Iowa Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds unveiled a new energy plan for the state this (Wednesday) morning.  “This plan is comprehensive, looking at all of Iowa and considering all of the opportunities in front of us,” she says. The report spans more than 100 pages. A top priority is continuing to promote a “diversity” of energy sources, including wind power and plant materials which can be an ingredient for biofuels.

“Our companies and citizens have access to energy affordability and reliability with some of the lowest energy costs in the nation and that reality is something that state leaders and stakeholders absolutely can’t take for granted,” Reynolds says. “It’s why this energy plan is so important because it will help us ensure Iowa will continue to lead well into the future.”

The plan also calls for promoting new energy technology, like cells that can store the power generated by wind turbines. Developing a more modern power grid is also mentioned in the plan. The report does not outline state spending plans for these initiatives. It doesn’t call for legislative action either. “In other words, we didn’t want to create a plan that had a bunch of governmental mandates,” Reynolds says.

The report outlines 15 objectives. Iowa Economic Development Authority director Debi Durham says shoring up the workforce pipeline is part one of them. “We must ensure that Iowa is able to attract and train the professionals we need to meet the state’s future energy needs,” Durham says.

Mark Lowe, the interim director of the Iowa Department of Transportation, says the report also focuses on the need to “move” energy. “As energy infrastructure continues to age, capacity is exceeded and new technology emerges, it’s critical to establish a vision for what a modernized grid should look like for Iowa,” Lowe says.

State officials have been working on this plan and holding meetings around the state for months.

(Radio Iowa)

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer reports a man arrested a little over a year ago on child pornography charges, was sentenced last month to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to the charges. Philip Eugene Mathis, formerly of Audubon, was sentenced in the United States Federal Court on November 3rd on Possession of Child Pornography charges.

Once he’s released from prison, Mathis will be on supervised release for another 8 years and will be listed as a registered sex offender. He will also be required to complete a Sex Offender Treatment program. Mathis was arrested on December 15, 2015 after an investigation was conducted by the Audubon Police Department and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Audubon Police executed search warrants that resulted in the discovery of hundreds of images and videos of underage children and minors in the nude or engaged in sex acts.  The findings were turned over to federal authorities who then took over the case for the filing of  federal charges.

With winter just getting underway today (Wednesday), we’re a long way from the spring run-off season, but forecasters are trying to look ahead and give Iowa farmers a chance to plan. Doug Kluck, the central region climate service director at the National Weather Service, says the first indications show run-off into the Missouri River basin should -not- be an issue next spring.

Kluck says, “If the forecasts hold true in terms of greater-than-normal precipitation and below-normal temperatures in the upper basin, if those come true — and they’re only slight probabilities pointing in that direction — I would say the run-off season should be relatively good.”

He notes that upper basin is the far upper basin, meaning, Montana and Wyoming. Kluck says mountain snowpack is currently behind normal. “As of right now, we’re a little bit behind the curve in the upper portions of the Missouri and the Platte River basin,” Kluck says. “It’s really tough to say. We’re not very far into the snow accumulation season, especially in the mountains. That can last into May in some places, so there’s a lot of season to go at this point.”

The U-S Army Corps of Engineers says the six main stem reservoirs of the Missouri River basin are expected to have the full 16-point-three million acre feet of flood storage available by spring.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors agreed to take under advisement during their budgetary process in January, a request for funding to the Cass County Agricultural and Education Association and Fair Board. Cass County ISU/Extension Director Kate Olsen and others spoke before the Board during their meeting in November and requested level funding for Grounds Committee, with an increase for the Fair Board and Extension. The Extension also asked for the option to look at the County’s insurance program for their three, full-time employees. Olsen provided the Board more specifics on their request during their meeting this (Wednesday) morning.

(She said joining the County insurance program would be at no cost to the County, because the Extension would pay the County monthly for the full cost. They also request a $10,000 increase through the Grounds Committee Budget to support the Youth Programming position. Olsen said they’ve already received $10,000 from the Grounds Committee Budget, which is an amount that hasn’t changed since 1978. Olsen said staff costs have gone up since 1978.)

A portion of the $10,000 they currently receive are used for staff benefits. The additional $10,000, if approved, would offset the $27,000 annual cost to participate in the County’s insurance plan. The Extension Director, Youth Coordinator and Office Assistant positions currently are not covered by an insurance plan. Olsen said their three office employees has been 100-percent County paid since 1978 Directly through the County Extension Council. The latest full-time Extension employee to be funded by the State was former Extension Director Steve Olsen, in 2009.

Mitch Kleen, a member of the Fair Board said their costs have gone up also, and that they too have not had an increase since 1978.

(He said they get $10,000 in State funding from the Association of Iowa Fairs, and they’d like the County to match that, so that the Cass County Fair remains free and yet allows the kids to profit from the sale of their animals.)

Board Chair Gaylord Schelling said he and Auditor/Board Secretary Dale Sunderman will look into the County’s ISAC insurance policy and compare information with other counties. In other business, the Cass County Supervisors approved the first of what is likely to be several amendments to the Amaizing Energy Urban Renewal Area plan by adding Elite Octane property to the area. And, while giving the go-ahead for Snyder and Associates Engineers to begin the engineering processes needed in advance of the Elite Octane Gray Water transmission and Buck Creek, Glacier and Echo Road Paving Projects, the Board tabled action on approving a Professional Services Agreement with Snyder’s until their meeting Dec. 30^th, when Engineer Tim Teig is expected to provide a better cost break down and analysis of the engineering costs of the projects.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports an Oakland man wanted on a warrant for three counts of 3rd Degree Sexual Assault, turned himself-in to authorities Tuesday evening. 20-year old Jerran Lee Baker was arrested and booked into the Pott. County Jail, where his bond was set at $30,000.

And, a Cass County woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon for Domestic Abuse, Simple Assault, following an altercation whereby she allegedly assaulted her sister and parents. 24-year old Michelle Lynn Eden, of rural Griswold, was taken into custody following the incident that happened at around 3-p.m., Tuesday.

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

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A backlog of autopsies at the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office has been delaying the return of remains to family members.  It usually takes the office a day or two to complete an autopsy. But a spokeswoman for the office told The Des Moines Register that in the past month, a 12 percent surge in cases coupled with an understaffed office has caused delays.

Polly Carver-Kimm, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Public Health, says that at one point in the past month, the office had 32 bodies awaiting autopsy and it took up to two weeks to release remains to funeral homes. She says the situation is “not typical.” The office is budgeted for 11 full-time positions, but one position is open. It is expected to be filled.

A new report shows more Iowans bought homes in November compared to one year ago. The Housing Trends Report from the Iowa Association of Realtors (IAR) shows 3,012 homes were sold across the state last month, a nearly 15-percent increase over November 2015. I-A-R president Cindy Miller of Burlington gives credit to the unusually mild weather across the state this fall.

Despite all the snow and extreme cold THIS month, Miller expects housing sales for December will be up as well. She notes it takes roughly 45 days to close on a home, so sales completed this month started with offers in October or November. Miller says another reason home sales continue to rise in Iowa is mortgage rates remain at relatively low levels. “There still running at 4.0 or 4.25 percent, so that’s still great,” Miller said.

The median sale price of a home sold in Iowa last month was $148,000. That compares to $140,000 in November 2015.

(Radio Iowa)

After suffering financial problems for some time, Central Iowa Healthcare in Marshalltown has filed for bankruptcy. As part of the filing, C-I-H asked the court to approve a plan to sell substantially all of the C-I-H assets to UnityPoint Health – Waterloo, an affiliate of UnityPoint Health. Under the plan, all of C-I-H’s healthcare operations including the acute care hospital, emergency department, four primary care clinics, and outpatient center will operate without interruption during this time and after completion of the proposed sale transaction.

C-I-H has asked the court to approve a financing arrangement where UnityPoint Health of Waterloo has offered to support C-I-H’s operations during the bankruptcy proceeding and pending the sales transaction which is targeted for the late first quarter of 2017.

(Radio Iowa)

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

DELHI, Iowa (AP) — A former town clerk in the small Iowa community of Delhi has been arrested and charged with theft after a state audit that found nearly $247,000 in improper and unsupported municipal spending. Delaware County Attorney John Bernau said Tuesday that the former clerk, Angie Billings, was arrested and charged with three counts of theft. Billings remains jailed.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s population exceeds 1.9 million for first time ever, and growth rate exceeds neighboring Iowa. New Census data shows the Nebraska population grew 0.7 percent to reach 1,907,116 on July 1. Iowa’s population grew 0.41 percent to hit 3,134,693. Nebraska’s growth rate matched the national rate between last July and this July.

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — State authorities are helping Bettendorf police investigate an officer’s shooting of a 19-year-old man holding a toy gun. The authorities say Bettendorf officers who were sent to a Home Depot store around 11:30 p.m. Monday to check a disturbance confronted a man with what appeared to be a handgun. One of the officers shot the man, identified as Joshua Price, of Bettendorf, who remained hospitalized Tuesday.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa State Patrol supervisor who pleaded guilty to stealing prescription painkillers seized during criminal investigations has been sentenced to a suspended two-year prison sentence. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that 32-year-old Michael Haugen, of Forest City, was also fined $625, plus court costs, on Monday. Court records say Haugen acknowledged removing pills from evidence bags about 18 times in up to eight different cases between late 2014 and April.