MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a former school district official in northern Iowa has been settled. Mason City Schools’ former human resources director Jodie Anderson filed the lawsuit in July 2018, alleging that men employed by the district were being paid more than women for the same categories of work. The district said in a news release Monday that its insurer wanted to settle in order to “avoid the cost and disruption protracted litigation can cause.” A trial had been scheduled to begin Jan. 7. Officials have not disclosed how much money, if any, will go to Anderson in the settlement.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 21-year-old man who drowned after falling into a pond near Cedar Rapids’ Mohawk Park. The Linn County medical examiner identified the man as Talon Williams, who lived in Cedar Rapids. Rescue workers were sent to the park around 5:45 p.m. Sunday following a report that three people had fallen into the water. A city news release says a 14-year-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy got themselves out but were unable to get the third person out. They went to shore and called 911. Williams’ body was found in the water about 120 yards from shore.

Presidential candidate/Democrat Congressman John Delaney will be crisscrossing Iowa for the entire month of January on a small town blitz of 40 stops, a journey he’s dubbed the Send A Message Tour. Cruising in the campaign RV, “Big Blue,” Delaney and his field staff will be hosting meet and greets, knocking on doors, making supporter calls, and meeting with caucus-goers and precinct captains around the state.

Delaney is an American attorney, businessman, and politician. He was the United States Representative for Maryland’s 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2019.

His schedule (locally) includes, on Jan. 13th:

• 10-a.m. – Defiance:  Delaney & team door knocking
• 2-p.m.  – Lyman: Delaney & team door knocking
• 5-pm. – Griswold: Dusty’s Place (402 Main St.)

And on January 17th, Delaney will be:

• in Carroll at 2-p.m.: Brothers on Main (529 N Main St.)
• and in Templeton at 4-p.m.: for a tour of Templeton Whisky

Delaney will also be in Panora on Jan. 21st at the Owl’s Nest (124 W. Main St.), at 5-p.m.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:10 a.m. CST

GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (AP) — Democratic congresswoman Cindy Axne returned to her southwestern Iowa district last weekend for the first time since voting in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump. Axne narrowly won a Republican-leaning district in 2018 and is a top GOP target in 2020. Republicans have been running ads against her focused on impeachment, and Vice President Mike Pence had spoken on local television to urge her to vote against it. But at her town hall, none of her constituents asked about the vote. Instead, they focused on rural issues and the trade deal that passed last week.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — In a victory for prosecutors, a judge has ruled that they can use key evidence against the man charged with killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts. Judge Joel Yates agreed with prosecutors that some statements made by Cristhian Bahena Rivera must be suppressed because they came during an interrogation after he was not read his full legal rights. But Yates ruled that prosecutors can use information provided by Rivera that led them to the body of Tibbetts, who disappeared in July 2018 while out running in Brooklyn, Iowa. He also ruled that they can use key blood evidence.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman who told police she intentionally ran over a teenager because she believed the girl was Mexican has been charged with another hit-and-run crash that hurt a 12-year-old boy. Des Moines police charged Nicole Franklin with attempted murder in connection with a Dec. 9 crash that occurred less than an hour before another hit-and-run in suburban Clive. In the latest charge, Franklin was accused of hitting a boy in a Des Moines apartment complex. The boy suffered minor injuries. In the later incident, Franklin was charged with attempted murder after her vehicle hit Natalia Miranda as the 14-year-old was walking to school to watch a basketball game.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A group of top state officials has approved payments of nearly $400,000 to continue a lawsuit defending former Gov. Terry Branstad. A jury found in July he discriminated against former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey because he is gay and awarded him $1.5 million. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald and Auditor Rob Sand refused to approve the payment. They say taxpayers shouldn’t continue paying. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Secretary of State Paul Pate and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig approved the bills, bringing total court costs to more than $8 million, which will climb since Reynolds is appealing the case.