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

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Police in Creston report 29-year old Trevor Jack Dillon Loudon, of Creston, was arrested Monday morning on drug charges. Loudon was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and on two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $10,000 bond. And, Monday afternoon, 41-year old Tasha Susanne Moore, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a charge of Child Endangerment. She was later released on a $2,000 bond.

A woman from Creston reported to police Monday morning, that someone had broken the rear window of her vehicle. The incident happened sometime between 8-p.m. Sunday and 7:30-a.m. Monday, in the 400 block of N. Walnut Street, in Creston. The damage was estimated at $500.

(7-a.m. News)

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City woman has claimed her $1 million Mega Millions lottery prize. Iowa Lottery officials say 27-year-old Angelica Chavez turned in her winning ticket Monday at lottery headquarters in Clive. She’d bought the ticket at Fleet Farm Fuel in Sioux City and came within one number of winning Friday’s $175 million jackpot. Her ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Mega Ball number.

Chavez says she played numbers she’d written down a few years ago. She wants to put some of the money aside for her daughter’s future and is considering buying rental properties.

(Radio Iowa) — During the springtime, Iowans will occasionally come across a nest of bunnies or a lone fawn in their back yards, even in town. This is the time of year wildlife rescue centers get a flurry of orphaned animal calls. Humane Society spokeswoman Marissa DeGroot says many of these calls can be false alarms, especially when you’re talking about species like rabbits and deer. DeGroot says, “Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if the baby animals are in need of assistance, if they’ve truly been orphaned, or if maybe mom is just keeping her distance in order to keep her babies safe.”

Baby squirrels, raccoons and even opossums can look cute and helpless, but you likely won’t be doing them a favor to pick them up and try to nurse them in a shoebox. For several species, DeGroot says the parents will keep their distance from the nest in order to protect their babies. “For a lot of animals, the parents might only come and visit the young maybe at dawn and dusk,” DeGroot says. “So you just want to be aware that even with the best of intentions, sometimes you end up almost kidnapping a baby wild animal.”

If you do think you’re dealing with an orphaned animal, contact your local animal rescue and don’t handle things yourself.  “Identify if an animal is in immediate need of help or if it’s a situation where you might want to take a step back and observe.” An Iowa D-N-R official says many wildlife babies die soon after being “rescued” from the stress of being handled, talked to, and placed into the unfamiliar surroundings of a slick-sided cardboard box. Should the animal survive, they often succumb to starvation from improper nourishment, pneumonia or other human-caused sicknesses.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has passed a bill that legalizes for the first time in Iowa betting on sporting events and fantasy sports. It passed 67-31 on Monday night. The Senate gave its approval last week and the bill now goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds who has said she’ll await the final version of bill to decide whether she’ll sign it. The bill authorizes the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to establish rules for betting on professional, collegiate and international sporting events, including motor racing. It excludes betting on some events, including minor leagues and in-state college team players. The bill also legalizes fantasy sports contests and internet fantasy sports betting but delays betting based on college sporting event statistics until May 2020.

Sports betting would be limited to those 21 and older, and the bill sets a 6.75% tax on net receipts. Taxes and licensing fees could bring in estimated annual revenue of $2.3 million to $4 million annually. The Senate approved the bill Wednesday 31-18 with no debate. Twelve Republicans and six Democrats voted against it. States began legalizing sports gambling last year after the U.S. Supreme Court ended Nevada’s monopoly.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says it will “backfire” against Democrats if “far left” members in the U.S. House pursue impeachment against President Trump. “I think it will solidify a lot of the folks here in Iowa that continue to support President Trump,” Ernst says. “…I think they’re going to overplay their hand here and I think it will seal the deal for a Trump presidential win here in 2020.”

Ernst, a Republican, will be on the 2020 ballot, too, as she seeks a second term in the U.S. Senate. Ernst plans to use her annual “Roast and Ride” fundraiser on June 15th of this year to formally launch her bid for reelection. By the end of March, Ernst already had two-point-eight-million dollars in her campaign account for her 2020 campaign. “I feel that I am well prepared to take on this challenge,” Ernst said.

This Wednesday in Williamsburg, Ernst will participate in a town hall meeting about the impact Trump Administration tariffs have had on Iowa manufacturing companies. “The tariffs that we’ve had have been really hard on a number of not only Iowa farmers and ranchers, but also our manufacturing businesses,” Ernst says, “so hopefully as we continue to move forward in the trade space, hopefully we will start to see those tariffs lessen or be removed completely.”

Ernst predicts “a number of trade deals” will be completed before the 2020 election.

Red Oak Police were called to a residence in the 2400 block of N. 6th Street at around 1:40-a.m. today (Tuesday), following a report about a woman banging on another tenants’ door. Soon after officers arrived, they arrested 49-year old Kristen Marie Hughes, of Red Oak, for Disorderly Conduct. Hughes was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond. Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies assisted at the scene.

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

SHENANDOAH, Iowa –  Authorities in southwest Iowa have made an arrest in connection with the fatal shooting early Monday morning of a man in Shenandoah. 33-year old Tody McCunn, of Red Oak was charged with 1st Degree Murder in the death of 33-year old Joshua L. Jordan at a residence in Shenandoah. No reason for the shooting was immediately released. The incident remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Animal rights groups have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Iowa law that makes it a trespass crime to conduct undercover investigations at livestock farms, a measure the Legislature approved just weeks after a federal judge struck down a similar law. The latest bill was approved by the Senate and House on March 12 and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds two days later. It creates a trespass charge for those who use deception to gain access to a farm.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has passed a bill that legalizes betting on sporting events and fantasy sports in Iowa for the first time. It passed 67-31. The Senate gave its approval last week and the bill now goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds who has said she’ll await the final version of bill to decide whether she’ll sign it. The bill authorizes the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to establish rules for betting on professional, collegiate and international sporting events.

WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa woman has entered a plea in the 2018 death of her infant daughter and will spend the rest of her life in prison. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 29-year-old Alicia Marie Rios, of Elgin, entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder during a hearing Monday morning in Fayette County District court in West Union. Rios didn’t admit guilt but acknowledged the plea was in her best interest. Rios was arrested in the death of her 5-month-old daughter, Lydia.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Iowa want to limit the powers of the state’s attorney general, citing frustration that the Democrat joined lawsuits opposing the actions of President Donald Trump. Attorney General Tom Miller joined six lawsuits in 2018 that aimed to obstruct Trump’s policies. The Des Moines Register reports that the measure would require Miller’s office to get permission from the governor, the General Assembly or the Executive Council before joining any out-of-state lawsuits.

Authorities said late Monday evening that an arrest had been made in connection with a fatal shooting incident early Monday morning, in Shenandoah. 34-year old Toby McCunn, of Red Oak, was taken into custody and held without bond in the Page County Jail on a Class-A felony charge of Murder in the 1st Degree, for the death of 33-year old Joshua Lyle Jordan. McCunn Tuesday (today) had his preliminary hearing date set for May 3rd.

Toby McCunn

An investigation and search for the suspect began after Shenandoah Police received a 9-1-1 call at around 4:45-a.m. Monday, with regard to a shooting that had just taken place at 901 Manti Street in Shenandoah. Responding officers located a deceased white male inside the residence who was later identified as Joshua Jordan.

Witnesses who called 911 and reported the shooting identified Toby McCunn as the shooter.  At around 2:07-p.m., McCunn was located at a residence in Shenandoah and taken into custody without further incident.  He was initially transported to the Shenandoah Medical Center to be treated for a leg injury, and later transported to the Page County Jail.

Authorities say an autopsy by the State Medical Examiner’s Office will be performed on Jordan at a later date. The investigation is ongoing, no other information will be released until the forensic autopsy has been completed.

Several Agencies are working the investigation, including: the Shenandoah Police Department, the Page County Sheriff’s Office, the Page County Attorney’s Office, Red Oak Police Department, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating.

WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa woman has entered a plea in the 2018 death of her infant daughter and will spend the rest of her life in prison. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 29-year-old Alicia Marie Rios, of Elgin, entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder during a hearing Monday morning in Fayette County District court in West Union.

Rios didn’t admit guilt but acknowledged the plea was in her best interest. A charge of child endangerment causing death was dismissed. Rios was arrested in the death of her 5-month-old daughter, Lydia, who was injured Aug. 21 and died later at a hospital. An autopsy found a skull fracture and Rios acknowledge striking the infant with a coffee table.

The murder charge carries a mandatory prison sentence of life without parole.
Wiping away tears, Rios told the court, “I love my daughter, and I never meant for anything to happen.”