing people to smoke on casino floors, something the group would like to see abolished.

On this year’s report, only three states meet six out of the nine benchmarks that were measured and no state met seven or more, so she says Iowa isn’t doing bad, comparatively. “I think we’re pretty level with a lot of the other states,” Schulte says. “Our bordering states, we’re very similar with the red categories but overall, I think we’re right in the middle.”

This is the 13th year for the report, called: “How Do You Measure Up? A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality.” See the full report for Iowa and any other state at the website of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: www.acscan.org

(Radio Iowa)