DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Senate is sending to Gov. Terry Bransad a bill that will survey schools in Iowa to determine whether they’re testing for the presence of radon gas. The bill requires districts to report by the end of this year to the Iowa Department of Education and the agency to file a report with the Legislature by January.

Sen. Matt McCoy, a Des Moines Democrat, who introduced the measure, says the House “gutted” his bill but a report will at least bring public attention to the issue. McCoy’s version, which passed the Senate, would have required schools to test and fix problems if radon had been detected at dangerous levels.

Republican Rep. Matt Windschitl says gathering information is the right path for now.

Officials with SWIFS (Southwest Iowa Family Services, Inc.), have released their 2013 year-end financial reports and IRS Form 990. SWIFS President Hal Gronewold said in a news release that “All outstanding pledges for construction of the Ann W. Wickman Child Development Center (in Atlantic) have been collected, and the time has come for the next phase of fund-raising, which is to eliminate or substantially reduce the mortgage debt incurred.”

Gronwold says the net mortgage debt at year-end amounted to $408-thousand, while the annual debt service cost amounts to $26,500. The Wickman Center is being operated by the Nishna Valley Family YMCA. Gronewold says there are 130 children registered at the Center, with a daily attendance of between 65 and 85 children. An application is pending with the State of Iowa, for a Level 5 Quality Rating. That’s the highest level rating a child care facility can attain.

Gronewold says the original plan envisioned the YMCA assuming ownership of the Center after 5-years, but that the Center would also be free of debt at the end of that time frame as well. Since it is not, they are “In need of significant gift or bequest(s) and will be attempting to identify some situations where a gift of appreciated real estate or securities would result in a monetary benefit for both parties.”

Gronewold says if the fundraising campaign in successful, no further fund-raising will be necessary. If not, SWIFS will retain ownership of the Center and continue to be responsible for the debt, which will necessitate an annual fund drive. For more information, go to www.swifs.org.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A southwest Iowa lawmaker who has stopped joining in legislative action at the Capitol is still receiving his salary and daily expense payments.  Secretary of the Senate Michael Marshall told The Des Moines Register on Monday that Sen. Hubert Houser was receiving his $144 daily expense payments and his $25,000 annual salary, though he hasn’t voted on a measure since March 4.

Houser told the Register earlier he was too busy with work on his farm to join in legislative business, adding that as a Republican in the Democratic-controlled Senate, he had little to do. On Monday, Houser told the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil he’s willing to return his legislative pay to the state if anyone requested he do so.

Houser, a Republican, has served 22 years in the Legislature.

A tip that’s required is no longer considered a tip under new I-R-S rules — and that has caused a change for restaurants. Restaurants have had policies for years where they add an automatic “gratuity” or tip when they serve large groups. Iowa Restaurant Association President, Jessica Dunker, says the I-R-S changes things at the start of the new year. “You can have an automatic gratuity — but then that has to be treated as a service charge,” Dunker explains.

The I-R-S now treats a service change as worker wages from the employer. “And that means as an example, if you have worked more than 40-hours this week, what’s included in your wage is part of that service charge,” Dunker says. “So that the calculations for an employer become very difficult. In addition to that, a service charge. an employer has no obligation to give to the employee.”

While restaurants used to include an automatic gratuity of 20-percent or more for large parities, most now list a suggested but not mandatory tip for larger groups.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowans who use a popular social media website are being warned about a new scam that involves that missing passenger airliner, according to Jim Hegarty at the Better Business Bureau. Hegarty says, “If you’re on Facebook and a post catches your attention with the headline, ‘Video of Malaysia 370 plane found in Bermuda Triangle, Passengers Alive,’ it’s designed to trick you into clicking on the link that would lead you to the video that doesn’t exist or it’s a phony one.”

He says it would be a mistake to click on that link, even if it appears to be from a friend you trust.  “A pop-up may appear, prompting you to update your video player but when you click on that, what you’re doing is downloading malware into your computer that can do all sorts of bad things,” he says.

That malware may record your keystrokes to obtain passwords and access to your personal financial information. Hegarty says while you can trust your friends, you many not be able to trust their Facebook accounts as they can be hacked.  “Don’t click on these because lots of times people’s Facebook can get highjacked and folks will send you things that appear to be coming from them when in fact they’re coming from scammers,” Hegarty says. “These guys are trying to do whatever they can to get unsuspecting consumers to click on these links.”

Hegarty says stay away from links to video footage that claims to be “exclusive,” and he suggests you just hover your cursor over the link to see if it’s really going to the address it claims.

(Radio Iowa)

A 64-year old woman from rural Cass County is dead following a shooting stemming from a domestic situation early this morning in eastern Pottawattamie County. Sheriff Jeff Danker says authorities responded to 303 Brown Street in Oakland shortly after they received a 9-1-1 call at around 3-a.m. He says initially the suspect was uncooperative but they were able to take him into custody without further incident.

The 63-year old suspect owns the home and resides there with his wife. The Pottawattamie County Assessor’s Office says the home is owned by Robert A. Reynolds Jr. Two other people were in the home in addition to the victim. Danker said he believes the witnesses included an adult female and her daughter. The victim, he says, appears to have been a family friend or acquaintance.  A reason for the shooting remains under investigation.

The weapon used during the incident was said to have been a semi-automatic handgun.The suspect was taken to Council Bluffs to be interviewed. Danker says charges are pending completion of the investigation. The victim’s body remained in the home as of 8:30-a.m., while authorities were waiting for a search warrant to conduct a further investigation of the crime scene. No names have been released.