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

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Sheriff’s officials in Union County said today (Thursday), a woman from Adair County was arrested late Wednesday night. 34-year old Cynthia Ann McIntosh, of Orient, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a Union County warrant for probation violation. McIntosh was being held without bond, in the Ringgold County Jail.

(8-a.m. News)

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

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AREA COUNTIES: CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD–
646 AM CST THU JAN 7 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TODAY.

* VISIBILITY…ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS.

* IMPACTS…TRAVELING WILL BE DIFFICULT DUE TO THE RESTRICTIVE
VISIBILITY…ESPECIALLY PRIOR TO SUNRISE.

POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-FREMONT COUNTIES: DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 9-A.M.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A DENSE FOG ADVISORY MEANS VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE
REDUCED TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE. IF DRIVING…SLOW DOWN…
USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS…AND LEAVE PLENTY OF DISTANCE AHEAD OF YOU.

Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, Wednesday, announced the first baby born at the facility in 2016 was to Dillon and Tymbre Karwal. The couple welcomed their son Liam Roy to the world. Cass County Health System staff provided the couple and their son with a special certificate, blanket, and a year’s supply of diapers to celebrate the birth of the New Year’s baby.

Left to right: Lisa Burmeister, RN; Dr. James Brown, MD; Dillon Karwal; Tymbre Karwal holding Liam; aunt MiKayla Dorscher; and big sister Elizabeth Karwal.

State tax receipts over the past six months are up just two percent compared to the same period last year. Jeff Robinson, the senior fiscal analyst for the Legislative Services Agency, calls that “modest” growth. “As we head into the second half of the fiscal year, growth will need to accelerate,” he says.

That’s because a three-person panel of financial experts is predicting state tax collections will grow almost twice as much, by three-point-eight percent. That estimate is what the state budget plan for the next fiscal year is to be based upon. The data on state tax collections for just the month of December is a bit muddled because the Thanksgiving holiday was so late in November. While the state treasury’s actual cash receipts show a dip of nearly 26 million last month compared to December of 2014, Robinson says that’s off by about 42 million.

“In reality, December 2015 was a mildly positive General Fund Revenue month,” Robinson says. The 2016 Iowa Legislature convenes on Monday and legislators from both parties acknowledge coming up with a state budget plan will be difficult.

(Radio Iowa)

Republican candidate Ted Cruz supports a five-year phase-out of the so-called “Renewable Fuels Standard” that sets annual ethanol production levels for the country, but Cruz says Iowans are being “snookered” about the R-F-S. “You know, a lot of corn farmers, a lot of people in Iowa have been led to believe by the lobbyists that the RFS is the ‘holy grail’, but the RFS ensures that Washington remains front and center,” Cruz said Tuesday in Sioux Center.

“It ensures that corn farmers have to go on bended knees to politicians in Washington, seeking their regular support and mandates.” Under current federal law, the Renewable Fuels Standard will end in 2022. Cruz co-sponsored a senate bill in 2013 that would have triggered a five-year phrase out of the R-F-S. Cruz says a better answer is improving market access and he promises as president he would end federal regulations that effectively prevent refineries from making higher blends of ethanol, like E-15 and E-30.

Cruz has been trailed this week in Iowa by America’s Renewable Future, a pro-ethanol group that’s headed by Eric Branstad, the oldest son of Republican Governor Terry Branstad, and Cruz is taking issue with their efforts. “Now I recognize, particularly as our campaign has gained more and more support, as we’ve seen conservatives uniting behind our campaign, that a coalition of lobbyists and Democrats have gotten together and are spending an awful lot of money trying to convince you that somehow Ted Cruz opposes corn farmers,” Cruz said in Sioux Center. “I’ll tell you the straight truth: it is utter nonsense.”

Eric Branstad says Cruz “started the Caucus process” by calling for an “immediate” repeal and has been swayed by Iowa farmers, but a spokeswoman for Cruz says the senator first called for a gradual phase out of the R-F-S nearly three years ago.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lottery official says there is no jackpot winner in the drawing for a Powerball prize worth an estimated $500 million. The winning numbers in Wednesday evening’s drawing of the “Powerball” game were: 02-11-47-62-63, Powerball: 17, Power Play: 3. Kelly Cripe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Lottery, says no one matched the numbers drawn Wednesday night. She says that means the estimated prize for Saturday’s drawing is $675 million, the largest jackpot of any lottery game in U.S. history. The odds of winning are one in 292.2 million.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former U.S. Representative Tom Latham of Iowa says he has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. The former Republican congressman wrote on his public Facebook page Wednesday that he was diagnosed recently with a form of lymphoma. His post, which the 67-year-old linked to his verified Twitter account, says he is working with doctors and there’s a treatment plan. He didn’t release more information.

SPENCER, Iowa (AP) — Texas Senator Ted Cruz is pushing back against a pro-ethanol group in Iowa that claims he’s softened his opposition to a renewable fuel subsidy as the February 1st caucuses near. Cruz said Tuesday he wanted to end the renewable fuel subsidy in 2022, the same year it’s currently scheduled to stop. The director of a pro-ethanol group that’s been following Cruz across Iowa said Wednesday that Cruz calling for the phase-out to run through 2022 is a “big step forward.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Altoona police say a worker was killed when a trench collapsed on him as he was installing lines for a residential development. Sergeant Jason Ferguson says the man died Wednesday morning when the trench collapsed as he and others were laying utility lines for the housing project. Police haven’t released his name.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Brooke McCarty scored 17 points, making five 3-pointers, and Number 4 Texas defeated Iowa State 75-54 on Wednesday night to remain undefeated. Seanna Johnson scored 23 points to lead Iowa State.

The City Administrator in Atlantic updated the City Council Wednesday evening on that status of the budget, and on the likelihood of bringing fiber optic internet service to town. John Lund said in his prepared statement that, as far as the budget is concerned, it’s “Looking excellent.”

In more detail, Lund said he has received tax valuations from Cass County Auditor Dale Sundermen, and based on what he’s seen, he will likely recommend that tax levies remain flat for the next year. Lund said “Any changes people see to their property taxes will be due to the changes of value to their property or the levies set by the County and School District.” He said “We are not in a windfall situation by any means, but we have the resources available to continue with existing operations and manage the increase of costs relating to annual inflation.” He added that the equalization order from the State has helped the City’s General Fund and Debt Service levels, which in-turn, helps to offset the Multiresidential property classification that began this year, and the Commercial rollback.

Lund said the City also had “An excellent year of receipts from the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).” He added that “Due to being so conservative with the LOST Streets fund the past two years, we [The City] have accumulated a considerable balance,” and that there should be funds available to take care of repairing or resurfacing all the downtown alleys. He went on to say that “Atlantic can continue to sustain a flat to minimal-growth tax climate in the short and intermediate term, and provide the highest levels of services [while] maintaining our infrastructure, which will lower [The City’s] long-term costs, and as those renewals occur and less is needed, it should ease the tax burden on all classes of property.”

With regard to fiber optic cable, Lund said he has adjusted the City’s Capital Improvement Program, and he proposed using the LOST fund. He’s designated a new line item “Fiber Optic Seed Money,” which will help to cover the costs of issuing a revenue bond for One-half million dollars ($500,000) to set-up the infrastructure for cable. Sales tax money, he said, would likely cover the bond issuance fees and first year of bond payments.

Mayor Dave Jones said the City is 10-years behind other cities in getting fiber optic cable installed for businesses and residential. The primary goal has always been to service businesses with fiber optic, first. Jones said he and other City officials have met with AMU (Atlantic Municipal Utilities), and the two entities are planning to put together a feasibility study, and have a third-party administrator handle the rest. The goal would be to have the City and AMU place the cable in the ground.

In other business, the Council unanimously approved the appointment of long-time City Clerk Deb Wheatley Field to her position for another term.  She’s been City Clerk since 1982, and will be completing her 34th year, next month.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $500 million as more people across the country buy a chance at the biggest prize in nearly a year. Officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association raised the jackpot estimate from $450 million due to strong sales before Wednesday night’s drawing.

The jackpot ranks as the sixth largest offered in North America and the biggest since a $564.1 million Powerball prize shared by players from North Carolina, Texas and Puerto Rico last February. A winner of Wednesday’s jackpot could claim the pre-tax $500 million prize through an annuity over 29 years or in a single pre-tax payout of $306 million. Powerball is played in 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.