LIME SPRINGS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a 28-year-old man died after a snowmobiling accident in northeast Iowa. The Howard County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred about 1:40 a.m. Friday on a trail that runs on a side of a road about 2 miles (3 kilometers) northwest of Lime Springs. The office says in a news release that Ross Wilson was riding alone when his machine rolled over him. He was found later by other snowmobile riders.
Deputies say he was pronounced dead at the scene. He lived in Cresco. The accident is being investigated.

(Radio Iowa) — Many federal workers and others are highly concerned we’ll face another government shutdown when the current extension expires on February 15th. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, says he’s hopeful “we’ve learned a lesson” and that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, can reach a compromise with President Trump to solve the standoff. “I would hope Pelosi would now negotiate and not just say ‘no’ as she has in the past,” Grassley says. “I think the president has shown more flexibility than I thought he would show.”

A possible fix has emerged, what’s being called an automatic continuing resolution, which Grassley says could “end government shutdowns forever.” “Pretty simple,” Grassley says. “You get up to September 30th, all the appropriation bills aren’t passed, you don’t shut down the government, you just continue to spend money at the level you did the last fiscal year until the appropriation bills get passed.” The amendment is being offered by Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, and Grassley remains optimistic it will gain bipartisan traction and pass.  “Government is supposed to be a service for the American people and you can’t serve the American people when you aren’t operating,” Grassley says. “So, all this common sense now tells me we should never have a government shutdown again.”

Governing is often about the art of compromise, Grassley says, and that’s the only way to get out of this situation.  “There ought to be a bipartisan agreement where you can get border security at some level of expenditure by cutting the difference between the two points of view, usually between two-billion and six-billion,” Grassley says. “Split it at three or three-and-a-half.” Most of the 800-thousand federal workers who were furloughed or forced to work without pay were able to return to work yesterday (Monday). The 35-day partial federal government shutdown began on December 22nd and was the longest in U-S history.

Officials with Atlantic Municipal Utilities have provided some tips on how to keep your home warm with the -20 to -40 degree wind chill temps that are impacting the area over the next few days. AMU says “Our homes’ heating systems are NOT designed for -20 to -30-degree temperatures with wind chills into -40 and up to -50+. Newer homes will struggle to maintain temperature and older homes will NOT maintain temperature and the temperature WILL drop while the heating system is working at full capacity. Their tips include:

1. Please raise the temperature in your home on Monday, 2 to 4 degrees above your normal setting.

2. Take all programmable thermostats out of setback mode and set on a permanent HOLD.

3. If you have a furnace; replace the filter.

4. Keep garage doors closed.

5. Limit opening exterior doors.

6. Make sure air vents and radiators are not blocked or obstructed.

7. If you have a 90%+ furnace and boiler: You must keep the intake and exhaust clear of ice and snow. During these cold temperatures, ice can build up. A 90%+ furnace and boiler have 2 white PVC pipes; an exhaust pipe and an intake pipe that are generally on the side or back of your home. In some instances, they are on your roof, do NOT go on your roof to clear the pipe.

If the temperature in your home is dropping and your radiators are HOT with boiler systems or you have HOT air coming out of your vents with furnaces DO NOT PANIC. Please make sure that your heating system continues to operate. If the temperatures drop in your home, it will not be able to recover until temperatures rise and the windchill diminishes. Our heating systems cannot overcome temperatures -20 to -30 with wind chill up to -50+. They are sized to operate at 0 degrees outdoor. Put your thermostat on hold 70 degrees or higher.

To help minimize temperature loss you can boil water, make soup, or stews; they help introduce humidity and warmer temperatures into your home. DO NOT USE YOUR OVEN or a GRILL TO HEAT YOUR HOME.

Please check on neighbors and elderly residents during these extreme temperatures. Stay warm and safe this week.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man has pleaded not guilty to killing an Iowa high school student in 1979. Records say 65-year-old Jerry Burns filed a written plea Friday in Linn County District Court. The charge: first-degree murder. His trial starting date has not been set. He remains in custody, pending $5 million bail.

Police arrested the Manchester business owner on Dec. 19 , 39 years to the day after 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was killed. Her body was found the next day inside her family’s car at a Cedar Rapids mall. She had been stabbed in the face and chest.

Police say investigators matched a blood sample from the crime scene with a sample taken from Burns.

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

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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The Council Bluffs City Council has approved a resolution adopting the plan for an indoor turf facility for soccer and other sports. The Daily Nonpareil reports that the council unanimously approved the Iowa West Sports Plex plan on Monday. The facility will be built just northwest of the Mid-America Center. The Iowa West Foundation and other grant sources will provide funding for the $7 million project . The facility will be operated and managed by the Council Bluffs Soccer Club. The fields will be used for a variety of sports, including youth baseball, softball, soccer and flag football.

(Radio Iowa) — We’re only a little over a month into winter and gasoline prices in Iowa are starting to gradually climb again. Nick Jarmusz, a spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says it’s elementary economics — as supplies start to be squeezed and demand begins to rise, prices will go up. “We’re beginning to see the very earliest impact of the agreement that was made last year by OPEC and Russia to slow down production which is just now beginning to tighten up the global supply a little bit,” Jarmusz says.

A few weeks ago, some Iowa gas stations were offering self-serve unleaded at prices in the one-90s, but most are now over the two-dollar mark. “More people, even in the depths of the winter here, are driving because more people are employed and the economy is doing better,” Jarmusz says. “The supply and demand balance is shifting a bit back more towards higher gas prices.” Recent political upheavals in the South American country of Venezuela may also be a factor in the gas prices in Iowa. “There’s been some talk about a possible boycott of Venezuelan oil until the situation there fully transitions with the regime, but none of that has taken place yet,” he says.

Gas prices in Iowa are averaging $2.07 a gallon statewide, which is about 20-cents below the national average and 50-cents lower than the state average a year ago. Iowa’s most expensive gas is in Dubuque, at $2.18 a gallon while the cheapest gas is in Sioux City, at $1.98.

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) — An organization representing Iowa’s largest businesses plans to conduct new research to find ways to “attract diverse populations” to the state. The Iowa Business Council warns a lack skilled workers and slow population growth are major threats to Iowa’s future. Mary Andringa, chairwoman of the board at Vermeer in Pella, is the Iowa Business Council’s chair. “The state is not keeping up with the talent demand of today,” Andringa says, “and not also properly preparing the workforce needs for the future in the state of Iowa.”

Terry Handley, C-E-O of Casey’s General Stores, is the Iowa Business Council’s vice chair. “We have phenomenal career opportunities in communities across Iowa and our state offers excellent quality of life,” Handley said. “Nevertheless, we struggle to attract people to our towns and we don’t see the gains in population needed to support Iowa business.”

Iowa Business Council leaders held a news conference at the statehouse Monday. to release what it calls the competitive dashboard signals in Iowa’s economy. It shows that in 2018 the productivity of Iowa’s businesses grew, as did the average household income of Iowans. But Andringa says the percentage of Iowans who have a college degree or some kind of training beyond high school was still “outpaced” by other states. She says Iowa businesses need more workers “from other states or other countries.” “We just need to tell our stories to elected officials at the federal level, at the state level and what the needs are,” Andringa says, “because I think most of our elected officials are willing to listen and incorporate that into their thinking.”

Handley says the U.S. immigration system needs to be modernized and provide certainty to businesses, workers and their families. “Employers’ ability to recruit and retain talent from other countries is a key factor for both business and population growth,” he said. “…We feel it is absolutely critical for the business community to help our elected officials to understand Iowa business needs for workers in order to grow our economy and one way to meet this need is to thoughtfully bringing people into this country and into this state.”

The Iowa Business Council’s dashboard rated the ethnic diversity of Iowa’s population as “poor.”

(Updated 7:20-a.m.) DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Dangerously low temperatures and wind chills have prompted several Iowa universities to call off classes. The National Weather Service’s wind chill warning says wind chills as low as minus 50 degrees could occur Wednesday in much of Iowa.
Officials for Iowa State University say all classes have been canceled and university offices closed all day Tuesday and Wednesday and through noon Thursday. The University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa say classes will be canceled starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Classes are scheduled to start again noon Thursday.
Drake University says classes will be canceled after 5 p.m. Tuesday and all day Wednesday.
Iowa State says basketball games at Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday and Wednesday would be played as scheduled. The Drake men’s basketball game against Illinois State also will be played Wednesday night.