OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A new report says low commodity prices and weak farm incomes are continuing to hamper the rural economy in parts of 10 Plains and Midwestern states. The Rural Mainstreet Index for the region fell to from 42.2 in August to 39.6 in September, its lowest level in 2017. The index released Thursday ranges between 0 and 100, with any number under 50 indicating a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey of bankers, says more than half of the bankers reported that they have restructured farm loans. Nearly 20 percent have increased their collateral requirements. Bankers reported a 2.1 percent increase in farm loan defaults over the past year.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

A woman from Nebraska was arrested Tuesday night on drug charges, after she made abrupt driving maneuvers. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says a Deputy on routine patrol saw an SUV traveling south on Old Lincoln Highway near Badger, at around 9:20-p.m., when the driver of the vehicle suddenly made a U-turn after they saw the Deputy’s vehicle, and proceeded to travel north.  The vehicle then made another U-Turn before turning into 1006 Old Lincoln Highway.

The SUV was there for only 5-minutes. When it pulled out, the Deputy saw it didn’t have a license plate lamp, and during the ensuing traffic stop, arrested 25-year old Heather Ann Misek, of Omaha, for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. In the vehicle, authorities found baggies containing a total of 1 gram of crystal substance believed to be Meth. They also found a glass pipe with white residue, along with a drug scale.

And, a Council Bluffs man was arrested Wednesday afternoon for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. 36-year old Scott Alen Schiller was taken into custody at a residence in the 500 block of North Ridge Road, on a warrant for the Sex Offender Registry violation.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A western Iowa nursing home plans to challenge a $5,000 fine and the potential loss of federal funding after the state issued a negative report about the quality of its dietary program. The Sioux City Journal reports that Touchstone Healthcare Community in Sioux City was cited for multiple violations with its food program and two unrelated infractions.

Touchstone is a 125-bed care facility that has operated in Sioux City since 1978 but has been run under a variety of names and owners. It is currently owned by Welco Healthcare of Minnesota. Facility administrator Katilin Thomas says the home is working with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals to make improvements, but plans to dispute the citation.

State officials observed the facility and interviewed dietitians, staffers, residents and family members.

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.