LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is joining Iowa and the city of Council Bluffs in a lawsuit to challenge the federal government’s approval of a tribal casino near Omaha.
Attorney General Doug Peterson announced the effort Wednesday to prevent the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska from building the casino in Carter Lake, Iowa.

The National Indian Gaming Commission ruled last year that the tribe can put a casino on trust land in the city. Carter Lake is the only city in Iowa located west of the Missouri River, and the only way to access it by land is through Nebraska, where casino gambling is illegal. Neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa, has three casinos.

Tribal Chairman Larry Wright Jr. says he’s confident the court will rule that the tribe can offer gaming on its sovereign land.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Authorities in Iowa said Wednesday evening, that on May 20th, the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call shortly after 1-p.m., with regard to human remains found in the 22000 block of 275th Street in rural Mason City.  Deputies from Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene a short time later and requested the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation for assistance at the scene.  Investigators collected the skeletal remains and they were transported to the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny.  An autopsy was performed on May 23, 2018.  The results of the autopsy are not currently being released.

An anthropologist was able to determine that the remains may have been there for between 5 to 15 years. The remains are believed to be from a white female between 20-45 years of age, height between 5 foot to 5 foot 7 inches tall.

The Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office was able to definitively determine through a forensic odontologist that the remains are not those of Jodi Huisentruit.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office and the DCI request if you have any information regarding a missing person that fits the description of the person we described, that you contact the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office at 641-421-3000.

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

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is joining Iowa and the city of Council Bluffs in a lawsuit to challenge the federal government’s approval of a tribal casino near Omaha. Attorney General Doug Peterson announced his role in the legal challenge to prevent the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska from building the casino in Carter Lake, Iowa. The National Indian Gaming Commission ruled last year that the tribe can put a casino on five acres of trust land in the city.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa-based utility is proposing a massive wind turbine project that would be the nation’s first investor-owned electric utility to generate all of its customer demand from wind energy. Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy said Wednesday that it’s submitting its proposal for a $922 million wind project to the Iowa Utilities Board. The project is slated to generate enough electricity to power 2.4 million homes. MidAmerican is a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lawsuit alleges Iowa’s new voter identification law violates the state constitution. Priorities USA Foundation says the lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Polk County District Court in Des Moines. The national group, which is covering legal costs, provided a copy of the lawsuit. It’s the first legal challenge against the new ID requirement and its provisions. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is named as a defendant in the suit.

HIAWATHA, Iowa (AP) — Iowa income taxes will begin to fall under a tax bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. Reynolds signed the bill Wednesday in Hiawatha. Under the law, the state will cut $2.8 billion in corporate and personal income taxes over six years if it meets certain revenue targets. If not, some cuts would be delayed. Middle-class families are expected to save an average of $86 to $257 next year. A typical family of four would save about $7 every two weeks.

A Sioux City man who was taking his brand new truck to be detailed today (Wednesday) will end up requiring more than a wash and wax on the pickup. Police Sergeant Scott Hatting says the 73-year-old man was pulling into “Hitches, Trailers and More” around 11 a.m when something went wrong.

He says the man accidentally step on the gas instead of the brake as he was pulling in to park and the truck went through a window of the building and struck an employee who was working inside. The employee was taken to the hospital as a precaution with minor injuries. Hatting says since the accident happened on private property the truck owner would not be cited.

“But clearly he’s at fault. The damage to his vehicle is probably around eight thousand dollars I would guess just for paint. And the building — substantially more — just because a lot of property was damaged inside as well,” officer Hatting says. The unidentified driver was not hurt and had just bought the 2018 pickup Tuesday.

(Radio Iowa)

A volunteer firefighter in southeast Iowa is accused of arson. According to the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office, 20-year-old Chance Beres was arrested in connection with a structure fire in a rural part of the county Sunday night. The structure was destroyed and investigators say Beres is also a suspect in connection with a number of fires that have occurred in the county over the last five months.

He’s currently charged with second-degree arson. The Des Moines Register reports that Beres is an EMT with Midwest Ambulance in Grinnell and was also a probationary member with the Montezuma Volunteer Fire Department and EMS since April 18.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lawsuit alleges Iowa’s new voter identification law violates the state constitution. Priorities USA Foundation says the lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Polk County District Court in Des Moines. The national group, which is covering legal costs, provided a copy of the lawsuit. It’s the first legal challenge against the new ID requirement and its provisions. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is named as a defendant in the suit.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — Officials in the northeastern Iowa city of Independence have changed their mind on plans to stop flying a giant American flag, following a public outcry. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the Independence City Council voted Tuesday to reverse its April 30 unanimous decision that would have permanently removed a flag and pole in Triangle Park that can be seen by drivers on U.S. Highway 20. The vote also restored funding for the flag.

The council had said last month that high winds that frequently damage the flag, lighting problems and a broken electronic sign were costing the city too much.

The Harlan Police Department says an unusual accident happened Monday. Officials say a 2000 Cadillac Eldorado driven by Cheryl Petsche, of Harlan, was traveling north in the 1100 block of 4th Street, when the vehicle drove over a temporary man hole cover. The cover popped-off and became wedged between the vehicle and the road. The man hole cover came through the backseat driver’s side floor board, causing damage to the vehicle. A dollar amount of the damage was not listed. No injuries were reported.

The Harlan Police Department reports five arrests took place over the past week. On May 23rd, 54-year old Patrick Martin Duncan, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop at the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 59. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating while intoxicated, failure to maintain control, and failure to display license plate. On May 24th, 26-year old Kolten Kenneth Kobold, of Harlan, was arrested on an outstanding Shelby County warrant. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

On May 25th, 61-year old Kathleen Ash, of Harlan, was arrested for driving while suspended following a traffic stop in the 800 block of Industrial Avenue. On Monday, 31-year old Bradley Allen Hess, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop at the corner of 9th and Chatburn. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating while intoxicated and speed. And, 35-year old Brent Michael Swisher, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for a disturbance in the 1000 block of Hill St. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with criminal mischief 3rd degree.

May 30, 2018 (Red Oak, Iowa) – U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst along with other state and local officials announced today (Wednesday), that Montgomery County has received the designation as the 81st Home Base Iowa (HBI) Community. Local community leaders, businesses and veterans attended the event at Red Oak’s Historic Downtown Fountain Square Park, near the Veteran Monuments to celebrate. Home Base Iowa is a one-of-a-kind program to connect veterans and transitioning service members with almost 2,000 businesses statewide who have pledged to hire over 10,000 veterans. In addition to the 81 communities statewide, the program also has 24 college and university partners.

The program connects businesses and communities with veteran job seekers using the “Find a Veteran” feature on the Home Base Iowa website. Find a Veteran allows Home Base Iowa businesses and communities access to all active veteran job seekers who have submitted their resume through the website. The program has had over 250 veteran resumes submitted in 2018. Businesses and communities are also alerted by email when a veteran resume is published with matching location and industry criteria. These features allow program partners to directly connect and market to veterans by providing businesses with a user-friendly platform to find veterans with the skills they need. Find a Veteran also helps communities market their opportunities and quality of life in order to attract veterans and their families.

Iowa offers many incentives to veterans and transitioning service members including no state taxes on military pension and veteran hiring preference, which allows veteran preferential treatment in hiring decisions for both public and private organizations. Additionally, the state of Iowa provides up to $7,500 for the down payment or closing costs of a home through the Iowa Finance Authority Military Homeownership Assistance Program. The state also provides in-state tuition rates for qualifying veterans, their spouses and their dependents.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:

Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become HBI businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
Community prominently displays HBI Community designation, and
Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body
Montgomery County has met or exceeded these requirements. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov.