WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) – An 18-year-old accused in the burning of a covered bridge featured in the best-selling novel “The Bridges of Madison County” has pleaded not guilty. Court records say Joel Davis entered the pleas Monday to arson and related charges. His trial is scheduled to begin July 18th.

The bridge destroyed April 15 near Winterset also was featured in the 1995 movie adaptation starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. The novel was written by Robert James Waller, who died in March.

Prosecutors say 17-year-old Alexander Hoff of West Des Moines, will be facing an arson charge as well.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A West Des Moines woman accused of starving and neglecting her teenage daughter wants a separate trial from her former husband and wants her murder trial moved out of Polk County. Nicole Finn and Joseph Finn II are charged with the October starvation death of 16-year-old Nicole Finn and the suspected abuse of two of Natalie’s siblings. Nicole Finn also is charged with murder. Both have pleaded not guilty.

The Des Moines Register reports that lawyers for Nicole Finn cited pretrial publicity and other factors in her request last week for a change of venue. Finn’s attorneys are seeking a separate trial because of their concerns about potentially incriminating statements he made to investigators. A hearing on the motions is scheduled for May 31.

The newly elected president of the Board of Regents, Mike Richards, joined the board last May filing a spot left open by the resignation of Mary Andringa resigned. He said that he had to do a lot of talking with family, friends and other board members before taking over the leadership role.  “Initially I did not seek it out, and then over the last month or two as the situation changed and the leadership with president Rastetter and (president pro-tem) Katie Mullholand both departing, several people did talk to me and asked that I consider it,” Richards says.

Richards says the biggest issue facing him is hiring a new president for Iowa State University. “We have a selection committee that has already been put in place, and they haven’t quite started their work, but we have great leadership on that,” Richards says. The search for a new I-S-U comes after the board selected a new president for the University of Northern Iowa in December. Richards doesn’t think the turnover in the stop spots at the schools is anything unusual. “I think we’re solid,” Richards says. “I think we have some of the best schools in the country that people want to come to work and be president there.”

He says coming to a decision on tuition increases is also a key issue. Richards says the board staff is putting together a task force to review the issue. He says they will meet with the students, the public, parents and the legislature about “how we fund our universities and the role that tuition plays in them.”

The state budget tightening is at the center of the tuition talk, and Richards says funding for the schools is key. “We want to work with the legislature so that we can give more clarity and advanced clarity to the students as they prepare their own budgets,” Richards says.

Richards says he wants to ensure that the discussion on the new I-S-U president, tuition and other issues are transparent, so he plans to institute more public access at the board’s monthly meetings. “To help with this transparency, I think that we are going to have an opportunity for the public to comment at the board meetings,” according to Richards.

The board holds hearings before the meetings that are taped and then reviewed, but they have come under criticism because people say they aren’t able to speak directly to the board members. Richards says going back to public comment during the meetings is not a response to that criticism. “It’s not so much a reaction to those concerns, but it is the direction that I want to go to increase the public transparency and to just allow people to have a voice,” Richards explains.

Regent Pattie Cownie of Des Moines was elected president pro-tem. Their terms as president and president pro-tem will end April 30th of 2018.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:00 a.m. CDT

COUNCIL BLUFF, Iowa (AP) — The inmate who escaped from a western Iowa jail Monday managed to steal a sheriff’s deputy’s gun as he was returning from a court appearance and shot two deputies. One deputy died later. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says 23-year-old Wesley Williams Correa-Carmenaty attacked and shot the two deputies who were driving inmates back from court Monday.

CAMDENTON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the weekend death of a University of Iowa freshman who was found unresponsive in a lakeside resort motel in in central Missouri’s Camden County. The Camden County Sheriff’s Office says 19-year-old Kamil Jackowski of Arlington Heights, Illinois, was found unconscious in the motel Sunday. He was later declared dead at a hospital, and an autopsy was planned.

MILFORD, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a northwest Iowa man has died after exchanging gunfire with police. The Iowa Department of Public Safety on Monday says Milford police officers were called Sunday night to a problem at a home. As officers approached the home, a man inside fired several shots and a Milford officer returned fire. Officers tried for several hours to make contact with the person inside and finally entered the home about midnight. They found 52-year-old Robert Brunner dead in the home.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s attorney general says Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will not have the authority to appoint a lieutenant governor when she replaces Gov. Terry Branstad. Reynolds is preparing to become governor when Branstad resigns to become U.S. ambassador to China in the coming weeks. Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller said in a legal opinion Monday that Reynolds will assume all the duties of an elected governor through January 2019 but won’t have the power to appoint a new lieutenant governor.

A relatively new restaurant in northwest Iowa has won the title of the state’s “Best Burger” for 2017. The annual contest is run by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Smokin’ Hereford BBQ in Storm Lake was announced as this year’s winner today (Monday). Natalie Schumann is the front-of-house manager for the restaurant, which opened in October 2015. “We were very excited for this. This is such a great opportunity for us. I mean…we just wanted to cry with joy,” Schumann said.

Public voting for “Iowa’s Best Burger” began in February and more than 9,200 nominations were submitted. Judges visited the 10 burger joints that made the contest’s final round. Smokin’ Hereford BBQ came out on top, as the judges noted the unique flavor of their burger made from Iowa beef. “That comes from Coon River Farms in Nemaha, Iowa. We have a partnership with them,” Schumann said. “So, it’s basically straight from the farm to our table.”

The Hereford Burger — an 8 ounce beef burger served on a toasted bun with cheese.

The patties include steak – adding to the flavor. “It’s like a ground chuck. It has the sirloin mixed-in with the ground beef, which gives it a great flavor,” Schumann said. Smokin’ Hereford BBQ is located in an old train depot. In addition to the food, the restaurant serves up a unique atmosphere.”Our floor comes from an old (high school) gym floor in Fonda, Iowa and we have different tin and barn wood from local family barns,” Schumann said.

This marks the eighth year for the “Best Burger” contest. The Chuckwagon Restaurant in Adair took the title last year.

(Radio Iowa)