Tax payments to the state were up significantly through the end of October, but some of that growth cannot be counted in the current budgeting year. State tax revenue was up 12 percent from July 1st through October 31st. Jeff Robinson, the senior fiscal analyst for the Legislative Services Agency, says “The revenue situation is not near as rosy as there are two significant issues to the growth posted through the end of October.”

Some of the money is being recorded as taxes due BEFORE July 1st. It erased some of the deficit in the last state budgeting year. Second, the Iowa Department of Revenue implemented a tax processing change. A significant amount of taxes came into the state treasury on October 31st rather than sometime in November. Robinson says when adjusting for those two issues, tax payments to the state were up about two-point-three percent for the past four months.

“The combination of individual income tax, sales tax, use tax and corporate income has produced modest growth through October 27th,” Robinson says. In mid-October, a three-member panel reduced its official prediction of state tax collections. If tax revenue does not grow significantly THIS November compared to LAST November, at least 35 million dollars will have to be cut from the current state budget.

(Radio Iowa)

Agriculture and energy officials are working together to deal with the high demand for liquid propane this harvest season. Iowa Propane Gas Association Executive Director Deb Grooms says customers who use propane to heat their homes were told to top off their tanks this summer. She says farmers got the same advice from Ag Secretary Bill Northey.

“To take advantage of the early buying process. Our marketers are also telling their customers to get their tanks full so they’re prepared when winter hits,” Grooms says. Propane is used to dry grain when it comes out of the fields with too much moisture. There was a shortage of liquid propane to dry crops and heat homes in 2009, and former Governor Terry Branstad declared an energy disaster in 2013 when farmers throughout the Midwest used a record amount of the fuel to dry their corn. That demand from farmers depleted supplies for home owners who were forced to pay record high prices.

Carlson says suppliers were busy last week as good weather allowed farmers to get into the fields. “They’ve been working very hard to get the ag customers taken care of this week and pretty soon the home heating season will begin, so communication is a big thing,” Grooms says. The president of the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores of Iowa, Dawn Carlson, says they’ve talked with farmers about the importance of taking steps to have enough propane for the harvest season.

“They have been urging their customers to put storage on the farm. Our propane distributors in Iowa have been purchasing more storage tanks on their own property so we actually have a lot more storage capacity in the state than we did right years ago,” Carlson says. Another factor in the liquid petroleum availability is that worldwide demand is at an all-time high. Carlson says long term contracts with countries like China make the fuel very attractive and exports reflect that.

“Since November of 2009 they’ve increased from 100-thousand barrels a day to the most recent data I have is from August of this year — they’ up to to 720-thousand barrels a day,” Carlson says. “So just in the last eight years, we’ve increased eight-fold.” Propane prices went up slightly last week as demand increased. The report from the state ag department says the price was up four cents for a statewide average of one dollar, 39 cents for a gallon.

(Radio Iowa)

INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) — Simpson College in Indianola says it will cover tuition costs of Iowa students whose families have an adjusted gross income of $60,000 or less.

The Des Moines Register reports that the college announced its plan Monday, with Simpson President Jay Simmons saying in a statement, “There has been a lot of talk about making college affordable. We decided it was time to take action.”

Gary Steinke, president of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, say no other Iowa private college has such a program.

To qualify, students must be a 2018 Iowa high school graduate and state resident, submit a federal student aid application and have a 2016 adjusted gross income of $60,000 or less. They also must live on campus and pay room and board fees, which this year totaled $8,370.

Students would pay for any tuition increases.

OELWEIN, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in northeast Iowa are investigating the shooting death of a zebra. KCRG-TV reports Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Wolfgram confirmed the Oct. 31 shooting of the zebra in Oelwein, but he wouldn’t comment on a claim by the animal’s owner that a neighbor was too blame. Mike Henninger says he found the 2½-year-old zebra named Taz dead from a gunshot wound. The death came after months of threatening texts, photos and videos from a neighbor, including images of him shooting a stuffed zebra.

On Saturday night, a neighbor identified by Henninger called KCRG and denied killing the zebra. Wolfgram says an investigation of the shooting is continuing.

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all flags in Iowa at half-staff effective immediately until sunset on Thursday, November 9, 2017, to honor those killed and injured in Sunday’s mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. This order is in conjunction with President Donald Trump’s order that was issued Sunday. Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex. Flags will also be at half-staff on all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state.

Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

A van that collided with a cow Saturday morning in Page County caught fire, but no one was injured. The Page County Sheriff’s Office was notified about the accident near the intersection of Highway 2 and Hackberry Avenue, at around 3:15-a.m.  Officials say 56-year old Carol Anthony Colton was driving a 1999 Ford E-350 Super Duty Econoline van eastbound on Highway 2, or about 7 miles east of Shenandoah, when a black cow entered the road and was struck by the van, which ended-up on fire. Damaged to the vehicle was estimated at $8,000.00. The cow, owned by Bruce Ketcham, was valued at $2,300.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa mother accused of leaving her four children home alone while she traveled to Europe has pleaded not guilty. Court records say Erin Macke filed a written plea last week to four counts of child endangerment and one of transferring a firearm to a person under 21. Police said the latter charge was filed because a firearm was left at home within the children’s reach. Records don’t show a trial date.

Police have said Macke, of suburban Des Moines, tried but failed to make child care arrangements for her children — two age 12, one 7, one 6 — before leaving Sept. 20 for a vacation in Germany. Police say the father of one of the children was called by his child the next day, and he called police.

MARION, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two people were hospitalized after a fire at their apartment building in the Cedar Rapids suburb of Marion. The fire was reported around 6 a.m. Sunday at the three-level building. Firefighters rescued one of the two from the second floor and the other from a third-story window. Their names haven’t been released. The fire displaced 11 people from 10 apartments. The fire cause is being investigated.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say 15 people were hospitalized after breathing in carbon monoxide that had built up at a central Iowa church. Medics and police officers sent around 2:45 p.m. Sunday to the Church of God in Marshalltown found several people inside complaining of headaches and breathing difficulties.

The first responders helped people out of the church for treatment and eventual trips to a Marshalltown hospital. Eight of the victims later were taken to hospitals in Iowa City and Des Moines. Authorities say they found a gasoline-powered generator in the building basement that had been running to provide heat and lights.

CHARITON, Iowa (AP) — Grocery giant Hy-Vee is branching out from its food-selling roots to restore houses in a small southern Iowa town in an effort to attract and retain workers. The Des Moines Register reports that the grocery store chain is renovating at least four homes in Chariton. The company and its subsidiary Midwest Heritage Bank have given $250,000 to the Chariton Valley Regional Housing Trust Fund.

The company employs about 1,300 workers at a local distribution center and another 75 employees at its Chariton grocery store. City officials say the aging housing options in the town of 4,300 make it difficult to attract employees. Mike Armstrong is chairman of the trust fund board. He says volunteers are doing most of the labor on the first project to cut down on costs.