Des Moines, Iowa – State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald recently awarded a $10,000 College Savings Iowa contribution to the Smith family of Council Bluffs. Two-year-old Oliver was randomly drawn as the winner of the 2022 September College Savings Month Giveaway. “College Savings Iowa is all about helping families save for higher education,” said Fitzgerald. “Through giveaways such as these, we emphasize the importance of investing in our youth and their future. College Savings Iowa is a great way to help you do that.”

College Savings Iowa joined other 529 plans in September to celebrate College Savings Month, which is a national campaign designed to inform family and friends about the importance of saving for higher education. As part of the College Savings Month festivities, College Savings Iowa hosted a giveaway in which one participant was eligible to win a $10,000 College Savings Iowa.

The Smith family received their College Savings Iowa contribution during a check presentation with Treasurer Fitzgerald on Wednesday, October 19 at Iowa Western Community College. Nick, the winning participant, was accompanied by his wife, Sloane, and two their sons, Oliver and Tate. “As educators, my wife and I will always stress the importance of education to our children,” said Nick. “We are extremely grateful for this gift that will help open more opportunities for Oliver’s future. We appreciate how easy the College Savings Iowa 529 plan has been to set up and contribute to so we can help relieve some of the financial burden higher education can pose for our children, nieces and nephews.”

College Savings Iowa is a tax-advantaged way for families to save for education-related expenses. Earnings in an account grow deferred from state and federal taxes, and qualified withdrawals are tax free. If a participant is an Iowa taxpayer, they can also deduct up to $3,522 per beneficiary account from their 2022 state income taxes.

Read Program Description at CollegeSavingsIowa.com for details about the Plan. Connect with the Plan on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on current events and upcoming giveaways.

(Audubon, Iowa) – The Audubon School District’s Board of Education held their regular monthly meeting Monday evening, during which there was a public hearing with regard to Expending funds from the District Flexibility Account. Superintendent Eric Trager explains…

The Board passed a Resolution to expend the funds for any General Fund purpose. In this case, the Board decided to upgrade the District’s school bus fleet with those funds.

Mr. Trager said also, the Certified Enrollment numbers they submit to the State, show a decline.

He said the Board voted to continue with the District’s participation in the Instructional Support Program, as most other districts in the state have also done.

There will be a public hearing during the Board’s regular November meeting, and then act on a Resolution to put an ISL in-place. The Levy, he says, generates about $320-to $330,000 per year, and can be used for any General Fund purpose. It’s paid through a combination of Property AND Income Tax payers. Mr. Trager says that’s to make sure everyone pays their fair share, not just the property owners.

Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Fraud Division report a Ringgold County woman, 44-year-old Lesa Darrah, from Redding, pled guilty on October 3, 2022, to one count of Forgery (Aggravated Misdemeanor) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. The investigation began in May of 2022 after the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau received information indicating Darrah had forged information on an insurance document presented to the local police department following an accident investigation.

Darrah was arrested on July 3, 2022. Following her guilty plea, Darrah was placed on supervised probation for two years. Darrah was also ordered to pay a civil penalty of $855.

Lesa Darrah photo courtesy of the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday), approved a Courthouse snow removal bid from Jason Brewer, in the amount of $225 per snow event. That was the only bid that was submitted. The Board agreed to sign-on to the ISAC (Iowa State Association of Counties’) Soil Compaction Project. Auditor Mandy Berg explains what the agreement entails.

(The study looks at moisture content in soil around pipeline construction. It will determine when construction has to stop on pipelines based on the moisture content of the soil. The analysis will be done by the State of Iowa and the cost of the project is $51,098. ISAC is looking for $600 from each county to pay for the study.)

There are currently plans for three companies to build carbon sequestration pipelines across 70 counties in the state. And again, the study could help reduce damage to property from construction equipment when the soil has too much moisture in it, regardless of what type of project is involved.

The Adair County Supervisors acknowledged and approved the 2022 Weed Commissioner’s Annual Report from Nathan Jensen. And, they approved a 28-E agreement for the maintenance and repair of primary with the Iowa Department of Transportation. The agreement is renewed every 5-years, or whenever there are major changes to the agreement. County Treasurer Brenda Bird said the agreement, which was looked over by Adair County Attorney Melissa Larson, has very little changes this year.