Patrons of the Nodaway Valley School District will gather tomorrow (Tuesday) to vote during a school bond special election. The $8.8-million bond, if approved, would help to build a proposed, new elementary building.The current building is nearly 60-years old. Officials say it would cost $6.5-million to renovate the existing facility, which is not currently energy efficient, is difficult to maintain, and not ADA compliant.

Nodaway Valley Superintendent Casey Berlau has stated that the proposed, new structure would likely be  located north of the current elementary in the current parking lot. It would include a safe room/storm shelter. Parking would be moved closer to the high school building and parking would also exist south of the new elementary. If the bond issue passes, the board will make a final decision as to the location of the building and input from the public will be considered.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More than 6 inches of snow fell across much of eastern Nebraska and Iowa Sunday. Des Moines observers reported 10 inches of snow there yesterday morning.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The winter storm has forced airlines to cancel some flights in Nebraska and Iowa, but the airports are operating normally despite the snow. The main problem area Sunday for airports in Omaha, Lincoln and Des Moines was flights headed to and from Chicago. Most of the cancellations involved one of Chicago’s two major airports O’Hare and Midway. Des Moines International Airport spokesman Andrew Wall says a few flights were cancelled Sunday, but those were mostly the ones that go back and forth to Chicago all day.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As Iowa’s modified Medicaid expansion hits the one-year anniversary mark, some enrollees will be asked to pay small monthly premiums because they haven’t completed a physical exam and health questionnaire. For Governor Terry Branstad, those health requirements were key provisions for expanding Medicaid in Iowa using funding from President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The only time of year Kevin Moreland eats meat is when he serves as a judge at the Des Moines bacon festival’s food competition. The Des Moines Register reports Moreland again served as a judge at the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival on Saturday. Moreland has only been a vegetarian since 2010, and he did it to help him meet his fitness goals.

The first committee votes on a bill that would raise the state fuel tax by as much as a dime a gallon may come this week at the statehouse. For several years, the idea of phasing-in a gas tax hike was considered, but never enacted. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican from Hiawatha, says this year is different. “It would appear to me that the memberzhip is moving towards 10 cents,” Paulsen says, “and likely all at once.” More than 200 county and city officials, along with road builders, flooded the statehouse last Wednesday to lobby for a fuel tax increase.

“Clearly the Iowans who are supporting it are making many more contacts to the General Assembly than those who oppose it and, in fact, some Iowans have contacted me that at one time were not O.K. with it and now they’re saying, ‘This is the right thing to do,'” Paulsen says. Paulsen, Republican Governor Terry Branstad and Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal have all said it will require “bipartisan support” for a gas tax hike to pass the legislature, however. Gronstal defines that in the senate as 13 Republicans joining 14 Democrats to vote yes.

“It depends on the level of support amongst Republicans,” Gronstal says. “…I’m hesitant to go much further than that.” Rob Solt is president of Iowans for Tax Relief and he questions why legislators aren’t “reallocating” gas tax revenue, so cities and counties get more of it. “I believe that the DOT has found $215 million of needs, but I think that that $215 million can come out of the resources they’re already getting,” Solt says. Senator Tod Bowman, a Democrat from Maquoketa, is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, where a bill on this subject may emerge this week. Bowman says the D-O-T has already cut and reallocated for several years.

“I don’t think we can get ourselves out of this problem by being more efficient,” Bowman says. “We continue to look for efficiencies — and that’s what we need to do — but we need additional revenue to really solve the problems.” And the Iowa D-O-T’s director says while an immediate, 10-cent hike in the state gas tax will raise enough to address next year’s 215-million dollar shortfall, vehicles will continue to get more fuel efficient — and reduce the number of gallons of gas sold in Iowa. In addition, construction costs will continue to rise as federal tax money for transportation projects is expected to remain flat.

(Radio Iowa)

The Creston Police Department report a two-vehicle accident occurred in Creston at 11:15pm Saturday night.  19-year-0ld Jesse David Rathe of Creston entered the intersection of S Birch and Fremont Streets in Creston in his 1998 Ford Ranger and struck a 2008 Ford Taurus driven by 31-year-old Jeffrey Patrick Madore of Creston.  Rathe told officers he did not see Madore’s vehicle as he went through the intersection.  No one was injured in the accident and damages were estimated at $1,100 between both vehicles. No citations were issued at the scene.