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

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An Iowa City man had a decision to make after winning the “Lucky for Life” drawing. Chuck Svatos won the drawing on September 25th that comes with a prize of 25-thousand dollars each year for the rest of his life. There’s a guarantee of a minimum of 20 years of payments, and there’s also a cash option of 390-thousand dollars. Svatos is 92 years old — he chose the cash option — after taxes he nets 273-thousand dollars. Svatos says he’s been trying a long time to win at any lottery game and the most he’d ever won was around four dollars. He plans to use the money to do some traveling, possibly to Hawaii or Switzerland.

(Radio Iowa)

Schools in Algona are closed today (Wednesday) after a threat was made against the district late last night. Local law enforcement notified school officials around 10:15 PM Tuesday about a threat that had been made against the Algona District. Since the credibility of the threat could not be determined prior to the start of classes today, law enforcement and school officials decided to cancel classes for the Algona district. Police and school officials are continuing to work to determine the credibility of the threat which comes a day after classes were canceled in Johnston after a threat was made late Monday night.

(Radio Iowa)

Red Oak Police say no injuries were reported following a collision early Tuesday afternoon, between a pickup truck and an SUV. The accident happened at around 1:33-p.m., at the intersection of N. 8th and E. Coolbaugh Streets. Authorities say a 2013 Ford Edge driven by 60-year old Steven Wayne Hoppock, of Coffeyville, KS., was traveling north on 8th Street, and was at the intersection of E. Coolbaugh Street. Hoppock didn’t realize that Coolbaugh was a one-way Street, west of 8th. He turned left and ran into the left front corner of a 1999 Dodge RAM 1500 pickup registered to Tracy Brian Schooling, and driven by 16-year old Kristian Kelly Schooling, of Red Oak. The accident happened as Schooling was traveling south on 8th Street.

Hoppock was cited for Failing to Yield upon left turn.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) – A suburban Des Moines district plans a late start to school Wednesday so buildings can be checked. Johnston Community School District officials decided Monday night to cancel classes for Tuesday because of anonymous and threatening texts parents and others received around 8 p.m. Monday. Johnston Police Chief Dennis McDaniel said at a news conference Tuesday that federal, state and local investigators couldn’t substantiate “any credible or imminent threat.”

The district says the two-hour delay means secondary students will start at 9:45 a.m. and elementary students will start at 10:35 a.m. Classes will be dismissed at a normal time – not the Wednesday early release time. Extra officers will be stationed at the schools. The closure affected about 7,200 students and 1,000 employees.

The Adair County Auditor’s Office report Absentee Ballots are now available in the Auditor’s Office, for the Cities of Adair, Bridgewater, Fontanelle, Greenfield, Orient, and Stuart.  Voters may vote in the Auditor’s Office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday or they may request a ballot be mailed to them.  The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 3, 2017.  The last day to vote absentee in the Auditor’s Office is Tuesday, November 7, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Absentee Ballot request forms are available in the Auditor’s Office or they can be downloaded at the Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.state.ia.us.

Officials with the Harlan Police Department, Tuesday afternoon, issued a report on arrests and incidents that took place over the past couple of weeks. Authorities said there were three people taken into custody on active warrants. On September 22nd 51-year old Joell Rea Onstad, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant.  She was transported to the Shelby County Jail. On September 28th, 29-year old Eric Richard Brandt, of Harlan, was arrested on an active warrant out of O’Brien County.  He was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was also charged with prohibited acts penalties, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance. And, following a traffic stop on September 29th in Harlan, the driver of the vehicle, 34-year old Wayne Earl Johnson, of Harlan, was cited for driving while suspended.  A passenger, 43-year old Darline Jean Bothwell, of Portsmouth, was arrested on active warrants out of Plymouth and Cherokee County.  Bothwell was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

In other Harlan Police News: On Sept. 22nd, 28-year old Alisha Marie Hutt, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. She was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with driving while suspended and failure to prove security against liability. And, on Sept. 30th, 31-year old Eugene Chron Cardine, of Harlan, was cited for driving while suspended following a traffic stop at 19th and Garfield.

There were also four separate accidents in Harlan, none of which resulted in injury. Two of the accidents took place Sept. 22nd, one on Sept. 30th, the other was on Monday, Oct. 2nd.

Police in Red Oak cited a Cass County man following a non-injury accident Tuesday night. Officials say 26-year old Thomas Dale Mace, of Atlantic, was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign and Yield the Right of Way, after he stopped at the intersection of North 2nd and East Oak Streets, but then failed to yield to a 2006 Saturn Ion, driven by 35-year old Nathaniel Peter Adkins, of Red Oak. The collision happened at around 7:15-p.m., as Mace was heading southbound on North 2nd in a 2011 Dodge Caravan, while Adkins was traveling east on East Oak Street. Both vehicles sustained about $5,000 damage. Red Oak Fire was called to remove debris and fluids from the impact area.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Jurors have found a man guilty in the 2015 shooting death of another man in downtown Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports that Polk County jurors on Monday found Dre’Sean Barber guilty of second-degree murder in the Nov. 29, 2015, shooting death of Edmanuel Perez. The Polk County Attorney’s Office says jurors also found Barber guilty of an assault charge in the shooting of Andrew Hurley-Boyd. He was also injured downtown. Judge Karen Romano will sentence Barber on Nov. 17.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — A suburban Des Moines district plans to reopen for school Wednesday after authorities said they couldn’t substantiate any of the threats received by students’ parents. Johnston Community School District officials decided Monday night to cancel classes for Tuesday because of the anonymous and threatening texts parents and others received around 8 p.m. Monday. Johnston Police Chief Dennis McDaniel said Tuesday that investigators couldn’t substantiate “any credible or imminent threat.”

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a man fatally shot after police officers stopped his vehicle in Burlington. The Hawk Eye reports that police identified the man as Burlington resident Marquis “Bubba” Jones. Police say one officer fired during Sunday afternoon’s incident and say a handgun not belonging to any officer was found at the scene. Police haven’t said who the gun belonged to, whether Jones had fired any weapon or pointed any at the officers.

MARION, Iowa (AP) — Police in the Cedar Rapids suburb of Marion have charged a man with first-degree murder in the death of a woman whose body was found rolled up in a blanket after being left for several days in a trailer. Police arrested Gregory Davis after the woman’s body was found Monday morning in a parked trailer. Officers found the body after being sent to a residence for a welfare check. Davis is being held at the Linn County jail with bond set at $2 million.

The City Council in Atlantic will meet in their first regularly scheduled meeting of the month Wednesday evening. During their 5:30-p.m. session at City Hall, the Council is expected to approve an Order to close certain streets for the 2017 Atlantic Fireman’s Parade on October 14th, beginning at 6-p.m. The Parade starts and 2nd at Chestnut Streets and proceeds south to 6th and Chestnut. The parade participants will then head east on 6th Street to Walnut before turning north on Walnut. Their route concludes at 2nd and Walnut.

The Council will hear an update from Atlantic Library Board President Linn Headlee, with regard to Library activities. City Administrator John Lund says since the departure of former Library Director Natalie Struecker, the Library has made considerable progress in the Capital Improvement Plan. Mayor Dave Jones has requested an update on those improvements, and an update on the search for the City’s next Library Director.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on approving a Resolution accepting the easements for the ethanol plant gray water transmission project. The graywater will be produced and supplied by the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Resolution had been tabled during the Council’s last meeting, because one of the easements had not yet been signed by one of the parties involved. The Council will also act on a Resolution “Authorizing [an] Internal Advance for Funding of [an] Urban Renewal Project.” That’s with regard to a Development Agreement with the Whitney Inn, whereby the City incurred legal bills amounting to $13,170. City Administrator John Lund says in order to properly cost-account this, it needs to expense its legal costs to the Whitney Urban Renewal Area Fund.

That fund has no revenue yet, because the final assessment has not been made, and no taxes have been levied. Lund says therefore the City needs to borrow money from its General Fund, transfer it to the Whitney Fund, and then wait a couple of years until the Whitney Project begins to pay taxes. At that time, he says, the City will capture those dollars with Tax Increment Financing (TIF), make its annual rebate payment to the Whitney Group, then take the remaining amount and reimburse the General Fund, along with a rate of interest to be determined.

The City Council, Wednesday, will also hold the second reading of an Ordinance that amends the City Code, by adding two chapters entitled “Mowing of Properties,” and “Removal of Solid Waste.” The changes are designed to make for a more rapid response time between when a complaint is made and the complaint is handled by the City, if necessary. The Council will hold the first reading of an Ordinance with regard to “Parking Regulations,” as it pertains to where trailers may be parked. At the last Council meeting, some members of the Council requested the hours for loading and unloading a camper before it is removed from public view be changed, from the current 24-hours to 48-hours. In their final order of business, the Atlantic City Council will enter into a closed session prior to adjournment, so that that they may discuss legal strategy with regard to a legal matter with an airport tenant.