COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is shifting his Iowa campaign into a more aggressive phase, launching his first TV ads in the state with a spot in which he declares he knows about how economies grow. In the 30-second spot set to begin running Friday, Romney says the right answer for America is to stop the growth of the federal government and to start private-sector growth. Romney’s decision to start spending money on paid advertising in Iowa just five weeks before the Jan. 3 caucuses signals a belief that he can fare well in the state even though his 2008 bid was tripped up there. The move comes as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has emerged as Romney’s chief challenger for the nomination.

A U.S. House subcommittee held a hearing Wednesday to discuss the management of the Missouri River. Iowa Congressman Steve King has introduced legislation that would require the Army Corps of Engineers to revise its management policies to increase the total amount of storage space within the Missouri River reservoir system that is allocated for flood control. King told the panel Corps officials initially stated they would not alter their policies because they felt the flooding this past summer was a “500 year flood” event.

“I want to emphasize that we have 150 years of records and they’re declaring a 500 year event,” King said. “If you had 10,000 years of records and (flooding) happened a couple times a millennia, you might be able to say this is a 500 year event. No mortal can tell you it’s a 500 year event.” The Corps announced in early November that it would change how it manages the river. King believes Congress should still take charge of flood control in the Missouri River basin.

“We have to tell them…if we don’t tell them, (the Corps) will slide back to being run by the environmental interests as opposed to the first priority, which should be protection from flooding downstream,” King said. Many lawmakers have blamed the Corps of Engineers at least in part for the severity of the flooding that destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and reduced miles of highways and interstates to rubble. Congressman Leonard Boswell said the flooding “requires us to change our policies.”

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich attracted a standing-room-only crowd in Council Bluffs last night (Wednesday). Gingrich’s status as a candidate gaining in popularity drew Drake University student Mike McInereney to make the two-hour trip to see Gingrich at what was billed as a “Slice the Deficit” event.  “It was more focused on creating jobs in America, you know, reducing regulations on certain industries, so people really enjoyed it,” McInereney said. “It was awesome.” Gingrich called the federal government bloated and wasteful.

“It’s an embarassment,” Gingrich said. “We don’t have to tolerate the government being stupid — and it’s expensive.” Gingrich has been getting rapped by rivals for proposing what they call “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. Gingrich told the crowd in Council Bluffs it’s a “hopeless” promise to suggest there’s a way to deport all the illegal immigrants who are here today. Gingrich, in turn, promises that as president he would secure the border within a year by using unmanned drones and fences in high-traffic areas. Teresa Butterbaug, an engineer from Council Bluffs, says Gingrich has handled the issue well.

“I like the way he stood for the immigration, especially shutting the borders,” Butterbaug says. Gingrich is  due to publicly sign a border security pledge today (Thursday), one of several campaign events scheduled in the central Iowa area.

(Radio Iowa)

See the forecast map from the National Weather Service http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/fxc/dmx/wx/File.png

A significant storm system is expected to affect the state late Friday night into Saturday. Rain is expected in the southeast with snow in northwest Iowa. Some moderate to locally heavy snow accumulations will be possible in the northwest by Saturday Night.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Council Bluffs police say a mother and her 1-year-old child were taken to a hospital after they fell from a moving vehicle. 18-year-old Joanna Puentes and her baby were taken to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday night. Police say the SUV, driven by Alex Perez, of Omaha, was traveling on a city street when Puentes and the child fell out of the passenger side door. Perez allegedly told police that Puentes was attempting to put the child in a safety seat when her foot opened the door and they both fell from the vehicle. Perez was cited for several violations, including failure to secure a child.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s officials are asking for information on a break-in at the Elliott Elementary School.  The incident happened between November 23rd and November 29th.  Those responsible pried open a window and made off with three laptop computers and six cameras from several room.  The items are valued at 41-hundred-five dollars.  Tips can be made anonymously to the Montgomery County Crimestoppers Hotline at 800-432-1001.

The Walnut School Board voted at their Tuesday night meeting to enter a sharing agreement with the A-H-S-T schools.  Walnut students will attend classes at A-H-S-T for about three periods per day and share all athletics with A-H-S-T beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.  Walnut Superintendent Jim Hammerich said they voted on shifting academics from Atlantic to A-H-S-T for three periods in the afternoon, just like they currently do in Atlantic.  The board voted for a two-year contract with A-H-S-T.  The Walnut school board also voted  to continue sharing Junior High sports, unanimously sending all boys sports to A-H-S-T.  The board also voted 3-2 to share all girls sports with A-H-S-T.   The board’s vote ends the sharing agreements with Atlantic.  Hammerich said it is a better fit for the Walnut kids, with all the logistics, transportation costs etc., and having Junior High already in Avoca all weighing in on the board’s decision.  He said the Atlantic sharing experience the last five years was wonderful, but it will end this school year.  Hammerich says the two school board’s will continue to discuss future whole-grade sharing between A-H-S-T and Walnut.

Atlantic police say that no one was injured in a two car collision Tuesday afternoon.  Shirley Chester of Atlantic was eastbound on 6th Street approaching Birch Street just before four o’clock.  Her car was hit by another driven by Keisha Houston of Avoca, who failed to stop at the sign as she was southbound on Birch.  Chester car ended up in a nearby yard.  Houston was charged with failing to obey a stop sign.  Damage to the two cars totalld 45-hundred dollars.

Also, Atlantic police arrested 31 year old Christopher Anstey of Atlantic on a charge of 5th degree theft for shoplifting.

w/ Ric Hanson

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