(Radio Iowa) — A second round begins today (Tuesday) for the remaining Missouri and Big Sioux rivers paddlefish licenses. The D-N-R fisheries expert for the area, Chris Larson says the paddlefish population is doing okay. “It’s pretty stable…it’s interesting, we look at our Iowa waters and think the paddlefish are here year-round, they really are not. They do long distance migrations,” Larson says. He says they’ve been able to get some good records on the paddlefish migration.

“We’ve been doing some monitoring on paddlefish over the last seven or eight years. We put jaw tags in them that has an identifiable number, and they we release them back into the water. And they’ve been caught up by Yankton at the dam…they’ve been caught also on the Mississippi River down by the state of Tennessee. So you see the hundreds and hundreds of miles these fish will traverse,” Larson says. The paddlefish season started up again in 2015 after being closed on the Missouri and Big Sioux because of declining populations. He says the fish have done well in the border rivers along Iowa, despite a lot of constantly changing conditions.

“In the greatest scheme of things we’d like to see the population increasing, but we’re really missing the habitat that those fish need to really increase in numbers,” Larson explains. “So, they’ve kind of figured out a way to survive in a highly-modified river and their population is pretty stable in the confines of that habitat.” Larson says they also take surveys of those who buy licenses.

“From what we’ve found, most people make four to five trips. They’re out there for three or four hours and on average about 25 to 30 percent actually harvest a fish. It’s not that they didn’t snag them — closer to 40 to 45 percent actually snag one — but they have to release it because it is not legal size,” Larson says. You can purchase a tag from January 1st through January 7th. A resident license sells for 25 dollars and 50 cents and a nonresident license is 49 dollars. You must also have a valid Iowa fishing license.

The season opens February second and runs through the April 30th. You can find out more about the paddlefish season by going to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources website at: www.iowadnr.gov.

(Radio Iowa) — More than 14-hundred (1,400) Iowans earned extra money in 2018 by sharing their homes through Airbnb. According to the hospitality service company, Iowa Airbnb hosts brought in $9.3 million in supplemental income last year by welcoming around 98,000 guests. The typical Airbnb host in Iowa earned $3,700 in 2018. The company also reports the state of Iowa collected $900,000 through a new tax agreement.

(Radio Iowa) — As you’re formulating New Year’s resolutions, a year-end report from Iowa’s top public health official finds obesity among adult Iowans spiked in the past year, putting the state among the worst four states for obesity rates. Gerd Clabaugh, director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, says in recent years, it seemed like adult obesity rates were beginning to level off.

“A year ago when I was here I shared this chart with you and I was looking at 2015 and 2016 at that point and I was saying, ‘I hope we’ve turned the corner and I hope we can bend the curve’,” Clabaugh says. However, the adult obesity rate jumped from 32-percent in 2016 to over 36-percent in 2017, the steepest increase in over a decade. It’s a very unfortunate trend, he says, as obesity can lead to a host of other health troubles. Clabaugh says they’re working to formulate a plan.

“We have to be focusing on kids for the long term,” he says. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to ignore the adults and we’re beginning to think internally about what more we can do to focus the resources of the agency around adults’ physical activity and nutrition as well.” Reports show obesity is a problem in virtually every town in Iowa and every income and social sector. Obesity drives an estimated $149 billion annually in health care spending, and another $66 billion in lowered economic productivity. Also, one in three young adults is ineligible for military service, due to being overweight, posing a national security vulnerability.

(with Thanks to Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio)

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer reports the arrest on Monday, of 45-year old Danielle Delrey Frasier, of Audubon. Frasier was arrested on a warrant for Probation Violation and was being held at the Audubon County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond.

Firefighters from Stuart Fire, Menlo Fire, Dexter Fire, Stuart Police and others, responded to an accident late Monday involving a tanker truck hauling propane. The vehicle overturned at around 10:50-a.m. near the Super Bowl, in Stuart. Officials say as a precaution, approximately 15 blocks in the vicinity of the incident were evacuated due to the potential loss that could result.  The Stuart Congregational Church served as a shelter for the evacuees.

The Guthrie and Adair County Emergency Management Agency and Iowa State Patrol assisted at the scene.

The new year didn’t get off to a very good start for a family in Council Bluffs. KETV in Omaha reports Council Bluffs firefighters were called to a home near 36th Street and A Avenue shortly after 1-a.m. today (Tuesday). The fire was reported to have started in the back of the house. A neighbor told the station they thought fireworks placed by the porch may not have been fully extinguished, but a Council Bluffs Fire Department battalion chief could not immediately confirm whether improperly disposed fireworks were the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported. The incident remains under investigation.

Deputies in Fremont County arrested a man on an assault and other charges this (Tuesday) morning. Authorities received a call at around 3-a.m. about a possible assault in progress at a residence in Sidney. Deputies arrested 47-year old Daniel Jay Lewis, of Sidney, for Domestic Abuse 2nd Offense, Simple Assault, 2 counts of Harassment 1st Degree, Criminal Mischief 3rd Degree, and Interference with Official Acts. Lewis was being held in the Fremont County Jail, without bond, pending initial appearance with the Magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) — The state’s top gambling regulator says Iowa’s casino industry appears on track to pay the State of Iowa about 320 million dollars in taxes during the current state fiscal year. Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission administrator Brian Ohorilko says that’s roughly equal to what the state-licensed casinos and race tracks collected in state taxes during the previous 12-month period. “That is really the story of the Iowa gaming dollar the past handful of years, ” Ohorilko says, “very predictable, very stable — a very mature market.”

Upgrades at the state-licensed casino in Riverside were completed last year and Ohorilko says that casino may see a slight increase in its revenue this year. “The I-74 bridge in eastern Iowa has impacted the Bettendorf casino. As that continues to be completed, we may see a bump in that market,” Ohorilko says. In western Iowa, a new Native American casino has opened in Carter Lake — potential competition for the three state-licensed casinos in Council Bluffs. “It’s really hard to speculate any impact in that area,” Ohorilko says.

Ohorilko says regulators are monitoring the casino in Marquette. “They’re having some trouble servicing some of their debt. It is not a profitability issue with the Iowa casino,” Ohorilko says. “It is a corporate issue and so I do not expect any interruption in employment or the facility being open, we just may see different owners, which could be a good thing.” Isle of Capri Casinos announced in October of 2016 that was selling the Marquette casino to a holding company based in Illinois for 40 million dollars.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Monday, of 38-year old Clinton Johnson, of Athelstan. Johnson was arrested in the 200 block of 3rd Street in Athelstan, on two Class-D felony counts of felon in possession of a firearm. He was being held at the Taylor County Jail without bond until seen by a magistrate.

Griswold Fire and Rescue and Medivac Ambulance was called to the scene of a rollover accident this morning north of Griswold, at 542nd and White Pole Road (Highway 6). The accident was reported at around 6:40-a.m.  According to dispatch reports, one person was able to get out of their vehicle, was conscious and breathing, and denying any injuries. The crash reportedly involved a red Ford pickup driven by a 40-year old man from out-of-state. Additional details are currently unavailable.