A man staying at a Creston motel was arrested Wednesday afternoon, on drug charges. The Creston P-D says 39-year old Robert Rix, of Shephardsglen Heath, TX, was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense. Rix was later released from custody on $300 bond.

And, a woman residing at a home on Pine Street in Creston reported Tuesday afternoon, that someone took a debit card and her purse from her car, which was parked behind her residence. The loss was estimated at $55. The incident took place sometime between 7-p.m. Monday and 7-a.m. Tuesday.

(8-a.m. News)

With Ric Hanson.

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Two people were arrested Wednesday afternoon on separate charges in Montgomery County. Sheriff’s officials say 28-year old Katie Marie Pierce, of Stanton, was arrested on a warrant for assault. Pierce was later released on $100 bond. And, 32-year old Ronald Glen Ballinger the 3rd, of Red Oak, was arrested on a warrant for violating a No Contact Order. He was subsequently released on a Recognizance Bond.

Sheriff’s officials in Adams County say a man was arrested Wednesday night after a person recorded an audio copy of a phone conversation and a callback number belonging to a person who was allegedly harassing them. 48-year old Edward Lee Avila, of Corning, was arrested at around 11-p.m. , on charges of Harassment and Impersonating a Public Official. Avila was being held in the Adams County Jail on $2,300 bond.

The Shelby Volunteer Fire Department currently has no members and now, no chief. The City Council fired all 12 members Monday evening. Now, The Daily NonPareil reports Shelby’s Fire Chief, Eric Wendt, resigned Wednesday morning. With no active members, the city of 641 is relying on Minden and Avoca to respond to any emergencies via a mutual aid agreement.

The leader of a group created nearly four decades ago to lobby for a smaller state government and reduced taxes say Iowa legislators will pay a price in 2016 if they support a gas tax increase in 2015. Rob Solt is president of Iowans for Tax Relief, a group urging lawmakers to vote against any bill that would raise the state gas tax. “Legislators are sent up here to make tough decisions and the toughest decision they’re probably going to have to make this year is to pass a gas tax increase, which our polls show Iowans don’t want, or to take a look at are the resources there and can they just reallocate them,” Solt says. “And unfortunately at this point no one is willing to take a look at the formula.”

Here’s how the formula works: nearly half of the money raised by those taxes is kept by the state, with 20 percent going to cities and the rest going to counties. Solt suggests the state should keep less and share more with local governments. “If we get a gas tax increase passed and the money goes through the formula and people expected to get their local road or bridge fixed and it absolutely won’t get done, I mean it will be such a miniscule amount that will get done at the local level, they’re going to be really frustrated,” Solt says. “And they’re going to get to the 2016 elections and say: What did I get for paying this additional amount? And I think it’s going to make people angry.”

It appears momentum is building at the statehouse for a gas tax increase, however. Key legislators yesterday said a vote on a 10-cent hike in the per gallon gas tax could come in February and the higher tax rate might take effect as soon as March. The Iowans for Tax Relief president questions the way the State of Iowa is spending its current portion of gas tax proceeds.  “If you drive through Iowa City, there’s 10 miles of colored, stamped concrete there,” Solt says. “…How can we not have enough resources when we can do colored, stamped concrete as a median divider, but we can’t do a project in Davis County?”

The state taxes every gallon of regular gas at 21 cents. Ethanol-blended gasoline is taxed at 19 cents per gallon. The state tax on diesel is 22-and-a-half cents per gallon. Those tax rates were set in 1989. Gas tax revenue is declining because vehicles are more fuel efficient and supporters of a gas tax increase say the state is at least 215 million dollars short each year of what’s needed to fix up and expand Iowa’s transportation system.

(Radio Iowa)

SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD COUNTIES….A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM. HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE-COUNTIES….A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM.

* TIMING…STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE EARLY THIS MORNING.

* WINDS…EXPECT SUSTAINED NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH THROUGH MID MORNING.

* IMPACTS…LOSE OBJECTS WILL BE BLOWN AROUND. DRIVING HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES WILL BE DIFFICULT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS GREATER THAN 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A leader of the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation says about 200 employees at the Dubuque IBM facility have been affected by the company’s mass layoff. Rick Dickinson, the corporations’ president and CEO, tells the Telegraph Herald Dubuque’s layoffs are part of companywide reductions after IBM announced a $600 million workforce rebalancing in its fourth-quarter filing for 2014.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senator Chuck Grassley — at 81 years old — is steering the Senate Judiciary Committee into a brave new world. The Iowa Republican is the first nonlawyer to chair the panel considering the confirmation of Loretta Lynch, President Barack Obama’s choice for attorney general. But he also may be the committee’s first chairman to tweet straight from the podium.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says he is seriously considering running for president because he sees gaps in the field of likely Republican candidates. Walker also said yesterday he’s planning trips to important primary states including Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Florida in the coming weeks and months.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The head of Iowa’s corrections department says he still doesn’t know when the long-delayed Iowa State Penitentiary will open. Director John Baldwin told House lawmakers Wednesday in a government oversight committee that officials are studying a potential solution to a faulty smoke control system. He says the process of completing that fix will require a few months, and additional staff training will take another few months.