(FORT MADISON) – Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Corrections report a correctional officer was assaulted by an inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison at approximately 8:00 a.m. today (Friday). The correctional officer was conducting his routine duties in a living unit when he was confronted by an inmate. The inmate used closed-fist strikes to force him to the ground, then proceeded to kick the officer once he was on the ground. Additional staff were nearby and able to quickly come to the assistance of the assaulted officer.

The officer that was assaulted was transported by department vehicle to the Fort Madison Community Hospital for evaluation and treatment. He has since been released from the hospital. The incident remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot has soared to $1 billion, as the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. lottery history gets even bigger. Lottery officials increased the grand prize just hours ahead of the Friday night drawing. The prize climbed from $970 million. Although the jackpot keeps increasing , the odds of winning remain stuck at a miserable one in 302.5 million. The prize has grown so large because no one has hit the jackpot since July 24, when a group in California won $543 million.

The $1 billion prize refers to the annuity option. Most winners opt for cash, which for Friday night’s drawing would be $565 million. Officials say that if there isn’t a winner, the prize for Tuesday night’s drawing would be $1.6 billion, tying the largest U.S. lottery prize.

A traffic stop on a suspicious vehicle in Council Bluffs at around 12:30-a.m. today (Friday), resulted in the arrest of five people on theft charges. Authorities say the suspicious  truck was circling the 3100 block of Avenue E. The truck bed was full of Halloween decorations. The  vehicle was occupied by five younger males. Authorities say the suspects were cooperative, and admitted items in the truck bed were stolen, including from two residences that were hit prior to the traffic stop. The thieves were identified as 19-year olds Guy J. Sudmann, of McClelland, Davin M. Woodward, of Blue Springs, MO., and Henry Arenas, of Denton, TX., along with 18-year old’s Jose B. Valdivia, of Glendale Heights, IL., and Gad W. Husemand, of Council Bluffs.  Each was charged with Theft in the 3rd Degree, and were being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on $2,000 bond, each.

Two victims were identified, and their items, valued at $350, were returned. The residences of seven other items could not be located. The Council Bluffs Police Department’s Property Section is in possession of those items, and is in the process of trying to locate the appropriate owners. If you are missing Halloween decorations in this area, call the Police Dept. at 712-328-4716.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that Iowa Department of Transportation officers do not have authority to issue speeding tickets to or arrest drivers outside of the regulation of commercial vehicles. The finding came Friday in separate 2016 cases in which lower courts split on the issue, with a judge in Iowa County finding that carrier enforcement officers did have such authority, while a judge in Polk County ruled that those officers did not.

The state’s high court ruled Friday that Iowa law allowed the officers to make arrests and issue tickets only for violations relating to operating authority, registration, size, weight and load of commercial vehicles.
State law changed last year, giving IDOT officers the authority to ticket drivers of noncommercial vehicles, but only until July 2018.

More than three-hours after a fatal, head-on crash closed Highway 92 west of Massena, this morning, the road has finally re-opened. Cass County Deputy Bill Ayers reports (that as of 10:25-a.m.) the wreck has been cleared away and the road is passable. The accident, which resulted in one-person flown to a hospital in Omaha, and the death of another person, occurred between 720th and 730th Streets on Highway 92, at around 6:45-a.m.  The names of the victims and other details have not yet been released.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowans are being bombarded with campaign ads in the most expensive election to date. Jay Newell, a professor of advertising at Iowa State University, says more money is being spent on ads during this 2018 midterm election than even the 2016 presidential election. More than six-million dollars is being spent on ads just in the governor’s race. Newell says ads for the 2016 Iowa Caucuses started early in 2015 and ran nearly a full year. “In Des Moines, there was something like $20-million of advertising, that’s a colossal amount,” Newell says. “In comparison, Hy-Vee, which is the largest advertiser in the state, spends about $4-million a year. Statewide, it was the equivalent of ten Hy-Vee chains opening all at once.”

What happens in political advertising is a lot like what happens with brand advertising, accord to Newell. “If all it took to get you to buy a product was to just advertise, then all you would do is advertise, advertise, advertise and you would win the market,” Newell says, “but that’s not what happens in brands and it’s not what happens in politics.”

An I-S-U study of political advertising during the 2016 Iowa Caucuses showed the candidates who spent more on television advertising generally received more support on caucus night, but spending does -not- guarantee a win. “Certainly, there is a relationship in that the more popular the candidate, the more access they might have to funding,” Newell says. “That’s going to result in advertising but that advertising may not result in voting behavior.”

Republican Jeb Bush spent more than nine-million dollars during the 2016 Caucus season, the second-biggest advertiser, but only won about three-percent of the vote. The top spender, Marco Rubio shelled out slightly more than Bush — around nine-point-two million — and still placed third, behind Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A prominent youth basketball coach in Iowa has admitted to possessing nude photos and videos of 400 boys, including former players and their friends. Former Iowa Barnstormers Coach Greg Stephen pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually exploiting minors and possessing and transporting child pornography. He acknowledged in a plea agreement that police discovered files on his hard drive with the names of 400 different minors.
The folders contained videos of the boys undressing and showering that Stephen recorded with secret devices he placed in hotels, his home and lake house. Stephen recorded boys whom he enticed by posing on social media as teenage girls. Some images showed sleeping minors with their pants pulled down, including many in which Stephen recorded himself touching their genitals.

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 2.5 percent in September. The state’s jobless rate was 3.0 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate declined to 3.7 percent in September. “The number of working Iowans is increasing, the number of unemployed Iowans is decreasing, and our great state continues to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation,” said Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development. The number of unemployed Iowans decreased to 41,800 in September from 42,700 in August. The current estimate is 8,200 lower than the year ago level of 50,000. The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,644,400 in September. This figure was 1,900 higher than August and 18,200 higher than one year ago.

 Seasonally Adjusted Non-farm Employment  

In September, Iowa establishments shed 3,400 jobs. This month’s drop marks the second loss in the last three months for the state. Both goods-producing and service industries took a step back this month. Private industry showed little overall movement this month whereas government pared 3,500 jobs and is now down 1,200 jobs annually. Of the ten private sectors: four super sectors lost jobs, four were unchanged, and two added jobs in September. Leisure and hospitality posted the largest drop in September (-1,100). This month’s loss is the second-consecutive drop for this super sector which has seen only three monthly increases in 2018. All of the loss this month was due to reductions in accommodations and food services which generally drives the monthly movements. Manufacturing posted a decrease this month (-600) following no gain in August. All other losses were small and included information services and financial activities, both of which shed jobs in August also. Alternatively, gains this month were highest in other services (+1,500). This sector has not shown any strong hiring trend this year. The only other sector to add jobs this month was professional and business services, gaining 500 jobs this month at the administrative support and waste management sector.

Annually, total non-farm employment remains up 17,600 jobs versus last September. Goods-producing industries continue to fuel annual growth and have contributed 14,300 jobs over the past twelve months. Durable goods factories are up 6,100 jobs despite little movement this month. Professional and business services also continues to expand and is now up 2,900 jobs since last September. Private sector losses have been limited to just three sectors: other services, leisure and hospitality, and information.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, earlier this week, gave their blessing to a woman who requested to paint a mural on the west side courthouse garage doors. According to County Auditor Dale Sunderman, Connie Boose appeared before the Board to say she wants to paint an Art Deco-style mural on the garage door, in keeping with the style of courthouse, which was built in 1934. Boose suggested an eagle motif for one of the doors, and a floral motif for the other. Painting an maintenance of the murals would come at no cost to the County.

Boose, who painted Coca-Cola murals in Atlantic, said the CPC and City of Atlantic asked her to look for three- or four-more places in town to paint other murals. Both the Supervisors and Sheriff Darby McLaren indicated they had no problem with the proposal. Boose said she will present her plan to the City and CPC for final approval. If that’s granted, the Supervisors will take official action on the project at a future meeting.

In other business, County Engineer Charles Bechtold reviewed current road projects. He said Fall pipe, rock and seal coat projects have been completed…a 1,500-ton capacity salt shed has been built, and more safety equipment has been purchased. Bechtold said also, an existing 58-foot wood trestle bridge on Quincy Road over Hoyt’s Branch, will be replaced with a 70-foot concrete culvert. During their next meeting on Oct. 24th, the Cass County Supervisors will hear an annual report and request for funding, from the Cass County Library Association, and accept the work and final application for partial payment on the gray water transmission to ethanol plant project, from Crow River Construction.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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