(Radio Iowa) — If you got an ugly Christmas sweater, something in the wrong size or a duplicate item as a gift, ’tis now the season for returns and lines at customer service counters are long. Margo Riekes, spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau in Omaha-Council Bluffs, offers Iowans a few tips to keep the line moving smoothly.

“Be patient because all of the sales employees, especially the first few days after Christmas, are overwhelmed with all the returns,” Riekes says. “If you’re patient, you’re more likely to get some action.” Standing in line for 45 minutes may try your patience, but she says to consider what it must be like to be the person hearing peoples’ complaints all day long.

“The customer who’s trying to return the gift should always be calm and polite when trying to do so,” Riekes says. “People will be much more willing to help them.” When returning an item, make sure to keep it in the original packaging and in like-new condition.  “Do not take the tags off the things because once the tags are off, it’s probably impossible to return them,” she says.

If the gift giver was thinking far enough ahead to enclose a gift receipt in your wrapped box, it will make the process infinitely easier.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A settlement between Wells Fargo and attorneys general from all 50 states will mean more than $6 million for Iowa. Wells Fargo and the attorneys generals announced the settlement Friday following an investigation into fake accounts opened without the knowledge of customers and other questionable practices.

Besides paying $575 million to the states and the District of Columbia, Wells Fargo agreed to respond to customer complaints about its banking and sales practices. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says the state’s share of the settlement will be $6.18 million. The money will go to Iowa’s Consumer Education and Litigation Fund.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Another state audit of the Mason City school district has uncovered more than $2.1 million in improper disbursements consisting largely of salary overpayments during eight years, according to a report issued Friday. More than $1.3 million was salary to 66 mainly administrative employees that exceeded the authorized pay and increases, the report said. The figure also included other monetary benefits, such as vehicle and cellphone allowances given to some employees. Hundreds of thousands more in improper disbursements covered district contributions to retirement and annuity accounts.

“We identified several administrative personnel who received a percentage increase which differed from the percentage increase approved by the board, as well as certain benefit payments issued to various administrative personnel which had not been reviewed and/or approved by the board,” the auditors said in the report.

District officials had expressed concerns about district spending to state audit officials in August 2017 before the state officials released an audit report for fiscal year 2015. That report noted more than $108,000 of improper disbursements included nearly $69,000 in improper vacation payouts to five former employees. The follow-up audit released Friday covered July 2009 through August 2017.
The new audit also noted improper disbursements of nearly $172,000 in salary and other separation package payments to former Superintendent Anita Micich, who was forced out of her post in June 2016. The auditors said the money was charged to the July 1, 2016, June 30, 2017, fiscal year but was considered improper because the public purpose of the resignation agreement had not been documented.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An audit of a state agency launched after numerous mismanagement allegations has found more than $500,000 of improper or unsupported spending. State Auditor Mary Mosiman on Friday released the audit of the Iowa Finance Authority, which has been roiled by the firing of its executive director, David Jamison, after allegations of sexual misconduct. The agency also has been criticized for its move to another office, excessive salaries and employee spending. The audit identified $549,399 in spending deemed improper, unsupported or not meeting the standard for public purposes.

Of that amount, nearly $27,000 was for improper spending, including more than $21,000 for credit card purchases by agency employees. The roughly $32,000 in unsupported spending included $26,805 for relocation reimbursements for an agency employee. More than $490,000 in spending that didn’t meet the standard for public purposes included $328,184 for payroll and related costs to employees given larger-than-usual pay raises.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office says a man who drove his vehicle into an occupied residence Thursday, was arrested on several charges. No injuries were reported.  41-year old Steve Thomas, of Clearfield, was arrested following the incident at 404 Washington, in Clearfield.  Thomas was charged with OWI, Assault, Criminal Mischief in the 2nd degree, Interference with Official acts, Reckless Driving and Open Container. He was being held at the Taylor County Jail on a $6,300 cash bond.

(Radio Iowa) — Structure fires have killed 38 people in Iowa this year, a significant reduction from 2017 when a record 56 people died in fires across the state. Ron Humphrey, spokesman for the State Fire Marshal’s office, says just under half of last year’s total transpired over a two-month period. “I think last year we had 25 fatalities between October 29th and New Year’s Eve,” Humphrey said.

Two fires within a few days of each other killed nine people, including four children, last December. One occurred early on Christmas morning in the tiny town of Blue Grass, while the other fire happened December 21 in nearby Davenport. With much colder weather expected through early next week, Humphrey is recommending Iowans do some preventive maintenance before turning up their furnace or burning wood in a fireplace. “You know, cleaning the dust and other materials out from around your water heater and furnace, make sure furnace filters are replaced and chimney flues are cleaned and swept – keeping those heat producing appliances whether they’re gas fed or solid fuel fed operating properly,” Humphrey said.

According to Humphrey, in most cases, investigators find victims of house fires in Iowa did not have a working smoke detector in their home.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has released a report detailing multiple arrests that have taken place since Dec. 17th. Most recently, on Christmas Day, 42-year old Patrick William Hillard, of Holstein, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Serve Jail Time. Hillard was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day upon serving the remaining owed time. On December 24th, Cass County deputies arrested 31-year old Chase Daniel Mewhirter, of Atlantic, on a charge of OWI 1st Offense. Mewhirter was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on his own recognizance.

On December 23rd, 20-year old Shawn Michael Putnam, Jr., of Council Bluffs, was arrested on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for four (Class B) felony counts of Sex Abuse 2nd Degree. Putnam was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $250,000 bond. On December 20th, 32-year old Ashley Chantelle Nicole Hetterich, of Denison, was arrested in Cass County on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Hetterich was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $25,000 bond.

On December 19th, as the result of a traffic stop, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 18-year old Daveon Ja’Mar Jones, of Omaha, on charges of Carrying Weapons; No Weapon Permit; and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Deputies also cited both 18-year old Devin Marquese Edwards, of Council Bluffs and 19-year old Maryam Bu Alaq, of Lincoln, NE, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Jones was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance. That same day, 35-year old Matthew James Bruns, of Atlantic, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Bruns was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.

On December 18th, 27-year old Aaron Gar Nelson, of Clarinda, was arrested in Cass County on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Theft 3rd Degree. Nelson was taken to the Cass County Jail and was released later that day on $2,000 bond. And there were two arrested Dec. 17th: 28-year old Michelle Lee Dougherty, of Carter Lake, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Dougherty was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released on her own recognizance. And, 48-year old David Michael Boggs, of Council Bluffs, was arrested by Deputies in Cass County, on a charge of OWI 2nd Offense. Boggs was also arrested on drug charges by the Atlantic Police Department at that time. Boggs was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $107,000 bond.

BUFFALO, Iowa (AP) — A special state audit has uncovered nearly $41,000 in improper and unsupported spending at the city of Buffalo Community Center in eastern Iowa’s Scott County. City officials had asked for the audit to cover the period of January 2013 through June 2016. The officials had grown concerned about the center board’s spending. The audit report says the improper disbursements of more than $14,600 include fuel purchases for board members’ vehicles and personal purchases from area stores. The disbursements also included more than $11,400 of donations from the bingo proceeds account. The report said those donations didn’t comply with Iowa code.

The unsupported spending of more than $26,300 included payments to various vendors for which no receipts or other documentation was found.

(Radio Iowa) — Traffic safety officials fear with another four-day weekend ahead for many Iowans, there will be more chances for revelry, drunk driving and deaths on the state’s roads leading up to New Year’s Day. Linda Chapman, president of the Dubuque/Jackson County Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, says their message is simple and unwavering. Chapman says, “If you drink, make choices ahead of time and make sure that you do not endanger others on the highway.” Despite the rise in transportation options in recent years, like the use of ride sharing apps like Uber, the number of drunk driving deaths has continued to rise. “People do not make good choices and they lose their intelligence to a great degree,” Chapman says. “They get more brave and they think, ‘Oh, I can do it, I’m not drunk,’ when in fact, they are.”

MADD and Uber are partnering for a campaign called “Reasons to Ride,” encouraging everyone to forget the excuses and get home safely — whether it’s a bus, a designated driver or requesting an Uber. Kayla Whaling (WAY-ling), a spokeswoman for Uber, says there’s no excuse to drive impaired and endanger others on the roads. “There’s tons of transportation options available,” Whaling says, “and we want to remind them to plan ahead, leave their car keys behind and know how they plan on getting home before they leave the house.” If you don’t already have the Uber app on your smartphone, Whaling suggests downloading it before heading out to holiday get-togethers, or exploring other public transportation alternatives. She says Uber is dedicated to safety.

“We do provide all of this information when you request a trip which includes: the make and model of the vehicle, the driver’s name, the driver’s photo and the license plate,” Whaling says. “We encourage everyone to check that information prior to getting into the car, just to make sure they’re getting into the right car.” A report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds 44-percent of traffic fatalities on certain days between Christmas and New Year’s Day are caused by drunk driving.
www.madd.org/uber

DES MOINES, Iowa – Officials with MidAmerican Energy report a change in state law means the Company’s Iowa customers will soon see a monthly “energy efficiency charge” on their utility bills – though customers are not actually paying a new fee. Beginning in January, Iowa’s regulated utilities, including MidAmerican Energy, will show energy efficiency fees on a separate line on monthly customer bills. Utilities are required to use the fees to fund energy efficiency programs. MidAmerican Energy does not profit from the fees, and the money collected is passed through to other customers to support their energy-saving projects. The legislation, signed into law in May, requires utilities to itemize the energy efficiency charge beginning January 1st. That’s a significant change from the previous law that has barred utilities from listing the charge on monthly bills and required them to include the fee in the energy rate charge.

The law will also reduce MidAmerican Energy customer utility bills by capping energy efficiency program spending. In 2017, MidAmerican Energy’s Iowa customers paid, on average, more than 7 percent of their bills toward energy efficiency programs, the highest in the nation. During that 12-month period, an average single family home paid $145.16, including $67.50 on electric and $77.66 on natural gas bills for energy efficiency programs. The legislation will limit energy efficiency program spending at 2 percent for electric and 1.5 percent for natural gas. The spending caps will save MidAmerican Energy customers an estimated $80 – $90 million annually. On average, it will save about $81 per year for MidAmerican Energy’s residential gas and electric customers, $172 for commercial and more than $12,000 for industrial energy users.

Once the Iowa Utilities Board issues a ruling on MidAmerican Energy’s latest proposed energy efficiency program spending plan, which the board must file by the end of March, the company’s Iowa customers will pay reduced energy efficiency charges. Those reductions will take effect later in the year, depending on the board’s ruling. While MidAmerican Energy customers will pay less each month, the company says it will continue to offer energy efficiency programs and customer energy savings incentives. Separately, MidAmerican Energy customers will see a new monthly bill format beginning in January. MidAmerican Energy redesigned the bill, based on customer input, to make it easier to understand monthly energy use and charges.