DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa prison guard has reached a deal for $2.3 million as a settlement for discrimination and retaliation she says she suffered after filing a sexual harassment case against the state. The state paid Kristine Sink $1.65 million last month to settle the sexual harassment case, and the Iowa attorney general is recommending settling the second retaliation case. The State Appeal Board will decide Monday whether to approve the settlement.

Sink’s problems began when in 2011 when she says her supervisors at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison allowed inmates and co-workers to harass her. She sued the state in 2012 and that case was on appeal when the state settled last month. The second lawsuit filed in 2015 alleges retaliation after she returned to work. Sink’s attorney, Des Moines civil rights lawyer Paige Fiedler, was paid $1 million out of the first settlement and will get $1.1 million from the second if it’s approved by the board.

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say coal spilled from rail cars that derailed near Victory Park along the Mississippi River in Keokuk. A jumbled mess of more than a dozen coal cars and disconnected wheelsets blocked vehicular traffic near the tracks after the derailment. The accident occurred around 2 a.m. Monday under the Main Street/U.S. Highway 136 bridge between Keokuk and Hamilton, Illinois. No injuries have been reported. The cause is being investigated.

BNSF Railway spokesman Andy Williams says four of the 13 loaded coal cars that derailed rolled onto their sides, spilling their loads, but the coal didn’t reach the river. Williams says repair crews expect to have the line back open by 9 p.m. Monday.

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. – March 11, 2019 – Dollar General’s newest store at 55298 Tucson Road in Griswold is now open. Company officials say, “In its new location, Dollar General will offer area residents a convenient new place to shop for everyday essentials at low prices.” Dollar General will celebrate the store’s official grand opening on Saturday, March 16 at 8 a.m. with free prizes and special deals.  Additionally, the first 50 adult shoppers at the store will receive a $10 Dollar General gift card and the first 200 shoppers will receive a Dollar General tote bag with complimentary product samples, among other giveaways.

Traditional Dollar General stores employ approximately six to 10 people, depending on the need.

(Radio Iowa) — A woman from northwest Iowa has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for selling meth out of her home. Thirty-three-year-old Jamie Williams of Sanborn lived within a thousand feet of the Harley Melvin Sanborn Middle School. Prosecutors say she sold about six pounds of meth out of her home over a three year period. Authorities found 120 grams of pure meth in her purse when the home was searched in January of last year.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa safety regulator is blaming a company for not adequately training a worker who was killed in a Marshalltown construction accident. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing to fine Bridge City Construction, of Ottumwa, nearly $3,900. The Marshalltown Times-Republican reports that 37-year-old Bridge City employee Chris Ehrenhard, died in a December accident at the Marshalltown Co. construction project.

The agency says the way Ehrenhard was operating an aerial lift pinned him against a beam and controls of the aerial lift, causing fatal injuries. The agency says Bridge City did not provide effective training to employees regarding hazards that were associated with the job site, such as ground conditions and overhead hazards. Bridge City Construction owner Jason Blunt has declined to comment about the proposed fine. It’s unclear whether he will fight the penalty.

Police in Glenwood report three arrests. Taken into custody today (Monday), was 31-year old Scott Jacobsen, of Council Bluffs, for Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS) and Driving Under Suspension. Cash or surety bond was set at $1,300. And, 37-year old Christopher Nord, of Glenwood. Nord was arrested on a Fremont County warrant. His cash-only bond was set at $1,000.

On Saturday, 21-year old Marcus Baumstarck, of Rapid City, SD, was arrested in Glenwood, for PCS, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Open Container. He has since posted at $1,630 cash or surety bond and was released.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Records show prosecutors were informed about allegations that a day care operator in a Des Moines suburb was caring for too many children but didn’t take action, raising concerns after a child was found unresponsive at the residence and later died. The Des Moines Register reports that 47-year-old Trina Mazza is charged with operating a home child care facility in Johnston without a license. Mazza’s attorney says she’s fully cooperating with the investigation into the child’s February death.

The Iowa Department of Human Services sent Mazza and the Polk County Attorney’s Office notices that she was caring for too many children following complaints filed in 2011 and 2017.
County Attorney John Sarcone says his office didn’t take action because the department didn’t specifically seek a criminal charge or include details of abuse in the notice.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports one arrest and one, injury accident occurred last week. On Friday, 42-year old Timothy Allen Hansen, of Ottumwa, was arrested at the Union County Courthouse, on a Union County warrant for Violation of Pretrial Release. Hansen was being held in the Union County Jail on a $100,000 bond. And, a rollover accident Thursday evening resulted in the driver of a 2003 Chevy pickup ending up in the hospital to be checked-out.

17-year old Emma Catherine Notz, of Lenox, was traveling on Highway 34 at around 6:15-p.m., and was attempting to pass a vehicle, when the pickup went out of control, and rolled into a ditch. She was not wearing her seat belt. Notz was transported to the hospital by her parents. following complaints of possible, unknown injuries. The pickup sustained about $5,000 damage. No citations were issued.