Red Oak Police, Thursday night, arrested 40-year old Richard Allen Straw, of Red Oak. Straw was taken into custody at around 7:22-p.m. in the 100 block of W. Grimes Street, for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on a $1,000 bond.

And, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 37-year old Luke Daniel Rinehart, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue a little after 7-p.m. Thursday. Rinehart was charged with Violation of a No Contact Order. He was being held without bond in the Montgomery Jail.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is preparing to notify families in early February that federal money could run out for a health insurance program that covers roughly 60,000 low-income children in the state. The Iowa Department of Human Services is also exploring options in case funding ends for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known in the state as hawk-i. DHS could recommend freezing enrollment, switching kids to Medicaid or ending hawk-i entirely.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A northern Iowa prosecutor’s office has partnered with a school district to address truancy among students. The Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office launched the anti-truancy program with Mason City Schools about a year ago. District official Jadie Meyer tells the Mason City Globe Gazette that the program aims to work with students, parents and school officials to get kids back in school. She says nine students and their families have been involved.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ethanol plants in Iowa have produced a record amount of the gasoline additive this year, narrowly topping last year’s record. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol trade group, says Iowa’s 43 ethanol plants turned out 4.2 billion gallons of ethanol this year surpassing the 4.1 billion gallons produced in 2016.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Marine says she’s been given an apology but no explanation for an errant warrant that led to her arrest in a Des Moines suburb. Sgt. Kaylie Coats was arrested Dec. 7 while home on leave. The warrant alleged Coats hadn’t paid for a $45 cab ride in Clive in 2015. She told a judge the next day the allegation was wrong because she’d been stationed in California at the time. A few hours later the Clive police chief called Coats and apologized, explaining only that the warrant was issued in error.

Financial experts are combing through all of the looming changes in tax code and some Iowans may benefit from taking a few decisive actions before 2018 arrives, though time is quickly running out. Jeff Strawhacker, a C-P-A in West Des Moines, says the sweeping tax reforms that passed through Congress and became law last week will have far-reaching affects.

“Almost every Iowan will be impacted to some extent, whether it be through the lower rates, the increased brackets, the increased standard deduction, the cap on deductions,” Strawhacker says. “The question is, how will they be impacted and will it be a favorable or detrimental impact and I think that’s the key question.” There’s no easy answer to that question, he says, as it has to be taken on a case-by-case basis. One of the fundamental changes that’s coming is in how Iowans, their families and their businesses calculate their federal tax bill. Since most of the changes go into effect next year, Strawhacker says there’s a narrow window of time to make moves that could soften or avoid the impact of crackdowns.

“Consider pre-paying the March 2018 property taxes on their residences before the year-end,” Strawhacker says. “That’s due to the $10,000 cap on state income and property tax deductions that goes into effect in 2018 combined with the increased standard deduction.” Another change that’s coming may influence when and how much we donate money to charities.

“Consider accelerating charitable donations from 2018 into 2017,” Strawhacker says. “With the increased standard deduction that goes into effect in 2018, they may not receive a tax benefit from those donations but if they move them into ’17, we probably have a better chance of getting some tax benefits.” The tax law change may result in a dip in contributions to some charitable organizations, but Strawhacker thinks most people donate to such agencies because they want to, not just to get a tax break. Iowans who want to make some changes in their financial pictures will need to get busy.

“There’s not a lot of time to do much more before year end,” he says, “but I think the bigger key now is to look forward into 2018 and future years and determine what changes you might need to make going forward.” He notes, CPAs aren’t only useful for preparing your taxes, but also for helping you to make sound financial decisions year-round.

(Radio Iowa)