Sioux City’s 185th Iowa Air National Guard Refueling Wing has received a special honor. Base Commander Colonel Larry Christensen announced at the 185th Headquarters that they’d won the “Outstanding Unit Award.” He says the award is not only a reflection on the unit, but also the community and the support they give. Christensen says this is the 9th time the unit has earned the award, and this one is for the 2015 to 2016 time period. Christensen says that seems like a long time ago, but he says it takes them some time to evaluate the units.

The 185th’s main mission is mid-air refueling, flying and maintaining eight K-C-135R Stratotanker aircraft. They have personnel stationed all over the world on a constant rotational basis and some will soon go on a new mission: “We’re currently in South America, Africa, the Middle East, but we shift every once in a while. And we are going to have a shift here shortly,” Christensen says. “We’ll continue to deploy where we are at, but we will also move over towards the Pacific, over towards Guam,” Christensen says.

The 185th Air Guard unit is comprised of over 900 full and part time members.

(Radio Iowa)

A recent study finds opioid addiction is hitting farm families much harder than the rest of rural America and a new outreach campaign is targeting those populations in Iowa and elsewhere. Will Rodger, director of policy communication for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the research found 74-percent of farmers and ranchers may have a problem themselves or they know someone who’s already hooked. Rodger says, “Most of them are going to know somebody who is strung out on drugs or who is trying to get clean, one way or the other.”

The survey by the Farm Bureau and the National Farmers Union found that rural adults do recognize opioid abuse can start accidentally with the use of what are deemed as “safe” painkillers. “We’re not talking about recreational drugs,” Rodger says. “We’re talking about folks who have fallen into addiction through little or no fault of their own. They got injured, they started on a course of opioids and for whatever reason, whether it’s bad treatment or genetic susceptibility or a combination of the two, they’ve gotten to the point that they can’t get off the drugs.”

The campaign called “Farm Town Strong” provides resources for those in rural America who need help battling opioid addiction. “It puts together a number of resources that people can turn to so that if they do have an addiction problem or know someone who does, they can get ahold of people who can give them treatment, help them with prevention, folks who can serve as sounding boards so they can figure out what their next step needs to be to get well again,” Rodger says.

The leaders of the Farm Bureau and the Farmers Union are holding discussions on overcoming the opioid crisis at the bureau’s annual convention, underway through Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee.
More info. at FarmTownStrong.org

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man in central Iowa has claimed his $1 million prize in the Powerball lottery game. Iowa Lottery officials say George Dickerson, of Colfax, bought a ticket on Dec. 30 that eventually ultimately the first five numbers of that night’s drawing but missed the Powerball number and, thus, the jackpot. Dickerson bought the ticket at a Kum & Go convenience store in Colfax.

The jackpot eventually climbed to nearly $560 million. A lone Powerball ticket sold in New Hampshire matched all six numbers Saturday night, one day after another single ticket sold in Florida nabbed a $450 million Mega Millions grand prize.

Police in Council Bluffs attempted to make a traffic stop at around 1:30-a.m. today (Monday), ended-up witnessing an accident. They’re looking for a person in the vehicle who was allegedly responsible for the collision. Authorities say Police tried to conduct a traffic stop in the 1200 block of 5th Ave on a 2007 Chevy Monte Carlo with an expired registration. As the officer went to stop the vehicle it made an abrupt turn north bound on South 12th Street. The car left the roadway and struck railroad tracks belonging to the Union Pacific Railroad. When the vehicle became disabled on the tracks, a male front passenger fled on foot from the scene.

Officers conducted a high risk stop on the vehicle. The parties from the vehicle were detained for further investigation. They were later released from the scene.  The party who ran from the vehicle had reportedly grabbed the steering wheel causing the vehicle to crash. As of this report he has not been located.  The vehicle had to be towed from the scene. Union Pacific Railroad was contacted and representatives came to the scene to check the tracks for damage. It does not appear as if the tracks were damaged.

Anyone with information in reference to this case is encouraged to contact the Council Bluffs Police Department at (712) 328-4728 or Crime Stoppers at (712) 328 – STOP (7867).

A Powerball ticket sold in Iowa nearly claimed a share of Saturday’s massive jackpot. Iowa Lottery officials say the ticket, purchased at a Hy-Vee in Marion, came within one number of sharing the $559.7 million jackpot. Instead, the holder of the ticket that matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball will claim a prize of $50,000.

The Powerball jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in New Hampshire, while Friday’s $450 million Mega Millions jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in Florida. This weekend marked the first time the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots were simultaneously above the $400 million mark.

The winning numbers in Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing were: 12-29-30-33-61 and Powerball 26. The Power Play number was 3. The winning numbers in Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing were: 28-30-39-59-70 and Mega Ball 10. The Megaplier number was 3.

(Radio Iowa)

A woman from Pottawattamie County was the driver of a vehicle involved in a three-vehicle accident Sunday  evening, in north central Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol says 20-year old Carli Jo Fenn, of Carson, was driving a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am that slipped onto the south shoulder while traveling east on Highway 20, in Hardin County.

Fenn over-corrected, which sent the car into the median and onto the west bound lane. In that lane, the car struck a 2016 Toyota Highlander SUV, and a 2015 Ford pickup. The accident happened at around 4:35-p.m.

The driver of the SUV, 52-year old David Pietan, of Johnston, was injured in the crash and transported by Ackley Ambulance to a hospital in Iowa Falls. Neither Fenn, nor the driver of the pickup, 22-year old Jordan Ingram, of Oelwein, were injured.

The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office and E-Squad, Ackley Fire/Ambulance, and Steamboat Fire/Ambulance.

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

MERRIMACK, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire lottery official says he’s looking forward to meeting the winner of a $559.7 million Powerball lottery jackpot sold in Merrimack. New Hampshire Lottery Executive Director Charlie McIntyre says someone woke up a multimillionaire this morning. Officials say the jackpot was initially estimated at $570 million, but the actual jackpot at the time of the Saturday drawing was the lesser amount. The winning numbers drawn Saturday night were 12-29-30-33-61 and Powerball 26

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Board of Regents isn’t expected to make a final decision on tuition increases at the state’s three public universities until June. The Des Moines Register reports that will leave students with only a few weeks to make financial plans before the start of the next academic year. The University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa have proposed tuition hikes ranging from 1.75 to 11.7 percent over the next five years.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ice fishing is now open on DeSoto Lake from now through the end of February. The DeStoto National Wildlife Refuge says it’s up to individual anglers to determine whether the ice is safe each day. A general guideline is 4 inches of clear and solid ice at a minimum for foot travel and ice fishing. The refuge’s visitor center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on federal holidays.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers return to the state Capitol on Monday with a to-do list ranging from overhauling state taxes to possibly addressing issues with the privatized Medicaid program.

Few details have been shared publicly about a tax proposal, though Gov. Kim Reynolds will give more information in her upcoming Condition of the State address. Any tax legislation would come on the heels of a federal tax law that state budget officials are still reviewing.

Medicaid, the health care program for poor and disabled Iowans, is expected to be debated because of ongoing complaints from health care providers and patients about reduced services. Reynolds has been steadfast about her support for privatization.

Republicans, entering a second year of complete statehouse control, will work amid another budget crunch and a looming election year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Board of Regents isn’t expected to make a final decision on tuition increases at the state’s three public universities until June. The Des Moines Register reports that will leave students with only a few weeks to make financial plans before the start of the next academic year.

Presidents at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa have proposed tuition hikes ranging from 1.75 to 11.7 percent over the next five years.

For the past two years, regents have set tuition rates in December, but have had to approve additional hikes right before the start of the academic year. Regents spokesman Josh Lehman says the board doesn’t want that to happen this time.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ice fishing is now open on DeSoto Lake from now through the end of February. The DeStoto National Wildlife Refuge says it’s up to individual anglers to determine whether the ice is safe each day. A general guideline is 4 inches of clear and solid ice at a minimum for foot travel and ice fishing.

The refuge’s visitor center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on federal holidays. Visitors can see the lake from inside the center. In recent days, eagles, ducks, swans and geese have been seen from the visitor center. The center also has bird feeders that attract an array of birds.

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is located north of Omaha, near Missouri Valley, Iowa and Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.