Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 2:40 a.m. CDT

Another report is showing thousands of working Iowans are not making enough money to cover basic needs such as food, housing, health care, and transportation. The “Cost of Living in Iowa” report, released today (Wednesday) by the Iowa Policy Project (IPP), finds 19-percent of working households in Iowa do not earn enough to cover a “basic needs family budget.” Peter Fisher is the author of the report and the IPP’s research director.

“We found almost one in five Iowa working families do not earn enough to achieve self sufficiency,” Fisher said. The IPP report indicates single parents in Iowa are struggling the most. “Approximately 12-percent of married couples with children living at home don’t earn enough. It goes up to 27.5-percent for single persons and a whopping 62-percent for single parents,” Fisher said. The report also finds 17-percent of Iowans living in urban areas do not earn enough to meet basic needs, while the figures rises to nearly 22-percent for those living in more rural Iowa counties.

“I think that reflects two things; one is we found higher costs of living in rural areas, largely because of substantially higher health insurance costs, longer commutes and higher transportation costs,” Fisher said. “When you combine that with poorer job opportunities and lower pay, in general, in rural areas and you end up with a significantly higher percentage of families struggling to get by.” The IPP report follows a United Ways of Iowa report released last week that found nearly one-third of Iowans struggle to afford basic living expenses. Fisher says the United Way report included more Iowa families who are living in poverty.

“Those fractions are not really comparable for a couple of reasons, one is they’re looking at all families, all households in the state, whether of not there’s somebody employed,” Fisher said. “They’re including senior families and families headed by somebody with a disability, for example, who can’t work. We’re looking only at families with a full-time worker, so we’re looking at working families.” This is part 2 of a three-part report from the Iowa Policy Project. In April, the IPP released part one, outlining basic-needs budgets for various family types across the state.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Union County, Wednesday afternoon, said a woman from Lenox was arrested Tuesday evening in Taylor County. 24-year old Breanna Serena Sarratt was taken into custody at around 7-p.m. on a Union County warrant for Possession of Methamphetamine. Sarratt was being held in the Ringgold County Jail for Union County, on $1,000 bond.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa casino supervisor, dealer and patron are charged with conspiring to cheat at roulette and split thousands of dollars in illicit winnings. A criminal complaint alleges the trio carried out the scheme on several occasions in February and March at the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs. In all, they allegedly split between $20,000 and $30,000 in earnings.

The conspiracy involved moving and adding additional chips to winning numbers, accepting late bets and placing additional wagers for guests. But it unraveled after a player noticed the cheating and complained to casino management, which alerted the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The DCI said that roulette supervisor Jonathan Rumery, dealer Jonathan Waugh and player Cody Schroeder have been arrested. All three face felony charges.

LAKE VIEW – A personal water craft exploded Tuesday on Black Hawk Lake in Sac County, sending two people to the hospital. 40-year old Chris Forman, and his 41-year old wife Angie, of Omaha, Neb., were operating the personal water craft when it flipped over. After finally being able to get the vessel upright, gasoline had apparently leaked into the engine compartment causing it to explode while being started shortly after 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

Both of the passengers were thrown into the water by the blast, but were wearing
life jackets. They were taken to Loring Hospital in Sac City where they were kept
overnight.

The Lake View Fire Department, Lake View Police Department and the Sac County
Sheriff’s Department assisted at the scene.

The CAM School District’s Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday evening. The Board will gather in the CAM High School Media Center at 6:30-p.m. to discuss the preschool building as it pertains to Capital Projects. In other business, the CAM School Board will discuss and/or act on any resignations and contracts to come before them.

Police in Creston say no injuries were reported following a chain reaction accident Tuesday afternoon. Officials say a 2010 Chevy Traverse driven by 33-year old Julie Wallace, of Creston, was stopped along with a 1999 Chrysler LHS driven by 24-year old Whitney Tridle, of Orient, as both drivers were waiting for a non-contact vehicle to turn into a driveway. A 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by 16-year old Jacob Hitz, of Creston, failed to stop in-time, and struck the rear of the Chrysler, which in turn hit the rear of the Chevy.

The accident happened at around 12:55-p.m. Tuesday on Sumner Avenue, north of the intersection with W. Adams Street. Hitz was cited for Failure to Maintain Control. Damage from the collision amounted to $4,500.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A federal appeals court has upheld jail sentences for two egg industry executives whose Iowa company caused a nationwide salmonella outbreak in 2010. In a long-awaited decision, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday backed the three-month jail sentences issued last year to Austin “Jack” DeCoster and son Peter DeCoster.

U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett sentenced them last year, citing a “litany of shameful conduct” that happened at their large egg-production company. But Bennett allowed them to their freedom they appealed the sentences, which the DeCosters argued were unconstitutional and unreasonable. Business groups took up their cause.

In a 2-1 decision, an appeals panel ruled that the DeCosters “are liable for negligently failing to prevent the salmonella outbreak” and that jail time is appropriate.

There’s been some cloudy and cool weather in some areas of the state to start the month of July, but there’s still a lot of summer left. Iowa Department of Public Health medical director, Patricia Quinlisk says you need to remember to use sunscreen when heading out. You can sometimes use the same sunscreen you had last year if it appears to still be good. She says the bottles usually have a date that tells you how long you should keep it around.

But doctor Quinlisk says there are some cases where that date might not be the best guide. “I think if it’s been there awhile — especially if you’re like me and you keep things out in your garage where it goes through the cold of the winter and the heat of the summer — that it probably is not a bad idea to just get new,” Quinlisk says, “that way you know that it is going to be working at its peak effectiveness and you will be protected.”

She says takes a look at your stock of sunblock to be sure it hasn’t expired before you head out, so you can stay protected from the sun.

(Radio Iowa)

Senator Joni Ernst spoke with reporters in Washington, D.C. moments ago, revealing a few details about her recent meeting with presumptive G-O-P presidential nominee Donald Trump. According to a report from C-N-N’s Betsy Klein, Ernst has “not received documents” from the Trump campaign that would be filled out by prospective vice presidential candidates.

Trump has begun campaigning with people like Newt Gingrich who are rumored to be on Trump’s list of potential running mates. Some prominent Republicans have said they won’t attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland later this month. Ohio Governor John Kasich will not speak at the event, because he hasn’t endorsed Trump, but Ernst told C-N-N she’s not only willing to speak at the convention, she thinks it would be “a nice opportunity.”

Ernst says she and Trump discussed Iowa during her recent meeting with Trump and she encouraged Trump to get out and talk to as many Iowans as possible before Election Day. Iowa will be one of the few “swing” states in the General Election.

(Radio Iowa)