The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports 28-year old Kevin Welch, of Shenandoah, was arrested Tuesday on a felony drug charge. Welch was charged with possession of a controlled substance, with the intent to deliver. He was being held at the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office on $25,000 bond.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — The last of three defendants has pleaded not guilty in the 2014 robbery-shooting of a Marion man. Court records say 46-year-old Matthew Robbins entered the plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Robbins, 43-year-old William Yancey and 29-year-old Danielle Busch have all been charged with robbery affecting interstate commerce; conspiracy to commit the robbery; and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm resulting in the slaying of 51-year-old James “Jimbob” Booher.

Prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty for all three. Booher was last seen on May 31, 2014. Prosecutors have not said whether his body has been found.

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

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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — The removal of decorations and other commemorative items from graves at Cedar Falls’ three cemeteries has angered some relatives and other loved ones. Several who went to visit the graves recently found that most of the missing items were placed along fence lines at the Fairview, Greenwood and Hillside cemeteries.

Mark Ripplinger is director of Cedar Falls’ municipal operations, and he says the city has had an ordinance for several years that prohibits decorations left on graves more than three days after Memorial Day. He says the items make it difficult to mow the properties. Ripplinger says the city’s been lax about enforcing the ordinance, and staffers over the years would move the items and then put them back after mowing. But he says that practice is taking too much time away from the main job of mowing.

He acknowledged that the city could have done a better job of informing relatives about the ordinance and the city’s intentions.

(Radio Iowa) — During a speech in Ottumwa yesterday (Tuesday), former Vice President Joe Biden unveiled a significant policy priority. “I promise you, if I’m elected president, you’re going to see the single-most important thing that changes in America is we’re going to cure cancer,” Biden said, to cheers. Biden had been talking about the grieving process, but he did not directly mention his late son, Beau. Beau Biden died in 2015 from an aggressive form of brain cancer. As vice president, Biden led an Obama Administration effort to boost research into cancer causes and cures.

(Radio Iowa) — A western Iowa farmer invited to speak when President Trump visited a Council Bluffs ethanol plant yesterday (Tuesday) used the moment to make a plea on behalf of “corn country.” “Mr. President, you delivered on E15, but we have more work to do,” he said. “EPA’s oil refinery waivers threaten to undo your good works. I ask that you listen again because the pain that the ethanol and biodiesel industries have endured is holding back a farm economy that has further capacity to produce clean air and clean liquid fuels for this country.”

Kevin Ross is a sixth generation farmer from Minden. Trump complemented Ross for his speech, but did not directly address the E-P-A waivers that let big oil companies avoid adding ethanol to gasoline. Trump told the crowd the deal recently struck on immigration with Mexico includes a pledge to buy more U.S. ag commodities. “Mexico’s going to be doing a lot of buying, a lot of buying,” Trump said, to applause. “Within a year and a half, would say, you’ll be in the best position that you’ve been in in 15 years as farmers and you deserve it.”

Trump signed an executive order at the event in Council Bluffs. It directs federal agencies to streamline regulations that deal with agricultural biotechnology.

(Radio Iowa) — Interstate 35 in northern Iowa, near the Northwood exit, was closed for a couple of hours Tuesday afternoon as authorities negotiated with a motorist who’d been waving a gun at other vehicles. Officer Dana Knutson of the Iowa State Patrol says just before one o’clock, Minnesota State Patrol started pursing a car. “The subject was waving a gun at others. The pursuit crossed into Iowa and then stopped south of Highway 105. He refused to get out of the car and be taken into custody for a while. We had negotiators and tactical units involved in coming to a peaceful resolution.”

Both northbound and southbound Interstate-35 was closed as a precaution. “Just trying to limit exposure to innocent bystanders,” the trooper says. The man was taken into custody and is behind held in the Worth County jail awaiting arraignment on charges in Iowa. It is expected that he will face additional charges in Minnesota.

Both lanes of Interstate 80 westbound were blocked for at least one-half hour early this morning, as fire crews from Walnut and Marne worked to extinguish a semi tractor-trailer that was engulfed in flames. Marne fire was called to assist Walnut Fire on I-80 westbound at mile marker 48, at around 1:25-a.m.

Deputies from Cass and Pottawattamie Counties helped to block the entrance and exit ramp and reroute westbound traffic to Marne at Exit 51, then west and back north to the interstate. There were no reports of injuries, and no other details available early today.

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

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are unleashing the kind of verbal attacks that feel more appropriate for the final weeks before Election Day than a lazy summer day about 17 months before voters go to the polls. Biden says Trump is an “existential threat” to the nation. Trump suggests Biden is “weak mentally” and insists, “People don’t respect him.” Both men were campaigning in Iowa Tuesday, and Biden has one more event in the state Wednesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has lowered its estimate of this year’s corn crop to the lowest in four years, saying wet weather has delayed planting and reduced acres planted and the expected per-acre yield. Production was cut in a monthly report released Tuesday by 1.4 billion bushels to 13.7 billion bushels, the lowest since 2015.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A study shows Iowa leads the nation in the amount of human and animal waste it produces. Christopher Jones is a scientist at the University of Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that Jones’ study shows the state of 3.2 million people and total livestock population of nearly 110 million produces as much manure as a human population of 168 million. His study indicates pigs are responsible for driving the state to the top of the rankings.

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation for an Iowa man charged in the deaths of his former girlfriend’s parents in Nebraska. Sioux City, Iowa, station KTIV reports that the Nebraska judge on Monday ordered the evaluation for 36-year-old Brindar Jangir to determine whether he is mentally fit enough to stand trial. Jangir was arrested in March in the shotgun deaths of 56-year-old Randal Grimes and 51-year-old Annette Grimes in Douglas, Nebraska.

(Radio Iowa) — The upcoming three months will be a prime time to look for — and find — a new job in Iowa, according to the latest employment outlook survey from Manpower Group. Kathy Joblinske, Manpower’s executive vice president for Iowa, says the national outlook for third quarter is very good and Iowa’s outlook is even better.

“Among the employers that were surveyed, 31% plan to hire more employees July through September of this year,” Joblinske says. “That number is offset by 3% that plan to reduce the payroll and 64% of employers are expecting to maintain current staff levels.” Iowa’s net employment outlook for the approaching quarter is 28-percent, ahead of the national outlook of 21-percent and well ahead of Iowa’s outlook last quarter of 16-percent.

Hiring prospects are very promising in most industries, Joblinske says, and a few are far above the rest. “When we look at this time of year, construction is expected to be up and, sure enough, that is one of the top industries that are anticipated for growth,” Joblinske says, “as well as durable goods manufacturing, non-durable goods manufacturing and then transportation and utilities.” Only the information technology category looks to be falling, slightly.

“They are forecasting some decreases in information, although there’s still a lot of IT jobs available,” Joblinske says. “There’s a lot of job opportunity out there and there are more jobs available than there are job seekers at this point.” There are double-digit outlooks in all 50 states for the quarter ahead, and Joblinske says it’s the strongest outlook in 13 years.