The Red Oak Police Department reports 29-year-old Amanda Joy Williams, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 3:50-p.m. Monday. Williams was arrested in the 300 block of W. 4th Street, for Disorderly Conduct. She was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The governor’s budget director says there’s likely to be more than two BILLION dollars in the state’s Taxpayer Relief Fund by this summer. There’s more than a billion dollars in the fund now. Kraig Paulsen, the acting director of the Iowa Department of Management, says tax collections are ahead of expectations – and significantly above state spending plans.

“Six and a half months from now, there’s going to be a pretty significant ending balance and so I think the General Assembly and the governor are in a position to do some really good things for the taxpayers of Iowa,” Paulsen says. In a written statement, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds called the over-collection of taxes unethical and said she will explore making significant tax cuts in 2022. Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver of Ankeny says cutting personal income taxes is at the top of the G-O-P’s 2022 legislative agenda.

“We’re shooting to take another big reduction in the taxes Iowans pay,” Whitver says, “and we want to continue to make us one of the most competitive states in the country.” Whitver’s ultimate goal is complete elimination of Iowa’s income tax for individuals and couples. Whitver says Republicans would consider reducing the income tax for CORPORATIONS — if there’s a move to end or reduce refundable tax CREDITS for corporations.

“That may or may not come to fruition,” Whitver says. “We’re focused on the individual income tax rate in the Senate. We have been for five years. That’s where we’re seeing a lot of progress. That’s where we’re seeing a lot of economic growth because the individual income tax rate not only affects every individual person — every single taxpayer, but it also affects most of the businesses in this state.” That’s because most business owners report the revenue from their business on their PERSONAL income tax returns.

Democrats warn state tax revenue has been boosted by federal pandemic relief and is likely to fall as the tax cuts Republicans previously approved take effect. And Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls of Coralville says complete elimination of Iowa’s personal income tax would lead to a dramatic increase in the state sales tax. “Our analysis was you’d have to go up 30 to 32% to make up that revenue, which is obviously a non-starter,” Wahls says. “Not only would that have an enormously negative consequence on middle class families, it’s just not fair.”

Wahls says Democrats favor targeted income tax cuts for low and moderate Iowans rather than an across the board reduction that yields a higher proportion of relief for the wealthiest Iowans. “Tax policy, you know, it can be like watching paint dry,” Wahls says. “It can be really tough to follow all the numbers and what have you, but it’s just critically, critically important because that’s ultimately what structures all of the services that so many Iowans depend on.”

Wahls says an overall tax reduction would lead to cuts in state spending on schools and in the Medicaid program that provides health care coverage and other services to 775-thousand Iowans.

(Malvern, Iowa) – Firefighters from Malvern and at least a dozen other area departments were on the scene until just before midnight, Monday, battling a large a structure fire in Malvern. The call about a blaze at Mulholland Grocery, 409 Main St. in Malvern, was sent out at around 5:45-p.m. According to reports, employees noticed the fire and tried to put it out with extinguishers, but it became too much to handle. After Malvern Fire arrived on the scene, they quickly requested Red Oak’s ladder truck and one other ladder, in addition to the departments and personnel on hand.

Additional tanker support was being provided by crews from Hastings, Silver City, Glenwood, Macedonia, Carson and Sidney.  Henderson, Randolph, Shenandoah and Oak Township Fire were also on the scene. Pacific Junction’s 3,000 gallon tanker was requested, along with another tanker with 5,000 gallons of water.

Firefighters were in a defensive mode, trying to prevent flames from spreading to adjacent buildings. Authorities confirmed at 7:30-p.m., that the roof and second floor of the structure had collapsed. Crews were evacuated from the roof at around 7:15-p.m. when the danger of collapse became imminent. Crews were also attempting to slow down the amount of water being used from hydrants to lessen the strain on the city’s water system.

There were no injuries reported. Malvern Grocery is a fourth generation full service grocery store, specializing in premium quality meats, homemade fresh and smoked sausages and other homemade items.

DES MOINES – An inmate at the Fort Des Moines Men’s Correction Center failed to return to the facility from work release as required, Sunday. Authorities say 34-year-old Nicholas Dewayne Jerrold Stone, convicted of Domestic Abuse Assault-3rd or Subsequent Offense in Polk County, is 5’11” tall, and weighs 282 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on October 1, 2021.

Nicholas Stone (IA-DOC photo)

Persons with information on Stone’s whereabouts should contact local police.

(Radio Iowa) – A former eastern Iowa postal employee who took hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks from the mail will spend more than two years in federal prison. Thirty-eight-year-old Amy Jurisic worked at the Dubuque Post Office and pleaded guilty in June to one count of mail theft. Evidence at her hearing showed that between June 2017 through at least October 2018, Jurisic stole more than 60 pieces of mail that contained 650-thousand dollars worth of checks.

She gave the checks to an individual in Chicago who would attempt to deposit them into various bank accounts. Approximately 62-thousand dollars worth of checks were actually deposited into bank accounts. She was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay back the 62-thousand dollars.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County, Monday, said three people were arrested over the past few days. Saturday afternoon, 41-year-old Justin Dean Miller, of Lenox, was arrested for OWI/3rd offense, Driving While Revoked, and Operating (a vehicle) without the ignition interlock. His bond was set at $6,300.

Friday afternoon, 31-year-old Heather Renee Plum, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree. Her bond was set at $2,000. And, at around 11:54-p.m., Friday, 35-year-old Brett Michael Claccio, of Malvern, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

The Sheriff’s Dept. said also, 35-year-old Aaron Nosekable, of Glenwood, was injured at around 5:52-a.m. Saturday, when his 2002 Dodge hit a patch of ice in the 21,000 block of Barrus Road, in Mills County. The vehicle went out of control and rolled into the north ditch. The truck came to rest and then rolled down the embankment again. Nosekable suffered minor injuries and was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital by Silver City Rescue.

Authorities said also, there were no injuries reported following a rollover accident at around 5:04-a.m. Saturday. A 2000 Ford driven by 59-year-old Vincent Salerno, of Pacific Junction, was traveling south on 195th Street, when the vehicle lost traction due to slick road conditions. The vehicle entered the east ditch before it rolled over and came to rest.

(Radio Iowa) – Mostly clear skies are in Iowa’s forecast for tonight (Monday), what’s expected to be the best night for viewing the Geminid meteor shower — and a bonus comet. Professor Siobahn Morgan, who heads the University of Northern Iowa’s Astronomy Department, says don’t worry about bringing binoculars or a telescope. Just find someplace away from city lights, bundle up, stretch out and look up.

“The Geminid meteor shower is best viewed after midnight. Generally speaking, you want the moon out of the way,” Morgan says. “This is when the earth enters the cloud of bits and pieces of a comet that passed by years ago.” Viewing this year should be ideal as the shower is peaking when the moon is nearly new, so the skies will be darker. It’s called the Geminid meteor shower because those “shooting stars” appear to be coming from the constellation Gemini.

Geminids (Wikipedia image)

“Most people are familiar with Orion and Gemini is northward or up above Orion and slightly to the left,” Morgan says. “It’s close to being overhead in the night sky and you don’t want to look in any one direction. Just look around the sky.” There should be about 60 meteors per hour, or roughly one every minute. The comet Leonard should also be visible tonight, but it won’t be quite as easy to spot, and you -will- need a viewing aid to pick it out.

“Comets tend to look a little bit fuzzy,” Morgan says. “That’s the key give-away. They can be rather fuzzy and a little bit off in their color. They could be rather bluish or greenish. It’s not the most spectacular bright or easy-to-view one. This one, you’d definitely need binoculars.” Leonard may best be seen in the early evening, just below and to the left of Venus.

Red Oak Police report the arrest on Monday at 11:25 a.m. of 50-year-old Sally Mae Petersen of Red Oak on charges of Trespassing and Interference with Official Acts. Petersen was arrested at 606 Riverview Drive in Red Oak and transported to the Montgomery County Jail in Red Oak. Petersen was being held on $300 bond.

(Des Moines, Iowa/via KCCI) – There are more patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa than at any other time in 2021. According to KCCI, the Iowa Department of Public Health on Monday released the new virus data. There are currently 816 patients hospitalized with the virus, up from 806 at last report on Friday and the highest total reported this year.

Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, 77.1% are un-vaccinated, while 79.6% of those listed in intensive care with the virus are un-vaccinated. The number of long-term care facilities reporting an outbreak dropped from 16 to 15. IDPH reports positive tests are up from the last report, but the 14-day positivity rate is coming back down after climbing steadily for several weeks.

There were 9,736 positive tests in the last 7 days, up from 9,535 at the last report on Friday. The 14-day positivity rate dropped from 12.1% to 11.7%. There have been 4,389,478 vaccine doses administered in Iowa, with 69.6% of those 18 and older fully vaccinated and 73.1% of those 12 and older with at least one dose.

(Radio Iowa) – The first 17 of around 200 expected refugees from Afghanistan have arrived in Sioux City. The director of the Mary Treglia (Trial-ya) House of Sioux City, Becky Carlson, says there are some unique challenges for this group of immigrants. “The folks that we’ve resettled in the past have had someone here in the community that kind of help set house up and has that already established,” Carlson explains. “Where these folks have no one to do that with — working to make sure that their house is set up — and then making sure that we get them to their appointments that they need to be at and that sort of stuff.”

Carlson says many of the first arrivals do speak some English, which helps in communicating their needs. “I’ve spent probably a whole afternoon with the family and there was one who could help with the conversations. And can definitely read and write in English. We did have one who has been a student up in Orange City — and she has agreed to help interpret,” Carlson says.

Local churches have helped the agency set up housing. She says they have set up apartments and Sunnybrook Church, and the Church of the Latter Day Saints have help furnish the apartments.

Lutheran Social Services will be assisting with another 150 or so refugees locating in the Sioux City area as well as 300 in Des Moines and 75 in rural Iowa locations.