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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State budget experts say revenue for the current fiscal year is expected to grow 1.4 percent to total $7.97 billion and next year will see a 2.7 percent increase, taking the state tax collections just over $8.18 billion. The revenue growth estimates are significantly slower than last year’s 6.4 percent expansion but that was driven in part by tax policy changes.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The mother of a 4-year-old boy who shot himself after finding an unsecured gun in her vehicle has been sentenced to a year of probation. Polk County court records say 28-year-old Rachel Rowe also was fined $315. The boy found the .45-caliber handgun inside another container in her vehicle and shot himself in an upper arm.

MARION, Iowa (AP) — Work has begun to expand the airport runway in the Cedar Rapids suburb of Marion. The Gazette reports a groundbreaking ceremony was held last week for the $1.7 million project. The work will widen the runway from 23 to 60 feet, meeting the standards of a basic service airport. And additional $400,000 is being spent to replace lighting. The project is being funded by a $424,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation and city bonds.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Backers of a skateboard under construction in downtown Des Moines say they have reached their $6.3 million funding goal. The Lauridsen Skatepark will be the nation’s largest when it’s completed in spring 2020. The 88,000-square-foot skate park is being built on five acres of land between Second Avenue and the Des Moines River.

The Cass County Democratic Party is sponsoring a Winter Clothing Drive to help secure warm clothes, winter night clothes, and blankets for those residents. County Chair Sherry Toelle asks that people “please bring new or ‘clean, gently used’ items to drop boxes across the county from mid-October through November 15, 2019. Donations will be distributed through the clothes closets and schools throughout the county. Children’s clothing—coats, hats, gloves/mittens, boots, even socks and underwear—are especially needed as are larger sized adult clothing.”

Drop-off sites include:

• In Anita: Rolling Hills Bank, Library, Rusty Razor.
• In Atlantic: YMCA, Rolling Hills Bank, Private home at 10 E. 13th St.
• In Cumberland: Telephone Company, City Hall, Library, Houghton State Bank.
• In Griswold: Rolling Hills Bank, Telephone Company, Library, Houghton State Bank
• In Lewis: Library
• and in Massena: Economy Food Mart, FN Bank

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday), issued a report on arrests over the past week. Today (Monday), Deputies arrested 21-year old Damion Paul Leo Madsen, of Avoca, on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on charges stemming from his arrest on Sept. 5th for possession of a controlled substance 2^nd offense. He was released in September on his own recognizance, and is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail under a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

On Saturday, 24-year-old Mackenzie Ann Robinson, of Papillon, NE., was arrested around 4-a.m. as a result of a traffic stop in Harlan.   Robinson was taken into custody without incident and charged with operating while intoxicated 1^st offense, reckless driving, and failure to maintain control.  She was held under a $1000 bond and was released later that morning and given a future court date after posting the required surety bond.

Last Thursday, 49-year-old David Dean Anderson was taken into custody for a parole violation warrant.  Anderson was transported to the Shelby County Jail without incident where he remains held without bond, pending a hearing with the Iowa Parole Board. Also arrested Thursday was 22-year old Andrew Allen Malloy. He was taken into custody from Carroll County Jail on an active warrant for failure to appear on an initial charge of burglary 3^rd.  The charges were the result of his arrested July 3rd, after which Malloy was released out under bond.   Malloy is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail under a $5000 cash or surety bond.

And, last Wednesday, three people from Harlan were arrested as result of search warrants, in Harlan.  54-year-old Dennis Gene Anderson was arrested after a search warrant was executed at his residence.  He was charged with a controlled substance violation, prohibited acts, possession of controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.  Anderson was transported to the Shelby County Jail without incident and held with a no bond requirement for controlled substance violation.  Anderson had initial appearance the following morning and is currently being help under a $50,000 cash or surety bond. 33-year-old Charles Howard Hayes was taken into custody without incident and charged with controlled substance violation, prohibited acts, possession of controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.   Hayes was held pending without bond, but after an initial appearance the following morning, the judge set his bond at $50,000.  Hayes was released later that evening after posting the required surety bond.  Also arrested in the same incident was 34-year-old Amanda Sue Wicker. She was charged with prohibited acts, possession of controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.  Wicker was held under $4300 cash or surety bond and released the following morning on her own recognizance.

(Radio Iowa) — The governor’s budget director is urging caution as state tax revenue growth is expected to be much lower this budget year than in the previous one. Iowa Department of Management director Dave Roederer says he doesn’t think a recession is near, but he has concerns.

“While everything looks pretty good, there are still some warning signs out there.” Roederer cites the combination of recent tax law changes at the state and federal level, lower-than-expect wage growth and unfinished trade agreements. Roederer and the two other members of the panel that sets the official estimate of future state tax revenue met today (Monday). David Underwood, a businessman from Clear Lake, says unfinished trade deals are a big concern in Iowa’s economy.

“I’m disappointed that we at this point still have so much uncertainty still hanging over us which makes it difficult for me to see the rosy side of it,” Underwood says. “And I guess looking at the numbers we’ve got before us today, I think we have to continue to be a little bit cautious.” The state Revenue Estimating Conference predicts state tax collections will grow just one-point-four percent this year. The group meets again in December to set the estimate for NEXT year’s state tax collections that will be used by lawmakers to draft next year’s state budget.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Katarina Sostaric)

(In an update to our earlier reports) The Iowa State Patrol says three people were injured during a three-vehicle collision this (Monday) morning, in Shelby County. Authorities say all three drivers, 32-year old Joel T. Andersen, of Harlan, 43-year old Timothy H. Ward, of Underwood, and 62-year old Duane J. Carroll, of Avoca, were transported to the hospital. Andersen and Ward were taken by ambulance to Myrtue Hospital, and Carroll was transported by LifeNet to Bergan-Mercy in Omaha.

The Patrol says a 2002 Chevy Silverado driven by Duane Carroll, was stopped on Highway 59 northbound at around 11:03-a.m., and waiting for traffic to pass so he could turn left on F-66 (north of I-80). A 2005 Peterbilt semi driven by Timothy Ward, was approaching southbound on Highway 59. A 2004 Buick Rainer driven by Joel Andersen was traveling north and approaching the Silverado and failed to stop.

The SUV struck the pickup, pushing it into the southbound lane, where it was hit by the Peterbilt. The semi entered the west ditch and rolled over onto its side. The other two vehicles came to rest on the roadway. The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Shelby and Pott. County Sheriff’s Departments, Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Enforcement, Avoca Rescue and other agencies.

(Radio Iowa) — The man who raised more than three million dollars in donations for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital with a single sign is being honored with his own bobblehead. The founder and C-E-O of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, Phil Sklar, has released the Carson King bobblehead.

“He went to College Game Day as just a regular guy looking to have a fun time and get ready for the Iowa-Iowa State game — brought that hand-drawn sign and really inspired a lot of people to do good,” Sklar says. “We thought a bobblehead was the perfect way to honor him — so when we reached out to him with the idea last week and he loved it — we ran with it.” King’s hand-drawn sign that requested beer money is featured on his bobblehead.

Sklar says the bobblehead features him holding the sign and the base has his name on it and he is wearing a shirt that says “Iowa Legend.” “Which is pretty much what he’s been called worldwide,” Sklar says. King got more than enough for beer money and decided to give all proceeds to University of Iowa’s Children’s Hospital, even though he has always been an Iowa State fan. Sklar says he will donate five dollars from every bobblehead sold to the Children’s Hospital King Family Fund. There is an artist’s rendition of the bobblehead posted on the museum’s website.

He says now that the rendition has been approved, the sculptures will sculpt it and get it approved and then it will go into production and you can order them by mail. They are targeting no later than January to have them ready. The bobbleheads will be individually numbered and cost 25 dollars each plus a shipping charge of eight dollars The website is www.bobbleheadhall.com.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Georgia authorities have found a man suspected in an Iowa slaying. Fort Dodge police say in a news release that 19-year-old Damion Chavez was spotted by a sheriff’s deputy in Lowndes County, Georgia, on Saturday in a vehicle on Interstate 75. The vehicle was pulled over and Chavez was arrested without incident. Two other people in the vehicle were released. Arrangements are being made to have Chavez returned to Iowa.

Fort Dodge police say Chavez has been charged with robbery and first-degree murder in the slaying of 28-year-old Mohammed Yaqoub, who lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Officers sent to check reports of a shooting found Yaqoub. He’d been shot several times. A 16-year-old boy also has been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting a robbery.

(UPDATE 11:39-a.m. – TRAFFIC ALERT: Highway 59 South of Corley is closed due to accident and traffic is currently be rerouted via F58 by Corley . Closure is from Corley to Avoca. Please avoid the area or find alternate route if possible for the time being.

Rescue crews from Avoca and elsewhere, were dispatched at around 11-a.m., to what was described as a three-vehicle accident at Highway 59 and 200th Street, north of Avoca. Rescue crews said a male in his 50’s apparently was suffering from a laceration, but the injuries did not appear to be severe. LifeNet was asked to respond to the scene, where an individual (believed to be the same subject) was said to have been trapped in a vehicle. Additional details are currently not available.

(Radio Iowa) — The City Council in Sioux City is expected to vote to repeal the nearly decade old ban on pit bulls at its meeting this afternoon (Monday). Mayor Bob Scott says the vote will take place to comply with federal regulations under the Americans with Disability’s and Fair Housing Regulations for individuals that may possess service animals that are pit bulls or similar breeds of dogs. He says the interpretation of companion dogs and service dogs has changed dramatically since 2010 and he says it is almost impossible now to prove if a dog is a service dog or companion dog — and it is just easier to do away with the ordinance.

Scott says they will continue to enforce the ordinance that says if a dog of any breed that bites someone or is determined to be vicious — they will still be seized by animal control: “That’s not going to change that. Obviously if a dog has a history of biting — we are going to enforce that. The ordinance doesn’t describe what kind of dog it is — it’s any dog,” Scott says.

The pit bull ban was passed in April of 2009 and has been in effect since March of 2010.

(Radio Iowa) — Republican Congressman Steve King is suggesting his run for a 10th tern in the U.S. House is in better shape than Republican Senator Joni Ernst’s bid for a second term in the U.S. Senate. “I’m not the one that’s vulnerable here any longer,” King said. “Joni Ernst is the one we need to stand behind and get behind and that’s why we have to unify this party and the sooner we do it, the stronger we are going to be.”

Ernst has not endorsed King’s re-election bid, but she has not endorsed any of his four challengers either. King made his comments about Ernst at a Hamilton County G-O-P fundraiser in Webster City on Saturday night. The four Republicans who have launched campaigns to challenge King in next June’s primary also addressed the crowd. Jeremy Taylor, a National Guard chaplain who is a Woodbury County Supervisor, told the crowd he’s running because King and other Republicans didn’t accomplish much in 2017 and 2018 when they held both houses of congress and the White House. “They didn’t stand for life. They didn’t secure the border when they had the change and they could not cut $1 billion out of $4 trillion in spending,” Taylor said.

State Senator Randy Feenstra of Hull, a professor at Dordt College, touted recent endorsements from former Governor Terry Branstad and Branstad’s son. Eric Branstad managed President Trump’s Iowa campaign for the 2016 General Election. “First of all, I stand with President Trump. We must build a wall. We must get immigration under control,” Feenstra says. “Number two: we have out-of-control spending. We balanced the budget every year in the Iowa legislature and we must do the same in congress.”

Former Irwin Mayor Bret Richards and Steve Reeder, an Arnolds Park real estate developer — the other two announced G-O-P candidates in Iowa’s fourth congressional district — also spoke at the event.