(Radio Iowa) — Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and Democratic challenger Fred Hubbell meet tonight (Wednesday) in their second “live” T-V debate. Dordt College political science professor Jeff Taylor says debates do not sway many voters. “If a candidate makes a serious gaffe or error or some kind of big blunder in the debate, then that could be problematic,” Taylor says. “…But generally speaking, I think debates usually reinforce the base.”

So Republicans will be cheering for Reynolds tonight and Democrats will be cheering for Hubbell. Reynolds says Hubbell didn’t seem to be having much fun at their first face-to-face debate. “It is fun to talk about the positive things that are happening in Iowa…to be the cheerleader of a state that I love,” Reynolds says. “…Everything he says is doom and gloom and negative and I don’t think it’s reflective of the whole story.” Hubbell says he has a different approach to debating.

“I don’t necessarily go on the attack all the time like her ads do and like she did in the debate,” Hubbell says. “I think about things. I approach it with a common sense, bipartisan agenda.” Tonight’s (Wednesday’s) debate will be held at Morningside College in Sioux City and broadcast on K-T-I-V in Sioux City, K-W-W-L in Waterloo and K-T-T-C in Rochester, Minnesota at 7 p.m. The final debate between these two gubernatorial candidates will be EARLY Sunday morning in Davenport.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office late Tuesday night, reported the arrest of a Farragut man on drug charges, following a traffic stop by the Fremont County K9 Unit. 37-year old Alfred Mutchler was charged with (felony) Possession of a Controlled Substance, (Methamphetamine) 3^rd Offense or greater, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was being held in the Fremont County Jail on $5,300 cash bond.  Authorities say additional charges are pending.

During the traffic stop, K9 “Roby” was deployed and alerted to the presence of controlled substances in the vehicle.  Mutchler was found to have a baggie containing methamphetamine as well as drug paraphernalia concealed on his person.

Mutchler

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — No winning lottery ticket was sold for the latest Mega Millions drawing, meaning the jackpot climbs to $868 million. Mega Millions officials say no tickets matched all six numbers to claim the estimated $667 million grand prize in Tuesday night’s drawing. The numbers were 3, 45, 49, 61, 69 and Mega Ball 9. The next drawing will be Friday. The estimated jackpot for that drawing would be the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office acknowledges Iowa’s voter registration lists are being sold on the internet, but says there’s no call for public alarm. The office said Tuesday that the FBI is investigating reports of voter registration rolls from 19 states _ including Iowa _ being sold online. Spokesman Kevin Hall says the rolls are public records that anyone can buy from the Secretary of State’s Office for about $1,000 and don’t include voters’ personal information.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — Attorneys for an Iowa farmer who appeared on ABC’s “The Bachelor” say they are close to reaching a deal with prosecutors that would resolve a criminal charge against him related to a fatal crash last year. An attorney for Chris Soules said during a Tuesday hearing that attorneys should know by Monday whether a deal had been reached. Soules rear-ended a tractor, killing its driver. He’s charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — An engineering report blames the failure of a pipe cap for a massive steam release that fatally injured an employee at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. The report from HBK Engineering says the “sudden, catastrophic failure of this cap is the likely cause” of the Sept. 10 accident at a campus dining hall.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of a Red Oak man on multiple charges after a search warrant was executed on Tuesday. The search warrant was executed at 103 E Valley Street in Red Oak at 11:44am Tuesday. Officers were there to located phones and/or computers used in a violation of a no contact order. Officers located several phones and computers along with suspected methamphetamine paraphernalia, ammunition, and a small homemade explosive. Officers then arrested 59-year-old Thomas Oscar Anderson of Red Oak for Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd or subsequent offense, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Ammunition as a Felon, Possession of Explosive Device, and 65 counts of Violation of a Protective Order.

Anderson was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on no bond. The investigation is ongoing and more charges may follow.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, Tuesday, highlighted $2 million in funding available over the next year from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that will support eight Iowa Water Quality Initiative (WQI) projects. The funding is through the USDA’s Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watershed Initiative (MRBI) and will support practices that help improve water quality.

Among the Watershed projects selected for the funding is the Walnut Creek WQI (Pottawattamie, Montgomery, Page, Fremont Counties). In addition, Slocum Creek Watershed in Pottawattamie County is an existing MRBI project that will be funded again this year.

The funding will support conservation practices that reduce nutrient loss and improve wildlife habitat while maintaining agricultural productivity. Eligible practices include cover crops, bioreactors, grassed waterways, terraces and prescribed grazing. Each watershed project will have specific practices that are eligible.

Farmers interested in participating should contact their local USDA office by March 15, 2019.

Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall reminds residents that the Treasurer’s Office will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 17th, for Driver License Training. All other courthouse offices in Atlantic will be open during regular business hours.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office acknowledges Iowa’s voter registration lists are being sold on the internet, but says there’s no call for public alarm.

The office said Tuesday that the FBI is investigating reports of voter registration rolls from 19 states — including Iowa — being sold online. Spokesman Kevin Hall says the rolls are public records that anyone can buy from the Secretary of State’s Office for about $1,000.

Hall says the rolls don’t include voters’ personal information, such as Social Security and driver’s license numbers, and the attempts to sell the lists online has no impact on the security of Iowa’s elections.

Hall says the online sales aren’t the result of any hacking, saying whoever is selling the lists got them the way anyone else would. They “bought these lists and are using them improperly … to try to make a profit.”

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports Stuart Road between 130th and 160th, will be closed temporarily on October 17th between 9-p.m. and 5-a.m. the following morning. A large crane will be traversing the road and crews have to haul in dirt to cover the road so it does not sustain damage.

(Radio Iowa) — The governor has declared October as Domestic Violence Awareness month. Kevin Hall of the Iowa Secretary of State’s office says five-hundred victims of domestic abuse, stalking and human trafficking are utilizing the state-run address confidentiality program. “It’s a way to allow survivors of domestic violence and other violent crimes to get a portion of their lives back without the fear of their address becoming public,” Hall says. “They’re able to do things like register to vote and things that normally where their address would be put on public records, now they have a substitute address for that and their actual physical address is no longer on the public records.”

An estimated 29-thousand Iowans will seek help this year to escape a violent domestic or dating relationship. A coalition of groups including the Secretary of State’s office and the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence have partnered on a website called share-their-story-dot-net (www.sharetheirstory.net). It invites survivors and their families and friends to explain how domestic violence has directly impacted individual Iowans.

“It is a problem, unfortunately,” Hall says. “There are about 3000 convictions per year for domestic violence-related instances and we want to raise awareness to it and, ultimately, put a stop to it.” The share-their-story website also features links to groups offering services to those seeking help.

(Radio Iowa) — A three-member panel of financial experts has increased its estimate of state tax receipts in the current budgeting year by nearly 360-million dollars. The Revenue Estimating Conference predicts tax growth this year will be nearly five percent, but in the following year it will be far smaller, just one-point-seven percent — when the G-O-P crafted tax cuts fully kick in. Governor Kim Reynolds says the report shows the Iowa economy is growing.

“That’s on top of the $127 million surplus that we have and I think that’s reflective of an economy that’s growth because of the tax cuts we’ve seen at the federal level and when ours (at the state level) are implemented, I think we’re going to continue to see growth,” Reynolds says. “…I think it’s positive momentum. I think it’s really good news.”

Key Democrats in the legislature say the state’s finances are headed for a “slow motion train wreck.” They point to the projection of narrow, one-point-seven percent growth in state tax collections and warn state budget cuts are coming, especially if the Republicans’ state tax cuts take effect, the trade war with China continues and the financial fortunes of Iowa farmers worsen.

A key Republican in the legislature says the State of Iowa is in a “strong financial position” and Democrats are putting a “negative spin” on today’s (Tuesday’s) state tax revenue forecast.