DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law this week state tax cuts of $2.8 billion over six years, touting the benefits for the middle class. Most changes in personal income tax rates go into effect in tax year 2019, including lower rates for all income brackets. The tax savings would show up as reduced withholdings from paychecks in 2019 and larger refund checks issued in spring 2020. Additional tax cuts are planned in future years.

Here’s a closer look at Reynold’s statement during a bill signing event in Hiawatha on Wednesday, and the more complex reality behind it:

REYNOLDS SAID “Next year, virtually every Iowan will see their taxes go down.”
THE FACTS: The governor’s statement is mostly true, although there are wrinkles that make the situation a little more complex than the governor suggests. All nine of Iowa’s income brackets will have lower tax rates under the new law. There are about 1.4 million Iowa residents who file state income tax returns. Of these, just over three-fourths would pay less in taxes under the new law, according to an analysis by the state Department of Revenue. Roughly another 18 percent of Iowa resident taxpayers, or about 265,000, earn less than $20,000 annually and either make too little income to owe taxes or receive enough tax credits to cover them. They won’t receive a tax cut under the new law but it doesn’t matter because they don’t pay state income taxes.

That leaves about 3.5 percent of Iowa resident taxpayers, or about 50,000, who would actually owe more taxes next year. That’s not an insignificant number but still small compared with the number or those who will benefit.

Red Oak Police report a Cass County man was arrested at around 1-a.m. today (Sunday). 35-year old Kyle Christopher Archibald, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense, near the intersection of Highway 34 and G Avenue. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, and held on a $2,000 cash bond for the aggravated misdemeanor charge.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:00 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa teen has been given a suspended prison sentence and probation for torching a famed covered bridge in Madison County, Iowa, that featured on the cover of the novel “The Bridges of Madison County.” Television station KCCI reports that 18-year-old Alexander Hoff was sentenced Friday, getting five years’ probation and a suspended 10-year prison sentence. He had pleaded guilty in March to second-degree arson and first-degree criminal mischief.

BERTRAM, Iowa (AP) — Officials in eastern Iowa say a man has died after crashing his bicycle. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened around 9 p.m. Friday in Bertram. The department says in a news release that the man was riding down a steep hill when he fell off the bike. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — Amtrak trains will still stop in Fort Madison, but passengers will no longer be able to buy tickets at the depot counter as the carrier moves toward digital-only sales. The Hawk Eye reports that 18 of the railway’s stations are becoming digital-only this year. Passengers are encouraged to purchase tickets online, through a mobile app or by calling Amtrak. Passengers can also pay in cash on the train, but will be charged higher prices and be subject to availability.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. Federal prosecutors in Iowa say 25-year-old Adam Charles Butler was sentenced Thursday after he pleaded guilty in November to willfully making threats to kill or injure another by means of an explosive. At Butler’s sentencing, prosecutors referenced text messages Butler sent to his ex-girlfriend threatening to blow up her car and apartment while she and their young child were at home.

Officials with SIRWA (The Southern Iowa Rural Water Association) said Saturday, that “All SIRWA customers served by the 12-Mile Treatment Plant are under a “Drinking Water Warning.” Previously, a Boil Water Advisory had been issued. SIRWA General Manager and Creston Water Works Treatment Plant Manager Dan McIntosh said in a Press Release, “The treatment plant is back up to full production capacity so [they] now have capacity, but lack in water quality.” That’s because their primary treatment method is not working as it should, according McIntosh.

He said also, “We are working with our supplier to get the replacement parts necessary to correct the treatment issue, delivered as fast as possible.” It’s hoped a better time frame for the parts to be delivered and installed, should be known by the first of the week. McIntosh apologized for the inconvenience the situation has caused their customers, and added persons should stay tuned to local media, and check out the SIRWA website at www.sirwa.org, for the latest updates.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. Federal prosecutors in Iowa say 25-year-old Adam Charles Butler was sentenced Thursday after he pleaded guilty in November to willfully making threats to kill or injure another by means of an explosive.

Investigators say Butler has a lengthy history of domestic violence, including physical assaults, break-ins, vandalism, threats with guns and repeated verbal and text message death threats. At Butler’s sentencing, prosecutors referenced text messages Butler sent to his ex-girlfriend threatening to blow up her car and apartment while she and their young child were at home.

Officers arrested Butler after seeing him driving away from the woman’s home in violation of a no-contact order.

STORM LAKE, Iowa (AP) — Buena Vista University in northwest Iowa has received a $500,000 gift to be used for a trading room in the schools business school. The gift comes from the Bob and Ginny Peterson Foundation. The school announced the trading room will be named the Robert L. Peterson Commodity Trading Room, intended to foster collaborative learning through real-world business problems and allow students to apply theoretical concepts using real-time data.

The space will include a stock ticker device, dual monitors, software and terminals that are similar to those found in large investment firms. The trading room is part of the first phase of the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum renovation, which is expected to be completed in December.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — Amtrak trains will still stop in Fort Madison but passengers will no longer be able to buy tickets at the depot counter as the carrier moves toward digital-only sales. The railway is transitioning 18 stations to be digital-only this year, The Hawk Eye reported .

Passengers are encouraged to purchase tickets online, through a mobile app or by calling Amtrak. Passengers can also pay in cash on the train, but will be charged higher prices and be subject to availability.

The company decided to make the switch because figures show that ticket counters account for fewer than 5 percent of ticket sales nationally, said Marc Magliari, a spokesman for Amtrak. “The volume of people who are using the ticket counter in Fort Madison and other places has fallen off pretty steeply,” Magliari said. “And that is not a reflection of the quality of work of the ticket agents.”

Checked baggage will also no longer be available at the Fort Madison station. Customers who need full customer service can use the Galesburg station, which is about an hour and a half northeast of Fort Madison, Magliari said. Fort Madison Mayor Brad Randolph said some residents expressed concerns about needing assistance and not having a person at the ticket window. He said the company may consider adding the position back if it sees a significant drop in customer satisfaction.

Company spokesman Ray Lang said getting rid of the station’s ticket agent isn’t a sign that the company will halt services altogether at the Fort Madison station.

BERTRAM, Iowa (AP) — Officials in eastern Iowa say a man has died after crashing his bicycle. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened around 9 p.m. Friday in Bertram. The department says in a news release that the man was riding down a steep hill when he fell off the bike. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators say the man was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The man’s name is not being released pending notification of his family members.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa teen has been given a suspended prison sentence and probation for torching a famed covered bridge in Madison County, Iowa, that featured on the cover of the novel “The Bridges of Madison County.”

Television station KCCI reports that 18-year-old Alexander Hoff was sentenced Friday, getting five years’ probation and a suspended 10-year prison sentence. He had pleaded guilty in March to second-degree arson and first-degree criminal mischief.

Hoff was among three people who set fire to the bridge in April 2017. The two others — Joel Davis and Alivia Bergmann — were sentenced to five years’ probation. The bridge near Winterset also was featured in the 1995 movie adaptation of “The Bridges of Madison County.”

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

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