OTTWUMA, Iowa (AP) – Torrential rain has brought flash flooding to parts of eastern Iowa. The National Weather Service in Des Moines says it issued flash flood warnings Thursday morning for Wapello and Jefferson counties. Meteorologist Brad Small says his office received two reports Thursday of more than 5 inches of rain in Wapello County, which includes Ottumwa.

Ottumwa police reported as much as 1 foot of standing water at one intersection and have shut down several roads because of flooding.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have arrested an Iowa woman accused of abducting her three daughters. Police say 25-year-old Danica Noel Arzaga was arrested in Sioux City Wednesday afternoon. Authorities had been searching for Arzaga since she allegedly abducted her three children from Royal, Iowa, on Tuesday morning. An Amber Alert was issued and then canceled after the three young girls were found abandoned in Sanborn, in northwest Iowa, late Tuesday.

Arzaga faces three counts of third-degree kidnapping. The children were taken to an undisclosed location by the Iowa Department of Human Services. They had previously been removed from Arzaga’s custody and placed in another relative’s care.

Iowa 3rd District Congressman David Young continues his schedule of hosting open meeting events with his constituents with four more Open Office Hours events in September. Open Office Hours are a resource for Iowans who reside in the District to meet one-on-one with the Congressman to discuss opinions, concerns, and ideas about the issues being discussed in Congress or to get casework assistance with problems they may be having with a federal agency or program.

Scheduled Open Office Hours:

Friday September 29, 2017: 10:30am to 12:30pm – Stanton Viking Center – Viking Community Room, 501 Elliott Street, Stanton, IA 51573

Friday September 29, 2017: 2:30pm to 4:30pm – Afton Community Center, 240 N. Douglas Street (Hwy 169), Afton, IA 50830

Saturday September 30, 2017: 12:30pm to 2:30pm – Panora Public Library – Meeting Room, 102 N. First Street, Panora, IA 50216

The Congressman says “Being an elected official is about accessibility, listening and acting in the best interest of the people you are honored to represent. Over the past three years I have had the honor of hosting hundreds of meetings with thousands of Iowans. These Open Office Hours serve as an additional resource for my bosses who want to petition their government, or seek assistance with government red tape, in person.”

Residents of Iowa’s Third District who are interested in meeting with Congressman Young are encouraged to attend any of the Open Office Hours events. Individual, ten-minute meetings to discuss personal concerns, opinions and possible casework needs will take place with constituents in attendance on a first-come, first-serve basis. Participants must be residents of one of the 16 counties of Iowa’s Third Congressional District.  Those counties include: Adair, Adams, Cass, Dallas, Fremont, Guthrie, Madison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Taylor, Union and Warren.

Atlantic City Administrator John Lund, Wednesday, reported to the City Council, that he has been working a lot on the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget, and that “Things are proving to be not as much fun as it’s been in the past. By that he means “Our Capital Expenditures have been going up. We have new Operational Spending. A loss in the General Fund….Our Debt limit Capacity will be just below [the] limit set in the City’s Financial Policy. And, the actual Debt Levy is very high, which makes for a lower score on the Standard and Poors when it comes to bond rating.

Lund said he’s only in the preliminary stages of putting together the Budget, and hopefully things will improve. But he warned City leaders need to be aware the amount of money the City takes in from the Local Option Sales Tax, is based on what the State takes in. And those numbers he said, are looking a lot worse. He said “I thing we’re starting to reach the limit of what we can do with our current revenue and fee structures. New “needs” or “wants” in the future that are outside the budgeting process, will involve in increasing fees, finding new fees, or we’re gonna  be running down the reserve balances.

Lund said also “We can’t just raise property taxes to solve the problem.” The bottom line, he said, is “We should be cautious in spending, here.”