Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:25 a.m. CST

VINTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of an 84-year-old man in a small eastern Iowa town. The Iowa Department of Public Safety said James Howard Bright was found dead Saturday morning inside his home in Vinton, Iowa, after the sheriff’s department was called to check on him. Vinton is a town of about 5,000 people that is located about 30 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids. Authorities did not release any details about the circumstances of Bright’s death, but they said it is being investigated by the Benton County Sheriff’s Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa State Patrol. No arrests have been announced.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City police have identified the 18-year-old woman who died after several shots were fired into a home where a New Year’s party was being held. Police said Sunday that Mia Alexis-Marie Kritis of Sioux City died after the shooting early Friday morning. Police said multiple guns were fired into the home during the shooting. Four other people were injured in the shooting, but police didn’t identify them because they are all juveniles. None of their injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and the department encouraged witnesses to come forward.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man with a gunshot wound died shortly after his arrival at a Cedar Rapids hospital early Sunday morning. Cedar Rapids Police said the man was brought to the hospital by a private vehicle around 2:15 a.m. Sunday. The man’s identity wasn’t immediately released on Sunday. Police did not release any details about the shooting Sunday. No arrests were reported.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines attorney is suing several police officers and the city over their response to racial justice protests in May. The class-action lawsuit seeks to represent anyone arrested or assaulted by Des Moines officers during a protest May 31. Attorney Gina Messamer alleges in the lawsuit that officers illegally arrested and pepper-sprayed people protesting the death of George Floyd while he was in the custody of Minneapolis police. The lawsuit alleges the officers’ actions violated protesters’ free speech rights and were meant to deter future demonstrations. Des Moines officials did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City police have identified the 18-year-old woman who died after several shots were fired into a home where a New Year’s party was being held. Police said Sunday that Mia Alexis-Marie Kritis of Sioux City died after the shooting early Friday morning. Police said multiple guns were fired into the home during the shooting.

Four other people were injured in the shooting, but police didn’t identify them because they are all juveniles. None of their injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and the department encouraged witnesses to come forward.

COUNCIL BLUFFS – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports a man convicted in Cass County of Robbery in the 2nd Degree, escaped from the Council Bluffs Residential Facility early Sunday morning. Courtney Derrell Bennett is a 46-year-old black male, six-feet three-inches tall. He was 178 pounds.

Courtney Derrell Bennett

Bennett was admitted to the work release facility on September 16, 2020. Persons with information on Bennett’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Bennett was convicted on the Class C felony robbery charge in Dec. 2013. He had been arrested that year in connection with the armed robbery in Aug. 2013, of America’s Best Value Inn in Cass County.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man with a gunshot wound died shortly after his arrival at a Cedar Rapids hospital early Sunday morning. Cedar Rapids Police said the man was brought to the hospital by a private vehicle around 2:15 a.m. Sunday.

The man’s identity wasn’t immediately released on Sunday. Police did not release any details about the shooting Sunday. No arrests were reported.

A woman driving a 2019 Toyota RAV 4, claims the “Lane Assist” feature in her vehicle caused the SUV to leave the road Saturday night near Yale, in Guthrie County. Authorities say 43-year old Denise Katherine Beadle, of Jefferson, was traveling west on Highway 141 at around 8:30-p.m. As the vehicle was rounding a curve heading northwest on the highway, Beadle told Deputies the lane assist feature took control of the wheel out of her hands because it was directing the car westbound instead of allowing her to take the curve around.

The vehicle left the road and ended-up in a ditch in an area between the curve and main highway. Beadle was uninjured. Her vehicle sustained $5,000 damage. No citations were issued.

Four people were transported to the hospital following crash Saturday afternoon, in Carroll County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2008 Dodge passenger car was traveling west on 170th Street at around 12:40-p.m., the same time as a 2015 Chevy pickup was traveling east. When the car crested a hill, it was left of the center line and struck the pickup in a head-on/ sideswipe fashion. Afterward, the car came to rest in the north ditch. The pickup rolled over once and came to rest on its wheels in the opposite ditch.

Authorities say the driver of the car, 26-year old Tyler Mattingly, of Fort Dodge, was flown by helicopter to Methodist Hospital. Two passengers were also flown by Unity Point helicopter to Methodist Hospital: 25-year old Jacob Lawler, of Wall Lake, and 21-year old Jordan Downs, of Denver, CO. One other passenger, 22-year-old Aubri Roper, of Paton, was transported to Saint Anthony’s Hospital by ambulance.

Authorities say a distracted driver was a possible factor in the collision, which remains under investigation.

VINTON, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation report that at or about 9-a.m. Saturday, January 2nd, deputies with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a request for a welfare check at a residence  in the 2900 block of 28th Avenue, in rural Vinton.

Upon arrival, authorities located the body of a deceased male identified as 84-year-old James Howard Bright. Bright’s death is currently being investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa State Patrol.

Authorities say, “At this time, it is believed there is no threat to public safety.”

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City police say one person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting at a New Year’s party. Police say several shots were fired Friday morning from multiple guns into a home where people were celebrating New Year’s Eve. An 18-year-old woman was found dead inside the home. Four others who were shot were treated at hospitals and are in stable condition. Police said many of the people at the party were underage. The investigation is continuing.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines attorney is suing several police officers and the city over their response to racial justice protests in May. The class-action lawsuit seeks to represent anyone arrested or assaulted by Des Moines officers during a protest May 31. Attorney Gina Messamer alleges in the lawsuit that officers illegally arrested and pepper-sprayed people protesting the death of George Floyd while he was in the custody of Minneapolis police. The lawsuit alleges the officers’ actions violated protesters’ free speech rights and were meant to deter future demonstrations. Des Moines officials did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — COVID-19 hospitalizations are continuing to drop in Iowa, while the positivity rate is edging upward after showing declines through the month of December. KCCI reports that the state’s 14-day positivity rate is 12.8%, up from 12.7% the previous day. The state’s 7-day positivity rate climbed from 11.5% to 11.7%. The number of counties reporting a 14-day positivity rate greater than 15% is also on the rise. Forty-three of Iowa’s 99 counties now report a rate at 15% or higher. That’s four more counties than the previous day. There are currently 572 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, a decrease of three over the previous 24 hours.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. farmers are expected to end the year with higher profits than last year and the best net farm income in seven years thanks to the government paying nearly 40% of their income. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest farm income forecast. Farmer challenges in 2020 included the impact of trade disputes, drought and wind damage, and low prices for corn, cotton, wheat, chicken, cattle and hogs. Farm cash receipts are forecast to be the lowest in more than a decade. But farmers are expected to receive $46.5 billion from the U.S. government. That’s the largest direct-to-farm payment ever. It lifts net farm income to $119.6 billion. And that’s the highest profitability since 2013.