The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Wednesday night, of 36-year old Michael Wayne England, of Emerson. England was taken into custody under the authority of a Page County warrant charging him with Failure to Appear in court on an original charge of assault, that allegedly took place Nov. 15th.  England was being held in the Mills County Jail on $300 bond.

Officials with the Iowa Lottery said Thursday, a $2-million winning Powerball ticket was purchased in western Iowa. Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says a total of seven tickets purchased in Iowa came within one number of having at least a share of the jackpot. One of those tickets purchased at the Casey’s General Store in Onawa, won $2-million. The ticket matched the first 5 numbers but missed the Powerball. However, the person who bought the ticket also selected the Power Play option, which doubled the prize to $2-million. The Onawa ticket was one of eight across the country that each won a $2-million prize.

Because the Onawa Casey’s Store sold the winning ticket, it will receive a $2,000 bonus. Six other Iowa tickets were also one number away from the jackpot. One of the tickets, worth $100,000, was sold at the B-W Gas and Convenience Store, in Walnut. The winners had not yet stepped forward, as of late Thursday morning.

Lottery officials say people bought more than $12 million in Powerball tickets in Iowa for Wednesday’s drawing. The buyers of tickets sold in California, Florida and Tennessee will share the estimated $1.6 billion jackpot or the $983.5 million cash option. The odds of winning the jackpot were about 1 in 292.2 million.

Shenandoah police are investigating the death of an infant who was found unresponsive at a local daycare center. Shenandoah Police Chief Kris Grebert confirms the incident occurred in the 200 block of West Lowell on Wednesday. The caller to 911 said the infant was unresponsive. E-M-S and police responded. The child was taken to Shenandoah Medical Center and later died. Chief Grebert says the Iowa Department of Human Services and the State Medical Examiner’s Office are involved in the investigation.

“We did make a call to DHS and to the state because this is a state-licensed daycare where this happened,” he says. “We are ongoing in our investigation on the cause. The coroner was notified and we’re working with them on the cause of the death.” The infant’s name has not been released.

(Radio Iowa)

Two people were transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Carroll, following an accident early this (Thursday) morning, about nine-miles north of Audubon. The Sheriff’s Department say 18-year old Brianna Lee Schwab, of Audubon, was driving a 2005 Dodge Dakota pickup southbound on Highway 71 at around 1-a.m., when she hit a patch of ice.

The pickup went into the west ditch and rolled over, landing on its top passenger side before coming to rest on its wheels. Schwab, and her passenger, 21-year old Jayme Allen Brower, of Defiance, were transported to the hospital.

Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $10,000. Deputies cited Schwab for Failure to Maintain control. Brower was cited for Open Container as a passenger. The accident remains under investigation. Deputies from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say deputies have found a missing Sioux City woman lying in a snow-covered field in rural Woodbury County. The 24-year-old woman was last seen Sunday after leaving her job in Dakota City, Nebraska. Friends and relatives reported her missing on Monday. Her cellphone location transmission led two deputies to her Tuesday on a farmstead near Moville.

Authorities say Shaniqwa Hayes was found conscious but unresponsive. She was taken to a Sioux City hospital. The two Woodbury County officers, Deputy David Hansen and Lt. Tony Wingert, said Wednesday they found a faint footprint 15 yards in front of her car at the farmstead and followed footprints to Hayes, who was lying in snow near a grain bin. Wingert estimated that Hayes walked at least 100 yards from her car.

Eager Iowans who are hoping for a tax refund can start filing their returns as soon as next week. Filing season officially opens January 19th and ends -this year- on April 18th. Christopher Miller, the Iowa spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service, says there’s plenty of free filing help available. “You can do it online for free by going to our website (www.irs.gov), or you can go to a volunteer income tax assistance site,” Miller says. “These are organizations within your community, like AARP, that do tax counseling for the elderly.”

He says electronic filing remains the best way for Iowans to complete their returns. “That insures that you’re getting all of the credits and deductions that you have coming to you and it insures that all the math is done correctly,” Miller says. “Generally speaking, it’s a more accurate return.”

Plus, he says e-filing will speed up a refund, if you have one coming. He suggests Iowans should start getting their financial documents together now, like charitable donation receipts and health care information. Miller says one -new- document you’ll need this year is the 1095-A, B or C, which you should have received if you’re getting health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

(Radio Iowa)

A local developer was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign or Yield the Right of Way, following an investigation into an accident Wednesday afternoon, in Atlantic. In an update to our earlier report, Police say Donald Sonntag, of Atlantic, was cited, after the pickup he was driving struck a car driven by Edward Stevens, of Walnut.

The accident happened at around 1:35-p.m. at the intersection of 3rd and Walnut Streets. Officials say Stevens was traveling south on Walnut and had stopped at the stop sign before proceeding into the intersection. Sonntag was eastbound on 3rd Street and failed to see the car before striking it.

An unidentified female passenger in the car suffered minor injuries, and was transported by Medivac Ambulance, to the Cass County Memorial Hospital.