Iowa’s justice system would see a reduction of nearly 600 full-time employees, including 367 in corrections and 184 in the judicial branch, under a proposal unveiled Tuesday and slated for a vote Thursday by the legislature’s justice budget subcommittee, IowaPolitics.com reported. State prisons would be hit hardest by the staff reductions, which would save the state about $1.4 million. Public safety would see a reduction of 54 full-time employees, including 33 from the Iowa State Patrol. The judicial branch would see a $9.9 million reduction from this year, while indigent defense would be reduced by $5.9 million.

Ames-based NewLink Genetics Corp. has reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that allows the company to begin a Phase 3 clinical trial of an immunotherapy drug to treat pancreatic cancer. The study will enroll up to 680 previously untreatable patients who have had surgery for pancreatic cancer at more than 50 major cancer treatment centers across the United States, the company said in a press release. Click here to read related story.

The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) Commission approved its fiscal 2011 budget on Tuesday, along with a fare adjustment and service reductions that will begin April 25. The commission also approved moving forward with a new liability debt financing plan that is projected to save $100,000, allowing DART to preserve several services that had been previously proposed for elimination, among them night service on all local routes.

Bridge construction will close westbound Interstate 80 in the overnight hours for two nights beginning March 2, weather permitting, the Iowa Department of Transportation announced. Westbound I-80 will be closed from exit 117 (Dallas County Road R-22) to exit 121 (Jordan Creek Parkway) nightly from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night. Inclement weather may extend the closure additional nights. Westbound I-80 traffic will be detoured using U.S. 6 (Hickman Road) and U.S. 169. No oversize loads will be allowed on the detour route.