COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — More witnesses are suggesting the wrong man may be in prison for 31 years for an Iowa girl’s 1986 homicide.

The testimony is a boost for inmate Daniel Harris, who maintains his innocence in the death of 16-year-old Kristina Nelson in Council Bluffs and wants a new trial.

Earlier this year, a man who was at a party with Nelson’s boyfriend on the night she was killed came forward. He reported that Nelson’s boyfriend and friend went to pick up Nelson, returned covered in blood, said they might have killed someone, talked of disposing a body and burnt their overalls in a barrel.

Three other party attendees have now signed affidavits consistent with these claims. One reported seeing Nelson’s boyfriend struggling with a body in the trunk of a car. Another recalled seeing him upset and covered in blood.

Harris offered proof at trial that he worked at Burger King that evening, but was convicted based on an informant’s since-recanted testimony.

Prosecutors oppose any relief for Harris.

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa medical center’s announcement that it will close its birth center has shocked the man whose name is on the public hospital.

The Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City announced Wednesday that it’ll close The Family Birth Place on Oct. 12, citing a declining number of births and the proximity of other obstetrical providers in the area, The Messenger reported.

Bob Van Diest said he was shocked by the news and hopes the hospital will reconsider. The hospital was previously called Hamilton Hospital until Van Diest and his wife, Mary Van Diest, gave $10 million to the hospital in 2008.

“Our local hospital is over a $30 million community investment,” Bob Van Diest wrote, “and for our hospital to say, don’t have your baby in our hospital is an insult to the taxpayers of Hamilton County.”

The facility receives part of its funding from a separate levy on property taxes, according to the county’s treasurer.

The hospital earned $93,055 in revenue from its delivery and labor room with expenses of $75,854 in 2017, according to an audit conducted by independent auditor Seim Johnson LLP, of Omaha. In 2016, the hospital had a delivery and labor room revenue of $185,083, with expenses of $109,417, according to the audit.

“It is unfortunate that the Van Diest Medical Center has decided to discontinue the OB service in Webster City,” said Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez, the city manager. “The hospital is an anchor in the community not only for the city of Webster City, but for all of Hamilton County.”

The OB service is a significant service that families consider when deciding whether or not to relocate to the community, Ortiz-Hernandez said.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say a second man has found and arrested in Iowa on suspicion of first-degree murder in the shooting death of another man at an Omaha gas station.

Police said Friday that federal marshals and local police arrested 19-year-old Covarrubias Saturnino in Sioux City, Iowa.

Earlier this week, Omaha police arrested 37-year-old Antwan Lovejoy on charges of first-degree murder and two weapons counts.

Officers responded around 6 a.m. Sunday to investigate a report of shots fired at the store. They found 27-year-old Andrew Peek lying between gas pumps suffering from a gunshot wound. Peek later died at Nebraska Medical Center.

Police say store surveillance video shows Lovejoy shooting Peek and then Lovejoy and Saturnino fleeing in Peek’s car.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Association of School Boards will pay $20,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a lawyer and GOP activist who was fired after publicly praising Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Association director Lisa Bartusek said Friday the deal includes $5,000 in wages for Anna Bergman and $15,000 from its insurer for her attorneys’ fees and damages. In exchange, Bergman dropped a lawsuit in which she claimed the termination violated her free speech rights.

Bergman was the association’s director of policy and legal services from October 2017 until her February firing. The Waukee resident has also been active in the Republican Party, and is currently running for a seat in the Iowa House.

In January, Bergman wrote an opinion piece for the Des Moines Register that widely praised Reynolds’ record as governor, including on education funding. The column noted her association position.

Bartusek fired Bergman, saying the column wasn’t authorized by the association and conflicted with its nonpartisan objectives.

Bergman claimed she wrote the column as a private citizen.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City woman has been charged with insurance fraud, accused of lying to her insurer about the date of an accident.

Woodbury County District Court records say 42-year-old Jennifer Fuentes is charged with felony insurance fraud for a false submission. She didn’t immediately return a call Friday from The Associated Press. The court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for her.

A criminal complaint says Fuentes’ vehicle struck another vehicle on Feb. 16 when she backed out of a parking stall at work. The complaint says she applied that evening for insurance to cover her vehicle. Then, the complaint says, she filed a claim Feb. 19 with her new insurer. She reported that the accident had occurred that day, instead of Feb. 16, before she applied for coverage.

Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns reported on Friday that a new candidate filing was made for Hospital Board NE District. Julie Pollock has filed nominating papers to be included on the November General Election ballot. No one has filed nominating papers yet for the NW District position on the Hospital Board.

Adair County officials announced on Friday that they have selected to use Schneider Geospatial’s Beacon product for public information records. Beacon is an interactive public access website that allows users to interact and view County information, public records, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Adair County’s Beacon web portal features a public site that includes important property taxation and assessment information, in-depth search capabilities, and property records. Beacon also provides users the ability to view an interactive map of the County’s GIS data and aerial photography, as well as convenient tools to collect specific parcel information.

Adair County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Matt Wedemeyer said, “I am very excited to announce that Adair County is now associated with Beacon.  This will provide the public with a more uniform and recognizable online platform to access the County’s property records.  We hope to continue to develop the site to become a one stop shop for property research and information.”

Visit http://www.beacongis.com or http://beacon.schneidercorp.com to search for Adair County information.

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 17, 2018 — Pipeline Foods LLC, the first U.S.-based supply chain solutions company focused exclusively on organic, non-GMO and regenerative food and feed, has announced the acquisition of a 3.4 million bushel grain elevator in Atlantic, Iowa, USA.

Pipeline Foods has signed a purchase agreement to buy the facility from Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and is making capital investments in new equipment and improvements needed to upgrade the elevator to test, clean, grade, dry, store and ship organic grains. ADM will continue its conventional soybean origination at the site through segregated operations.

“This acquisition is a key component in Pipeline Foods’ mission to increase organic supply chain efficiency and transparency,” said Eric Jackson, chief executive of Pipeline Foods. “In owning and operating another facility dedicated to organic grains and oilseeds, Pipeline Foods will have a direct relationship with farmers in the region, helping to ensure identity preservation of the product and allowing us to take ownership at the farm gate, thereby increasing transparency and traceability for all stakeholders.”

This investment is positioned to support the growing demand from protein producers for U.S.-grown organic grains. Atlantic is uniquely located in the heart of the western corn belt, at the nexus of major truck and rail routes. This will allow the Pipeline Foods merchandising team to originate organic grain from Iowa and the surrounding states, and improve logistical efficiencies when serving customers on both coasts via the Iowa Interstate Railroad with connections to all Class I major rail lines.

“We’re pleased to be able to partner with Pipeline Foods, and look forward to continuing to work with our local farmer partners to source conventional soybeans in and around the Atlantic area,” said Pete Goetzmann, regional vice president, ADM Grain.

The Atlantic elevator will be open for operation in mid-September and will accept its first organic grain deliveries shortly thereafter. With the completion of the acquisition, Pipeline Foods will operate six organic processing facilities in the U.S. and Canada.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety has released the names of the suspect and Officer involved in a deadly Creston shooting on Monday.  The suspect that was killed has been identified as 31-year-old Christopher J. Cameron of Creston. The Creston Police Officer that fired his service weapon in the incident is Sergeant Jared Auten.

An autopsy was completed on Christopher J. Cameron on Wednesday by the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner but final results are still pending.

The report states that Auten has 12 years of law enforcement experience. No further details are being released at this time.

The incident happened at 11:55pm Monday night after a call came in about a man with a gun sitting on a bench in McKinley Park in Creston. Officers engaged the man, now identified as Cameron, and he advanced on officers. He disobeyed orders to stop and drop his weapon and Auten shot him. Cameron was given medical aid immediately but later died of his injuries.

Auten was placed on administrative leave per department policy following the incident.

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 2.6 percent in July. The state’s jobless rate was 3.1 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 3.9 percent in July.

“Iowa hasn’t seen an unemployment rate this low in 18 years and the amount of help available to employers to find workforce is substantial as evidenced by the more than 13,000 additional Iowans employed now compared to the same time last year” said Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development. “At our IowaWORKS Centers across the state, we are helping employers find employees even in this tough environment by using resources like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and the Federal Bond Program that bring individuals with barriers into the workplace. We are bringing veterans to Iowa through Home Base Iowa, which helps businesses find highly motivated and skilled workers every day. So far over 600 Iowans have signed up to attend Future Ready Iowa summits across the state this fall to help their communities develop plans to meet their own talent pipeline needs. As usual, Iowans are working collaboratively to build the workforce we need now and in the future.”

The number of unemployed Iowans decreased to 44,000 in July from 44,900 in June. The current estimate is 8,100 lower than the year ago level of 52,100.

The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,640,300 in July. This figure was 5,200 higher than June and 13,200 higher than one year ago.

(Iowa Workforce Development)