DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Government documents and emails show that Iowa’s top 4-H leader was fired earlier this year after a proposed policy discouraging discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender was withdrawn. The Des Moines Register reports that it reviewed more than 500 pages of communication that show Iowa 4-H director John-Paul Chaisson-Cárdenas was fired after he fought pressure to drop the policy.

Just days after Iowa officials posted a draft of the policy in April, an official with the federal department that administers 4-H, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, sent an email urging that the policy be dropped. Iowa 4-H officials were also pressured to drop the policy by Christian conservative leaders and one group threatened to file a lawsuit.

Chaisson-Cárdenas resisted because he was adamant that 4-H should be for all kids. Chaisson-Cárdenas was disciplined after the criticism for the way the policy was handled and later fired in August. He maintains that he followed proper procedure.

Police in Creston say snow on the road contributed to an accident Saturday afternoon. Authorities say the accident happened as a 2006 Dodge Caravan driven by 39-year old Sheri Ann Gist, of Creston, was traveling east on Montgomery Street at around 2-p.m., and turning left onto Cherry Street. A 2006 Nissan Murano driven by 60-year old Diana Rae Griffin, of Creston, was traveling south on Cherry Street and trying to turn right onto Montgomery Street, but due to snow on the road, she was unable to make the turn or stop. The Murano hit the Dodge, causing a total of $4,000 damage.

Sheri Gist complained of pain or possible injury, but was not transported to the hospital. Griffin was uninjured during the collision. No citations were issued.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Navy says it has commissioned the USS Sioux City into service.
The Navy said in a news release that the combat ship was placed into active service on Saturday at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

It’s the nation’s sixth littoral combat Ship. The vessel has an aluminum skin, high-tech computer capabilities and can reach a speed of 40 knots.

USS Sioux City

The Navy says the ship’s name was chosen to honor the residents of Sioux City, Iowa. Plans for the USS Sioux City were announced in 2012. It was built at a shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.

The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Board of Directors will hold their regular monthly meeting 5:15-p.m. Monday, in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. On their agenda are updates from Parks and Rec Director Seth Staashelm, with regard to the Schildberg Recreation Area Development Project, and a water quality project update at Nishna Park.

Staashelm will also discuss with the Board a proposal pertaining to Board member terms. And, in his Director’s report, Seth is expected to discuss the status of the Ice Rink, the closing of the Schildberg campground on Nov. 26th, and he’ll make a public announcement that park restrooms are closed for the season, but the parks themselves remain open for the winter.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:45 a.m. CST

GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (AP) — Preliminary autopsy results show four people who died in a small plane crash in central Iowa earlier this month were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. Television station KCCI reports that the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office report said all the victims died from “multiple blunt force injuries in the setting of carbon monoxide toxicity.” The crash happened the night of Nov. 9 after plane passengers reported the pilot had had an apparent heart attack.

OSCEOLA, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says a pregnant woman and her 2-year-old stepson have died in a crash in south-central Iowa. Television station KCRG reports that the crash happened Friday evening in Clarke County, about 9 miles south of Osceola. The patrol says 22-year-old Bethannie Kennedy, of Osceola, was driving south on U.S. 69 when she lost control, went sideways and was broadsided by a northbound pickup truck. Kennedy and 2-year-old Michael Dohrn Jr. died from injuries received in the crash.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former northeastern Iowa high school teacher arrested in April for being drunk at work has had his teaching license suspended. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported Friday that Daniel Reisner’s license was suspended for two years by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners. He must complete at least 15 in-person class hours of an ethics course before his license is reinstated. He also received a written reprimand.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is giving up the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress. Instead, he will chair the Senate Finance Committee. That means Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina will take over the chairmanship of the Judiciary panel. Graham has become a close Trump ally and was a vocal supporter of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.