DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Air Force plans to cut 492 positions at the Des Moines-based Air National Guard unit. The cuts represent a 39 percent reduction in staffing at the 132nd Fighter Wing unit which flies F-16 combat jets. Congress has the final say, and members of Iowa’s congressional delegation and Gov. Terry Branstad vow to fight the proposal.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Polk County supervisors have approved a plan to add about 300 slot machines at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona. If approved by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, the casino would add $400,000 to $500,000 to county coffers in its share of profits from the new machines.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Legislators say they’ve struck a deal on a plan that would give Iowa’s large utility company new incentives to build a nuclear power plant. The compromise would require MidAmerican Energy to have financing in place before beginning construction. A Democratic Senator says he thinks the plan will be approved by a Senate committee this week.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Hamilton County farmer whose burning hay produced black smoke that caused chain-reaction collisions won’t be cited for a violation. Officials said Tuesday it was impossible to determine how much visibility was reduced by the smoke and how much by fog on U.S. Highway 20. Nine people were injured in Monday’s pileups near Webster City.

For the second time in a little more than a year, a pilot with the Iowa State Patrol was forced to make  emergency landing due to circumstances beyond his control. The Patrol says Trooper Scott Pigsley was flying from Sioux City to Atlantic after having helped search for a missing woman in northwest Iowa, when his aircraft struck a flock of geese early Tuesday morning.   Pigsley, who was not injured in the mishap, landed safely at the Denison airport. The woman Pigsley was called to help find, was later located safe and sound.

Patrol spokesman Sgt. Scott Bright says Pigsley, a pilot for 17 years, was flying a single-engine Cessna at about 1,500 feet when he hit the geese. The plane sustained multiple dents to its wings and a wheel cover. Pigsley told KCCI-TV in Des Moines, the incident happened sometime between midnight and 1-a.m., Tuesday.

On December 18th, 2010, a State Patrol aircraft also flown by Pigsley,  made an emergency landing on Highway 44 near the Audubon/Guthrie County line, after having experienced oil pressure-related engine failure. Piglsey, and his passenger, a State Conservation Officer, were monitoring deer hunters when the plane went down, narrowly missing a pickup on the road. In 2006, Pigsley was also forced to make an emergency landing in a field near Bondurant, after experiencing engine problems.