DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The family of a Des Moines police officer killed in a 2016 wrong-way crash is blaming the design of an interstate interchange in a new lawsuit. The Des Moines Register reports that the family of Officer Susan Farrell is suing the cities of Waukee and West Des Moines, as well as several contractors. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Polk County District Court, says the cities and contractors were negligent in opening the Interstate 80 interchange west of Des Moines before basic safety features were finished and “despite construction not yet being complete.”

The March 2016 crash killed Farrell and Officer Carlos Puente-Morales, as well as a prisoner, Tosha Hyatt. The wrong-way driver, 25-year-old Benjamin Beary, also died. Investigators say Beary was drunk and had been traveling more than 100 mph when he hit the officers’ car.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines is gearing up for its annual Earth Day Trash Bash — Iowa’s largest Earth Day volunteer event. The April 20 event sees teams of volunteers clear away winter debris, remove invasive species to improve wildlife habitat, clean up litter and beautify parks, trails, cemeteries and other public spaces.

The registration deadline for teams that want to volunteer is March 30. Captains can register a team of volunteers online at https://earthday.dmgov.org/ . More information can be found by calling 515-248-6380 or emailing trashbash@dmgov.org . Team captains receive a t-shirt as a thank you for organizing and leading a team.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa National Guard will hold a groundbreaking ceremony next week for a new center in Davenport. The ceremony for the new Davenport Readiness Center will take place Wednesday morning. Iowa National Guard senior leaders and representatives from federal, state, and local governments will participate. The ceremony is open to the public.

The one-story, 86,000-square foot building will be located on a 37-acre site and will feature an assembly hall, offices, classrooms, physical fitness space, a kitchen and vehicle maintenance training bays. The space is also designed for community use and can be used to provide shelter during natural disasters.

Construction of the $23 million project will begin immediately following the groundbreaking. Completion anticipated in the spring of 2019.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Downtown Des Moines is anticipating an unprecedented wave of hotel construction, including a 330-room Hilton that opened this week.
The city expects a surge of 951 hotel rooms in the next few years, which is a nearly 50 percent increase from the rooms currently available, the Des Moines Register reported.

Des Moines didn’t add any new downtown hotel rooms between the opening of Des Lux Hotel in 2000 and the Hyatt Place in 2010. A recent wave of construction has added five hotels in the last four years. The Hilton Des Moines Downtown that opened Wednesday is a long-awaited project due to its proximity to the Iowa Events Center. Officials said it’s key to the city’s bid to attract national and regional conventions, as well as thousands of visitors annually.

Assistant City Manager Matt Anderson said the city has an aggressive policy for attracting hotels downtown by providing tax increment financing to developers. For building or remodeling hotels, owners pay property taxes on the assessed value of the building or land prior to renovations, with the length of the agreement depending on each project.

The city has awarded $18.7 million in tax increment financing to six hotel projects since 2014. Officials said there’s a clear return on investment, but many have questioned whether downtown can support the booming hotel construction.

Officials with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office report a man from southwest Iowa was arrested Friday in Nebraska following the theft of vehicles from the Percival, IA area. Deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office received a report a blue 2006 Dodge Dakota and a blue 2008 Ford F350 stolen from a residence in Percival. The Dodge Dakota was located hidden in a barn, in Percival, heavily damaged. The Ford F350 was recovered, also damaged by Nebraska Law Enforcement authorities at a location in Omaha, Nebraska.

Shaun Akers (Photo courtesy Fremont County S/O)

39-year old Shaun Akers, of Sidney, was arrested by the Nebraska State Patrol on a warrant out of Fremont County, for Theft 1st Degree, Operating Without Owner’s Consent, and Criminal Mischief 2nd Degree. Akers was being held at the Douglas County Correctional Center, awaiting an extradition hearing back to Iowa. The Omaha Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol assisted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.

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

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The public is invited to learn how a community garden became a source of fresh food for those in need, in Glenwood, and how it may be useful in Cass County. Representatives of the Glenwood Giving Garden will tell their story at the Cass County Master Gardener meeting on Tuesday, March 27th, beginning at 6:30-p.m.  The meeting takes place at the Cass County Community Center.

The Glenwood Giving Garden began in 2011 with donation of some land. A group of Mills County Master Gardeners with support from ISU Extension began the garden. Many community businesses and volunteers also got involved. This year begins the eighth year with a cumulative harvest since its beginning of 44,000 pounds of produce. Produce has been shared with those in need in the community. Over 500 families hav received fresh produce.

Anyone interested in community gardens is welcome to attend the meeting. Hear how the Glenwood Giving Garden was developed and gain practical ideas for beginning or improving a local community garden. The Cass County Community Center is located on the Fair Grounds, 805 West 10th Street, Atlantic.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines says a strong weather system is moving east over the state early today. Rain will mix and change to snow central with heavy snow and near-blizzard conditions across the north. The storm will slow down this morning and produce snowfall amounts of 1 or more inches per hour across the north and northeast and farther south later this morning. Travel is discouraged today – especially over much of northern, eastern, northeastern and northwest Iowa. Southern Minnesota is also getting heavy snow today. Stay safe – Stay home. For the latest road conditions go to 511ia.org, or call 511.

The Iowa Supreme Court has issued a split opinion saying a man who plead guilty can have his case reviewed after the victim changed his story. Jacob Lee Schmidt of Sioux City pleaded guilty to incest and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse on a younger relative. He asked to have his conviction vacated after the victim recanted. The Iowa Supreme Court ruling says sometimes an innocent person is choosing the lesser of two evils: pleading guilty despite his or her actual innocence because the odds are stacked up against him or her, or going to trial with the risk of losing and the prospect of receiving a harsher sentence.

In its first ruling on the subject, the court says the Iowa Constitution allows freestanding claims of actual innocence, so applicants may bring such claims to attack their pleas even though they entered their pleas knowingly and voluntarily. The court ordered the case sent back to the district court. There were two dissenting opinions from justices Waterman, Mansfield and Zager. The dissent says Schmidt closed the door to an appeal when he pleaded guilty in court and admitted what he had done. It says the majority opinion relies too much on cases in which the defendant steadfastly maintained his or her innocence through trial and all subsequent appeals.

(Radio Iowa)

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

CRESTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Mexico say they found no signs of violence when they discovered the bodies of an Iowa couple and their two children in a condo in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Quintana Roo state prosecutor’s office tweeted Friday that four bodies had been found in a tourist compound in Tulum. The office said “no signs of violence were found on the bodies or in the room.” Authorities in Iowa say the family was reported missing by relatives early Friday, about a week after leaving for Mexico.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A Davenport man has been sentenced to up to 55 years in prison for the 2017 shooting death of another man in the front yard of a home. The Quad-City Times reports that 28-year-old David Levy Jr. was sentenced Friday. A jury had found Levy guilty in February of second-degree murder and a firearm count for the death of 33-year-old Lasabian Walker.

KINGSLEY, Iowa (AP) — A propane explosion has injured two people in northwestern Iowa and destroyed four rural buildings. Kingsley Fire Chief Paul Huth tells the Sioux City Journal that crews were called to the explosion at a hog farm near Kingsley before 7 a.m. Friday. Huth says the explosion happened when two men walked into a hog nursery building on the property. Huth says a propane leak inside the building likely touched-off the explosion and resulting fire when door was opened, kicking on an automatic heater.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — From hog producers in Iowa to apple growers in Washington state and winemakers in California, farmers are expressing deep disappointment over being put in the middle of a potential trade war with China by the president many of them helped elect. After President Donald Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on products including Chinese steel, China responded Friday with a threat to slap tariffs on a variety of U.S. products, including pork, wine, apples, ethanol and stainless-steel pipe.