Officials with the Iowa Lottery say an Atlantic woman was the latest big instant-scratch game winner in Cass County during calendar year 2012. Jennifer Hansen won $30,000 in the “Crossword” game, with a ticket purchased at the Casey’s General Store’s  west location on southwest 7th Street. And, Tamara Wiley, of Lewis, was the county’s latest and biggest lotto winner during the same period, winning $40,000 in the Powerball game, with a ticket purchased at Casey’s east, on east 7th Street, in Atlantic.

In fiscal year 2012, Iowa Lottery sales hit a record $310.9 million and have continued at a record pace in the months since then. Officials say a significant number of tickets expire each year without being claimed. In fiscal year 2012, more than $1.1 million in lotto prizes expired in Iowa without being claimed. Prize money left unclaimed after redemption deadlines goes into the lottery’s prize pools for future games, so it will be used to pay prizes, just not those prizes that have expired.

Check your numbers on the Iowa Lottery’s website at www.ialottery.com, where you can also find a current list of unclaimed lotto prizes of $10,000 and above. Winning lotto numbers may be checked by visiting the lottery website or calling the winning numbers hotline at (515) 323-4633. They may also be checked by visiting a lottery retail outlet or calling the lottery at (515) 725-7900 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The driver of a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am was transported to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital following a single vehicle accident Tuesday morning south of Shenandoah. The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports 23-year old Jessica Lynn Strange, of Riverton, was traveling north on Highway 59 at around 7:45-a.m., when for reasons unknown, the car went on to the east shoulder of the road. When the woman over-corrected, the car crossed the road and went on to the west shoulder of Highway 59.

When Strange over-corrected a second time, the car went into the east ditch and slid sideways over a metal post before coming to rest next to some small trees. Strange suffered possible, unknown injuries during the mishap. Her car sustained about $1,600 damage. No citations were issued.

Iowa’s Senior Medicare Patrol has issued a warning that scammers posing as Medicare officials are phoning Iowa’s seniors and attempting to visit them in their homes.  They are trying to obtain personal information to commit financial fraud.  Their hook is to convince the potential victim that they have new and critical information about their Medicare benefits.

Deb Yankey, State Coordinator for Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol, advises, “Watch out for a caller who says they want to bring details about a new Medicare Summary Notice or deliver a new Medicare card to you.  Medicare officials do NOT phone seniors to discuss changes and they do NOT visit your home.  It’s shrewd to be rude – hang up the phone and don’t open your door to a stranger.”

These calls have been received by seniors in Polk and Marion counties within the last few days.  Senior Medicare Patrol expects that calls will spread statewide.  The scammers have discovered that Medicare will soon be sending a redesigned “Medicare Summary Notice,” which is the explanation of benefits sent to persons on Medicare for all services or supplies billed to Medicare.  Scammers typically use the occurrence of a change in a government program, to design new fraud schemes.  Iowans will begin to see the new Medicare notices in their mail over the next several months.

Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) asks for Iowans to report if they receive this type of call, to SMP at 800-423-2449 or to Medicare at 1-800-633-4227.   SMP will report directly to Medicare, how these calls are affecting Iowans.    However, if you give out your bank information to a person you suspect is a scammer, the first and most important thing to do is immediately call your bank and local law enforcement.

For more information, call Southwest 8 Senior Services at 712-328-2540 or toll free at 800-432-9209.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Democratic legislators are pushing to expand Medicaid in Iowa.  Sen. Jack Hatch and Rep. Lisa Heddens, both Democrats, introduced legislation Tuesday that would broaden eligibility requirements for the state program, which covers low-income people, including children and the disabled.  President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul provides funding to states that do this expansion.

If expanded, as many as 150,000 people could be added to Iowa’s Medicaid rolls, mostly low-income childless adults.   Gov. Terry Branstad has opposed an expansion, based on the cost to the state. The federal government would pay the full cost of the expansion for three years and then the state would gradually assume 10 percent of the costs for the new enrollees.

Officials with the City of Carson are urging citizens to watch for discoloration in their water. The water discoloration is due to mechanical failure at the water treatment plant causing higher concentration of potassium permanganate in the water in Carson. The city maintenance supervisor recommends that residents do not drink the water until the water color clears up. The supervisor also recommends not washing white colored clothing at this time.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Google will invest an additional $50,000 into its public wireless Internet service to cover more of Council Bluffs.  Google announced the plan to expand its Wi-Fi network near its data center in Council Bluffs today (Tuesday).

Google’s existing Wi-Fi network already provides high-speed Internet connections across downtown Council Bluffs, the Mid-America Center and the city’s recreational complex. That network was built with a $154,462 Google grant.  The expansion in 2013 will provide Wi-Fi service to the interior of Council Bluffs City Hall and the new River’s Edge Park.

Chris Russell, who runs Google’s data center in Council Bluffs, says the company is happy to provide Internet access to the surrounding community.  Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan says Google has been a great corporate partner.