CLERMONT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a driver died after his sport utility vehicle ran into a pond in northeast Iowa. The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office says 30-year-old Steven Baker Jr. lost control of his SUV Tuesday. It ran through a fence into the pond at the Skip-A-Way Resort in Clermont. The vehicle submerged completely in the deep part of the pond. Rescue efforts were unsuccessful, and Baker was pronounced dead at the scene. He lived in Elgin.

(Radio Iowa) — The State Auditor has released a report about “corrective action” that had to be taken to properly track the Iowa Communications Network’s finances and assets. The network’s previous executive director was fired this past January after a whistleblower in the agency came forward with concerns. State Auditor Mary Mosiman served on the I-C-N’s board, but she and other board members told legislators the network’s manager kept them in the dark about things like raises for unqualified staff and his use of a state-owned car to commute back and forth from Des Moines and Marion.

He also tried to sell state-owned equipment on eBay. The State Auditor’s latest report covers the final year the dismissed executive director was still in charge. The new manager of the Iowa Communications Network has promised to maintain a “detailed, up-to-date” list of the network’s assets.

The auditor’s report also made note of tardy deposits, late payments on credit cards and missing timesheets for some network employees who worked for the previous manager — all things the new I-C-N management acknowledged and said had been addressed.

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — An outdoor equipment maker plans to start work this fall on expanding its distribution center in a Des Moines suburb. The Des Moines Register reports that the Toro Co. says the $11 million expansion at its Ankeny distribution center will let it increase the amount of equipment the facility can handle.

The Ankeny City Council on Tuesday agreed to provide Toro with more than $1 million in financial assistance. The project will create at least three new jobs at the facility. Toro expects to complete construction next year.

Red Oak Police report 57-year old Tony Joe Christensen, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 5:40-p.m. Wednesday. Christensen was taken into custody in the 1500 block of Broadway Street, for Public Intoxication. His bond at the Montgomery County Jail, was set at $300.

Firefighters from Marne, Atlantic, Lewis and Hancock were called to assist with a structure fire in rural Walnut, at around 4:30-a.m. today (Thursday). The blaze, which was reported by passing motorists, occurred  at 50507 Sumac Road. According to dispatch reports, a barn was fully engulfed in flames and had collapsed by 5-a.m., and the flames were near some other structures. Fire crews saved two adjacent structures, but the barn was a total loss. A cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:30 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — More details are emerging about the suspect in the killing of an Iowa college student. The Mexican man was known for years on the dairy farm where he worked by an alias: John Budd. Yarrabee Farms faces questions about whether its managers had any idea that Cristhian Bahena Rivera was in the country illegally before Mollie Tibbetts was killed. The alias was confirmed by three people with knowledge of Rivera’s employment history. They spoke on condition of anonymity.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three Des Moines police officers and the city have been sued in federal court for violating the constitutional rights of a man who says he was filming from the sidewalk cars parked illegally at the police station. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Daniel Robbins, who is identified as a Des Moines independent photojournalist.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Officials in Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas are preparing for flooding as the National Weather Service adjusted predictions of when the Cedar River there will crest. The service now says the river will crest Sunday afternoon at 17.5 feet (5.33 meters) _ 5.5 feet (1.68 meters) above flood stage. In the Cedar Rapids suburb of Palo, officials have opened a sandbagging station for public use. City employees also were placing sandbags around parts of the city’s wastewater facility.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lawyer fighting a discrimination lawsuit against Iowa officials is withdrawing from the case. George LaMarca has billed Iowa taxpayers nearly $1 million to fight the case filed by former state official Chris Godfrey against Gov. Kim Reynolds and former Gov. Terry Branstad. Godfrey accuses Reynolds and Branstad of discrimination based on sexual orientation. The 73-year-old LaMarca says poor health is forcing him to retire. Judge Brad McCall accepted LaMarca’s withdrawal Wednesday.

A collision in Atlantic Wednesday night between a Chevy Suburban and a man on a bicycle resulted in the death of an local man. 21-year old Rudy Moses, of Atlantic, died from his injuries at the Cass County Memorial Hospital. Moses was traveling northbound on Locust when he was struck in the middle of the intersection with 6th Street by the SUV driven by 21-year old Kayla Kay Elliott, of Atlantic.

The accident, which happened at around 9-p.m., remains under investigation. Assisting at the scene was the Atlantic P-D, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies, Atlantic Fire and Rescue, and Medivac Ambulance.