Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the cause of a small electrical fire at a northwest Iowa plant owned by the makers of Blue Bunny ice cream. Wells Enterprises says efforts are underway to figure out the cause of the Monday night fire at one of its facilities in Le Mars. No injuries were reported.

ELDORA, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has been given probation for stealing from an elderly man under her care. District Court Judge Michael Moon recently ordered to suspend a 10-year prison sentence for 60-year-old Pamala Hammond. She will instead be on probation for two- to five years. Hammond pleaded guilty last month to a count of theft in connection to the estate of James Curtis Ruby, of Eldora. The 88-year-old veteran died in 2012.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man is back climbing trees after he fell 40 feet from one over the summer, breaking several bones. Owner Kevin Hardy of Cutting Edge Tree Services in Mason City fell from a tree in Charles City on July 20. He broke nearly everything but his will. Hardy suffered several injuries in the fall, including a broken clavicle and ribs. After several hospital stays and rehabilitation work, Hardy says he considers himself a lucky man.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa school has filled more than 3,500 shoeboxes with items like toys and clothing intended for impoverished children overseas. The shoeboxes filled by Great River Christian School students were loaded into a semitrailer destined for Minneapolis, where they will eventually be flown to other countries. The shoebox delivery is by Operation Christmas Child, an organization the school has been helping for 11 years.

A Pottawattamie County man was sentenced, Monday to spend five-years in prison on a child pornography charge. United States District Judge Stephanie Rose ordered 42-year old Anthony John Wesolowski, of Council Bluffs, to serve 60 months in prison by for possession of child pornography, plus  10-years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

An extensive investigation began when law enforcement determined that Wesolowski was using a file sharing program to obtain images containing child pornography over the internet for a period of several years. On July 8, 2014, Wesolowski pled guilty and admitted that on October 31, 2013, he had images on his home computer that depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and the Council Bluffs, Iowa, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Iowans who plan to do some traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday will likely see a few law enforcement officers on the road as well. Sergeant Scott Bright is the spokesperson for the Iowa State Patrol. “It’s one of the most traveled holidays of the year, so we’re going to have a few extra troopers out there working,” Bright said. Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend last year, two people were killed traffic crashes around the state.

“This year, hopefully we have zero,” Bright said. “Currently, we’ve had 304 traffic fatalities in the state (this year). Last year, at this time, we had 280. So, we’re 24 ahead of where we were last year and hopefully this weekend we won’t lose anybody on the highways.” Iowa ended up with 318 traffic deaths in 2013 — the lowest annual total since 1944.

Bright is encouraging motorists to buckle up, obey the speed limit, and avoid distractions while driving.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Two people have pleaded guilty to charges in connection to a string of house fires in Sioux City. The Sioux City Journal reports a 17-year-old pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree arson as part of a plea deal that will dismiss a third-degree burglary charge. Thirty-two-year-old Daisy Castillo pleaded guilty recently to third-degree burglary as part of a plea deal that dismissed a second-degree arson charge. She was sentenced to five years in prison.

The Associated Press does not generally name minors accused of crimes. Authorities have been investigating a string of suspicious house fires in August and September. Eighteen-year-old Javen Mobley has pleaded not guilty to second-degree arson and third-degree burglary. A 14-year-old is charged in juvenile court with first-degree arson.

Authorities in Fremont County say a residential fire this (Tuesday) morning has claimed the life of a Riverton man. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says 66-year-old William Daniel died in the fire at 911 Meadow Avenue, in Riverton. The blaze was reported at around 6:20-a.m.

Firefighters from Riverton, Sidney, Hamburg and Farragut were on the scene for about three hours. State Fire Marshall Special Agent John Ticer told the Daily NonPareil  the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but that he believes it began in the master bedroom of the home. Ticer said there were no working smoke detectors in the residence, and that may have contributed to Daniels’ death.