A representative of the Iowa Bankers Association says the latest facts and figures show Iowans, in general, are doing better than borrowers in other states. Sharon Presnall is a senior vice president for the Iowa Bankers Association. “Mortgage delinquencies have been and remain consistently lower than the rest of the nation,” she says, “and Iowa consistently has the lowest credit card debt than all of the states.” There has been “steady improvement” in Iowa banks, according to Presnall. “Total deposits in Iowa institutions increased to $57.6 billion year to date, which is an increase of $3.1 million from the third quarter of 2011,” she says.

Iowa banks have more than 42-billion dollars worth of loans on the books, a slight increase of about three billion over the third quarter last year. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s third quarter report indicates less than one-point-five percent of loans in Iowa have reached the 90-days-past-due stage. The national delinquency rate is double what it is in Iowa. Presnall is the Iowa Banking Association’s chief statehouse lobbyist. About 18-thousand Iowans are employed at the 340 banking institutions that are part of the Iowa Bankers Association.

(Radio Iowa)

Statehouse leaders say changing the formula that distributes state gas taxes for road and bridge projects is just too risky, politically, and would derail any bid to raise the state gas tax. Cities say they don’t get a big enough share of the money for roads and bridges — and counties say the same thing. Governor Terry Branstad says it’s an urban-versus-rural battle. “Looking at the politics of it, you’re probably going to lose the Farm Bureau if you reduce the money going to counties and rural areas,” Branstad says. The Farm Bureau has been a backer of a plan that would raise the state gas tax. The Iowa Chamber Alliance — representing Iowa’s larger urban areas — has called for increasing the gas tax and sending a greater share of the taxes to cities. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen of Hiawatha, the top Republican in the legislature, says changing the distribution formula would “kill” any bid to raise the gas tax.

“Too complicated, too controversial — we’ve already been through that debate,” Paulsen says. “I don’t see us going back down that road.” Senate Republican Leader Bill Dix raises melons and pumpkins on a farm near Shell Rock and he says agrees shifting the formula to send more money to cities would kill any bid to raise the gas tax.  “Iowa is a diverse and agricultural state and in order to move those farm commodities to market, to added-value markets that have been such a big part of the growing Iowa economy, we need to make sure that we’re maintaining those rural infrastructures as well,” Dix says. “Talking about changing that formula to favor urban areas moves that debate backwards as opposed to forward.” Dix sees “growing support” in the legislature for a hike in the gas tax, but only if lawmakers reduce other taxes, like commercial property taxes.

“Myself personally and I think Senate Republicans generally came here, though, primarily focused on reducing the overall tax burden on Iowans and creating more growth,” Dix says. “That needs to be our number one priority and needs to happen first.” Just over a year ago a task force appointed by the governor called for a 10-cent-per-gallon increase in the state gas tax, to boost the flagging budget for road and bridge construction. Governor Terry Branstad would sign a gas tax increase into law, but he’s not asking legislators to pass one.

“I don’t intend to make a recommendation,” Branstad says. “I have indicated that I’m open to considering things, but my focus is on reducing taxes — and specifically the property tax — and I think anything that’s done has got to be a net tax reduction for the citizens of Iowa.” Earlier this month a representative of the state’s road builders publicly urged Branstad to become a more ardent advocate for boosting the gas tax. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs agrees Branstad’s public backing is key if the gas tax increase has a chance in the legislature.

I think, pretty obviously, as the leader of the Republican Party of Iowa, for his own members it probably takes a little more encouraging words than he’s given it so far,” Gronstal says. Paulsen — the House speaker — says he doesn’t know whether the gas tax increase could get 51 votes in the House. “It came up in a pretty significant fashion in three different legislative races in the state,” Paulsen says. “Two out of the three people who were advocating for a gas tax or user fee increase lost, so I don’t think anybody knows.” Kevin McCarthy of Des Moines, the House Democratic Leader, last week said if lawmakers raise the gas tax, they need to lower other vehicle fees which were raised a few years ago to try to fill part of the 215-million dollar hole in the state’s road construction fund.

(Radio Iowa)

A Lenox woman was arrested early Sunday morning, on an assault charge.

Dulce Pantoja (Photo courtesy Lenox P-D)

According to the Police Department, officers were called to a domestic disturbance in the 200 block of West Michigan at around 5:30-a.m. Following an investigation into the incident, 26-year old Dulce E. Pantoja, of Lenox,  was arrested on a charge of domestic assault. Pantoja was transported to the Ringgold County Jail.

A recent report from Iowa State University found the average price for an acre of Iowa farmland hit a new record high in 2012. The price was just short of 83-hundred dollars, an increase of 24-percent from the year before. Doug Stark, president of Farm Credit Services of America, says obtaining farmland is the single biggest issue facing new farmers. “It’s that they need to find access to land to be able to farm,” Stark says. “It’s so competitive out there right now, with people buying land and with successful producers that are bidding up the price of rented land, it’s very challenging for young producers just to get the base of operation through land to get their operations started.”

Stark says with advances in technology, farmers today have a bit more down time for family and other activities, something relatively new in the world of agriculture. That’s making it more appealing for young people to pick farming as a career path.  “I think we’re seeing more young people wanting to come back to farming now than we’ve seen in a long, long time,” Stark says. “They know they can come back to the farm and not only have it be a way of life, but that they can they can have a life.”

The challenge of finding land to farm remains, it part due to record corn and bean prices as well as low interest rates.

(Radio Iowa)

Advocates for Iowans who suffer from epilepsy say state support for a private group that helps epileptics has declined by 70 percent in the past five years. Courtney Strutt Todd is a member of the Iowa Advisory Council for the Epilepsy Foundation of North and Central Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. “There are currently 30,000 persons living in Iowa that have or are effected by epilepsy,” Strutt Todd says. Strutt Todd and other advocates are asking state officials to provide the Epilepsy Foundation with 100-thousand dollars worth of state taxpayer support next year.

“We are the only sustainable service in the state and the only resource available for individuals and families suffering from epilepsy,” Strutt Todd says. “This program specifically saves the state thousands of dollars by preventing emergency room visits billable to Medicaid, by preventing unemployment or underemployment with persons with epilepsy and by saving lives in persons with uncontrolled seizures.”

The Epilepsy Foundation has an office in Des Moines that coordinates the work of support groups in Des Moines, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo. The foundation offers counseling, education and referrals to Iowans who have been diagnosed with epilepsy. “This year alone 200,000 people in the United States will develop epilepsy and 50,000 will die of seizures,” Strutt Todd says. “The Epilepsy Foundation is working to lower this statistic.”

A state task force formed in 2011 is currently studying whether generic drugs are an appropriate substitute for brand-name drugs prescribed to treat epileptic seizures. One estimate indicates the state could save 11-million dollars if generics were used instead of brand-name drugs. That task force is to submit a report to legislators by the end of January.

(Radio Iowa)

Funds raised through the Cass County Salvation Army’s Bell Ringing Campaign this year came in a little less than last year, but not by much. Bell Ringing Campaign Chair Duane McFadden provided the near final tally during the Board of Supervisor’s meeting Monday morning, in Atlantic. McFadden said volunteers received a total of $10, 608.70. in their kettles.

Last year at this time, donations amounted to $11,176, which was nearly double the amount raised in 2010. New this year was an on-line credit card donation feature which allowed contributions to be directed to specific units, such as the one in Cass County. It’s unclear how much those donations amounted to, though.

All proceeds from the donations stay in Cass County, for various Salvation Army-related programs.