DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Fair has set a record for attendance at the annual 11-day event in Des Moines. Fair officials say an estimated 1,130,260 people attended the fair that ended Sunday. That topped the previous record set in 2017 by 189 people.

Attendance was a bit behind the 2017 mark but moved ahead thanks to pleasant weather over the weekend. The fair also set a record for Grandstand concert attendance, with the biggest draw being the 15,775 people who attend a Thomas Rhett concert on Aug. 15.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors, Monday, approved the ordering of playground equipment for the west side of the Schildberg Recreation Area (SRA), near the Shelter House. Parks & Rec Director Seth Staashelm said part of the next step in the development of the SRA is the inclusion of playground equipment. Miracle Recreation Equipment of Monett, MO., is having a sale on playground equipment, according to Staashelm.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Board meeting, 8-20-18

The equipment he was looking at has a 65-to 75 capacity for the younger kids and costs $16, 899, which is in-line with the Parks Department’s budget of $25,000. It will include a slide, monkey bars, balance beam-type steps, pull-up bars, swing sets and two-to three spring-type rides (with animal characters, etc,). A formed plastic rock climbing wall had been considered, but its cost and the risk of having it be vandalized by spray painters made it less appealing to the Board and Staashelm, for that matter. The price tag allows for the installation of required rubberized-type fall material that protects against injuries.

He said also, an Eagle Scout Boat, Joseph Barkley, of Omaha, was planning to construct a kayak launch project for the boat ramp area near the wastewater treatment plant in Atlantic. But those plans had to be scrubbed because they had apparently never been given permission by the DNR to place a launch near the river. Still, the Scout constructed parking lot signage and refurbished a picnic table. The signs were hand-made, and include access points to the East Nishnabotna River.

Staashelm said work is still being planned for the Sunnyside Park entrance sign, which he said “Will be large,” once it’s finished. He said they are “So getting close to (finally) getting started on [the project]. They’re working with Central Western Fabricators for the metal arch that will be 14-feet tall for truck clearance. Landscaping and other features will be added soon thereafter.

Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Director Doug Reed reports somewhere between 4- to 8-inches or more of rain fell overnight Sunday into Monday throughout Pottawattamie County, causing significant runoff, saturated soils, and flash flooding. The event stranded motorists in flooded streets, created bank and hillside sloughing, closed roads, and toppled trees.

Public Works, Roads Department, and Public Safety agencies across Council Bluffs and the county responded to reports of mudslides, trees, and water making roads impassable. As of late Monday afternoon, Reed said approximately fourteen street locations were closed in Council Bluffs as well as three locations in rural Pottawattamie County. Motorists driving through flood inundated streets in Council Bluffs prompted rescue calls to the fire department this morning who provided assistance to motorists in three vehicles stranded in high water. Minor power outages were also reported during the flash flooding event. No injuries have been reported as a result of Monday’s events.

Rainfall and runoff has spiked the West Nishnabotna and Missouri Rivers in the county. The Nishnabotna is predicted to crest at 12.1’ at 7pm Monday night and the Missouri is expected to crest at 28.5’ by 7pm Tuesday night. Both crests place the rivers in their Action Stage classification and are not expected to reach flood stage at this time.

As the high water and flash flooding may have inundated some residential or business properties, any residents are asked to report any damages to the Emergency Management Agency online at https://pottcounty-ia.gov/departments/emergency-management/overview/. Any residents that would like a Red Cross “muck-out” cleaning kit can pick one up at the Emergency Management Agency starting at 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. through this Thursday.

Officials remind and urge residents not to drive through water covered streets and roads. Covered roads can have washouts and other dangerous hazards unseen to motorists. Rapid currents as shallow as 6 inches can cause loss of control and stalling in many cars and a foot of water will float many cars.

Emergency Management provided alert notifications to residents in impacted areas. If you did not receive a phone call or text message and would like to receive emergency notifications during emergencies and other critical events affecting your neighborhood or place of work, sign up for emergency alerts with Pottawattamie Alert, part of the Alert Iowa Network. This system is the primary means of distributing emergency evacuation orders, critical public information, and other important messaged before, during, and after an emergency or disaster. To register, visit the county website at www.pottcounty-ia.gov.

(DES MOINES) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds received word today (Monday) that President Donald Trump approved her request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 30 counties impacted by flooding and severe weather from June 6-July 2, 2018.

The counties included in the declaration are: Adair, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clay, Dallas, Delaware, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Hamilton, Hancock, Howard, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Polk, Sioux, Story, Warren, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek and Wright.

The declaration will provide federal funding to the included counties under the Public Assistance Program. A Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance puts into motion long-term federal recovery programs, some of which are partially matched by state programs, and designed to help public entities and select non-profits.

Public Assistance funds may be used for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities and may include debris removal, emergency protective measures, repair of damaged public property, loans needed by communities for essential government functions and grants for public schools. Damage assessments in the seven declared counties showed an estimated $16 million worth of damage that could be eligible under the Public Assistance Program.

The governor also received notification that the Presidential Disaster Declaration includes funding to conduct hazard mitigation activities for the entire state. With this funding, Iowa will be able to minimize the impact of future disasters by taking steps to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards.

The governor requested the declaration on Aug. 1st.

(Radio Iowa) — The Internal Revenue Service is again asking you to make sure the right amount of taxes are being taken out of your paycheck. I-R-S spokesman, Chris Miller, says it’s important to look at the numbers now. “Time is running out for taxpayers to do a paycheck checkup. To check their withholding yet this year — to make sure the right amount of tax is being withheld from their paycheck for their particular situation,” Miller says.

Miller says if you find a problem, there are still a few months to adjust your withholding amount to fix it. Doing a paycheck checkup now is going to help those taxpayers avoid a potential unwelcome surprise at tax time,” according to Miller. “And that could be an unexpected tax bill and a penalty. Or it could be a refund that’s unnecessarily large.” He says it’s better for you to not get a big refund, because you can use that money throughout the year. Miller says they made an earlier push for everyone to check their withholding after the new tax law went into effect.

“The new tax law will change the way many of us calculate our taxes. And it also has changed the amount of tax our employers are withholding from our paychecks,” Miller explains. He says those with more complicated tax returns are the ones who most need to check their withholding. Miller says that includes two-income households, those with two or more jobs at a time, those who have had a job only part of the year, those who claim the child tax credit or itemize deductions in 2017 are all some who may see differences. Miller says they know that many people haven’t looked at their withholding since the tax law changed. He says it is easy to do.

“Just go to our website I-R-S-dot-gov (www.irs.gov) and click on the link to do a paycheck checkup, or search for the withholding calculator,” Miller says. “You will need last year’s tax return, and a copy of your most recent pay stub.” Miller says there are still several months left to allow you to adjust your withholding and make up for any imbalance. But he says if you wait — you could run out of time to make a correction that would make a difference.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports an arrest on Monday morning. At 9:30am Deputies arrested 47-year-old Angela Kay Shetterly of Red Oak an a Montgomery County Bench Warrant for Violation of Probation. She was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $2,000 bond.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — Race drivers and others have been answering the call from an 11-year-old Iowa boy who wants racing stickers to cover his casket after he dies from leukemia. Caleb Hammond’s uncle, Chris Playle, told The Des Moines Register that his family returned him to Oskaloosa after determining the painful treatments he’d been undergoing at a Des Moines hospital weren’t working and other options offered little hope. Playle says Caleb’s been home for about three weeks, doing normal 11-year-old things, but tires easily.

He says he and his nephew became racing buddies as Caleb visited Playle’s home near Southern Iowa Speedway. Playle says the stickers pouring in from social media appeals have helped keep spirits up and says the family is “just trying to do as much as we can with him while he’s here.”

ELDRIDGE, Iowa (AP) — Leaders of the Quad Cities suburb of Eldridge are moving to create a commercial and industrial park in the hopes of attracting new employers and lowering property taxes. The Quad-City Times reports that the proposed 500 acre site is mostly privately-owned farmland located between Eldridge and the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center in north Davenport. Eldridge has been working with Quad-Cities First, the economic development arm of the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce, to pursue site certification through the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Officials are also working to market some of the parcels that are available in the future business park.

Eldridge Mayor Marty O’Boyle says the Industrial Center is running out of large-sized tracts to attract another major development. Sterilite and Kraft Heinz recently constructed plants at the center.

Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns today (Monday), provided an update on candidates filing for office in the County. Kevin A. Stender and Travis Erickson have filed to fill two Non-partisan Edna Township Trustee positions. Incumbents Kristi Plagman and Chad Becker have filed for the Non-Partisan Ag Extension Council, along with Jeb Peck. There are five seats open on the Council. Republican Incumbents Michael D. Hooper, Mary Ward and Tracey J. Marshall have all filed for election as Cass County Attorney, Recorder and Treasurer, respectively.

Incumbent Julie Pollock has filed papers to run for the single open seat on the Hospital Board, Northeast District. Mark T. O’Brien, who won in the June Primary, will be on the ballot for the open District 2 Board of Supervisor’s seat. Republican John Hartkopf, who also won in the Primary, will face a challenge from Dana Halder, who lost in the Primary, but was Nominated By Petition. Both men will be vying for the Board of Supervisor’s seat in District 3.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of trying to smother a fellow state psychiatric hospital patient has been sentenced to 10 years in an Iowa prison. Buchanan County District Court records say 45-year-old Terrance Rooney Jr. was sentenced last week after pleading guilty to burglary and harassment. Prosecutors dropped a charge of attempted murder in exchange for Rooney’s pleas. Court records say an evaluation determined Rooney was competent to go to trial.

Rooney has been a patient at the Mental Health Institute in Independence for years and was a patient there when he pleaded guilty in 1999 to making a threat to the life of President Bill Clinton. Authorities say in the latest case that Rooney tried to suffocate another patient in November and twisted the thumb of a staffer and threatened to kill her in February.