DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State regulators say Iowa’s casinos contributed nearly $1billion to the state’s economy in 2011. The Des Moines Register says a report from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission shows the 18-state regulated casinos spent $999 million on payrolls, food, equipment and other expenses. That’s up from $945 million in 2010, which was the lowest in five years as the industry struggled to recover from the nationwide recession.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Davenport man has been arrested in Des Moines, accused of passing counterfeit $100 bills at a bar. Thirty-one-year-old Anthony Cole was arrested early yesterday on a charge of forgery. He remained in Polk County Jail last night.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Polk County jury has found a truck driver not guilty of running a red light in a crash that killed four elderly women in West Des Moines. Forty-four-year-old Kenneth Snow Junior was found not guilty this week after a two-day trial that included conflicting eyewitness testimony over whether Snow failed to obey a traffic control device. Snow and his employer, Panama Transfer Incorporated, still face lawsuits from the families of three of the women who died in the crash.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City Police have set up a hotline for people to report littering. Officials say the city spent $84,000 to remove litter from public property in 2011. Police are encouraging anyone who sees littering to call (712) 279-6440.