DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials at the Iowa Lottery believe a blizzard just before Christmas boosted scratch-ticket sales. The Iowa Lottery delivered nearly $5.7 million worth of instant tickets to Iowa retailers last week, up from nearly $5 million for the same week last year.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — An offspring of the famous Decorah eagles was spotted this weekend back in northeast Iowa. The Raptor Resource Project says a satellite transmitter shows the eagle has flown thousands of miles since leaving its nest 18 months ago. The eagles became famous after Raptor Resource Project staffers streamed the birds’ actions over the Internet.

WALKER, Iowa (AP) — Two women in eastern Iowa have been hospitalized after a Christmas Eve crash. Linn County authorities say the crash happened yesterday morning. Investigators say Patricia Daringer of Cedar Rapids lost control of her Buick, spun across the center line and struck a Cadillac driven by Douglas Chester of Strawberry Point. A female passenger in his car was hospitalized.

ROCK VALLEY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux County authorities say they’ve found no links between a weekend fire that killed 650 hogs near Rock Valley and another mass hog death at a nearby confinement facility. About 500 hogs were found dead last week after investigators say someone tampered with a climate control system.