Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is preparing to notify families in early February that federal money could run out for a health insurance program that covers roughly 60,000 low-income children in the state. The Iowa Department of Human Services is also exploring options in case funding ends for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known in the state as hawk-i. DHS could recommend freezing enrollment, switching kids to Medicaid or ending hawk-i entirely.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A northern Iowa prosecutor’s office has partnered with a school district to address truancy among students. The Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office launched the anti-truancy program with Mason City Schools about a year ago. District official Jadie Meyer tells the Mason City Globe Gazette that the program aims to work with students, parents and school officials to get kids back in school. She says nine students and their families have been involved.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ethanol plants in Iowa have produced a record amount of the gasoline additive this year, narrowly topping last year’s record. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol trade group, says Iowa’s 43 ethanol plants turned out 4.2 billion gallons of ethanol this year surpassing the 4.1 billion gallons produced in 2016.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Marine says she’s been given an apology but no explanation for an errant warrant that led to her arrest in a Des Moines suburb. Sgt. Kaylie Coats was arrested Dec. 7 while home on leave. The warrant alleged Coats hadn’t paid for a $45 cab ride in Clive in 2015. She told a judge the next day the allegation was wrong because she’d been stationed in California at the time. A few hours later the Clive police chief called Coats and apologized, explaining only that the warrant was issued in error.

Financial experts are combing through all of the looming changes in tax code and some Iowans may benefit from taking a few decisive actions before 2018 arrives, though time is quickly running out. Jeff Strawhacker, a C-P-A in West Des Moines, says the sweeping tax reforms that passed through Congress and became law last week will have far-reaching affects.

“Almost every Iowan will be impacted to some extent, whether it be through the lower rates, the increased brackets, the increased standard deduction, the cap on deductions,” Strawhacker says. “The question is, how will they be impacted and will it be a favorable or detrimental impact and I think that’s the key question.” There’s no easy answer to that question, he says, as it has to be taken on a case-by-case basis. One of the fundamental changes that’s coming is in how Iowans, their families and their businesses calculate their federal tax bill. Since most of the changes go into effect next year, Strawhacker says there’s a narrow window of time to make moves that could soften or avoid the impact of crackdowns.

“Consider pre-paying the March 2018 property taxes on their residences before the year-end,” Strawhacker says. “That’s due to the $10,000 cap on state income and property tax deductions that goes into effect in 2018 combined with the increased standard deduction.” Another change that’s coming may influence when and how much we donate money to charities.

“Consider accelerating charitable donations from 2018 into 2017,” Strawhacker says. “With the increased standard deduction that goes into effect in 2018, they may not receive a tax benefit from those donations but if they move them into ’17, we probably have a better chance of getting some tax benefits.” The tax law change may result in a dip in contributions to some charitable organizations, but Strawhacker thinks most people donate to such agencies because they want to, not just to get a tax break. Iowans who want to make some changes in their financial pictures will need to get busy.

“There’s not a lot of time to do much more before year end,” he says, “but I think the bigger key now is to look forward into 2018 and future years and determine what changes you might need to make going forward.” He notes, CPAs aren’t only useful for preparing your taxes, but also for helping you to make sound financial decisions year-round.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is preparing to notify families in early February that federal money could run out for a health insurance program that covers roughly 60,000 low-income children in the state.

The Iowa Department of Human Services is also exploring options in case funding ends for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known in the state as hawk-i. DHS could recommend freezing enrollment, switching kids to Medicaid or ending hawk-i entirely.

Ending the program would force families of about 44,000 children to seek other coverage or let them go uninsured. Department spokesman Matt Highland says DHS is still reviewing how newly approved short-term federal funding affects hawk-i’s finances. Notification to families could be delayed to March.

Highland says the department hopes Congress will approve long-term program funding next year, making contingency plans obsolete.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of a Red Oak man for Domestic Abuse Assault on Thursday afternoon. At 1:40pm Officers arrested 26-year-old Aaron Gar Nelson of Red Oak in the 500 block of South 6th Street in Red Oak. He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and additionally charged with Introducing Contraband into a Jail Facility, a Class D Felony. Nelson was being held on no bond.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Council Bluffs man after a traffic stop on Thursday. At 12:17pm Deputies initiated a traffic stop at Highway 34 and Mulberry Avenue. As deputies approached the vehicle all the windows were down and a strong odor of burnt Marijuana was coming from inside the vehicle. 38-year-old Adam Gene Hamm of Council Bluffs was a passenger in the vehicle and was found to be in possession of a small bag of Marijuana and a glass pipe with Marijuana inside of it. Hamm was arrested for Possession of Marijuana and taken to the Adams County Jail and held on $500 bond.

Officials with the Danish Windmill in Elk Horn, are happy to report that late Christmas Eve, a visitor from afar left a package at the Danish Windmill in Elk Horn. Instead of Santa, it was historic millwright Ben Hassett from Louisville, Kentucky who delivered the Windmill’s long-awaited new White Oak wind shaft!

The wind shaft is one of the components of the historic restoration project underway at the Windmill so it can return to being a functional working mill. It also includes replacing the timbers for sail arms, repairing the brake wheel and fan tail and replacing the friction drive pulley for the sack hoist.

The old wind shaft had been repaired/patched at critical areas in the past. Knowing that someday it would be needed, the Windmill had purchased a white oak timber that Ben has been storing for several years. When the inspection showed rot and decay present in the sails as well as the wind shaft, it was deemed time to replace them both as well as make the other repairs.

In May 2016, the Danish Mill Board of Directors launched an appeal to raise $200,000 to fund this major restoration project which includes the millwright’s estimate of $146,700 and an additional $50,000 as a contingency fund. Thanks to individual and corporate donations, grants, fundraisers and with the major gift from the Mike and Lou Howard Foundation the project is fully funded.

Late last December, Hassett came to Elk Horn for a week to dismantle and remove the sails and secure the cap frame for winter. Removal of the sails which are nearly 67 feet, tip to tip, was the urgent concern in order to avoid structural collapse because the condition and weight of the timbers posed a safety risk to both persons and property.

Since then, Hassett has constructed the new gears and wind shaft at his workshop in Kentucky by using the original parts as a pattern the way craftsmen did when the Mill was built in 1848. The new 67’ long sail timbers arrived from Oregon in summer 2016 had been drying since then but they needed more time to reach an “air dried” moisture content before being tapered into final form.

With all the components ready to go, the plan had been to install the wind shaft this week prior to the arrival of the new 67’ sails. Due to the extreme cold weather forecast, for the safety of the volunteers, carpenters and equipment, the decision was made to postpone it until March.

The restoration is a major milestone in the life of the 1848 Windmill. The sails that are being replaced were installed as new when the Mill came to Elk Horn forty-one years ago.

The new shaft awaits installation. (Photo’s courtesy Lisa Steen-Riggs, Manager of the Danish Windmill)

The wind shaft, brake wheel, and other parts date back to when it was in Denmark. Windmills are very complicated pieces of machinery and since the Mill in Elk Horn is close to being 200 years old, a millwright with expertise in historic restoration and preservation was needed to get it turning again.

Ben Hassett, owner of B.E.Hassett-Millwrights, Inc., has extensive knowledge of mills and completed many historic mill restorations across the country. Hassett worked on the Elk Horn Mill as an apprentice to Derek Ogden, the world-renowned millwright that did the initial maintenance plan, blue prints and rebuilt the Mill’s cap frame in 1995.

The old shaft and turnstyle

The major overhaul will restore the Mill’s structural integrity. It will still be an old mill and require ongoing care, but the investment in restoration and preservation being made today will help to insure its future well-being for many years to come. Officials say they look forward to seeing the Windmill turning again soon.