Rockwell City, Iowa (AP) – Rockwell City is challenging the 2010 census, which shows its population dropping by nearly 25 percent in the decade since the last count. According to the latest census, Rockwell City, which is located in northwestern Iowa’s Calhoun County, has 1,709 residents. The 2000 census showed 2,264 people. That’s a loss of 555 residents.

Rockwell City is home to a state prison, which houses about 500 inmates. City Clerk Kim Kelly said she would be sending in the necessary paperwork to challenge the results. The challenge will include the City’s assertion the inmates weren’t counted.

When the issue surfaced earlier this year, state officials said the inmates were to be counted as Rockwell City residents.

Western Iowa officials are sounding the alarm, urging people to stay out of the ever-expanding Missouri River. Jeremy McClure, a crime prevention officer in the Sioux City Police Department, says there’s an especially strong current in the river channel. “There’s a lot of pollutants in the water,” he says. “The tides are very dangerous with this river, especially in the Sioux City area.” Sioux City Police are asking the public to stay away from the riverfront.

“The only people we’re letting through at this time are people that are actually volunteering or actually have business to conduct. Otherwise we ask everyone to please stay off the riverfront and let volunteers and city and county crews have the space that they need to do their work,” McClure says. “There’s a lot of heavy machinery down here.

There’s a lot of movement down here and we don’t want to see anyone get hurt.” McClure warns scammers have begun targeting home owners who’re trying to protect their property from the floodwaters.

“The biggest thing is not to give out your credit card information or bank card information to anyone that calls you unsolicited,” McClure says. “Cell phone companies generally send a text message notifying you of problems with your account. We advise that instead of clicking on any links in emails or anything like that…Instead, go to the numbers that you know and trust…get ahold of the company through a method that you know is valid, online or via telephone.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing water from six dams along the Missouri River to drain water from record rains in South Dakota and western states. Melting snow in the northern Rockies adds to the flood concerns. Officials expect the river to crest in Sioux City in mid-June. The city council in South Sioux City, Nebraska has approved spending a million dollars to build a flood wall to protect the town.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office reports road construction will intermittently restrict Iowa 141 near Perry to one lane beginning Tuesday, June 7th, weather permitting.

When workers are present, traffic will be assisted through the work area by flaggers and a pilot car. When work is in progress, the open lane will have a 16-foot width restriction.

Normal traffic patterns will resume when workers are not present. The project is expected to be completed by June 21st.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A former Republican state senator says in launching a group to support same-sex marriage that government has no right to say whom he can marry.

At a news conference Wednesday in Des Moines, Jeff Angelo said the group is called Iowa Republicans for Freedom. He wants the group to encourage rank-and-file Republicans to support same-sex marriage as a principle of individual liberties.

However, Angelo also says he doesn’t believe support for same-sex marriage should be a key factor for choosing any Republican presidential candidate.

Angelo, of Ames (and formerly of Creston), represented southwest Iowa in the state Senate between 1997 and 2008. He didn’t seek re-election in 2008. His position is counter to that of many Republicans, who have sought to overturn the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage in 2009.

The state of Iowa collected 782-million dollars in taxes last month, a near-record level. But state officials offer some cautionary notes.

According to an analysis from the Legislative Services Agency, tax collections in May were slightly inflated when compared to the same month a year ago, based on the timing of deposits and when weekends fell. In addition, state income taxes were due April 30th and returns with payments were deposited later this year, providing a significant boost. According to the Legislative Services Agency, “all news was not positive for the month.”

There was a decline in the amount of individual income taxes withheld from May paychecks, indicating some Iowans may have been laid off while others saw their work hours reduced. Despite those negative notes, overall net state tax collections are running one-point-three percent ahead of what officials had expected.

There is only one other May on record that eclipses May of 2011 in terms of state tax collections. Nearly 792-million dollars in state taxes were paid in May of 2007, which is about 10 million dollars more than was collected last month.

(O.Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)