DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa agency that oversees the federal Women, Infants, and Children food program has been awarded a $5.3 million grant to convert from delivering paper checks to participants to providing electronic money transfers with plastic cards similar to debit cards. The Iowa Department of Public Health says in a statement Friday it has received the grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The money is to be used within two years to hire a contractor to set up the system.

The program provides money for purchase of supplemental food at approved local grocery stores for low-income nutritionally at-risk women, infants, and children. It also provides nutrition education and counseling. The Iowa program served more than 69,000 participants each month last year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Athletic coaches and academics are among the top earners on the state payroll in Iowa. Data released by the state Friday shows the football and men’s basketball coaches at two state universities received some of the highest overall compensation in the state during the 2012-2013 fiscal year. University of Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz took home roughly $3.8 million during that period and Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads received about $2 million.

The athletic programs at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University are self-sustaining and do not receive state dollars. University of Iowa President Sally Mason received about $973,000. That’s about twice her earnings in the previous year because she received a substantial one-time deferred compensation payment.

Gov. Terry Branstad earned $130,000.

Officials with the Harlan Police Department say a suspicious substance discovered at CDS Global Thursday afternoon, was NOT harmful. At around 12:30-pm CDS Global in Harlan received an envelope containing an unknown white powder. Local law enforcement, Shelby County Emergency Management, Shelby County Public Health, Harlan Fire Department and other local agencies responded to the call from CDS.

The FBI, US Postal, The 71st. Civil Support Team, and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and Iowa State Patrol were called to assist. Until the makeup of the substance could be determined CDS Global was locked down.

Following preliminary testing of the substance employees were allowed to leave CDS Global. Authorities were able to determine that the substance posed no threat at any time to CDS employees or to the public, and  CDS Global was told to resume normal operations at approximately 7:30 PM, Thursday.

The origin of the letter remains under investigation by Federal agencies.