BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two people were injured by fire at a home in the eastern Iowa community of Bettendorf. Station KWQC reports that firefighters were sent to the home around 7 p.m. Wednesday. Fire officials say the flames broke out as family members in the home used candles to celebrate a religious holiday. One victim was flown to an Iowa City hospital for treatment. The other was taken to a local hospital. Their names haven’t been released.

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

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The National Weather Service in Des Moines has updated their statement put out Wednesday, with regard to winter weather affecting the State today and Friday. Officials say a couple rounds of wintry precipitation are expected this afternoon into Friday. The first round will bring mainly light snow spreading into western Iowa this afternoon, with the snow then spreading across all of Iowa tonight. The highest accumulations with the first round are expected along and south of Interstate 80, with anywhere from 1-to 2-inches in Atlantic and most areas, and 2-to 3-inches further east, toward Greenfield and Winterset.

The second round will move through Friday morning into Friday afternoon across the western/southern half of the state. This round may have brief snow bursts resulting in brief periods of significantly reduced visibilities. Gusty northwest winds are also anticipated which may lead to patchy blowing and drifting snow, also impacting visibilities at times. Slick roads will be possible with both snow chances. Please slow down and take your time when traveling in the snow, leave extra distance between your vehicle and other vehicles on the road.

click on the map to enlarge

FAIRBANK, Iowa (AP) — Developers are taking down three wind turbine towers under court orders in northeast Iowa. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the first was removed last week. The second is going down this week. The 450-foot-tall towers were erected in 2015 just east of Fairbank in Fayette County. They drew opposition from housing developers and neighboring homeowners who believed the towers would be detrimental to the city.

The city and housing developers filed a lawsuit that said the county issued construction permits for the turbines without following zoning ordinances. A judge sided with the city in 2016, and the Iowa Supreme Court upheld that ruling. The developers are still appealing in the courts.

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones, Wednesday, addressed some misconceptions about the City’s Infill Housing Program, following an article last week in the local paper. Infill housing is a term used to place new houses on vacant lots among older, existing properties in established neighborhoods. Jones said much of what’s being explored includes quotes for local experts in building a modular home with a full basement.

The only quote he solicited from an out of town company was a Missouri Valley business that constructs poured basements, and on the house itself.

Jones said the target purchase price for the modular home ranges from $100,000 to $130,000. Once the home is listed, the prospective buyer must seek out the loan and obtain a firm commitment from a bank before work on the home can begin.

Infill housing Jones said, is designed to generate new property tax dollars. Jones says this project is different, because he doesn’t like affordable housing.

There are currently seven, City-owned lots available, along with other privately-owned lots scattered throughout the City as well. Creating new housing in certain sections of the City would add to the vitality of the area, according to the Mayor.

OSCEOLA, Iowa (AP) — A southern Iowa county attorney accused of being drunk in a courtroom has lost her bid for another term in office. Clarke County election records say Michelle Rivera, a Democratic incumbent, received a little over 29 percent of the vote in her loss Tuesday to Republican Adam Ramsey. Court documents say the 42-year-old Rivera is charged with public intoxication . A sheriff’s deputy says in a criminal complaint that he noticed Rivera “slurring her words and stumbling on her feet” in the Osceola courtroom last month.

She issued a statement in which she said she’s “taking every step necessary to get help, to fix this problem and to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.” Her next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20.

(Radio Iowa) — Milk prices have steadily fallen the past few years, forcing the closure of 80 Iowa dairies during 2018. Mitch Schulte, executive director of the Iowa State Dairy Association, says retaliatory tariffs from Mexico in answer to U.S. tariffs on Mexican steel are a major part of the problem. “The dairy industry has been dealing with three years of low milk prices and as we started to see the light at the end of the tunnel and higher prices coming, we got hit with retaliation tariffs,” Schulte says. “That’s played a huge part of what’s going on in the dairy industry right now.”

Recent changes to the dairy margin protection program may offer some help for producers, according to Schulte. “When you look back at the margin protection program, the formula that was in that program was wrong,” Schulte says. “It really just didn’t pay out the way that it should have. With the new changes, what we’re seeing is better payouts and more consistency to that program. It really is helping our dairy producers.”

Schulte says passage of a federal Farm Bill would help the dairy industry, but the major fix lies with the need to lift the steel and aluminum tariffs. He notes, Mexico is the Iowa dairy industry’s number-one trading partner. “We need to do all we can to have that open free trade agreement that we had and not deal with those retaliation tariffs,” Schulte says. “A lot of the language that was in that agreement should, at some point, help our dairy producers but those retaliatory tariffs are still in place until they figure out what they’re going to do with the steel and aluminum.”

Iowa is the nation’s tenth-largest milk producing state. With the loss of 80 dairy farms this year, their number is now down to 1,070 dairies statewide.

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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The man who will serve at least temporarily as the nation’s top law enforcement official is a relatively inexperienced Republican Party loyalist from Iowa who has called for limiting special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Matthew G. Whitaker, 49, will become the nation’s acting attorney general following the forced resignation of Jeff Sessions. President Donald Trump announced the appointment Wednesday, saying on Twitter that Whitaker “will serve our Country well” and that a permanent attorney general will be nominated later. The former federal prosecutor served as Sessions’ chief of staff for one year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A defiant Iowa Congressman Steve King says his “head is bloodied but unbowed” by an unexpectedly difficult election in which he eked out the narrowest victory margin of his career. His victory over Democrat J.D. Scholten came amid outcry over his association with white supremacist groups, which he says is false, and his hardline views on immigration, abortion and gun rights. King also vows he’ll no longer allow news media or opponents to mischaracterize statements or take them out of context.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Secretary of State’s office says turnout for Tuesday’s election was the highest for a midterm general election in the state. The office said in a written release that more than 1.32 million votes had been tallied by Wednesday morning, marking the highest number for a midterm election in the state’s history. The previous record of more than 1.14 million votes was set in 2014.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Republican wall that has stood in state capitols for much of the past decade now has a few holes in it. Democrats flipped control of seven gubernatorial offices and picked up hundreds of state legislative seats in Tuesday’s first midterm elections of President Donald Trump’s tenure. While Democrats celebrated their gains, Republicans also expressed optimism because they held on to some key positions, such as the governor’s offices in Florida and Ohio.

ATLANTA (AP) — Election officials have long warned about the nation’s aging voting equipment, and voting this week underscored how badly upgrades are needed. Technological meltdowns caused problems and long lines in polling places across the country on Tuesday, leaving voters to wonder why their smartphones seemed to be light years ahead of the equipment used to distribute and count their ballots.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday passed on the third and final readings, of two amended Ordinances, and acted on three Resolutions. The Council approved by a vote of 5-to 1, with Councilperson Linda Hartkopf absent, setting the speed limit on 1,650-feet of Sunnyside Lane at 35-miles per hour, from 2,000-feet south of 10^th Street, where the speed limit is 25, to 22^nd Street. Councilperson Ashley Hayes was the lone No vote.

The Council also approved an amended Ordinance that repeals and replaces a chapter pertaining to Trees, with a New Tree Ordinance to be located under Chapter 155, entitled “Trees.” The change also reflects the shifting of the City Forester position from Parks and Rec Director to Street Superintendent, and clarifies the authority of the Forester.

Prior to a vote adopting the City’s updated Comprehensive Plan, the Council heard from Susie Pellett, of Atlantic. Pellett questioned if there was enough publicity, and input from the public. Alexis Fleener, with SWIPCO (The Southwest Iowa Planning Council), said there were focus group and related meetings. Pellett then asked if those meetings were “advertised,” so the public was aware. Fleener said they sent out invitations after input was derived from the City, of which groups should attend those meetings. E-mails were then distributed to those groups. Fleener then mentioned a community survey that was sent out seeking input on the Comprehensive Plan. She said those are included in the Plan, which is a public document available for review.

A copy of the Comprehensive Plan is available on the City of Atlantic website: (www.atlanticiowa.com/atlantic) or on this PDF link: City of Atlantic Comprehensive Plan 2018. The City’s Comprehensive Plan was last updated in December, 2002. SWIPCO updated the Plan, which was tweaked by the Planning and Zoning Commission and then recommended to the full Council for approval. Councilman Jimerson suggested portions of the plan be reviewed and updated annually, instead of the normal, every 10-years. Fleener that there are sections, such as housing, that can be discussed and revised as necessary, but she and Mayor Dave Jones said there are some limitations on what can be adjusted.

In other news, the Atlantic City Council approved, by a vote of 5-to 1, “Adopting [a] Reservation Fee Schedule for City Park Facilities.” Councilman Chris Jimerson was the lone No vote. The fees would be waived for official City sponsored and partnered events. Under the fee schedule, reservations for the City’s Shelters would be $20 from 8-a.m. To 2-p.m., $20 from 3-p.m. To 9-p.m., or a full-day for $35. Picnic tables will be rented out in the same fashion as shelter reservations. The cost for six tables is $20, 12 tables $35. Tables will be picked up and returned by the renter. Without a reservation, the shelters are available on a first-come first-served basis.

And, the Council approved a Resolution “Obligating funds from the Whitney TIF (Tax Increment Financing) Urban Renewal Area Fund for Annual Appropriation Payment,”  with regard to the Council approved TIF agreement with the Whitney Group for improvements to the Whitney Inn in 2016. This is the first year the City is eligible to capture the taxes paid by the Whitney Group using TIF. Afterward, they will be an annual feature on the Council’s agenda until the $750,000 maximum is paid-off, or 20-years expire – whichever comes first.

Officials with the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa report a Pottawattamie County man was arrested by agents with the FBI, Tuesday in Texas, in connection with sex trafficking and other offenses. 68-Year old Richard John Massey, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on charges of sex trafficking of a minor, coercion and enticement of a minor, and traveling in interstate commerce to facilitate prostitution.

His arrest followed an indictment on these charges returned by a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of Iowa on October 30, 2018. The offenses are alleged to have occurred between October 2017 and April 26, 2018.

Massey was arrested at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as he entered the United States on a flight originating from Mexico. On November 7, 2018, Massey made an initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in Dallas, Texas, and was ordered to appear in the Southern District of Iowa on a subsequent date. Massey remains in custody pending proceedings in the Southern District of Iowa.

Authorities stressed that an Indictment is merely an accusation, and that Massey is presumed innocent unless he is proven guilty. The matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Omaha Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.