Two valuable, but unclaimed Powerball tickets purchased in Iowa are about to expire. Iowa Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says the tickets were bought on opposite sides of the state a little less than a year ago. “The first ticket won a $10,000 prize back in the drawing on June 18, 2014. It was purchased at a Casey’s in Council Bluffs,” Neubauer says. “The other ticket won a $20,000 prize. It was purchased at Quillin’s Food Ranch in Waukon and it won a prize in the drawing on June 28, 2014.”

The ticket bought in Council Bluffs will expire at 4 p.m. on June 18, while the ticket purchased in Waukon will expire at 4 p.m. on June 29. The businesses where the tickets were purchased have put up signs reminding customers to check their old tickets. “Somebody won these prizes and we want to see them claimed,” Neubauer says. “That’s why we work so hard to get the word out and hope that we can maybe reach that person at the last minute, jog their memory, and they’ll go home and find that winning ticket.”

In fiscal year 2014, nearly $1.4 million in Iowa Lottery prizes went unclaimed.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a sprinkler helped contain an overnight fire at a Des Moines high school. The Des Moines Fire Department says it responded to a fire at East High School shortly before midnight Monday. Authorities discovered a pressure washer that had been on fire but was extinguished by a single sprinkler head. The device was part of an automatic sprinkler system that activates at a certain temperature. No injuries were reported.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State officials say there are two probable cases of bird flu in Adair and Webster counties in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship says initial testing at two commercial laying operations were positive for bird flu. The operations have a combined total of about 1.1 million birds. The agency says if the disease is confirmed, all birds on the properties will be euthanized. It would also mean there are now 66 cases of the disease in Iowa.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Thousands have attended funeral services for Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco. They heard a priest say she loved helping others in times of need and serving as a peacemaker. The Iowa native who was fatally shot last week while serving a warrant is being buried at a cemetery in Council Bluffs, where she lived.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some lawmakers are back at the Iowa Capitol to continue budget talks. The Republican-led House and Democratic-majority Senate must determine an overall spending level and how much new money to provide to K-12 education.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Students at schools in Nebraska and Iowa are joining others around the nation in planting milkweed plants to help attract monarch butterflies.
About 30 students and 10 adults last week planted milkweed, a plant that provides the only food for newly emerged butterfly larvae, behind St. Margaret Mary School in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that another group of students and volunteers also recently dug and planted milkweed at St. Albert School in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The two schools were among 10 Catholic schools in the Midwest that received grants to start butterfly-friendly gardens from the National Catholic Education Association.

A traffic stop early this (Wednesday) morning north of Stanton in Montgomery County, resulted in the arrest of a woman from Union County. Sheriff’s officials say at around 12:10-a.m., a vehicle driven by 46-year old Susan Rae Lemon, of Creston, was pulled over in the 2500 block of 210th Street. Lemon was subsequently charged with Driving While Barred and Open Container. She was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $2,000 bond.

Two people were arrested recently in Mills County. The Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday, 28-year old Konner Matthew Tourek, of Arlington, NE., was arrested just after 2-a.m. Saturday on Interstate 29. Tourek was charged with OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000. And, at around 1:25-a.m. Tuesday, 27-year old Myles Dustin Longcor, of Malvern, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct. His bond was set at $300.

Two people were injured during a chain-reaction crash Friday afternoon, in Mills County. The Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday, at around 4:10-p.m., a 2002 Oldsmobile driven by Marilyn Krisinger, of Griswold, was turning right into the Emerson Cemetery from Highway 59, when her car was hit from behind by a 2006 Chevy, driven by Alexandra Sherman, of Shenandoah.Following the collision, Sherman’s car crossed into the opposite lane, forcing a 2014 Dodge driven by Dale Lauver, of Council Bluffs, to swerve right. When the Dodge made contact with Sherman’s vehicle, the impact caused the Lauver’s vehicle to spin around and end up in the north ditch. Sherman, and a passenger in the Krisinger vehicle, Judy Korytowski, of Omaha, were transported to Red Oak by Red Oak Rescue.