(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say there’s a higher risk of flooding this spring on the upper Mississippi River, including all of Iowa’s eastern border and stretching from Minneapolis to St. Louis. Jeffrey Brewer, a spokesman for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, says higher snowfall levels up north this winter are partially to blame for the increase flood risk. “We’ve had a little bit more snow this year, so that’s putting a little more pressure on the tributaries to the Mississippi River,” Brewer says, “and so, from the northern part of the river, it’s expected to be a little bit more flooded than it has in past years.”

Brewer also says flash floods can be especially dangerous, noting the three deaths of motorists in Missouri last weekend whose vehicles were swept away by fast-moving water. A report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts about 44-percent of the U-S is at risk for flooding this spring, which includes possible “moderate to major flooding” along the upper Mississippi. Brewer urges Iowans to check their homeowner’s insurance policy to see what’s covered in the event of a flood.

“Even one inch of water could cause up to $25,000 in damage,” Brewer says, “and so it’s real important to know what your flood risk is and then take steps to make sure that you’re prepared.” He says most homeowners’ policies don’t cover flooding and you may need to buy a separate flood insurance policy. Iowans need to be alert for flash floods, especially during the spring.

“They can occur really quickly and you don’t always have a lot of time to respond and react,” he says, “so advanced preparation is the key.” Brewer suggests creating an inventory of your home’s contents in order to quickly account for any items damaged or destroyed during a flood.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst spoke out again today (Thursday) against President Biden’s proposal to forgive student loan debt. “Why should countless Americans who made responsible financial planning decisions be forced to take on the debts of others?,” Ernst asked. She calls the plan unfair and unaffordable. “It is fanning the flames of inflation and is a driving factor in our growing federal debt,” she says.. Ernst says the plan won’t accomplish what’s needed.

“This transfer of student loan debt does nothing to address and may actually be contributing to the real issue of rising costs to attend college,” Ernst says. Ernst says her brother entered the workforce right out of college and he is an example of the people who will have to pay for the costs of others who took out loans to go to college. She says it also hurts legitimate programs.

“President Biden’s radical proposal invalidates many other successful loan forgiveness and repayment programs designed to incentivize participation in critical fields including the military, public service, and medicine,” Ernst says. Ernst says she is proud to join Republican colleagues in “working to stop this scheme.”

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Lottery sales through February are up 16 percent compared to last year and 57 percent above budget projections. Lottery spokesperson, Mary Neubauer says the record sales pace is due to some large lotto jackpots. “Sales in games like Powerball and Mega Millions are almost entirely jackpot driven and so there are huge peaks and valleys in the sales in those games. You never know when the next big one is going to come along,” she says. Neubauer says this is one of the years where things have lined up for the jackpots. “This year we’ve seen a bin buster in terms of both of those games having huge jackpots — not at exactly the same time but really following each other,” Neubauer says.

Sales of scratch ticket sales are another factor in the numbers. Those sales went from a nearly four percent decrease in the last fiscal year to up slightly so far in this fiscal year. Neubauer says high gas prices impact scratch ticket sales. “None of us can control gas prices and inflationary pressures and as I said, I think all of us were feeling that in the last year,” she says. “And so it’s understandable why something like scratch tickets would be impacted. Scratch ticket sales have always been most closely tied to gas prices and I think it’s because notice I said when you’re at the pump and gas prices are high, you just don’t feel like you have those extra dollars to spend.”

Total Iowa Lottery revenue through February are around 36-point-four million dollars. The fiscal year ends on June 30th.