DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad and lawmakers say they want to work on roads funding during the 2015 legislative session, but no one is committing to a specific plan. Branstad and legislative leaders spoke Wednesday during an Associated Press Legislative Forum. Branstad said he hopes to find consensus soon on a way to increase funding for state bridges and roads, many of which are considered deteriorating or deficient.

Branstad is not saying how he wants to do this. One option is raising the state fuel tax, currently 22 cents per gallon of gasoline, including fees. Branstad said other state or local taxes and fees are also options. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and Republican House Speaker Kraig Paulsen expressed interest in finding common ground early in the session, which starts Monday.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports a vehicle reported stolen Sunday in Afton, was recovered Tuesday night in Colorado. Authorities were notified by Wheat Ridge, CO, Police that the 1998 Chevy Blazer was found in their area of jurisdiction. No other details were provided.

And, the Union County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following a collision Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say a 1994 Dodge pickup driven by 74-year old James Coady, and a 2000 Ford pickup driven by 39-year old Justin Staver, both of Afton, collided at around 2:35-p.m. at the intersection of Dutcher Street and U-S Highway 169, in Afton.

Officials say Coady was traveling south on Highway 169, while Staver was traveling east on 245th (or, Dutcher St.). Staver stoped at the posted sign and waited for a non-contact vehicle to pass by before pulling out onto the Highway. In doing so, he failed to see Coady’s pickup approaching. The resulting collision caused a total of $4,000 damage. Staver was cited for Failure to Yield the Right of Way.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) approved the appointment of Todd Argotsinger as Assistant County Attorney, and Jamie Arnold as a temporary Administrative Assistant in the Cass County Attorney’s Office, until Arnold he is licensed as an attorney in Iowa, at which time he will be appointed Assistant County Attorney. The recommendations came from Cass County Attorney Dave Wiederstein. Arnold will be paid through the end of the Fiscal Year a base wage of $20,000, or $40,000 annually.” Argotsinger, who is the Assistant County Attorney in Shelby County, will be serving on-call, as needed.

In other business, the Board approved 29 members to the Condemnation in Eminent Domain Board, and they heard a quarterly update from Cass County Conservation Director Micah Lee, who said gates had been installed at the south driveway at Cold Springs State Park near Lewis. In addition, there was some trim work completed on the office siding, the campground was winterized and closed for the season. He said they also started the first leg of 50-amp electrical hook-up upgrades at the Cold Springs State Park campground.

Lee says that will better serve those campers whose RV’s and trailers have air conditioning and other electrical devices that have a higher draw. General maintenance has been performed at other parks in the County, including the Nodaway Recreation Area, Pellett Memorial Woods, West Nodaway Area, T-Bone Trail, the Outdoor Classroom and Hitchock Recreation Area.

He said illegal dumping of furniture and other items continues to be a problem at Nodaway, but they try to keep up with taking care of the trash. He added the County Road crews are also keeping an eye out for trash dumped near the recreation areas. And finally, Micah reported Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning presented 108 Environment Education programs to 2,132 people during the last quarter.

With Ric Hanson.

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(Updated 9:38-a.m).

A Red Oak man faces multiple felony Forgery charges following a recent investigation. Officials with the Red Oak Police Department say 39-year old Richard Henry Rapp, Jr., had faced 12 Class-D felony charges of forgery, but a friend of Rapp came forward Tuesday and told authorities she had checks that were forged by him as well. As a result of an investigation, Rapp now faces six additional charges of Class-D Forgery.

The investigation into his alleged activities began after information from a store implicated Rapp, Jr. in the crime. A search of Rapp’s residence resulted in evidence of several items allegedly obtained through the act of forgery.

Rapp had allegedly forged checks at several businesses in Red Oak. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond. Red Oak Police were assisted in their investigation by deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

The 7:07-a.m. Newscast with KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Hundreds of Nebraska and Iowa schools and some businesses have been closed or will open late because of the below-zero temperatures and bracing winds. A National Weather Service wind chill warning for northeast Nebraska and nearly all of Iowa says dangerously low wind chills could reach minus 35 on Wednesday morning.

In Mason City, Iowa, the air temperature of minus 6 combined with 30 mph winds to make it feel like 34 below zero. In Des Moines, the wind chill was minus 24. In South Sioux City, Nebraska, the temperature of minus 2 and the winds above 20 mph combined for a wind chill of minus 26.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An official says Des Moines Water Works likely will sue three counties that manage drainage districts with high concentrations of nitrates. Water Works officials say the nitrates flow into the Raccoon River and threaten the city’s water quality. Water with concentrations above a certain threshold can be deadly to children younger than 6 months because nitrates can reduce the amount of oxygen carried in their blood.

Water Works board chairman Graham Gillette told The Des Moines Register that the board will vote Thursday to move forward with the lawsuit.  The trustees’ vote would trigger a notice to the boards of supervisors in Buena Vista, Calhoun and Sac counties, notifying them of Water Works’ intention to sue.

Experts say most of the nitrates come from fertilizer applied to farm fields.

House Republicans hope to advance an alternative way for Iowans to file their state income taxes, but Republican Governor Terry Branstad says the reality is Democrats in the Iowa Senate won’t go for the idea. Nonetheless House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, the top Republican in the legislature, says Republicans in the House want to “have a conversation about income taxes.” “We’ve tried to have that conversation for several years now,” Paulsen says. “We’ve sent several proposals over to the senate and we have not had any success on landing on an idea that we can get to the governor’s desk.”

Iowa’s top income tax rate today is just under nine percent. One plan Paulsen and other Republicans have favored would allow Iowans to file under the present system or to opt pay a “flat tax” of four-and-a-half percent on their income. “We think that makes the state more inviting to employers and to individuals to come and invest in the state of Iowa and invest in our workforce,” Paulsen says. Branstad will lay out his priorities for the 2015 legislative session next Tuesday, but income tax reform won’t be on his list.

“I believe in recommending things that have a realistic chance of getting bipartisan approval and I don’t see that as something that’s going to happen this session,” Branstad says. While Branstad supports the idea of a flat tax that would lower Iowa’s top income tax rate, the governor says key Democrats like the long-time chairman of the Senate’s tax-writing committee will not even consider it. Democrats say a “flat” state income tax of four-and-a-half percent would be a big tax break for upper income Iowans.

Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal says Democrats are interested in making the tax system fairer, to help more Iowans move into the middle class. “We have always been open to discussions about targeted tax relief that will help grow Iowa’s economy,” Gronstal says. The 2015 legislative session begins Monday.

(Radio Iowa)