The Iowa Department of Revenue won’t be mailing out income tax forms and instruction books to taxpayers this year. Department spokesperson, Kay Arvidson, says it’s a move that many states and the I-R-S have already made. Arvidson says you can still call or e-mail the department if you want the paper forms. She says they wanted to be sure that people can still have access to the information, they are just not mailing them to homes any more. Iowa is one of the leading states for electronic tax filing and Arvidson says fewer people actually need to have the paper forms.

Arvidson says they have cut back on the number of paper books over the last several years and she says they are like the rest of state goverment and watching every dollar that is spent. She says they can save over 50-thousand dollars by only sending the documents to the people that want them rather and mailing them to everyone’s home. Libraries have been one of the main places people could pick up the tax forms but that is changing too.

Arvidson says they’ve provided information to the libraries on how to direct people to their website for the forms, but she says the paper forms will no longer be given to the libraries to be handed out to the public. Arvidson says it is part of the evolving use of on-line tax filing. Arvidson says it’s a big change, but an important change for efficiency as people move into the electronic realm. She says they don’t want to leave anyone out, so the paper forms will still be available.

If you still want paper tax forms you can get them online at: www.iowa.gov/tax. You can call the state forms order line at 1-800-532-1531 or request a form by e-mail at: IowaTaxForms@Iowa.gov. You can also request forms via mail from the department of stop by their office on the 4th floor of the Hoover State Office Building at 1305 East Walnut street in Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Red Oak report a Glenwood man was arrested Tuesday evening on a burglary charge. Officials say 19-year-old Christopher Lynn Young was taken into custody on a warrant for 3rd degree burglary.  Young was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond.  Red Oak Police were assisted in conducting an investigation into the crime by deputies with the Mills County and Montgomery County Sheriff”s Offices.

Emmetsburg, IOWA — The Emmetsburg Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are seeking assistance from the public in locating James Michael Pietrarosso. Pietrarosso is a 32-year old male from the Emmetsburg, Iowa area.  He is wanted for Attempted Murder and several other outstanding warrants.Pietrarosso was last known to be in the Spencer, Iowa area.

James Michael Pietrarosso

His whereabouts are unknown at this time.  The Emmetsburg Police Department is asking for your assistance in locating this subject.  If you or anyone you know has information that would assist law enforcement in locating and arresting Pietrarosso, please contact your local Law Enforcement at 9-1-1, or The Emmetsburg Police Department at 712-852-2424.

While the U-S Army Corps of Engineers is promising to focus more on flood prevention, many western Iowans are still questioning how that will be accomplished after the summer-long flooding of the Missouri River. Jody Farhat, head of the Corps’ water control office in Omaha, says she’s heard from plenty of worried folks up and down the river. “People are very concerned about potential flooding again next year,” Farhat says. “We’re committing to take a more flexible approach to our releases during the fall and into the winter and the spring.” Levees and dams along the waterway were weakened by the months of flooding and repairs on them are still underway. Farhat says the plan is to draw down upriver reservoir levels before the warm weather of 2012 arrives.

“We’ll get as much water out of the system as the weather permits and that we can pass safely without impacting the repairs that are going on,” Farhat says. “The dams and the levees are our number-one line of defense and we don’t want to interfere with any of that important work that’s going on.” Reservoirs upstream were inundated by heavy rains and record runoff from snowmelt, forcing the Corps to release water at such velocity that Missouri River levels were raised for the entire summer. Farhat says they’re working to plan ahead by dropping reservoir water levels now. “It’s not a specific amount,” she says. “We’ll base it on the current information and also on what we’re able to get out. When we get to this time of year, it really depends on the weather and where the runoff comes in. We’ll monitor that closely and hopefully we’ll be able to move some additional water out.” Farhat says the Corps will continue with “aggressive” flows from the dams for the next few months.

“We don’t want to cause icejam flooding this winter just to provide some relief in case it’s a wet year next year,” she says. “It’s a balancing the very real impacts of pushing extra water through the winter with that reduced risk of flooding next year.” Releases from Gavins Point Dam at Yankton on the South Dakota/Nebraska border continue at 40-thousand cubic feet per second, well above the long term normal for this time of year. Releases this summer topped 160-thousand CFS, or more than a million gallons per second.

(Radio Iowa)

Authorities in Lenox report a Taylor County man was arrested today (Tuesday) on a charge of 1st degree arson. According to the Lenox Police Department, 25-year old Christopher Cameron, of Clearfield, was arrested at his parents home. The arrest comes as a result of a joint investigation by the Lenox Police Department and the State Fire Marshalls Office related to the fire that occurred on November 6th, 2011, at the Lenox Motel.

An initial investigation the night of the fire conducted by the Lenox Police Department found inconsistencies relating to the cause of the fire. As a result the State Fire Marshall’s Office was contacted to review those findings.

Cameron was subsequently arrested after making an admission about the cause of the Motel fire and 3 other fires. Additional charges are expected to be filed by the Fire Marshall’s office. Cameron is currently being held in the Taylor County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert says residents of Earling, Panama, Portsmouth and Westphalia should be aware 1380th Street is closed for a bridge replacement project that is expected to last about three-weeks. The bridge is located over an unnamed tributary of the Mosquito Creek, just west of Highway 191, between Elmwood Road and Highway 191.

Seivert says the bridge will be replaced with a culvert. Area residents who may have questions about the project can call the Shelby County Engineer’s Office at 712-755-5954.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Green Valley State Park (near Creston) will be closed Nov. 19th and 20th, for its annual special deer hunt.  Green Valley will re-open to the public on Nov. 21st. The Green Valley State Park deer hunt is limited to 30 hunters using only muzzleloaders to harvest up to 60 antlerless deer.  Hunters have already registered and will receive two antlerless tags each, redeemable only during the special hunt at the designated areas and specified dates. Additional DNR staff will be on hand to patrol the park boundaries during the event. 

Alan Carr, Park Ranger at Green Valley says “This hunt helps to manage the deer population in the park.  We have had seven successful hunts and expect this hunt will go as well as previous hunts.  Hunters are required to attend a special safety meeting before the hunt where we explain the reason for the hunt, discuss the rules and identify the park boundaries.” Carr said the park hunt has shown to be a successful management tool for state parks. 

“We are attempting to maintain a balance in the deer herd for the people who want to see deer when they come to park and for our neighbors who may want a smaller deer herd.” He says “The hunt will probably remain an annual event with the number of deer targeted for removal changing based on the population estimates.”

Hunters have been allowed to harvest up to 60 antlerless deer, the average harvest for the past seven years has been just over 40 deer. For questions, contact the park office at (641) 782-5131.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday) approved the final payment application for the northwest Water and Sewer extension project. Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm said the project came in slightly over budget, but only because of extra surfacing rock needed to restore driveways and roadways in the area.

The intent of the project is to spur new business and industry development in the vicinity of the defunct Amaizing Energy ethanol plant located off of Glacier Road northwest of Atlantic, by providing water and sewer lines to prospective clients. The original cost of the project was $482, 141. The final contract price tag amounted to $483, 223, or about $1,100 over the contract price. That also included extra boring and a change out, for a connection line.

The county is paying for the project with tax increment financing on a recently constructed ADM grain bin, in addition to the Local Option Sales Tax. The Local Option Tax will gradually be paid back as revenue from the wind turbines in the county and other sources, allow.

Atlantic Police report 43-year old Dana Cisar, of Atlantic, was arrested Monday. Cisar was booked into the Cass County Jail for Driving Under Suspension and Non-Payment of Iowa Fines.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A former federal union official who embezzled $33,000 is asking a judge to show leniency. Ann Kelly, former treasurer-secretary of the American Federation of Government Employees in Council Bluffs, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. The retired federal railroad inspector used union funds between 2002 and 2007 to make payments to personal credit cards and write checks to family members. The charge carries up to 20 years in prison, but Kelly’s attorney is asking a judge to impose a term of probation during Wednesday’s sentencing in Des Moines. Her attorney says Kelly’s theft was motivated to help her family out of financial crises that included her son having cancer and her husband having business failures. He says Kelly cashed out her retirement savings to repay the money.