DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – As expected, a ban on guns at the Iowa State Fair will remain in place this year. The news comes after a heated legislative committee hearing in which people argued both for and against allowing fair-goes to carry guns. The Des Moines Register reports several people spoke Friday at a meeting of the Iowa Legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee against allowing guns at the fair. Opponents described scenarios in which drunken and irresponsible guests toting handguns could create dangerous situations.

But Richard Rogers, an Iowa Firearms Coalition board member, said he questions the Fair Board’s authority to ban guns when the state has authorized some to carry them. He said the ban leaves people defenseless if someone else brings a gun to the fair and begins shooting.

Firefighters from Anita and Wiota, along with the assistance of a tanker truck from the Atlantic Fire Department, responded to a structure fire northeast of Wiota Saturday afternoon. The fire was in a shed located about one-half mile east of County K (690th Street), just south of Fairview Road. It was reported at around 2:20-p.m.

Anita Fire Chief Josh Peach said when they arrived on the scene, the metal building which stored more than 30 bales of hay, was fully engulfed in flames and most of the roof had already collapsed. Peach said that factor made the flames “Interesting to fight,” because the tin roof was covering the burning bales. They had to cut holes in what was left of the roof in order to access the hay. 

Prior to firefighters’ arrival, a tractor, baler and straight truck for hauling grain had been removed from inside the building, and were not damaged. The structure was a total loss. Peach says his preliminary guess was some sort of an electrical malfunction, but he would not rule out spontaneous combustion.

Peach said if you bale green hay and store it in an enclosed structure such as a metal shed, that can create a spontaneous fire. He advised crop producers and harvesters to keep an eye on your hay, and make sure it’s dry when it’s being stored.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say one of three people shot at a Des Moines bar overnight has died of his injuries. Police said in a news release Saturday that 40-year-old William Dawson Sr. died at a hospital after he, his son and a woman were shot around 1 a.m. outside Johnny Mac’s Bar and Grill.

Police say Dawson’s son, 20-year-old William Dawson Jr., and 20-year-old Carley Toomey remain in the hospital, but are expected to survive. Homicide detectives are investigating. They have not released details of the shooting. No arrests had been made by midday Saturday. Police say Dawson’s death is the city’s eighth homicide so far this year.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Funeral arrangements have been set for a West Des Moines police officer killed in a motorcycle crash earlier this week. The funeral for Officer Shawn Miller will be Monday at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in West Des Moines, with burial to follow at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at the church.

Authorities say the 47-year-old Miller was traveling south on Highway 169 after attending a court hearing in Dallas County on Wednesday when he collided with a car that turned in front of him. Gov. Terry Branstad has ordered all flags in Iowa be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday in honor of Miller.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines Public Schools is hosting nearly 1,200 educators next week at its inaugural Summit on School Climate and Culture. The meeting will be held Monday and Tuesday at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.

The summit will cover several areas, including the latest research and best practices for improving student behavior, learning how a multi-cultural classroom can be an asset and how one’s own culture and identity may affect others.

Other topics will include identifying the social and emotional needs of students, as well as better connecting with families to empower parents to set high expectations, monitor performance and support learning at home.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa side of a pedestrian bridge that connects Omaha, Nebraska, to Council Bluffs will soon be closed for construction. The Daily Nonpareil reports that the Council Bluffs side of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge will close Monday and Tuesday.

Bridge users will still be able to access the Nebraska side of the bridge and can enter and exit the bridge on the Omaha side. On the Iowa side, the bridge starts at Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park.