DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers return to the state Capitol on Monday with a to-do list ranging from overhauling state taxes to possibly addressing issues with the privatized Medicaid program.

Few details have been shared publicly about a tax proposal, though Gov. Kim Reynolds will give more information in her upcoming Condition of the State address. Any tax legislation would come on the heels of a federal tax law that state budget officials are still reviewing.

Medicaid, the health care program for poor and disabled Iowans, is expected to be debated because of ongoing complaints from health care providers and patients about reduced services. Reynolds has been steadfast about her support for privatization.

Republicans, entering a second year of complete statehouse control, will work amid another budget crunch and a looming election year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Board of Regents isn’t expected to make a final decision on tuition increases at the state’s three public universities until June. The Des Moines Register reports that will leave students with only a few weeks to make financial plans before the start of the next academic year.

Presidents at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa have proposed tuition hikes ranging from 1.75 to 11.7 percent over the next five years.

For the past two years, regents have set tuition rates in December, but have had to approve additional hikes right before the start of the academic year. Regents spokesman Josh Lehman says the board doesn’t want that to happen this time.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ice fishing is now open on DeSoto Lake from now through the end of February. The DeStoto National Wildlife Refuge says it’s up to individual anglers to determine whether the ice is safe each day. A general guideline is 4 inches of clear and solid ice at a minimum for foot travel and ice fishing.

The refuge’s visitor center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on federal holidays. Visitors can see the lake from inside the center. In recent days, eagles, ducks, swans and geese have been seen from the visitor center. The center also has bird feeders that attract an array of birds.

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is located north of Omaha, near Missouri Valley, Iowa and Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors is set to hold another special session dealing with budget requests. The meeting is set to take place 9-a.m. Monday (Jan. 8th) in their courthouse courtroom/boardroom. Department Heads Scheduled to present their budget requests for FY 2019 include:

• VA Director Rick Schaecher, who will also present an Opiod Engagement Agreement
• Sheriff Jeff Vandewater
• RC & D
• County Engineer Nick Kauffman, who will also present his regular weekly report
• County Recorder Janelle Scheider
• and County Auditor Mindy Schaefer.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One Powerball ticket sold in New Hampshire has matched all six numbers and will claim a $570 million grand prize. The winning numbers drawn Saturday night to claim the nation’s seventh largest jackpot were 12-29-30-33-61 and Powerball 26. A Powerball winner may choose to receive the jackpot in 30 annual payments or a one-time, lump-sum cash payment.

The winning ticket was drawn one day after a single Mega Millions ticket purchased in Florida matched all six numbers to claim $450 million. The odds of winning Powerball are one in 292.2 million. The odds of winning Mega Millions are one in 302.5 million.

The Cass County Democratic Party will hold its mid-term Caucus on Monday, February 5, 2018. Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle reports all 13 precincts will hold their caucus at the same location, at the Cass County Court House in Atlantic.

Registration begins at 6 PM with the caucus starting at 7 PM. Attendees must be in line or signed in by 7 PM in order to participate. Only registered Democrats can be involved in the caucus. Toelle says “If you have yet to register to vote or you want to change your party affiliation, you can do so at the caucus,” where “You meet with your neighbors to discuss the issues and the candidates most important to you. You also have the opportunity to help direct the manner in which the Democratic Party functions in Cass County by being elected as a Delegate or Alternate to the county convention or by being elected as a precinct committee person to the County Central Committee.”

There is a three-fold purpose to this year’s caucus: to discuss and adopt proposed resolutions to the county platform, to elect Delegates and Alternates to the county convention, and to elect precinct committee persons to the county central committee. Toelle said this year’s elections are different from previous years, in that “We have seven Democrats running for Governor and for the Third District Congressional seat. In order for a nominee to be elected during the primary in June, a candidate must receive 35% of the popular vote. If no one candidate does so, then the candidates face off at special district and state conventions. What that means is that delegates elected at the county convention could be the ones to directly nominate their gubernatorial or congressional candidates.”

All county Democrats are encouraged to attend and participate in the caucus. Contact Chair Sherry Toelle at 243-4861 if you have questions regarding the caucus.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:50 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It’s been a billion-dollar lottery weekend after a lone Powerball ticket sold in New Hampshire matched all six numbers and will claim a $570 million jackpot, one day after another single ticket sold in Florida nabbed a $450 million Mega Millions grand prize. The winning Powerball numbers drawn Saturday night were 12-29-30-33-61 and Powerball 26. The Powerball jackpot was the nation’s seventh largest.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new report says Iowa’s controversial shift to privately-managed Medicaid will save the state 80 percent less money this year than originally predicted. The Des Moines Register reported Saturday that a quarterly report prepared by Iowa Department of Human Services staff members says the state now stands to save $47.1 million this fiscal year by having private companies manage the $4 billion program. Former Gov. Terry Branstad had declared the move would save the state $232 million this year.

FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police in north-central Iowa say no children where hurt when a window of their moving school bus was shot out. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the incident happened in Forest City on Friday morning, when the window shattered after being hit by a shot from a pellet gun. A statement from the Forest City School District said all children were safe and that no injuries resulted from the shooting or flying glass.

A Stanton man was cited after he drove in to a legally parked car in Red Oak on Saturday. At 12:15pm an officer with the Red Oak PD on regular patrol came upon the accident at the intersection of East Coolbaugh and 4th Street in Red Oak. It was determined that a 2002 Ford F150 driven by 73-year-old Sherwood Earl Bradway of Stanton was driving North on 4th Street and drifted out of his lane and struck a legally parked 2010 Chevy Impala.

Bradway admitted he was not paying attention when the accident occurred. Bradway was also not wearing his glasses as his restricted license required and he was cited for that violation.  An estimated $2,000 damage was sustained by the Ford and $3,000 damage to the Chevy.

A Corning man was arrested after a fence was damaged by a vehicle at the Kline Museum in Prescott early Saturday. A complaint was delivered to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office about the fence being damaged at 12:30pm and deputies found a damaged flower pot and the broken fence at the scene. City council members found a piece of broken taillight inside the fenced area. A community member had seen someone driving a truck around Prescott at the time of the incident.

Deputies located the truck and it’s driver 29-year-old Trenton Matthew Jenkins of Corning and the truck had a left side taillight broken. Jenkins admitted to Deputies that he had run into the fence. Jenkins was arrested for Criminal Mischief 5th Degree and was being held in jail on $300 bond.

An animal shelter in Omaha-Council Bluffs will be getting in more than a dozen dogs that were left without homes when Hurricane Maria plowed through the Caribbean in September. Pam Wiese, spokeswoman for the Nebraska Humane Society, says the canines are coming from the island of Saint Croix and they need new families in Iowa and Nebraska to love them.

“We sent a couple of staff members, one a veterinarian and one a behaviorist, to St. Croix to help out in an emergency response shelter they had set up to help with the hurricane dogs and other animals that were left homeless,” Wiese says. “They’re now winding down their response operation on the island and they want to relocate those animals to improve their chances of finding homes.” Wiese says hundreds of dogs from the U-S Virgin Islands were flown into Florida late last week.

“They are being dispersed to various shelters across the country who have said that they have room,” she says. “I think that we’ll be getting about 15 dogs in from St. Croix.” The animals will be fully checked over for any potential medical issues.

“We’ll get them treated for whatever ailments they have and make them available for adoption,” she says, “so they’ll all get second chances.” Shelters in Florida, Texas and Missouri (Kansas City) are also taking in dogs that survived the storm and are now in need of “forever” homes.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Karla James – Omaha)