OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A report says a business conditions index for nine Midwest and Plains states has jumped to its highest level in 14 years. The report released Friday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index hit 67.3 last month, compared with 64.5 in April. The March figure was 62.1. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the economy’s strength will be tested by trade skirmishes and other factors that could slow growth.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — A woman has been accused of swinging a baseball bat to kill a 22-year-old man in southeast Iowa more than 25 years ago. Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren said Thursday that Annette Dee Cahill, of Tipton, is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 13, 1992, slaying of Corey Lee Wieneke. He was found dead on his bedroom floor in rural West Liberty.
Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for her.

A criminal complaint says someone reported last year that Cahill made comments a few weeks after the slaying that she was responsible. Officials also say she told another person that a baseball bat had been used to kill Wieneke, something only she could have been certain of at the time. An aluminum bat with blood on it was found a mile from his home.

An accident early this (Friday) morning, in Council Bluffs, is under investigation. Bluffs Police say officers were called to North 15th Street and K Avenue at around 2:11-a.m., with regard to an injury accident. The suspect vehicle collided with a parked vehicle, the action of which caused the driver to lose control, and run into a residence at 1500 Ave K. The home however, did not sustain heavy damage. The driver of the vehicle was transported to the hospital for further medical evaluation. Their name was not immediately released.

Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor for the accident. The Council Bluffs Traffic Unit is investigating.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County, Thursday, arrested 37-year old April Marie Watson, of Red Oak, on a Felony, Delivery of Methamphetamine charge. Her arrest stems from an investigation conducted in March, 2018. Watson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

The entire City of Creston, and all customers of the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) will be under a Boil Water Advisory beginning at 8-a.m. today (Friday), and until further notice.The order was issued, according to SIRWA, because “Due to problems at the 12-mile Treatment Plant, there is a chance for bacterial contamination, and it is being recommended that the water be boiled before it is used for drinking, or cooking, or that an alternative source be used.”

Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one-minute and then let it cool, or, used bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing your teeth and food preparation, until further notice. Boiling the water kills bacteria and other organisms that may be present. The water is safe for bathing and other, similar purposes.

The Advisory, which affects SIRWA customers in Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Madison, Ringgold, Taylor and Union Counties, is a precaution until bacterial sample results are available. For more information, call 641-782-5744.

Customers of the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) include:

Adams County: Nodaway, Prescott and surrounding rural areas

Clarke County: Murray and surrounding rural areas west of Interstate 35

Decatur County: Grand River and surrounding rural areas west of Interstate 35 Madison County: Macksburg and surrounding rural areas

Ringgold County: Beaconsfield, Benton, Delphos, Diagonal, Ellston, Kellerton, Maloy, Mt. Ayr, Redding, Sun Valley, Tingley and surrounding rural areas

Taylor County: Bedford, Blockton, Conway, Clearfield, Gravity, Lenox, Sharpsburg and surrounding rural areas

Union County: Afton, Arispe, Creston, Cromwell, Kent, Lorimor, Shannon City, Thayer and surrounding rural areas

For more information on guidelines to reduce risk of infection, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa legislator who dropped his Republican Party affiliation after comments by then-candidate Donald Trump won’t seek re-election. Sen. David Johnson of Ocheyedan announced Thursday he won’t seek re-election in his northwest Iowa district. The 67-year-old didn’t explain his decision but noted in a statement that the political process had become more polarizing and partisan. Johnson dropped his party affiliation in 2016 after Trump made comments about a federal judge of Mexican heritage

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A third person has been sentenced to federal prison in a case that saw the trio using stolen identities and debit card numbers for a buying spree across Iowa. Prosecutors say 21-year-old Liliany de Armas Mena, a Cuban national, was sentenced Wednesday to three years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say she and two other men stole account information last year from at least 35 accounts using “skimming” devices.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in north-central Iowa say the body of a missing kayaker has been found in the Des Moines River. Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter told The Messenger on Thursday afternoon that family members had located the remains of 26-year-old Alex Dencklau, of Clare, in the river south of the Fort Dodge Water Treatment Plant. Dencklau’s body will be taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Ankeny for an autopsy.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Concepts for a riverfront revitalization plan in Council Bluffs include an elevated walkway through the trees, a pavilion with a rooftop restaurant and a marina. The Omaha World-Herald reports that those were among ideas floated Wednesday during a community meeting on plans to transform the Council Bluffs side of the Missouri River. On June 12, the Riverfront Revitalization Planning Committee plans to present a master plan for the Omaha riverfront during an open house at Gallup in Omaha.