The Powerball jackpot for Wednesday night’s drawing will be an estimated $1.4 billion – the largest lottery jackpot in the world. The cash payout (in lieu of the Annuity), would be $868-million.

While the Powerball is the largest such jackpot in the world, it’s worth noting that Spain’s massively popular Christmas lottery, known as “El Gordo,” is ranked as the world’s richest, though it doles out a single jackpot among millions of prizes, instead of one large jackpot like the Powerball. El Gordo last month showered 2.2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) across the country.

As for the U.S., here’s a look at the 10 previous highest jackpots and where the winners were from:

1. $656.0 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012 (three tickets from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland)

2. $636 million, Mega Millions Dec 17, 2013, (two tickets, from California and Georgia)

3. $590.5 million, Powerball, May 18, 2013 (one ticket from Florida)

4. $587.5 million, Powerball, Nov. 28, 2012 (two tickets from Arizona and Missouri)

5. $564.1 million, Powerball, Feb 11, 2015 – (three tickets, from North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas)

6. $448.4 million, Powerball, Aug 7, 2013, (three tickets, one from Minnesota and two from New Jersey)

7. $425.3 million, Powerball, Feb 19, 2014 – (one ticket from California)

8. $414 million, Mega Millions, March 18, 2014, (two tickets from Florida and Maryland)

9. $399.4 million, Powerball, Sept 18, 2013, (one ticket from South Carolina)

10. $390.0 million, Mega Millions, March 6, 2007 (two tickets from Georgia and New Jersey)

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) says flu activity in Iowa is increasing, prompting IDPH to increase the level of geographic spread of influenza from local to regional spread. All three flu viruses covered by this year’s vaccines – influenza A (H3), influenza A (H1N1), influenza B (Victoria) – are currently circulating in Iowa. The two influenza A viruses are covered by the traditional trivalent (three strain) flu vaccine and this influenza B virus is also included in the quadrivalent (four strain) flu vaccine.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and CDC remind Iowans the influenza vaccine is still the best way to protect against the flu. IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk says “It’s still not too late to receive the vaccine to ensure protection before the peak of flu season hits.” Flu season typically peaks in late January or February. Quinlisk says “Even if you have had the flu already, it’s possible to become ill with one of the other strains circulating. Vaccination will protect against getting influenza a second or even third time this year.”

The flu is a respiratory illness caused by viruses. The flu comes on suddenly and symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. Illness typically lasts two to seven days. Influenza may cause severe illness or even death. So far this season, there have been four influenza-related deaths in Iowa: two middle-aged (41 to 60 years of age) adults in central Iowa, one middle-aged adult in eastern Iowa, and an elderly adult (81+ years of age) in central Iowa.

For more information about where and what kind of influenza is in Iowa, go to https://idph.iowa.gov/influenza/reports. Contact your health care provider or local health department to find out where the vaccine is available in your community or use the Flu Vaccine Finder at www.flu.gov/.

You’re invited to join area entrepreneurs for a night of networking, learning, community support, and fun in Greenfield, next month. “EntreBash” will take place from 6-until 8-p.m. February 8th, at the Warren Cultural Center. Lynsi Pasutti, with Midwest Partnership Economic Development Corporation, says the event they are sponsoring, is being done in collaboration with the University of Northern Iowa.

She says Midwest Partnership EDC has a grant from the U-S Department of Commerce and is working with UNI’s Business and Community Services to put on a 5-year plan for supporting entrepreneurship in the region. The region includes Adair, Audubon, Greene and Guthrie Counties, but anyone is welcome to attend.

Pasutti says they’re called “Region 1,” because it is the Pilot Program for the partnership with UNI. EntreBash, she says is a smaller, localized version of EntreFest, a two-day statewide entrepreneur conference, that last year, was held in Iowa City. She says it offers you an opportunity to network with other small business owners and entrepreneurs and receive feedback on your business, obtain information resources for funding or tech assistance, and just to celebrate entrepreneurship.

There will also be learning labs with round table discussion on hot topics in the business world, including technology, talent recruitment (hiring and firing), Health Insurance and E-Commerce. The event is free, and refreshments will be provided, along with a keynote speaker, and prize giveaways throughout the night. Pre-registration is requested. For more information or to register, go to www.EntreBASH.com, or find the link at midwestpartnership.com.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds said today (Monday), that eligible Iowans can now buy a home and reduce their federal income tax liability by up to $2,000 a year for the life of their mortgage through the Take Credit mortgage credit certificate program administered by the Iowa Finance Authority. Approximately 780 home buyers are expected to benefit from the program in 2016, which is now available for new purchases through a network of lenders throughout the state.

The program provides eligible home buyers with a tax credit against their federal income tax liability every year for the life of their mortgage. Eligible homeowners may take fifty percent of their annual interest paid on the mortgage loan, up to a maximum of $2,000 per year, for up to 30 years. The remaining mortgage interest may be taken as a deduction from taxable income if the home buyer itemizes.

Eligibility for the Take Credit Program requires home buyers to meet household income and purchase price limitations and meet the definition of a first-time home buyer. The federal income limits vary by county and household size, currently ranging from $67,500 to $115,220 per year. A purchase price limit of $258,000 applies statewide with the exception of federally Targeted Areas where the limit is $316,000. A first-time home buyer is defined as someone who has not owned their primary residence in the past three years but also includes home buyers purchasing in a federally Targeted Area and qualified veterans who have not used tax exempt mortgage financing previously.

Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison said “Interested home buyers can apply for a mortgage credit certificate through a Take Credit Participating Lender as part of their financing process. Home buyers will need to have approval of the mortgage credit certificate before they close on a home so they should ask their lender about this opportunity early in the application process.”

After an eligible, pre-approved homeowner has closed a mortgage loan with an IFA Take Credit Participating Lender, IFA will issue the homeowner a mortgage credit certificate. The homeowner in turn may apply the credit against their federal income tax liability on an annual basis for the life of their mortgage. The credit may be claimed on IRS Form 8396.

More information is available at IowaFinanceAuthority.gov/TakeCredit.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Adams County was arrested Sunday evening on a Taylor County warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. 45-year old Randy Allen Etheridge, of Corning, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, and later transferred to the Taylor County Jail.

The Wellmark Foundation has announced 13 Iowa organizations as recipients of its 2015 Matching Assets to Community Health (MATCH) grant program. The 13 grants amount to a total of $824,805, and are designed for plans to develop, implement and enhance local wellness and prevention projects with an emphasis on promoting active living and built environment and increasing access to and consumption of nutritious foods.

Among the grant recipients who were able to raise the necessary matching funds, was the City of Manning, which received a $75,000 grant for its Hospital Connector Trail Bridge. The Manning Regional Healthcare Center opened a new hospital, clinic and recovery center on the edge of Manning in May 2014 to replace a previous downtown facility. That created a very strong need for additional trails, so patients, visitors and employees could have pedestrian access to health care. In addition to the pedestrian transportation benefits, the trail will be used by many for active lifestyle and recreational purposes as it ties into a popular, existing trail, built in 2014.

This was the third year that The Wellmark Foundation offered the MATCH grant program.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department reports a teen was referred to Juvenile Authorities Friday morning, on a charge of Harassment in the 1st Degree. 16-year old Timothy Kohl, of Creston, was then released to the custody of his mother.

And, early Saturday morning, 29-year old Ryan M. Weis, of Creston, was arrested at his home on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. Weis was being held in the Union County Jail while awaiting a bond hearing.

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

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Four Iowans came within one number of winning the nearly 950 million dollar Powerball jackpot in Saturday’s drawing. One ticket purchased in Sioux City had the first five numbers but missed the Powerball number, giving the ticker holder a one million dollar prize. The others had the Powerball number, but missed one of the five other numbers. The estimate for Wednesday’s drawing is now one-point-three BILLION dollars, and you can could take an immediate 806 million cash payout if you won. Iowa Lottery spokesperson, Mary Neubauer, says the big jackpot has raised several new issues for the organization.

“There are signs that have two jackpots on them — one side is Powerball and the other side is Mega Millions — those signs are only designed for millions of dollars, we don’t have billion dollar capability on those signs,” according to Neubauer. Neubauer says those signs will display 999 million dollars as the estimated jackpot amount. “I guess that’s a nice complication to have,” according to Neubauer.

The big jackpot is also creating a problem with the message that is printed at the bottom of all lotto tickets in Iowa. That message is also only programmed to display amounts in the millions of dollars. Neubauer says the message will says the jackpot is 13-hundred (1,300) million dollars. “It’s funny the things that we are talking about today, because we’re definitely into uncharted territory here,” Neubauer says. Powerball fever has led to two new sales records for the Iowa Lottery.

Total lottery sales in Iowa for the week that ended Saturday were 19-nad-a-half million dollars. That is well above the lottery’s previous weekly sales record of 13-point-two million dollars set in February 2006. Powerball sales in Iowa for the week totaled 12-point-seven million dollars, which also is a record. The previous weekly record for Powerball sales in Iowa was nine-point-four million dollars in August 2001.

The winning numbers in Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing were: 16-19-32-34-57 and the Powerball number was 13.

(Radio Iowa)