More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) — Two new bridges are planned for a highway low spot near a Missouri River bridge that connects southeast Nebraska with southwest Iowa. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the Iowa Transportation Department will begin taking bids next month for construction of eastbound and westbound bridges for a section of Iowa Highway 2. The highway runs from Interstate 29 west to the bridge and Nebraska City on the Nebraska side.

The highway reopened in May after 56 days of being shut down, with drivers forced to use a temporary lane made of permeable rock. But that section eventually became submerged again. The section also was flooded in 2011. An Iowa Transportation Department official says construction could start as soon as August but probably wouldn’t be finished until fall 2021.

The Creston Police Department says 33-year old Kyle Kreb, of Creston, was arrested on drug charges at around 4:50-a.m. today (Tuesday). Kreb was taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was later released from the Union County Jail on a $1,300 bond. Monday evening, 41-year old Cari Langille, of Senaca, MO., was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Langille was released on a $300 bond.

And, late Monday morning, 37-year old Zeke Chafa, of Greenfield, was arrested in Creston for Driving While Revoked. He was later released on a $1,000 bond.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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WAVERLY, Iowa (AP) — A trial is scheduled to begin July 16 for a northeast Iowa man accused of shooting to death his 36-year-old son. Bremer County District Court records say 59-year-old Daniel Niebuhr, of Fairbank, pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of first-degree murder. The judge also ruled that Niebuhr was mentally competent to stand trial.

The Bremer County Sheriff’s Office says Niebuhr told deputies who were called to the Fairbank home March 22 that he shot his son as his son sat on a couch watching television. Deputies found the body of Brock Niebuhr inside the home.

There are several matters to be addressed during the Atlantic City Council meeting 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, at City Hall. The agenda says the Council will act on:

• An order to temporarily restrict parking on July 27th to only the east side of Palm Street, from 7th to 10th Streets, with regard to the Cass County Fair.
• An order to close a portion of the alley between 6th & 7th Streets and Hickory and Laurel Streets, beginning 6-a.m. July 21st until 2-a.m. July 22nd, for the Fireside Lounge’s RAGBRAI activities.
• A Resolution “Authorizing final transfers for FY 2019”, with regard to reconciliation of cost-accounting of the City’s 94 separate funds.
• A Resolution “Approving the contract and bonds for the Street Department Building addition.” The Council previously approved the plans, specs and form of contract for the project.
• A Resolution “Adopting the Updated 28-E Fire Protection Agreement with…” the Grove, Washington and Pymosa Townships, with respective annual contributions of $7,468, $5,338 and $10,074.
• The second reading of an Ordinance with regard to Fireworks. The amended Ordinance specifies fireworks may be used in Atlantic July 3rd, 4th & 5th, from Noon until 11-p.m., and New Year’s Eve, from 6-p.m. until 12:15-a.m. New Year’s Day.
• The Second reading of an Ordinance pertaining to “Sidewalk Regulations,” which stipulates sidewalk sales will only be allowed during operating hours of businesses in the downtown district (2nd to 6th Streets). Merchandise must be taken indoors at the end of the business day.
• The third reading of an Ordinance Amending an Ordinance pertaining to “Human Habitation of Vehicles Prohibited.” The Ordinance says “No matter where you are (within the City Limits), you cannot move campers and similar vehicles onto your property, and have people living out of them indefinitely.

The Council will also act on an Order to re-appoint Lucas Mosier to the Community Promotion Commission, as well as discuss, and possibly act on, a change in Park Board position from Elected to Appointed. In other business, the Atlantic City Council will (as part of a regular series of actions), recognize the Atlantic High School Girl’s Golf Team.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s Attorney General says Iowa is part of an agreement to that will give 143 former students of I-T-T Tech debt relief from some of their students loans. The leader of the A-G’s Consumer Protection Division, Jessica Whitney, says they have been investigating the now bankrupt school for years.  “We were concerned about this loan program for starters and some other just general concerns we had with for profit colleges. And so we had been looking into them — and once they went bankrupt we knew they had this outstanding loan program and outstanding debt for Iowans, and we just wanted to try and address that,” Whitney says.

She says loans that total more than one-point-three million dollars will be forgiven. Whitney says they had concerns about how the credit union service organizations or CUSO handled the loans with students. She says they didn’t tell students about the cost of the loans and they believe the students didn’t realize they were taking out private loans with interest rates of 16 and 17 percent — and then they were graduating and not getting quite the jobs or salaries they were promised. Whitney says the settlement helps ease some of the burden from the students. “Especially these super high interest private loans. We hope that it helps students because they were still seeking to collect these. We hope that it gives students some relief,” according to Whitney.

She says any former I-T-T Tech students with the loans will be notified. “Officials should be reaching out — and if students have questions — we have been working closely with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And students can contact them if they haven’t heard in say a month or so,” Whitney says. She says the number students can call is: 855-411-2372. The settlement also requires the CUSO to supply credit reporting agencies with information to update credit information for affected borrowers. Iowa is one of 44 states involved in the settlement with 18-thousand-664 former I-T-Y students nationwide who will get loan relief.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa health coach accused of defrauding dozens of people who lost more than $6.5 million by investing in a gym program has taken a plea deal. U.S. District Court records say 49-year-old Mark Blankespoor pleaded guilty Friday to one count of wire fraud. Prosecutors dropped 23 more counts in return for his plea. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 24.

Prosecutors say Blankespoor told investors from at least May 2013 through this past January that the medically oriented program would be licensed to fitness clinics nationwide and that investors could earn a 40 percent return on their money. But prosecutors say Blankespoor instead used their money for himself and to pay other investors.

(Radio Iowa) — Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack — who served eight years as President Obama’s secretary of agriculture — says having congress ratify the “U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement” will provide stability to farmers and momentum for other trade deals. “Having this agreement passed creates optimism, creates a hopefulness about the future,” Vilsack says, “which is incredibly important for agriculture and for the food industry, to have that optimism that things are going to be better.”

Vilsack hosted a forum early Monday morning in central Iowa with representatives from most of the state’s ag commodity groups.  “This isn’t about giving President Trump a victory. It’s about giving the farmers in this room a victory,” Vilsack said. “It’s about giving all the people who are connected to the food and agriculture industry a victory. It’s about giving the American economy a victory.”

Vilsack says 28 percent of the American workforce is employed in the food and agricultural sector. Vilsack is now president and C-E-O of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. He says the U-S-M-C-A preserves Mexico as a market for about 30 percent of all U.S. dairy products. The new agreement also opens Canada to more U.S. dairy sales, according to Vilsack.

Drew Mogler of the Iowa Pork Producers Association says the deal is important because one out of every four hams produced in the U.S. ends up in Mexico.  “Last year, Iowa exported about $700 million worth of pork to both Canada and Mexico,” he says. “This year our exports have dropped off a little bit, volume-wize, down to Mexico, so getting some certainly back (for) producers is important for us.”

Greta Irwin of the Iowa Turkey Federation says Mexico is the number one foreign market for U.S. turkey and the deal could increase turkey exports to Canada by up to 30 percent. “This type of agreement is huge for our industry,” Irwin says. Kevin Studer of the Iowa Corn Growers says farmers need a break.  “This spring has been a mess. We all know it. We’ve got to get this anxiety off the table,” Studer said. “Let’s clear the deck on USMCA. Let’s get our trade people to be able to focus on getting China done.”

The U-S Mexico Canada Agreement is also important for the state’s biofuels industry. Monte Shaw of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says Mexico is an emerging market for Iowa-produced ethanol. “If that market were to go away because this (USMCA) fell apart and we actually pulled out for some period of time from NAFTA, that’d be like shutting down three and a half plants,” Shaw says.

The Trump Administration has not yet forwarded the new trade agreement for North America to congress. Once that happens, the U.S. House and Senate will have 30 days to ratify it. Vilsack says it would be best to have that vote THIS year, rather than having it happen in 2020 — during a politically-charged election year.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The director of the Iowa Department of Human Services says he resigned at the request of Gov. Kim Reynolds. Jerry Foxhoven released a statement Monday afternoon saying he’d submitted his resignation at the request of the governor and that it was an honor to serve as director of the agency. Neither Reynolds nor Foxhoven gave a reason for the change.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police investigating the shooting deaths of four family members in a Des Moines suburb are classifying three of the deaths as homicides and one as a suicide. West Des Moines police said Monday that autopsies showed 44-year-old Chandrasekhar Sunkara’s death was a suicide. The deaths of his wife, 41-year-old Lavanya Sunkara, and their boys ages 15 and 10 were homicides. Relatives who were staying as guests at the home discovered the bodies Saturday. Police didn’t release details about the deaths.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it has almost completed work to close three of the most serious levee breaches on the Missouri River in southwest Iowa. Matthew Krajewski is readiness branch chief for the Corps’ Omaha district. Krajewski says four of about 40 breaches needed urgent attention after the flooding in March and May, and three of those should be closed Monday. The levees needing urgent repair were designed to protect Council Bluffs, Bartlett, Percival and Hamburg.

UNDATED (AP) — Medication withheld, cries for help ignored, routine checks neglected: With suicides a problem in many jails across the U.S., an AP/Capital News Service examination raises troubling questions about whether deaths could have been avoided with more training, better technology and fewer broken rules. What are authorities doing to stop these tragedies? Some are adding staff and changing policies, but one expert says jails are unfairly being asked to become mental health and drug treatment centers.