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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The winning Powerball numbers have been drawn for the jackpot that’s climbed above $400 million for the first time in nearly three months. The numbers are 10-13-28-52-61 and Powerball 2. The game’s website says one winning ticket was sold in Indiana. During Wednesday night’s drawing, it was announced that the jackpot increased to an estimated $435 million.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld the use of automated speed cameras in Iowa, rejecting challenges in two separate court cases filed by citizens claiming Cedar Rapids cameras violated their constitutional rights. In one case six car owners ticketed on Interstate 380 sought class-action status claiming the cameras violate equal protection and due process rights among others.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Protesters have crowded Gov. Terry Branstad’s office to oppose the Dakota Access pipeline that passes through Iowa. Around 20 people came to the Iowa Capitol at 1 p.m. Wednesday to speak with Branstad, who is in Washington D.C. for National Governor’s Association meetings until Monday. The protesters say they want to speak directly to Branstad about denouncing the pipeline.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man has been arrested after police say he used a hammer to smash nearly 30 sculptures in the Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens in downtown Des Moines. The Des Moines Register reports that the incident occurred Tuesday evening, when 48-year-old Dung Van Nguyen began smashing 27 pillar and two lion sculptures with a hammer. Police who confronted him shocked the man with a Taser when they say he refused orders to drop the hammer.

Iowa’s flirtation with spring-like weather will be coming to an abrupt end tomorrow (Thursday). National Weather Service meteorologist Kurt Kotenberg says it will include a roughly 40-degree swing in temperatures. “Temperatures are going be back down into the 30s. I think on Saturday a lot of Iowa is going to lucky to even hit 30 degrees,” Kotenberg says. “It’s going to windy – think of those raw, windy days with winds of 20 to 30 miles an hour from the north. So, we had a small taste of spring this week, but it’s really going to flip this weekend and we’re going to see winter come back in full force.”

Rain and snow are also in the forecast. “We’re going to have that magical 32-degree line cutting right through the heart of the state from southwest to northeast,” Kotenberg says. “So, it looks like (southern) Iowa will see more rain than snow.”

Winter Storm Watch (Counties in blue); Blizzard Watch (counties in bright green)

A Winter Storm Watch covers 14 counties in parts of western and north-central Iowa from Thursday night through Friday evening. (In the KJAN listening area, a Winter Storm Watch is in effect from 6-a.m. Friday until Midnight, for Crawford, Carroll, Harrison and Monona Counties) A Blizzard Watch is in effect for 15 counties in the northwestern 3 tiers of counties, from 6-p.m. Thursday until Midnight, Friday.

“It’s looking like, right now, portions of northwestern Iowa will hit that 6 to 10 inch range and couple places could see more than a foot of snow,” Kotenberg says. “It looks like this will be a drawn out event, as well, with the snow lasting most of Friday morning, all of Friday, and into Saturday morning.” Kotenberg notes the AMOUNT of snow won’t be the biggest factor in travel conditions — it’ll be the strong winds, with gusts up to 40 miles an hour.

“When you have any snow that falls with winds that are that strong, we could see blowing and drifting snow, visibilities well under a mile, and even snow that’s been plowed by snowplows…that can be blown back onto roadways,” Kotenberg says. The snow and cold spell won’t be hanging around too long. Temperatures are expected to climb back into the 50s by next Tuesday and Wednesday.

(Radio Iowa)

Twenty people began occupying the governor’s office early Wednesday afternoon, to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline which passes through Iowa. At 5 p.m., four were arrested and charged with trespassing when the office closed for the day. Frank Cordaro, a spokesman for the group, says continued reliance on oil will cause “more dirty wars.”

“It’s oil-based this. It’s oil-based that,” Cordaro said. “We’ve sold our soul to oil.” The protesters asked to speak with Governor Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Reynolds, but neither were in the office Wednesday. “There’s a lot of baloney going on in this rigged system,” Cordaro said. “That’s not my words. That’s the presidents, so this is a rigged scene about big oil interests.”

Similar protests were staged in other states. The pipeline is to ship oil from North Dakota to a refinery in Illinois. The route through Iowa has been completed, but an uncompleted portion of the pipeline in North Dakota has been the focus of intense protests. Wednesday night was the deadline for protesters in North Dakota to clear out of their encampment at the site.

(Radio Iowa)

A man from Missouri was being treated for undisclosed injuries at the hospital in Clarinda, Wednesday, following a search for a stolen vehicle that was first reported to have been involved in an accident. 27-year old Corey Evan Langdon, of Mound City, MO., was located by the Montgomery County K9 units following a lengthy search of the area.

The search began after the Page County Sheriff’s Office was notified at around 10:20-a.m., that a stolen vehicle, a 1999 Ford Ranger pickup that had been northbound on Highway 71, turned east onto Highway 2, entered a cornfield and rolled.  The occupant was allegedly seriously injured.  The call came to PAGECOMM dispatch from a Law Enforcement agency in Holt County Missouri.  Holt County Missouri had received the call from a relative of a person who allegedly had been in the vehicle.

Personnel from the Clarinda Fire Department, Clarinda EMS, Clarinda Police Department, and the Page County Sheriff’s Office began a search for the vehicle.  The vehicle was found north of Clarinda off Highway 71 north of 170th Street, approximately 15 yards into a field, stuck in the mud.  The vehicle had not been involved in an accident.

K-9’s from Montgomery County were sent to assist in the search by Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson on the request of Sheriff Palmer.  A several hour complete search of the area was conducted. It is unknown as to how long the vehicle had been stuck in the field prior to PAGECOMM receiving the information, but is assumed prior to sunrise due to the conditions and information gathered from area residents.

There was no word on whether charges have been filed in connection with the incident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa House subcommittee approved a bill that would legalize medical marijuana oil and create a state-run program to grow and dispense the product. People affected by epileptic seizures, multiple sclerosis and cancer spoke Wednesday in support of the bill, telling lawmakers cannabis oil helped them. The GOP-led panel unanimously supported the bill, which now moves to the House public safety committee.

The Iowa Department of Public Health would run the program, and an agency official said it was important participants receive license cards. Rep. Jared Klein, a Republican from Keota, noted the legislation doesn’t legalize recreational marijuana but only allows cannabis oil for medical treatment. He says 28 states have passed similar bills.

Iowa approved a marijuana oil program in 2014 for treatment of epilepsy. It expires this summer.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three private insurance companies that oversee Medicaid in Iowa say they expect to lose about $450 million in the first year of administering the health care program for the poor and disabled. Representatives for UnitedHealthcare, AmeriHealth Caritas and Amerigroup disclosed the estimate to lawmakers during a budget committee meeting Wednesday. The figures account for financial losses since the companies took over Medicaid last April.

AmeriHealth Caritas estimated losses in excess of $200 million; Amerigroup figured losses at about $150 million; and UnitedHealthcare estimated losses in excess of $100 million. Company representatives and the Iowa Department of Human Services say losses were expected in the first year.

It’s unclear how the figures will impact Iowa’s future Medicaid spending. The state is preparing to negotiate with the companies over how much to pay for each Medicaid patient.

National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE

323 PM CST Wed Feb 22 2017

Iowa Counties: Monona and Harrison

WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING.

* TIMING…Rain, or a rain and snow mix on Thursday night will become all snow Friday. Snow is then expected through the day on Friday, ending on Friday evening.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…Snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches are possible from this storm system.

* WINDS…North winds of 10 to 20 mph on Thursday night are expected to become northwest 15 to 30 mph on Friday with gusts over 35 mph. This has the potentially to create blowing and drifting of the new snow.

* IMPACTS…The combination of snowfall and winds will create difficult travel from Thursday night into Friday night due to snow packed roadways and low visibility.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Winter Storm Watch means there is a potential for significant snow, sleet, or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Wednesday of a West Des Moines man on an outstanding warrant. At 11:00am deputies arrested 40-year-old Christopher Jon Comes of West Des Moines on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Revoked charge. Comes failed to appear for a pretrial conference on September 26, 2016. Comes was originally picked up at the Dallas County Jail and transported to the Audubon County Jail.  He is being held on $5,000 bond.  He will appear in District Court on Monday, February 27th.

The CEO of the Cass County Health System reports the Cass County Memorial Hospital has been named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by iVantage Health Analytics and The Chartis Center for Rural Health. CEO Brett Altman said today (Wednesday), “This achievement is very gratifying and validates our daily commitment to providing the best health care possible to our community, while maintaining an efficient and effective facility.  It is this commitment to excellence by staff throughout the facility that made me want to become a part of CCHS a few months ago.”

CCMH scored in the top 100 of Critical Access Hospitals on iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®. The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive rating of rural providers. It provides the data foundation for the annual Rural Relevance Study and its results are the basis for many of rural healthcare’s most prominent awards, advocacy efforts and legislative initiatives. The list of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and more information about the study can be found at www.iVantageINDEX.com.

The Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals play a key role in providing a safety net to communities across America – and the INDEX measures them across eight pillars of hospital strength: Inpatient Share Ranking, Outpatient Share Ranking, Cost, Charge, Quality, Outcomes, Patient Perspectives, and Financial Stability.

Michael Topchik, national leader of the Chartis Center for Rural Health, said “It’s more important than ever that rural hospitals proactively understand and address performance in the areas of cost, quality, outcomes and patient perspective. iVantage’s INDEX was designed to serve as this industry model. Across the spectrum of performance indicators, there are rural providers that are writing the blueprint for success as they transition to value-based healthcare. Our analysis shows that this group of top performers exhibits a focused concern for their community needs.”

Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County report a central Iowa man has been arrested on an Audubon County warrant for Failure to Appear in court for a pre-trial conference Sept. 26th, on a Driving While Revoked, charge. 40-year old Christopher Jon Comes, of West Des Moines, was extradited from the Dallas County Jail and transported to Audubon County, where he was held in the jail on $5,000 bond. Comes is scheduled to appear in District Court next Monday.