Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A U.S. magistrate from Sioux City has been approved to serve as a judge on one of Iowa’s federal courts. Senator Chuck Grassley announced Thursday that the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the nomination of Leonard Strand to serve as a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Iowa.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) — A southeast Iowa jury has awarded seven former nursing students of Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant $75,000 each after the nursing program lost national accreditation just prior to their graduation in the spring of 2013. The students filed a lawsuit with several allegations including breach of contract and negligence. A Henry County jury returned the verdict on Wednesday.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — The owners of a private northeast Iowa zoo must remove their tigers and lemurs after a federal judge ruled that they failed to provide appropriate living conditions for the endangered animals. In a ruling issued Thursday, Chief Magistrate Judge Jon Stuart ordered the owners of the roadside Cricket Hollow Zoo, near Manchester, to transfer the tigers and lemurs to U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed facility within 90 days.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell scored 14 points and Troy Williams added 13 and Indiana rallied to upset Number 4 Iowa 85-78 on Thursday night after blowing a big lead. Jarrod Uthoff led the Hawkeyes with 24 points, and Mike Gesell had 17. Iowa lost for the first time in four games.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports a man wanted on a Cass County Sheriff’s warrant for drug charges, has turned himself-in. 54-year old Blake Ted Cooley, of Anita, was arrested on the warrant charging him with Felony, Possession with Intent to Deliver, and an aggravated misdemeanor Prohibited Acts, charges. Cooley was booked at the Cass County Jail on Tuesday and released later that day on $7,000 bond.

And, on Wednesday, Deputies in Cass County arrested 38-year old James Matthew VanScoyk, of Council Bluffs, on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. VanScoyk was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $5,000 bond.

(Johnston, Iowa) Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Executive Director Colonel Robert King (Ret) announces Vietnam Veterans of America will hold a symposium to address the birth defects, diseases, and learning disabilities affecting the children and grandchildren of our nation’s veterans. The Faces of Agent Orange Symposium will be held Saturday, 23rd April 2016, at Hy-Vee Hall, Iowa Events Center, 730 3rd Street, Des Moines, Iowa. There will be two sessions – the first from 9:00 am to noon, and the second from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

“Our American soldiers returned from Vietnam and associated areas with a number of issues that they have had to contend with since their return years ago. Evidence is now connecting their battlefield exposures to Agent Orange with many diseases and birth defects that are afflicting their children and future generations. It is important that we make the families and communities more aware of the lingering effects of their exposure,” said Colonel King.

The goal of the symposium is to bring attention to the hidden cost of our service and to encourage the government to assist our doctors in finding ways to diagnose and treat these birth defects. Veterans of all wars are subjected to many contaminates, and most were not aware of what was being used or what effects these would have on their health.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. is a national non-profit corporation founded in 1978 in the United States that is committed to serving the needs of all veterans. It is funded without any contribution from any branch of government.

In keeping with Vietnam Veterans of America’s (VVA) founding principle, “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another,” Vietnam veterans throughout the state of Iowa and across the nation continue to fight for the welfare of our nation’s veterans from all wars.

For more information on this event, please contact Dan Gannon at 515-991-5257 or gannonobx@aol.com.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Democratic-controlled Senate has passed legislation that would dismantle plans to switch Iowa’s $4.2 billion Medicaid program into private management, though the bill isn’t expected to advance in the divided Legislature. The chamber voted 29-19 Thursday for the bill, which would terminate Iowa’s contracts with three private companies.

The bill was introduced amid growing tension in the Legislature over the future of Iowa’s Medicaid program, which provides health care to roughly 560,000 low-income and disabled residents. Senate Democrats recently sent a letter to President Barack Obama and other federal officials asking them to end the privatization move, set to take effect March 1st.

Although three Republican senators voted for the bill, the GOP-majority House isn’t expected to take up the measure, which has also been criticized by Gov. Terry Branstad.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green has announced a permanent Medication Dropbox is now located in the lobby of the Atlantic Police Department, at 23 East 4th Street. Green said the drop box was made possible through a small grant from the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy’s (ODCP) Iowa Take Back Prescription Drug Drop Box Program, and is a way to address the increasing problem of prescription drug abuse. The dropbox will be accessible to the public during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, from 8-a.m. to 4:30-p.m., or by contacting any Atlantic Police Officer

You can bring your unwanted prescription meds to the dropbox, but you’re asked to first, remove any labels with your personal information, seal the medications in vials or clear plastic bags, and leave them anonymously.

Chief Green says the dropbox is an opportunity for families to legally and responsibly dispose of prescriptions and remove the temptation for abuse. “Many people,” he says “become addicted to prescription drugs because they started using a family member’s leftover prescriptions. Once addicted, some of these individuals may eventually move to other drugs [such as heroin], to fulfill [their] addiction.”

The prescription dropbox is secured inside the lobby of the Police department and there is no formal paperwork required when making a drop. Needles, other sharp objects and liquids are not allowed in the dropbox. Green says his Officers will take liquid meds from you, if you request it.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers child care provider training, which has been approved by the Department of Human Services and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The training helps providers identify, recognize and implement best practices relative to nutrition, physical activity, health and safety for children under their care. An upcoming training, Gardening with Children, will be held in Atlantic on March 29th.

Gardening promotes healthy lifestyles, early learning experiences, social development, and environmental stewardship among preschool children. Childcare providers will engage in experiential learning gardening activities (crafts, learning activities, literacy, container gardening basics, and taste testing).

This will be offered at the ISU Extension and Outreach office, Cass County in Atlantic on March 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. There is a $15 fee and is partially funded by a Boost for Families (Cass, Mills, Montgomery) Early Childhood Iowa grant for professional development.

Registration is required by March 22, using the online DHS training registry or by calling 712- 623- 2592 (ISU Extension and Outreach- Montgomery County). The class will be taught by Barbara Fuller, MA, RD, LD Nutrition and Wellness Specialist and Kim Brantner, Family Life Specialist, ISU Extension and Outreach.

(Press Release)