DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The director of the Iowa Department of Human Services has denied a petition by some Republicans who want the state to stop using public money to pay for abortions in cases of rape and incest. Forty-one House GOP members filed the petition last month seeking to end Medicaid payments for such abortions, contending the state program violates state law. Iowa DHS Director Chuck Palmer announced the decision yesterday.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Workers have cleaned up after a truck spilled some animal entrails and parts on a Sioux City street. The spill occurred about 9:45 a.m. Thursday on the east side of the northwest Iowa City.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – A federal fugitive has been arrested after a brief standoff with officers in northern Iowa’s Mason City. Twenty-five-year-old Levi Andersen was taken into custody on Thursday evening. Officers had been tipped that Andersen was at the residence in central Mason City, and they went there and made his arrest about 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A 29-year-old man already serving time for sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl has pleaded guilty in another child sex abuse case. Daryl Bentley made his plea on Thursday in Linn County District Court to the lesser charge of lascivious acts with a child. He’d been charged with sexual abuse of a 9-year-old girl between 2008 and 2009. In March 2010 Bentley was sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing the 4-year-old girl.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The Iowa Department of Transportation is offering land for sale in Harlan. The 5,930 square foot tract of land is located on the south side of Iowa 44 and west side of Southwest Avenue.  Bids are due by 1-p.m. Sept. 12th, 2012. The appraised value of the land is $8,100. Term of the sale is cash only.  

Bid forms may be obtained by contacting Mary Pepper, Office of Right of Way – property management, Iowa DOT, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010, phone 515-239-1300.  

The Iowa DOT acquires real estate for highway improvement projects statewide. Any excess property or property improvements may be disposed of during or after the project development process. For more information on Iowa DOT property management, including sales, visit www.iowadot.gov/propmanage/index.html.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Workers have cleaned up after a truck spilled some animal entrails and parts on a Sioux City street. The spill occurred about 9:45 a.m. Thursday on the east side of the northwest Iowa City.  The Iowa Transportation Department says the truck driver apparently had to stop suddenly, which forced some of his load to slosh out. Traffic was diverted for about 30 minutes as workers cleaned up the mess.

Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will be touring the state in the upcoming week. Among their public appearances on Monday, August 6th, is a stop in Coon Rapids at 12:30-p.m. There, they’ll have “Iowa’s Best Burger,” at the Coon Bowl III, in support of the Iowa Beef Industry. Branstad and Reynolds will leave Coon Rapids afterward, and head to Audubon, for an Audubon County Town Hall meeting at the Audubon County Economic Development Office, located at 800 Market Street, beginning at 2-p.m.

At 3:30, Iowa’s Governor and Lt. Governor will be in Harlan, for a Shelby County Town Hall meeting. That takes place at Mickel’s Family Restaurant. Other stops during the week include those in Woodbine, Onawa and Denison. The latter two stops will occur on Tuesday.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds today (Friday), announced the latest appointments for the six regional STEM network hubs advisory boards. The goal of the STEM Advisory Council, a public-private partnership, is creating greater student achievement in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, as well as a stronger STEM workforce. Reynold said “The members of the STEM Regional Advisory Boards will serve as boots on the ground, and be the most entrenched members of the STEM initiative in their region of Iowa.”  Each STEM network hub will work with business, education institutions, nonprofit groups and others in their region in a way that best fits local needs, interests and resources.

Among the 13 individuals named to the Advisory Council in the Southwest Region, was: Dr. Alan Ladd, of Atlantic; Dr. Barbara Crittenden, of Creston; Jill Euken, from Lewis; Thomas Lesan, from Creston, and; Kathi Most, from Red Oak.

The Iowa State Patrol says one person was hospitalized following an accident this (Friday) morning, in Polk County. Officials say 60-year old Sue Lundberg, of Boone, was transported by Grimes Fire & Rescue to Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, after the car she was driving went out of control and rolled over when it was cut-off by a passing semi. The accident happened on Highway 141 near Grimes, at around 7-a.m.

Officials say a 2005 Freightliner semi, registered to Jerry Schultes Trucking out of Audubon, was traveling south in the left lane of Highway 141 and passing Lundberg’s 2003 Honda Accord, when it cut the car off as it changed lanes. The vehicle went onto the gravel shoulder and went out of control before rolling over and landing on its top in the west ditch. The driver of the semi, 50-year old Terry Smith, of Lake View, was not injured. Smith faces DOT charges associated with an annual inspection and unsafe use of lanes.