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

NEOLA, Iowa (AP) — A western Iowa teen is accused of intentionally swerving his truck and causing a rollover crash that killed another teen. Eighteen-year-old Kael Karagianis was charged Wednesday with vehicular homicide stemming from the March 21 crash that killed 14-year old Gage Williams in Neola. Williams and another teen were riding in the bed of the truck when officials say Karagianis intentionally swerved and hit the brake to trigger a reaction.

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — About 70 U.S. Army Reserve soldiers from the Starkville, Mississippi area are preparing for deployment to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The group is assigned to the Sioux City, Iowa-based 960th Quartermaster Company and is among the 180 soldiers scheduled to leave this weekend. A farewell ceremony for the company is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at East High School in Sioux City.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has thrown out the sentence for a Mason City woman which prohibited her from becoming pregnant while on probation for a child endangerment conviction. The court says the sentence violates the woman’s “fundamental right to procreation.”

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A $300,000 grant has been approved for a proposed park in Sioux City. The Vision Iowa Board approved the grant Wednesday for the Cone Park project, which is estimated to cost about $4 million and is set to feature a tubing hill and an ice rink. The award is contingent on the city raising an additional $16,684 in the next 90 days. The completion date for the park is anticipated for December 2017.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education held a nearly two-hour long meeting Wednesday evening (May 11th) at the Schuler Elementary School. During their session, the Board held a public hearing on an amendment to the 2015-16 Certified Budget. After receiving a brief explanation from Business Manager Mary Beth Fast, and, upon hearing no comments from the public, the hearing was closed and the Board later voted to approve the amendment, which primarily was caused by increased unexpected revenue from grants and other income, and the resulting expenditures of those revenues. The amendment amounted to a $505,000 increase in the 2015-16 budget, which was sent to the State last year.

The Board also received a report from Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein, during which he announced graduation rates were up for 2015 (The last year of data available from the Iowa Dept. of Education), and the dropout rate was down. Amstein said in 2015, 94.3% of the students graduated, which was above the State average of 90.8%, and an increase of 13.3% since 2010. Amstein said that achievement is attributable to all the work the high school has done over the past six-years to helping kids graduate.

Amstein said the dropout rate in 2015 for Atlantic, was 2.2%, while the State average was 2.48%. Atlantic’s dropout rate was 1.21% lower in 2015 than it was in 2010. Dr. Amstein reminded the Board graduation this year is on Sunday, May 22nd.

In other business, the Board approved a sharing agreement with the Audubon Community School District for Boys/Girls Swimming. Audubon previously had a swimming arrangement with the Carroll School District. They also approved the 2016-17 School Fees and Lunch prices. The latter amounts to a 10-cent increase over last year due to an increase in the district’s food cost. And, they approved, by a vote of 3-to 1, a bid of $38,975 from PCS Concrete, for the Washington School Playground project. Board member Alison Bruckner was not able to attend the meeting. Kristy Pellet was the lone “nay” vote. She questioned whether enough had been done to solicit bids. The district received four inquiries, but only two companies submitted bids.

The Board also decided to further narrow down the language they want to present to district patrons, in an attempt to gain favor for a Physical Plant and Equipment Levy Income Surtax. The surtax, Dr. Amstein said, would have an impact “Immediately on property tax relief.” Discussion centered around using the funds from such a surtax to relieve the traffic congestion along 14th Street, by adding a bus access road to the Middle School and Schuler Elementary, and making for some additional parking spaces.

A vote on the PPEL Income Surtax is expected to take place September 13th. A previous attempt to pass the surtax last fall, failed.

NEOLA, Iowa (AP) — A western Iowa teen is accused of intentionally swerving his truck and causing a rollover crash that killed another teen. The Daily Nonpareil reports 18-year-old Kael Karagianis was charged Wednesday with vehicular homicide stemming from the March 21 crash that killed 14-year old Gage Williams in Neola.

Williams and another teen were riding in the bed of the truck when officials say Karagianis intentionally swerved and hit the brake to trigger a reaction from the two boys. Authorities say Karagianis lost control of the truck and it rolled at least once.

Williams died in a Council Bluffs hospital, while Karagianis, along with two other passengers, were injured. Karagianis is in the Pottawattamie County Jail.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has shot down an activist’s attempt to reclassify marijuana in the state. The court says in a ruling Wednesday that the Iowa Board of Pharmacy had proper authority to deny Carl Olsen’s request in 2013 to reclassify marijuana as a controlled substance that has medical use.

Olsen, a self-described activist for marijuana use, says the ruling adds legal clarification to the issue. He is focusing on a separate legal challenge against the pharmacy board that seeks to address the classification issue. That case is pending in district court. The appeals decision comes after the Iowa Legislature failed this session to agree on how to update the state’s medical marijuana law.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) approved a construction permit application for Southwest Iowa Egg, near Massena. Prior to approval, the Board held a public hearing on the plan, during which there were no written or spoken objections. Pat McCurdy, President of Cass/Atlantic Development Corporation (CADCO), said CADCO was fully in support of the plan, which involves the removal of two, older buildings and replacing them with a larger, modern facility that gives the chickens more room and is designed to considerably reduce out-gassing of odors from the manure.

Board Chair Gaylord Schelling, said he and Supervisor Frank Waters scored and approved the Master Matrix for the permit application, which will now be submitted to the Iowa DNR for final approval. The Board also passed a resolution of support for a public/private partnership called “Home Base Iowa,” initiative, an effort to match military veterans with jobs available across Iowa. The program consists of Home Base Iowa Business and Home Base Iowa Communities.

HBI Communities offers additional incentives above and beyond the statewide benefits. The communities have at least 10 percent of area businesses committed to hire veterans. Additionally, HBI communities offer resources from local veteran organizations, businesses, economic development organizations and schools to assist veterans and their families feel at home. Approval of the Resolution makes Cass County the only county in the area to become a Home Base Community. None of the contiguous counties are part of the program.

The Board also approved a resolution approving a contract among the County, Farmers Energy/Cardinal, and the Iowa Economic Development Authority, for a High Quality Jobs Program.

A southwest Iowa man will serve 20-years in prison for distributing meth. A judge in Fremont County, Monday, handed down the sentence for 36-year old Thomas Lee Knipe, of Tabor, who was arrested following a Feb. 2016 narcotics investigation in Shenandoah. As part of the plea agreement, Knipe pleaded guilty to a felony, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, charge, and two other felony charges, including the introduction of a controlled substance into a detention facility.

Knipe was found to be in possession of nearly 40 grams of methamphetamine, $1,200 cash and drug paraphernalia. As he was being booked into jail, Knipe was found to have additional seven grams of meth in his possession. A co-defendant in the case, 32-year-old Stacey Dawn Budenholzer of Omaha, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, last March.

The case was investigated by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with the Shenandoah Police Department and was prosecuted by the Fremont County Attorney’s Office.

A man and woman from Montgomery County were arrested this (Wednesday) morning, on drug charges. According to Red Oak Police, 42-year-old Jeffrey Dean Etter, of Red Oak, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

56-year-old Denise Kay Wilson, also of Red Oak, was arrested for OWI Drugged/1st offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The pair was taken into custody at around 1:30-a.m. in the 2400 block of North Broadway. They were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.