More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) — The Internal Revenue Service is focusing on small business owners and self-employed individuals in a campaign during this National Small Business Week. Spokesman Christopher Miller says the organization will feature information on a variety of topics in their social media. “Like data security tips, tax withholding for their employees, estimated taxes that businesses and self-employed people have to make throughout the year. Available business credits and deductions, and new things like the expanded tax benefit for the depreciation and expensing for items like equipment,” Miller says.

He says they will have some information for relatively new types of small businesses. “We’re also going to have information on the sharing economy for people who are ride share drivers or rent rooms etcetera, people involved in that growing segment of the economy,” Millers says. “This is information that we think will help a broad base of small businesses and self-employed individuals understand their tax responsibilities.” He says small businesses don’t have large internal departments that take care of a lot of these issues for them. “Definitely smaller businesses have an uphill battle to get all the resources they need and the information they need to grow — especially when it comes to things like data security,” Miller says.

Miller says the data security issue is one that has grown with the small businesses. “It’s an important topic, because routinely now cyber thieves are targeting business people. Because if they are successful, they know that they can get large amounts of information on employees and clients,” according to Miller.

Miller believes the efforts to educate small businesses in protecting their information is working. “We believe it’s having a positive impact. Last year the I-R-S a drop of nearly 70 percent from the previous year in the number of businesses that reported their email had been compromised for instance,” Miller says.”So, although overall I-D theft continues to be a problem and it is growing — we are having some success as it relates to I-D theft related to taxes.”

For more information, go to the Internal Revenue Service website at: www.irs.gov.

(Radio Iowa) — U-S Postal Service letter carriers across Iowa will be doing more than just delivering the mail this Saturday, according to Harley Tapper, the postmaster of Webster City. Tapper says, “Letter carriers, both city and rural, will be picking up non-perishable food items to support the local food pantries.”

Post cards are going out to all Iowans this week to remind them of the annual Stamp Out Hunger Day, sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Many Iowa homes will also be given a plastic grocery sack as part of the effort. “There’s a bag you can put your non-perishable items in, put it out by the mailbox and we’ll pick it up,” Tapper says. “The community has always been real supportive.”

Last year, the food drive nationwide brought in more than 71-million pounds of food. Since 1993, it’s been America’s largest one-day drive, each year on the second Saturday in May.

www.stampouthungerfooddrive.us

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A plea deal for one southeast Iowa woman means there will be no trial in the case stemming from the death of a 12-year-old boy. 37-year-old Amber McIntosh-Crear, of West Burlington, pleaded guilty Friday to misdemeanor child endangerment causing injury. Prosecutors lowered the charge in return for her plea and also agreed to drop a child endangerment charge filed against 41-year-old Bobbi Crear.

The women were accused of not providing enough nutrition to 12-year-old Rylan McIntosh, who died in September 2017. Authorities say the boy’s medical conditions required that he be fed a nutrition drink through a tube to his stomach. An autopsy report lists the cause of his death as undetermined.

Des Moines County court records for McIntosh-Crear say she acknowledged her usage of methamphetamine could have caused a substantial risk to her son’s health.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) — A study ranks Iowa above the national average in health emergency preparedness, being ready to respond to everything from tornadoes to terrorism to a tuberculosis outbreak. Glen Mays, director of the National Health Security Preparedness Index, says it measures 129 different areas, from the percentage of bridges in good condition to the prevalence of hazard planning in public schools. “Overall, things are going quite well for Iowa,” Mays says. “You’re right in line with the national average in terms of overall levels of health security protections and in several areas, Iowa is leading the nation, has above-average levels of health security.”

All of the categories are boiled down to a ten-point scale on which Iowa scored a six-point-eight for preparedness, compared to six-point-seven for the United States as a whole. The scores indicate the ability to protect the health status of residents from incidents like infectious diseases, extreme weather conditions and terrorist attacks. In several categories, Iowa was out front nationally. “In particular, in the incident management domain, which is the ability to respond rapidly to a disaster or emergency event,” Mays says, “and also Iowa does very well in environmental occupational health, being able to monitor for hazards in the environment and in the workforce and being able to respond to them.”

Iowa scored poorly in one category, community planning and engagement. It involves the ability to build and maintain strong relationships between government agencies, community organizations and individual households. “Iowa has fewer numbers of volunteers, particularly health professionals that volunteer as part of medical reserve corps, people who agree to go out and respond to hazardous events when they occur,” Mays says. “Part of that is related to Iowa’s large rural populations and you have health workforce shortages that make it a little more challenging.”

Iowa should continue building on its strengths, Mays says, while looking for opportunities to improve in areas where there are deficits. Mays is a professor of health policy at the University of Kentucky. The National Health Security Preparedness Index program is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.     https://www.nhspi.org/

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Court records say a man accused of shooting a Davenport police officer has been charged with attempted murder. Scott County District Court records say 27-year-old Brett Dennis also is charged with weapons possession by a felon. The Scott County attorney’s office says in a news release that Dennis shot Davenport Police Officer Ryan Leabo on April 25 after a foot chase and struggle. The release says Dennis had run away when Leabo tried to talk to him and another man. They’d been seen rummaging through a car.

The release says one shot from Dennis hit Leabo in a leg and a second gunshot was stopped by Leabo’s bulletproof vest. The release says Leabo then shot Dennis in a leg. Dennis later told investigators he wanted Leabo to shoot him. The release says Leabo’s use of force was justified.

An Adams County man was arrested at around 9:10-p.m. Tuesday on drug, assault and other charges, following a traffic stop. Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Phillip Eugene Currin Jr. of Corning. During the course of the traffic stop, the K9 “Baxo” was deployed and alerted to the odor of narcotics.

While deputies were attempting to detain Currin, he became combative and uncooperative. After further investigation, Currin was placed under arrest for Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent Offense (marijuana), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (marijuana pipe), Interference with Official Acts, and Assault on a Peace Officer.

Once in the jail, deputies located a pipe used to consume methamphetamine, a small baggie containing methamphetamine, and oxycodone pills concealed on Currin’s person. Currin was additionally charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent Offense (methamphetamine), Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent Offense (oxycodone), and Possessing Contraband. He was additionally cited for Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability and for having a defective muffler system.

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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol is conducting an internal investigation into a manager who received $40,000 in benefits to relocate to western Iowa but for tax purposes recently claimed a newly built house 120 miles away as his home. The investigation is looking into whether Lt. Joel Ehler is in compliance with its residency policy and whether the moving expenses were handled appropriately. A spokesman says the patrol is taking seriously concerns raised in a complaint that sparked the investigation.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A jury has convicted a man accused in the 2015 death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter of first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death. The Courier reports that Chad Little, of Waterloo, was found guilty Tuesday in a Black Hawk County court and faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified a driver who died following a three-vehicle chase and shooting in Council Bluffs. Police say 18-year-old Ethan Edgar, of Hutchinson, Kansas, was killed. Police say the chase and shooting began when an Omaha, Nebraska, man and his friends went looking for the man’s stolen car and found it at a gas station being driven by Edgar.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A developer needs just one more city council vote before he can implement proposed plans to transform a former Des Moines junior high school into an eclectic space featuring meeting rooms, restaurants, a bar and boutique hotel. The Des Moines Register reports that the council is set to vote May 20 on a request to rezone the property from church and school use to a planned unit development. We Can Build It owner Jeff Young says he hopes to invest up to $8 million to revamp the former school.

A Public hearing will take place 5-p.m. Wednesday in Atlantic, during a regular meeting of the Atlantic School Board. The hearing, which will be held in the High School Media Center, is with regard to the 2018-19 Amended Certified Budget. Later on during the meeting, the Board will act on Superintendent Steve Barber’s recommendation to approve the 2018-19 budget amendment to the “other” category, as presented. If approved, it will allow the district to complete building improvements this summer without overspending the certified budget.

Among the expenditures included in the amended budget and not budgeted for during the current school year is: A sewage problem at the Washington School; Replacing two small sections of the Middle School auditorium roof; LED lighting for the High School Commons area; Replacing a bus transmission, and Technology expenses. Officials say there will be no increase in taxes to be paid in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on the resignation of Taylor Williams, Student Council Advisor, and contract recommendations and/or Letters of Assignment for: Donald Boggs – District Maintenance; Mark Weis – Transportation Director; Derek Hall – Summer Weightroom Coordinator; Michella Bartholomew – Head Cheer Coach; Alyssa Dovenspike – JV Volleyball Coach, and Kelly Juhl – Summer grounds.

They are expected to act also on Winter Sports Coaching Contracts (**see below), and on 2019-20 sharing agreements, including with CAM & Exira-EHK, for Girls Soccer, and Griswold, with regard to Industrial Technology and Transportation Director. The Board is then expected to act on approving a Technology purchase in the amount of $12,950 for backup batteries, a $38,000 agreement with Piper-Jaffray for handing the General Obligation Bond process (Financial services, Bidding agent and Dissemination agent agreements), and Snyder and Associates Engineers, with regard to Survey services for the Athletic Facilities Project, in the amount of $11,800, as well as an agreement with Allender Butzke, for Geotechnical Engineering, in the amount of $23,600.

Their final piece of business is to approve a recommendation from the Superintendent to change the surface of the Trojan Bowl turf from natural grass to synthetic turf, with the $600,000 cost paid by private fundraising and donations. Seeding a natural grass surface at the athletic facility would require the loss of one season of activity at the Trojan Bowl, and experts have said using sod has a number of negative consequences. A fundraising committee was formed. Members said they could secure $300,000 over the duration of the improvements, with the intent to raise all $600,000 to turf the Trojan Bowl and not lose a football season.

If the committee is unable to raise the entire $600k, the district would be responsible to cover the remaining costs.

**Winter Coaching recommendations by Activities Director Andrew Mitchell:

Head HS Wrestling – Tim Duff; Asst. HS Wrestling – Tucker Weber; MS Wrestling – Jordan Newberg & Chase Roller; Head HS Girls Basketball – Dan Vargason; Freshman Girls bball – Shelby McCreedy; MS Girls/Boys Basketball – Terry Hinzmann & Trace Peterson; JV Boys Bball – Jeremy Blake; Freshman Boys bball – Derke Hall; Girls/Boys Swimming – Dean Junker.