The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines voters will have to decide again in March whether to raise the local sales tax by a penny. The Des Moines Register reports that the City Council will vote Monday on a spending plan for the estimated $37 million the 1-cent tax could generate in its first year. The money would be split evenly between property tax reductions and a handful of quality-of-life initiatives.
The city will set a March 5 referendum date early next year.

Last March, a majority of the city’s voters approved a 1-cent increase, but the measure failed after a majority of suburban voters rejected it. But in May, the Iowa Legislature canceled a state rule that required cities with contiguous borders to vote together on local option sales tax issues.

ESTHERVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Eight northwest Iowa families are fighting a company they blame for not doing enough to address the smell of dead, rotting hogs from a nearby rendering plant. The Des Moines Register reports that an attorney for the Estherville families filed a motion this week pushing for Emmet County leaders to take stronger action against Central Bi-Products, a Minnesota-based company.
The families say the county isn’t doing enough to ensure the problem gets fixed after three years of “extremely noxious, highly objectionable odors.”

The families’ attorney filed a motion to intervene in an Emmet County petition that seeks $4,750 from Farmers Union Industries, the parent of Central Bi-Products, for violating its conditional-use permit. The plant’s owner has said it’s making improvements that should reduce the odor.

(Radio Iowa) — The three members of a state forecasting board agree state tax receipts will grow, but not by much in the next 18 months. Holly Lyons of the Legislative Services Agency, a member of the State Revenue Estimating Conference, said “In the eight weeks since we met last, little has changed economically. The underlying fundamentals of the national and state economy remain sound. The economy continues to be in mid-expansion, with nothing on the immediate horizon that suggests a serious downturn or recession.”

The group predicts tax payments to the State of Iowa will remain steady, growing by about one-point-eight percent in the next state budgeting year. Legislators will use that estimate as the basis for building a spending plan for the state budget year that begins July 1st. Department of Management director Dave Roederer is another member of the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference. “We are at least reading the tea leaves all the same,” Roederer says, “whether they’re all right or all wrong, but we’re at least seeing the economy the same way.” Many state agencies have presented Governor Reynolds with “status quo” budget plans. Roederer suggests there won’t be a lot of extra money to spend next year. “We believe there will be enough funding to do the essentials of what government is supposed to do,” Roederer says.

Unlike the past two years, Roederer does NOT anticipate mid-year budget cuts in the remaining months of the current state fiscal year. State tax revenue is projected to grow nearly five percent in THIS budgeting year. David Underwood, a businessman from Clear Lake, is the third member of the state Revenue Estimating Conference. He says “headline fears” are causing people to “under appreciate” great corporate earnings reports.”I believe our most prudent course of action is to remain patient and disciplined in what we do as well as conservative, watchful for the signs of the recession that will come,” Underwood said, pausing before adding the last word, “someday.”

Underwood and the other two members of the Revenue Estimating Conference all cited concern about the ag economy, particularly commodity prices that have slumped during recent trade disputes.

(Radio Iowa) — A top U-S-D-A official suggests President Trump will have to referee a dispute within his administration about federal payments to partially cover farm losses due to the trade war. U-S Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky was in Iowa yesterday (Thursday), meeting with commodity group representatives. A SECOND round of direct payments to farmers was discussed. “We have been having a little bit of a disagreement with a few others, our budget office within the government — our Office of Management and the Budget,” he said. “Of course, their job is to control spending and to say, ‘No.’ We’re saying that the need is there. The circumstances haven’t changed and so Secretary Perdue plans on visiting and taking the issue to the president.”

This summer, the Trump Administration announced 12 billion dollars in federal aid would compensate farmers who Censky says have been “at the tip of the spear” when it comes to retaliatory tariffs. This fall, four-point-seven billion dollars’ worth of checks were sent to eligible farmers who had completed their harvest. Censky says trade disputes are still causing financial harm on the farm and it’s time to release another six BILLION in payments. “We know that farmers are going to be starting to visit with their bankers to talk about financing for next year coming up either now or right after the first of the year,” Censky said, “and so the time is now to make that announcement and get those payments made.”

China purchased a million ton of U.S. soybeans this week, but Censky is making it clear the U-S-D-A does not consider that the end of trade woes for farmers. “That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the 30 to 35 tons that we regularly export to them and so even if we see some very much robust purchases well beyond the million tons, farmers have still been impacted,” Censky says. Censky grew up on a corn and soybean farm in Minnesota and served two decades as C-E-O of the American Soybean Association. He delivered the keynote address Thursday, at the Iowa Soybean Association’s annual policy conference.

(Radio Iowa) — President Donald Trump has been going back and forth with Democratic leaders about including money in the budget to build a wall to stop illegal immigration — and says he would be proud to shut down the government to get it. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, says she doesn’t want to see that happen. “Well, I disagree. I would not be proud to shut down the government. I think we all in Congress strive to not shut down the government. I think that would be detrimental to our federal agencies and the various activities that they support,” Ernst says.

Ernst is a Republican from Red Oak and says while it doesn’t appear either side wants to back down, she is hopeful. “I am always an optimist and I hope that we can find a way forward working between the House and the Senate to find a plan that will work — that will work for Republicans and Democrats,” Ernst says. “I do think we need to secure our border, I do support the president in those efforts.”  Ernst says it will not be easy to get done. She says it will take some time and they will push through and hopefully will not see a government shutdown.

Ernst made her comments during a conference call with reporters

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports three recent arrests. At around 12:45-a.m. Thursday, Adams County Deputies observed a vehicle stuck in a field near the intersection of Highway 25 and 250th Street. Upon further investigation, Amanda Blakley-Luddington, of Indianola, was placed under arrest for Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense. At around 11:15-p.m. Thursday, Adams County Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle near the intersection of Highway 34 and Redwood Avenue. During the course of the traffic stop, K9 “Baxo” was deployed and alerted to the odor of narcotics. Upon further investigation, Abraham Schweers, of Lenox, was placed under arrest for Possession of a Controlled Substance 2nd Offense (methamphetamine), and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A woman from Council Bluffs was arrested on an Attempted Murder charge Thursday evening, following a report of shots fired at 2833 Avenue A, at around 6:10-p.m. 38-year old Jessica Ann Elvins was taken into custody for the incident that resulted in her victim, 56-year old Tammy L. Smart, also of Council Bluffs, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Smart was transported to the UNMC in Omaha, where she was able to identify Elvins as the suspect, before she was placed on life supports for having a bullet to her brain.

Attempted Murder suspect Jessica Ann Elvins

At the residence, officers located and detained Elvins, who was inside an upstairs bedroom of the home. She was taken to the detective bureau for questioning. Three persons, who were also inside the home were interviewed by detectives and released. After all the statements were taken, Elvins was placed under arrest for Attempted Murder and booked into Pottawattamie County Corrections.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CST

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Cedar Falls man awaiting trial on criminal charges fled a northeastern Iowa courthouse after his bail was raised to $500,000. The Courier reports that 30-year-old Rajih Donley appeared in a Black Hawk County courtroom Monday for a hearing regarding charges accusing him of shooting and injuring a Waterloo man in May 2017. Authorities say after being told his bail would be raised, he fled down a stairwell and has not been found.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa court officials say current members of a state commission that recommends appointees for the Iowa Supreme Court to the governor can remain until July. That means three members of the commission will not have to leave on Jan. 1 as a Republican attorney had claimed and can participate in choosing nominees for a current court vacancy.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State budget experts say revenue projections for the current fiscal year are running slightly ahead of their October predictions but the growth for the 2020 budget is expected to be considerably slower. The three-member Revenue Estimating Conference says Thursday state income is up about 4.7 percent from the previous year but the group anticipates only a 1.7 percent increase in revenue for next year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The 1995 disappearance of Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit will be featured on an episode of CBS’ “48 Hours” airing this weekend. The Des Moines Register reports that the episode, titled “FindJodi,” will air at 9 p.m. Central time Saturday. Huisentruit was 27 when she went missing on her way to work June 27, 1995, at station KIMT in Mason City. Investigators have never found Huisentruit, who was declared legally dead in 2001.

UPDATE 3:25-p.m.: The Atlantic Police Department has issued a warning to local businesses in the area. There is currently an email scam going around the state of Iowa. The email is titled “We Can Make A Deal” and includes a message with a bomb threat. They state you must send $20,000 in Bitcoin or an explosive will detonate in your business. If you receive an email like this, know it is a scam but please feel free to call the Atlantic Police Department at 712-243-3512.

Authorities in central Iowa are investigating a rash of bomb scares at area businesses as part of a nation-wide series of threats. The e-mailed threats have been reported at several Des Moines businesses, according to KCCI, including a jewelry store, the Blank Park Zoo, a law firm and other, unrelated companies. The threats started at around 12:20-p.m. The last known threat occurred at around 1:30-p.m.

Businesses in Waterloo and Cedar Falls were also reporting the e-mail threats, which authorities say have been happened since late November all across the country, in 15 different states. The persons responsible claim to want payment in the form of Bitcoin digital currency to stop the “bomb” from going off.

If your business receives such a threat by e-mail, notify your local police department through their Non-Emergency number.