DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal agency has denied disaster assistance for residents and business owners of Marshall and Polk counties who endured tornadoes in July.

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office announced Friday the Federal Emergency Management Agency had denied the governor’s request for assistance through the Individual Assistance Program for losses from the July 19 tornadoes. In denying the governor’s request, FEMA stated that the impact from the tornadoes wasn’t severe enough to warrant the help.

The program helps survivors with housing, property replacement, medical expenses and legal services. Reynolds has 30 days to file an appeal. In August, FEMA also denied Reynolds’ request for assistance through the same program following severe storms from June 6 to July 2. The governor has submitted an appeal of that decision.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A property tax official in Arizona says Iowa Democratic candidate for governor Fred Hubbell was fined $600 for improperly claiming a home he owns there was a primary residence. Hubbell owns a home in Des Moines that he listed as a primary residence. The designations reduced his property taxes in both states.

Hubbell owns a $2 million home in Scottsdale, Arizona, built in 2007 and it carried the primary residence designation qualifying it for a $600 a year tax credit. Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen says a new Arizona law in 2012 cracked down on absentee owners, denying the exemption for homes not permanently occupied. He says more than 100,000 parcels have had the exemption removed.

Hubbell failed to respond to several notices, allowing the assessor to impose a $600 fine and remove the credit in 2014. A $1 million Des Moines home Hubbell owned from 2007 to 2016 also received a homestead exemption of up to $231 a year.
A spokesman for Gov. Kim Reynolds’ campaign criticized Hubbell for talking about wasteful tax giveaways but “when no one is looking he lines his pockets with our tax dollars every chance he gets.”

Hubbell campaign spokeswoman Remi Yamamoto says Maricopa County misclassified many homes and Hubbell’s was one of them, and he’s glad they reclassified it in 2014. She says he’s never asked for nor wanted a $600 rebate.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A Nebraska man has been imprisoned for holding several people at gunpoint and beating some of them inside a western Iowa apartment. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Derrick West-Jones, of Omaha, Nebraska, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Thursday to 20 years. He’d been charged with kidnapping, assault and other crimes before charges were amended.

Police say he pulled a gun June 18 after a disturbance in the Council Bluffs apartment and wouldn’t let anyone leave. Police say he also pistol-whipped and beat some of the captives with a wrench, holding them about two hours. Two people were taken to a hospital.

A Council Bluffs woman charged in the case has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and other crimes. Jawanna Moten is scheduled to go on trial Oct. 9.

A man from Illinois died as the result of a crash this (Friday) on Highway 6 and Sunnydale Road in Pottawattamie County, a few miles east of the Interstate 80 interchange. The Pott. County Sheriff’s Office says 65-year old Peter O’Mahony, of LaGrange Park, IL, died at the scene of the crash that happened at around 8:37-a.m. Authorities say O’Mahony was eastbound in a 2005 Honda Civic, when he turned onto Sunndale Road in an apparent attempt to make a U-turn. In doing so, his car was struck on the driver’s side, by an eastbound 2014 Ford Econoline van. The driver of the van was identified as 64-year old Paula Moody, of Omaha.

Following the collision, both vehicles ended-up in the ditch. The accident remains under investigation.

(12:40-p.m. News)

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today encouraged ag businesses, farmers, rural residents and other Iowans that use propane to consider taking steps to ensure adequate propane supplies this fall and winter. “It is important for users to be prepared. By working with your supplier to fill tanks now and book future fills, users can help avoid any unforeseen price spikes later this year,” Naig said. As of Sept. 7, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports propane stocks in the Midwest “PADD 2” region at 25.9 million barrels. That is up from 25.8 million barrels a year ago. EIA reports that U.S. propane stocks as of that same date at 74.6 million barrels compared to 82.2 million barrels a year ago. Lower supply levels are attributed primarily to export pressures.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s most recent weekly heating oil and propane price report showed the average price for propane in Iowa at $1.26 per gallon.  Last year’s price at this time of year averaged $1.13 per gallon. Actions that farmers and other propane users can take now in order to prepare for this fall and winter include:

·         Make sure propane supplies for grain drying, livestock facilities, homes and machine sheds are full going into the fall season.

·         Take advantage of early buy/booking programs.

·         Consider expanding on-site capacity at facilities and homes.

·         Communicate early and regularly with propane suppliers.

According to the Sept. 10 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Iowa Crop Progress & Condition report, 87 percent of the corn crop has reached the dent stage or beyond with 28 percent mature, one week ahead of the five year average. “The Iowa Propane Gas Association and the state propane suppliers do a great job keeping abreast of supply and demand issues for this vital agricultural energy resource. We communicate regularly with all of our partners, especially during the harvest season, to ensure we are aware of and responding to any issues,” Naig said.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Board of Regents will ask the governor and lawmakers for an additional 20 million dollars state funding during the next legislative session and also plan to make annual increases in tuition at the three state schools. Board president Michael Richards told the board at their meeting Thursday they have to start taking an overall view of the four areas that are used to fund the three state universities

“State appropriations, savings and reallocation, tuition and research and funding from both public and private sources. One thing that has become clear — I believe strongly that we cannot continue to look at these segments of funding individually,” Richards says. He says they have to find a way to use all the sources to provide the funding to maintain the quality of the three state universities. “Finding the right mix is the challenge,” Richards says, “but in the end, we need to arrive at a total resources number.”

Richards says the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa are doing their part in making the best use of their resources. “Our universities have saved or reallocated more than 125 million dollars in the last decade,” Richards says. “The board’s and our university presidents take this seriously. And our enterprise has made great strides in this area. This is a priority and we must and will do more with savings and reallocations in the future.”

Richards says they will also have to ask students to pay more. “At our November meeting we intend to discuss a multi-year tuition model with a baseline percentage increase for resident undergraduates for the next several years — starting with the 2019-2020 academic year,” Richards says.

Richards says the amount of money they are asking for from the state is a fair amount.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is scheduled to visit Iowa next week to campaign for Democrats as he weighs a campaign for the 2020 presidential nomination. Iowa holds the leadoff caucus in the presidential race. According to a press release from the Iowa Democratic Party, McAuliffe is the guest at the first in a series of voter outreach events aimed at encouraging turnout for the Nov. 6 election.

McAuliffe, a former Democratic National Committee chairman, has been in touch with some influential Democratic operatives in Iowa and nationally who say he is seriously considering a 2020 campaign.
The announcement follows last week’s announcement that New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, also weighing a 2020 campaign, is scheduled to headline the Iowa Democratic Party’s marquee fall fundraiser on Oct. 6.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Quad-Cities company says it will work with Microsoft to improve rural broadband access to about 126,000 people in Iowa, Illinois and South Dakota. The Des Moines Register reports that Illinois-based Network Business Solutions will work to expand access to Iowa residents in Scott, Muscatine and Clinton counties. David Peters is an associate professor of sociology at Iowa State University. He says the three selected Iowa counties aren’t rural. Microsoft officials say urban counties have rural residents who struggle to find internet service.

Federal Communications Commission figures show that more than 60 percent of rural residents in Muscatine County didn’t have access to high-speed internet in 2016. Less than 30 percent of Clinton County residents didn’t have access, while more than 20 percent didn’t have access in Scott County.

WESTFIELD, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say members of a South Dakota college golf team were treated at a hospital after a collision between their van and a sport utility vehicle in northwest Iowa. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. Thursday about a mile north of Westfield on Iowa Highway 12. The sheriff’s office says the northbound SUV crossed the centerline and struck the oncoming van carrying the team from Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota.

The SUV driver was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, and all six people on the van were treated at a Hawarden hospital and released. The names of those involved have not been released.
The college’s Andy Bernatow says the team was returning from a tournament in the area.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday) issued a report on numerous, recent arrests. On Thursday (Sept. 13), deputies arrested 27-year old Mikel Ann Erickson, on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Erickson was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $50,000 bond. 28-year old Michelle Lee Dougherty, of Atlantic, was arrested Thursday on three District Court warrants for Failure to Appear. Dougherty was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $30,000 bond. And, 64-year old Garry Wayne Cook, of Atlantic, was arrested Thursday on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Cook was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released on $5,000 bond.

On Monday (Sept. 10), Cass County Deputies arrested 22-year old Dylan Scott Gaines, of Union, NE, on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Theft 2nd Degree (D Felony). Gaines was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $5,000 bond. On September 3rd, 35-year old Ryan Mark Biensen, of Atlantic, was arrested on charges of Possession of Meth 1st Offense (Serious) and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Biensen was also arrested by the Atlantic Police Department on a charge of felony Forgery. He remains in the Cass County Jail on $6,000 bond.

On September 2nd, Cass County Deputies arrested 32-year old Michael David Clousing, of Griswold, on an Ida County warrant. Clousing was held at the Cass County Jail and released to Ida County authorities later that day.