Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials are opening up state land for haying and grazing to help farmers impacted by severe weather conditions. The state Department of Natural Resources announced yesterday that available land is primarily the upland grassland areas, although there will be some availability for “flash grazing” in northeast Iowa and other land not being leased to farmers. Officials say haying and grazing can start after July 15th, when the primary nesting season for upland birds has been completed.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Three banks in eastern Iowa are planning to merge this summer, so they’ll be able to offer customers services at eight locations. The owner of Central State Bank of Muscatine, Freedom Security Bank of Coralville and Kalona and West Chester Savings Bank of Washington announced the merger on Tuesday.

GRUNDY CENTER, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa doctor cleared of criminal charges that accused him of running an unauthorized methadone clinic has surrendered his medical license. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Doctor Frank Lamp of Grundy Center entered the agreement last week with the Iowa Board of Medicine. The documents were released yesterday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge in Des Moines has ordered for the second time a 3-year-old girl at the center of an international custody dispute between divorced parents to be returned to Sweden. The girl’s mother, Raina Anderung, must fly her daughter to Sweden where the girl’s father, Magnus Anderung lives within two weeks.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public to be aware of a new scam that has come to department’s attention. Officials say victims of the scam receive a call from a person claiming to be from Publisher’s Clearinghouse, and in order to receive money the victims have supposedly won, they are told they need to forward money to another location. Afterward, someone calls the victims and claims to be the County Sheriff verifying that the victims have won money. THIS IS A SCAM.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds citizens to NEVER send money to any party claiming that you must send money to receive money back.

A man from Elk Horn was injured during a motorcycle accident this (Wednesday) afternoon. The Iowa State Patrol says 50-year old Terry Lee Robertson was transported to Myrtue Memorial Hospital in Harlan by Elk Horn Rescue, after the 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle he was driving crashed after coming upon an animal on the road. Robertson braked and then lost control of the cycle before it entered the north ditch and came to rest. The accident happened at around 12:15-p.m. on County Road F-58, about 2 & 1/2 miles west of Elk Horn.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa county will pay $685,000 in a settlement with a dispatcher who claimed she was groped and sexually harassed by the sheriff and fired after complaining. Madison County Sheriff Craig Busch also provided a letter of recommendation to Kathryn Frank under the settlement. In the letter, Busch says the 15-year employee who he fired in 2009 handled 911 calls with “the utmost expertise” and was praised by officers for her “excellent skills.” The settlement avoids a third trial in Frank’s lawsuit after the first two ended in hung juries. 

Frank claims that Busch harassed her for years before he became sheriff in 2008, leading to an earlier $60,000 settlement. She says Busch retaliated by firing her for bogus reasons. Busch said Wednesday he denies wrongdoing, but declined further comment.