CENTERVILLE, IA (IRN) – An atheist leader says his organization will fight to add displays of its own if a Nativity scene is returned to a court house lawn in southern Iowa. KCRG-TV reports the Nativity scene was moved Monday from the Appanoose County Courthouse lawn in Centerville. Some residents had complained that a religious display should not be placed on government property. The Centerville City Council is scheduled to discuss the issue on Monday. LACONA, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man is claiming whole, dead chickens are being mixed in with manure to be spread on fields. KCCI-TV reports John Miller, of Lacona, said it is supposed to be chicken manure being spread on the farm field across the road from his house, but he said something was added to the mix which makes it smell much worse–dead chickens. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The head of the Iowa Department of Transportation will step down early next year. Iowa DOT Director Mark Lowe announced he will resign from the position effective January 10th. Pat Garrett, spokesperson for the Governor’s office, released a statement saying: “Governor Reynolds appreciates Director Mark Lowe’s years of service, and has decided to seek a change in leadership as she continues to build her administration.” MONTICELLO, IA (IRN) – President Trump spent the end of the week touting a “Phase One” trade deal with China. The agreement means neither side will escalate the ongoing trade war and China will, over time, begin buying billions in American ag products. KGAN-TV reports Iowa farmers are happy to see something that looks like progress. Johnson County Farmer Steve Swenka says “at this point, any news is good news.” IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Hawkeye senior basketball guard Jordan Bohannon announced that the shoes he wore in Thursday’s game against Iowa State will be raffled off and he will donate the money to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Bohannon wrote a message on the shoes after the game, ‘To ISU: Thanks for the memz.’ He also added a smiley face and signed his name. The raffle tickets cost $10.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A Burlington elementary school principal died in a two-vehicle car wreck Thursday morning. The school district announced the loss of Chris Richards, and said he will be remembered “for his love of children, his wife Melissa, and daughter Rhapsody.” Students and staff were asked to wear black and gold Hawkeye colors to school Friday in his honor. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – On Wednesday, the House approved a bipartisan bill to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented farm workers in America. Although it did receive Republican support, it’s unclear how well the bill will do in the Republican controlled Senate. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – State budget experts say revenue projections for the current fiscal year and next year are running ahead of October predictions. The three-member Revenue Estimating Conference says that state income is up about 2 percent from the previous year. The estimate for next year is important because Gov. Kim Reynolds must base her 2021 budget on the figures released Thursday. AMES, IA (IRN) ISU’s home Cy-Hawk winning streak is over in men’s basketball. Iowa broke out to an 18-4 lead to start and went on to beat the Cyclones 84-68 at Hilton Coliseum. It’s Iowa’s first win at Iowa State since 2003. MOUNT AYR, IA (IRN) – An Iowa high school volleyball coach is resigning because the criticism from parents and the politics of being a coach affected her quality of life so much she decided to quit. KCCI-TV reports Tori Braby has a winning record, but has had too much pressure from parents. She says “I’ve had a parent send me about 22 emails in one day upset that her student wasn’t playing.” She said parents complained to her at stores and restaurants and some have waited outside the locker room to threaten her job. She has led her team to three conference championships, and says, “sports isn’t everything.”

CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines man and a Georgia man were killed in a head-on crash Wednesday morning on Interstate 35 In Cerro Gordo County. Iowa State Patrol officials say 30-year-old Henry Robinson, of Georgia, was driving a Nissan FedEx van south in the northbound lanes of I-35 when his vehicle struck a Ford F-150 driven by 52-year-old Bryon Hendricks, of West Des Moines. CLIVE, IA (IRN) – After being run over by a car on Monday, a 14-year-old Clive girl was released from the hospital Wednesday. KCCI-TV reports Natalia Miranda was walking to school Monday afternoon to watch a basketball game when she woke up in the snow. She says, “I don’t remember the impact. I just remember the car coming towards me.” Tire marks near Indian Hill Junior High School in Clive showed where the car jumped the curb and hit Natalia. GLENWOOD, IA (IRN) The federal government is investigating allegations of “sexual arousal studies” and other human subject experiments being conducted at a state institution where people with severe intellectual disabilities receive care. The Des Moines Register reports that part of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the Glenwood Resource Center is related to such studies. Jerry Rea, the superintendent at Glenwood, was placed on paid administrative leave Monday. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds has announced a public service campaign to address increased vaping by Iowa teenagers. Reynolds says increasing awareness and education on the known risks of vaping will help prevent young people from suffering nicotine addiction and health problems. The campaign will feature videos targeted at teens on SnapChat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Hulu and other sites. LISBON, IA (IRN) – Five Lisbon residents are celebrating a big milestone this holiday season: they have collectively seen 501 Christmases. KCRG-TV reports they are all residents of the Rehabilitation Center. Four residents are 100 years old, and one is 101 years old. Staff say it’s the first time they’ve had that many people at the center reach that milestone, and they want to make sure it’s celebrated.

FORT MADISON, IA (IRN) – A person was killed in an officer-involved shooting Tuesday night in Fort Madison. Officers were called to a manufacturing warehouse on a report of a man armed with a handgun. Officers encountered him and he was shot by a Fort Madison police officer. He was taken to the Fort Madison Community Hospital where he died. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man living next door to Morris Elementary on Des Moinens’ south side has placed a painting of a Nazi flag and several more depicting Confederate flags on his front lawn. KCCI-TV reports the man did it in response to a dare. More than 60% of students at the school are minorities. The children can see the flags when they arrive and leave school, and from the playground. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A 21-year-old Cedar Rapids woman is facing multiple charges, including OWI after she led police on a pursuit. KCRG-TV reports she ran a red light, and when police tried to pull her over, she raced away at speeds exceeding 100 mph. The chase ended when she rear-ended another car and she was arrested. No one was hurt. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Congressional Democrats announced a modified North American trade agreement with Canada and Mexico yesterday. The House and the Senate still need to vote on the agreement before getting final approval from the president and both Mexican and Canadian legislators. State of Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says it would be nice to get the agreement in place before Christmas, but time is running out. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Davenport man says hundreds of dollars worth of Christmas presents were stolen from his home in broad daylight. WQAD-TV reports the man says they chose the wrong house. He had recently set up five surveillance cameras, and has good video of the thief.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A man is safe Tuesday morning after being rescued from the Winnebago River after a vehicle plunged into the freezing water. KIMT-TV reports first responders were on scene around 7:30 a.m. after a report of a vehicle in the river. Upon arrival, a man was located inside the vehicle, and rescued. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Deere & Co. is laying off 57 workers at its Davenport manufacturing plant, saying reduced building activity is expected to lower sales of construction and forestry equipment made there by as much as 15% next fiscal year. The cuts become effective Jan. 6. It’s the second round of layoffs the company has announced this fall. In late September, Deere said it was laying off 113 employees at the Davenport plant, effective this past Nov. 18. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Staff are investigating after finding malware on the city of West Des Moines Fire Department’s computer network. The department said the extent of activity and impact of the malware is unknown. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines landmark that sustained damage in a 2017 vandalism incident will soon be repaired. KCCI-TV reports in February 2017, a man with a hammer damaged dozens of sculptures and the structure of the Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens. The gardens honor former Gov. Robert D. Ray and the Asian refugees who fled to Iowa in the 1970s. Nearly $1.5 million has been raised to help fix and preserve the downtown river landmark. SIDNEY, IA (IRN) – The Missouri River dropped below flood stage of 18 feet on Sunday for the first time since last March, but the Army Corps of Engineers is predicting more high water in the spring. Mike Crecelius, Fremont County Emergency Management director, says “we need to be ready because it’s not going to be an ‘if,’ it’s going to be ‘when’ this happens again.”