(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are getting a refund on their federal taxes this year should expect it to be a smaller check than it was last year, according to I-R-S spokesman Michael Devine. “About 11% less per tax return,” Devine says, “and that’s because many of the credits that were pumped up during COVID have returned to their 2019 levels.” If you haven’t already filed your returns, Devine urges Iowans to file electronically, though you do still have more than six weeks.

“E-file is the fastest and safest and absolutely the most accurate way to do your return, because the software doesn’t make an arithmetic mistake,” he says. “It doesn’t put the wrong number on the wrong line.” If you’re due a refund this year, Devine says e-filing is the fastest way to get what you’re owed.

“When you e-file your return and use direct deposit, so the money goes right into your bank account, you get your tax return processed faster,” he says. In most cases, Devine says you can expect a refund within 21 days and often, even faster. The deadline to file your 2022 federal return is April 18th, while state returns are due May 1st.

(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a rule to let E-15 be sold year round in the Midwest — starting in 2024. Governor Reynolds says she is thrilled the E-P-A has approved the waiver she and the governors of seven other Midwest states requested, but Reynolds says year round sales of E-15 should begin THIS summer. She calls the delay unacceptable and plans seek another waiver.

Reynolds is scheduled to speak this (Thursday) morning to the National Ethanol Conference in Florida. Farm groups and the renewable fuels industry say waiting another 14 months for higher blends of ethanol to be sold year round injects uncertainty into the corn and ethanol markets.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has selected a New York company to administer the new state-funded Education Savings Accounts created by a law she signed in January. Earlier on Wednesday, Odyssey was one of four companies that applied for the Iowa contract. The governor’s office announced state officials will now start negotiating contract details with the company.

Starting this fall, low-income parents who enroll a child in a private school will apply for about 76-hundred dollars from the state to cover tuition and other expenses. In the third year, all private school parents will qualify for the state funding. Odyssey is managing Education Savings Account programs in Arizona and Idaho.

According to the governor’s office, the company will be in charge of customer service and fraud detection. Critics say the law Reynolds signed does not provide enough direct oversight to prevent fraud.

(Radio Iowa)- White-tailed deer are susceptible to coronavirus infections and researchers at the U-S-D-A’s National Animal Disease Center in Ames are looking into how different variants of the virus impact deer over time. U-S-D-A Veterinary Medical Officer Mitchell Palmer says once a disease is established in wildlife, it’s difficult to get out of wildlife, plus, there are about 30-million white-tailed deer in the U-S.

The research team has been infecting captive white-tailed deer with different coronavirus variants, though the deer don’t develop a fever or clinical signs of COVID-19. Palmer says it’s possible a new variant could pop out that might be infectious to people.

MASON CITY, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said Wednesday, that at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, Cerro Gordo County Jail staff discovered jail inmate Lamar Anderson unresponsive in his cell. Life saving measures were initiated and Anderson was transported to Mercy Hospital in Mason City, where he was pronounced dead.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office has asked the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to conduct an independent investigation into Anderson’s death. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner has performed an autopsy. Results of the autopsy are pending toxicology. The investigation is on-going.

(Updated) – (Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic City Council voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon, to pass a resolution that adjusts the overtime pay for Sergeants and the Assistant Police Chief, for the period covering Feb. 16, 2023, through March 17, 2023. As we previously reported, the Atlantic Police Department has undergone an extended period of staffing difficulties, with the day shift having been particularly impacted. The resolution does not cover the Police Chief. That is matter that will be worked out between the Mayor, City Administrator, and the Chief, according to Mayor Garrett.

Councilman Gerald Brink asked Chief Devin Hogue if the police force is fully staffed, or if there is added work being done?”

Councilmen Pat McCurdy and Brink….

Mayor Grace Garrett said of the Atlantic Police Department…

In other business, the Mayor and City Council recognized Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Travis Hanson for obtaining his Grade 3 certification.