OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AP) — Flooding has forced the Air Force to cancel the 2019 Defenders of Freedom Open House and Air Show at Offutt Air Force Base south of Omaha. Missouri River floodwater fed by heavy rain and snowmelt has covered about a third of the base and damaged dozens of buildings. Officials say, however, that the units based at Offutt remain capable of fulfilling their missions.

The commander of Offutt’s 55th Wing, Col. Michael Manion, said Tuesday evening that “it is obvious it will be some time before we can return to normal operations or have the capacity to host an event like an air show and open house.” The famed Air Force aerobatics team, Thunderbirds , was scheduled to be featured at the June 1-2 event.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An April sentencing has been scheduled for a former Des Moines school district art teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a female student. Polk County District Court records say 51-year-old Jason Soliday pleaded guilty last week to misdemeanor assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. Prosecutors lowered the charge from a felony: sexual exploitation by a school employee. Soliday had been arrested last May.

His sentencing is set for April 29. The former East High School teacher faces up to two years in prison. Authorities say Soliday and the 16-year-old had a sexual relationship for about four months.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Another Democrat has been elected to represent the Waterloo area in the Iowa Senate. Eric Giddens beat Republican Walt Rogers and Libertarian Fred Perryman for the District 30 seat in Tuesday’s special election. Giddens will replace Jeff Danielson, who resigned Feb. 14 for a new job as a regional state policy director for the American Wind Energy Association, a national trade group for the wind energy industry.

The 45-year-old Giddens is a Cedar Falls school board member and a program manager for the University of Northern Iowa. The district includes Hudson, Cedar Falls and Waterloo in Black Hawk County.

(Radio Iowa) — Power was restored in the western Iowa city of Hornick Monday and residents could return to their flooded town. Mayor Scott Mitchell says he’s worried some residents won’t want to stay and the town will lose people. “In turn, you can’t really blame them, but I hate to see it. This is a small community, we’re all a little family and we all kind of stick together. Anybody we would lose or could lose, it’s a big hit to every one of us,” Mitchell says.

People in the city have been asked to avoid using their toilets, sinks and showers as officials work to get the city’s sewer system back to 100-percent functional. Mitchell says people have already started cleaning up their properties. “They’re tearing out carpet and we have groups of volunteers in to help deal with the cleanup effort and start the process of rebuilding and trying to get back to a normal life,” he says.

Mitchell says his own basement had about five feet of water when he first got back in Monday. Flooding took out his furnace, washer and dryer. Governor Kim Reynolds visited Hornick on Sunday to see the damage.