A new report shows more Iowans bought homes in November compared to one year ago. The Housing Trends Report from the Iowa Association of Realtors (IAR) shows 3,012 homes were sold across the state last month, a nearly 15-percent increase over November 2015. I-A-R president Cindy Miller of Burlington gives credit to the unusually mild weather across the state this fall.

Despite all the snow and extreme cold THIS month, Miller expects housing sales for December will be up as well. She notes it takes roughly 45 days to close on a home, so sales completed this month started with offers in October or November. Miller says another reason home sales continue to rise in Iowa is mortgage rates remain at relatively low levels. “There still running at 4.0 or 4.25 percent, so that’s still great,” Miller said.

The median sale price of a home sold in Iowa last month was $148,000. That compares to $140,000 in November 2015.

(Radio Iowa)

After suffering financial problems for some time, Central Iowa Healthcare in Marshalltown has filed for bankruptcy. As part of the filing, C-I-H asked the court to approve a plan to sell substantially all of the C-I-H assets to UnityPoint Health – Waterloo, an affiliate of UnityPoint Health. Under the plan, all of C-I-H’s healthcare operations including the acute care hospital, emergency department, four primary care clinics, and outpatient center will operate without interruption during this time and after completion of the proposed sale transaction.

C-I-H has asked the court to approve a financing arrangement where UnityPoint Health of Waterloo has offered to support C-I-H’s operations during the bankruptcy proceeding and pending the sales transaction which is targeted for the late first quarter of 2017.

(Radio Iowa)

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

DELHI, Iowa (AP) — A former town clerk in the small Iowa community of Delhi has been arrested and charged with theft after a state audit that found nearly $247,000 in improper and unsupported municipal spending. Delaware County Attorney John Bernau said Tuesday that the former clerk, Angie Billings, was arrested and charged with three counts of theft. Billings remains jailed.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s population exceeds 1.9 million for first time ever, and growth rate exceeds neighboring Iowa. New Census data shows the Nebraska population grew 0.7 percent to reach 1,907,116 on July 1. Iowa’s population grew 0.41 percent to hit 3,134,693. Nebraska’s growth rate matched the national rate between last July and this July.

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — State authorities are helping Bettendorf police investigate an officer’s shooting of a 19-year-old man holding a toy gun. The authorities say Bettendorf officers who were sent to a Home Depot store around 11:30 p.m. Monday to check a disturbance confronted a man with what appeared to be a handgun. One of the officers shot the man, identified as Joshua Price, of Bettendorf, who remained hospitalized Tuesday.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa State Patrol supervisor who pleaded guilty to stealing prescription painkillers seized during criminal investigations has been sentenced to a suspended two-year prison sentence. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that 32-year-old Michael Haugen, of Forest City, was also fined $625, plus court costs, on Monday. Court records say Haugen acknowledged removing pills from evidence bags about 18 times in up to eight different cases between late 2014 and April.

A record number of travelers is expected to be on the roads in Iowa and nationwide over the upcoming year-end holidays and as demand for gasoline rises, so will the price. Gail Weinholzer, at Triple-A-Iowa, says gas prices in Iowa are averaging two-dollars 20-cents a gallon, an increase of six-cents in the past week and 16-cents in the past month. “That’s in large part due to OPEC deciding to reduce production, effective January 1st,” Weinholzer says. “It’s just a minor reduction, about 3%, but the intent, of course, is to push gas prices up a little bit so it’s more profitable.”

Iowa’s current average gas price is up 25-cents from a year ago. Despite the bump, Weinholzer says the current pump prices are significantly lower than they’ve been in years past and it won’t keep people from heading out for the holidays. Weinholzer says, “We expect just over 103-million Americans to travel at least 50 miles or more between this Friday, the 23rd, and Monday, January 2nd.”

That’s a one-and-a-half percent increase from a year ago, or about one-and-a-half million more travelers, and the highest total volume since Triple-A began tracking holiday travel data in 2001. “We’re seeing more people traveling. This is the 5th holiday this year that we’ve measured an increase over the previous holiday last year,” Weinholzer says. “Starting with Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and now Christmas/New Year’s, all five have shown an increase over the same holiday in 2015.”

The motor club’s daily survey shows Iowa’s cheapest gas is in Davenport at $2.09 a gallon while Des Moines has the most expensive average price at $2.33. The statewide average of $2.20 is four-cents cheaper than the national average.

(Radio Iowa)