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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report 49-year old Clinton Joe Hans England, of Red Oak, was arrested Thursday in Red Oak, on an active warrant for Violation of Probation. England was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,500 bond.
Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, Thursday, reported that Greenfield Police had arrested 34-year old Derik Wayne Bud Pickrell, of Fontanelle. He was taken into custody Monday afternoon in Greenfield, for Assault with Injury, with regard to an incident with his mother. Pickrell was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A top aide to Tom Steyer in Iowa has privately offered local politicians campaign contributions in exchange for endorsing his White House bid. Multiple people with direct knowledge of the conversations told The Associated Press the overtures came from Pat Murphy, Steyer’s Iowa director. There’s no evidence any candidates in Iowa accepted the offer or received contributions as compensation for endorsements. Murphy said concerns about his outreach were the result of a “miscommunication.”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A regional group says it has received a $25 million federal grant to help pay for the removal of a low-head dam in Des Moines and improvements to access points along the Des Moines River. The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization announced Thursday it had received the grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The money will go toward replacing the downtown Scott Avenue Dam with river features designed to increase safety and create whitewater opportunities.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two foundations affiliated with the Meredith Corporation are giving Drake University $3 million to fund renovations to a building housing the Des Moines school’s journalism program. Drake announced Thursday that the Meredith family’s foundation would donate $2 million and the Meredith Corporation Foundation would give $1 million toward improvements to Meredith Hall. The building houses Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has agreed to take an appeal of an Iowa attorney who challenged a flight Gov. Kim Reynolds and her family took on a private jet to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis in December 2017. Gary Dickey filed a complaint with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board in September 2018, alleging the $2,880 claimed for four seats on the jet in campaign documents underestimated the value of the flight. The board and a district judge dismissed his complaint.
(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she’s talked directly with President Trump about the furor over proposed E-P-A rules which Ernst says do not fulfill the deal Trump struck in September on the renewable fuels standard. “I did visit with the president actually, again, two nights ago on this issue and several other issues, but largely focused on the RFS,” Ernst said. “And the president is upset that this is not the same formula that we agreed on in the Oval Office.”
Ernst says there is what she calls “an opportunity for correction,” but she’s not sure now is the time for that to happen. A public comment period is currently underway on the E-P-A’s mandate on ethanol and biodiesel production in 2020. “When I spoke to the president the other night, we would be circling back up, so I do anticipate that between the White House and the staff that’s actively working on the RFS, we’ll be able to visit again with them,” Ernst says.
Ernst and Iowa’s other U.S. Senator, Chuck Grassley, have filed written statement today (Thursday) with the E-P-A, urging agency officials to “uphold their end of the bargain” that Trump struck with the biofuels industry. “I think with overwhelming support, we can hope to fix this error that has been made, you know, it’s not an error. I think Andrew Wheeler, of course, did it on purpose,” Ernst says.
Ernst has previously called for E-P-A Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s removal if the E-P-A doesn’t adjust its plan for next year’s federal production mandate for ethanol and biodiesel.
(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Revenue is updating its income tax withholding tables for 2020 to comply with recent tax laws changes. Revenue spokesman John Fuller says employers will be trimming the amount of Iowa tax withheld from employees’ paychecks starting January 1st, meaning, changes in Iowans’ take-home pay.
“They will get more money in their paychecks which is always a thing most people like,” Fuller says. “It might be good to go on our website. We have a withholding calculator that they can plug some information in and see where they might end up.” So, how much more money will we be seeing in our paychecks next month?
“It’s really hard to answer that question because everyone’s different and everyone’s tax situation’s different,” he says. Iowans who mark “zero” on their withholding may consider raising that to a “one” or “two,” or they may not need to make any alterations at all to their W-4 form. “I had a neighbor question me last year — this is the second year that we’ve done this,” Fuller says. “He said he didn’t really see a need to change and I didn’t change mine either. You may not need to.”
While it may seem like a nice reward to get a fat tax refund check every spring, Fuller says many Iowans like to adjust their earnings to come out closer to the break-even point. “The ideal situation for most people is to come out of the year not owing a lot of money on your 2019 taxes,” Fuller says, “and maybe not getting a huge check because that means you’ve missed out on that money throughout the year.”
The Iowa legislature enacted sweeping tax reforms in 2018 and the changes are being put in place gradually for the 2019 and 2020 tax years. You can find the new tax tables and the Withholding Calculator at the Iowa Department of Revenue website: tax.iowa.gov.
Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg, Thursday afternoon, released updated, unofficial election results from Tuesday’s City/School elections. The results contain updated write-in information. Berg reminds you that the results will not be official until canvassed by the Board of Supervisors. The results are as follows (Name/ votes; *indicates winners):
City of Adair
City Council (elect 3):
Jeremy Marvin Gettler 65*
Perry Lee Leeper 99*
Kyle Irlmeier 62*
Dave Richter 10
Mayor (elect 1)
John M Larsen – 92
City of Bridgewater
City Council (elect 3)
Debra J Tindle 24*
Kristen Walker 25*
Haley Williams 23*
Tyler Warrior 2
Marlo Smith 1
Mayor (elect 1)
Roberta Carpenter 25*
Keith Carpenter 1
Doug Miller 1
City of Fontanelle
City Council (elect 3)
James Campbell 94*
Marlene Davis 35
Dixie D Dukes 95*
John Huddleson 71*
Nichole Queck– 25
Mayor (elect 1)
Ryan Cooper 47
Mary Sturdy-Martin 70*
City of Greenfield
City Council (elect 2)
Holly Dullard 69
Rod McMorran 333*
Joshua Nelson 247*
Jeff Clayton 39
Park Board (elect 1)
William A Raasch 342
Mayor (elect 1)
Jimmie A Schultz 371*
Ron Smith 22
City of Orient
City Council (elect 2)
Josh Madison 38
Gary R Metzger 50
City Council (To Fill Vacancy) (elect 1)
Clarissa Pashek 51
Mayor (elect 1)
Matt Swanson 30*
Justin Boswell 3
Gary Metzger 2
Shawn Subbert 2
City of Stuart
City Council (elect 2)
Michael Kalbach 58*
Kristina A Renslow 39*
Kevin Guisinger 28
James Morgan 6
Adair-Casey School Board At-Large (elect 2)
Randy Carney 104
Dallas Dinkla 97
Nodaway Valley School Board (District 2) (elect 2)
Rebecca McCann 505
Susan Stevens 445
Orient Macksburg School Board
District 2 (elect 1)
Andrew Zellweger 16*
Kristie Davidson 3
Ryan Frederick 2
Lance Mathiews 2
District 3 (elect 1)
Eldon Ray 75
District 4 (elect 1)
Jana Scott 79
Des Moines, Iowa – Two men from Nebraska have entered guilty pleas in an Iowa Arson for Hire Scheme. 35-year old Peere M. Shackelford, of Omaha, NE, pled guilty in Pottawattamie County District Court on October 31st, to Conspiracy to Commit Insurance Fraud (a Class D Felony). As part of Shackelford’s plea agreement, the charges of Arson 2nd Degree and Conspiracy to Commit a Non-Forcible Felony were dismissed. Shackelford received a 5 year deferred prison sentence, a suspended $750 civil penalty, and was placed on probation for one year.
In January 2019, Shackelford’s co-conspirator, 36-year old William Odinas, of Omaha, NE, accepted a plea deal to a lesser charge of Arson 3rd Degree (Aggravated Misdemeanor) for his role in the scheme. Odinas was originally charged with Arson 2nd Degree (a Class C Felony) and Conspiracy to Commit a Non-Forcible Felony (A Class D Felony). Odinas was sentenced to 74 days of incarceration with full credit for time served. Odinas received a $625.00 fine.”
The guilty pleas by Shackelford and Odinas stem from a joint investigation completed by the Council Bluffs Fire Department and the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau beginning in October of 2018. The investigation determined that after Shackelford’s 2005 BMW became inoperable, Shackelford left the vehicle at a dealership in Council Bluffs. After allowing the vehicle to sit unrepaired for several months, Shackelford hired Odinas to set the car on fire, agreeing to pay him with insurance proceeds for committing the arson.
On the evening of the arson, Odinas was seen on surveillance video entering Shackelford’s vehicle and setting it on fire. Days later, Shackelford filed an insurance claim on the totaled vehicle. Shackelford’s insurance claim of $6,818.63 was eventually denied.
Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-242-5304.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court will take an appeal of an Iowa attorney who challenged a 2017 flight Gov. Kim Reynolds and her family took on a private jet to a football game in Memphis, Tennessee. Gary Dickey filed a complaint with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board in September 2018, alleging the $2,880 claimed for four seats on the jet in campaign documents underestimated the flight’s value. The board dismissed his complaint, saying the estimate was reasonable. Dickey appealed and a district court judge in December 2018 dismissed his challenge.
Dickey says in his appeal to the Supreme Court that Iowa campaign finance laws guarantee citizens accurate information and the court should establish a citizen’s right to challenge reports when they’re false. The board’s lawyer argued the board and district judge didn’t err in their decisions and an appeal should be denied. Chief Justice Mark Cady said in an order filed Wednesday that the court would take Dickey’s appeal but will base a decision on documents already filed so no further briefs or oral arguments will be accepted. Reynolds attended the Liberty Bowl to watch Iowa State play Memphis.
Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke has announced the Write-In winners of certain City elections held Tuesday. In offices were no one filed to run, Write-In candidates who received the most votes, up to the number of seats to be filled, were declared winners:
The results are unofficial until they are canvassed 1-p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12th. Any absentee ballots still outstanding that were postmarked by Monday, Nov. 4th, and received by the canvass, will be added into the results, which could impact those results.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man wounded in a shooting died at a Davenport hospital. Officers were sent around 11 p.m. Wednesday to check a report of a shooting. They were at the scene when they learned that a man believed to have been wounded there was taken by private vehicle to the hospital. Police have identified him as 43-year-old Frederick Ewing.
The shooting is being investigated. No arrests have been reported.