Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Police in western Iowa have arrested a man and charged him in the death of a toddler. Police say officers and fire personnel were sent to a Council Bluffs apartment last week for an unresponsive child. The 16-month-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene. The initial investigation led to an arrest warrant being issued for 22-year-old Javon Jennings. Police say Jennings was arrested Wednesday and is being held on $250,000 bond.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has begun chipping away at the series of spending bills that will make up the next state budget. The Republican-controlled chamber voted 57-36 Wednesday to approve legislation to fund agriculture and natural resources. That followed a unanimous vote to pay for transportation services. The GOP-led Senate must also OK the bills. Preliminary votes could come as soon as Thursday.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former employee at agriculture and industrial heavy equipment maker Vermeer Corp. in Pella, as well as three others, have been indicted on fraud charges. Federal prosecutors in Iowa say 54-year-old Scott Whitehead, 38-year-olld Natalia Sheps, 63-year-old Boris Vaysman, and 57-year-old Ana Hallon Gallego were all indicted Tuesday. Investigators say Whitehead was maintenance manager at Vermeer when he received kickbacks from two chemical companies over a five-year period.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A man convicted of fatally stabbing his girlfriend at a Dubuque home last year has been sentenced to 50 years in prison. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that 26-year-old Fontae Beulow maintained his innocence in the death of 21-year-old Samantha Link at the sentencing hearing Wednesday. Buelow was found guilty in January of second-degree murder for the March 31, 2017, killing in Peosta.