DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A cat named Lottie has been reunited with his Des Moines owners just in time for Christmas after he went missing nearly five years ago. The Des Moines Register reports that 37-year-old Kara Hanlon figured the cat had died until she got a letter in the mail saying otherwise. The Animal Rescue League’s animal control division had picked up Lottie and identified him by scanning his microchip.

She got him back Monday. Hanlon described it as a “Christmas miracle,” noting that the last picture she snapped of the cat was taken in 2015 while he sat in a Christmas gift bag.

The Atlantic Rotary Club has donated $2,000 to help pay for the 2020 Fourth of July Fireworks. The funds were presented to Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel by Rotary representative Ted Robinson. (photo courtesy Jennifer Nichols – Atlantic News Telegraph)

(from left) Atlantic Rotary Representative Ted Robinson and Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A racial equity group is urging the city of Burlington to sever ties with a bank because of an official’s racist Facebook post. The Hawk Eye reports that the Black Leadership Council is outraged that Burlington is still doing business with Farmers & Merchants Bank & Trust after a vice president, Lisa Walsh, used a racist slur against Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in a November Facebook post.

The Walsh family owns 53% of the bank. Walsh has been placed on administrative leave. Burlington Mayor Jon Billups told The Hawk Eye that he has been discussing the issue with F&M.

(Radio Iowa) – Alcohol sales have been up during the pandemic and this holiday season is typically a busy time for the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division as people go to holiday parties or buy alcohol as gifts. I-A-B-D spokesman, Jake Holmes, says tastes haven’t changed much.  “Iowans seem to be pretty consistent with the types of alcohol they like. There’s been some movement with different brands — but American vodka, Canadian whiskies, and spiced rum continue to be the top three categories,” he says.

Black Velvet Canadian whiskey was the top seller in the last fiscal year. “It’s held that top spot for a number of years. Tito’s Vodka was number two and Captain Morgan was number three. And then the number one Iowa-made product was Blue Ox vodka,” according to Holmes.

Sales increased eight-percent in the fiscal year that ended in June. Holmes says it hasn’t let up since then. “So far sales are trending even high than they were. They are up a little over 14 percent at this point,” Holmes says. Iowa and the rest of the country have seen alcohol sales increase during the pandemic.

(Radio Iowa) – A C-P-A who is an economic advisor to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says Reynolds is developing proposals to boost broadband access and expand housing in Iowa. Joel Anderson, who is a member of the governor’s paid staff, spoke earlier this month to an online gathering of the Iowa Chamber Alliance.  “We are not like other states where we are having to talk about revenue increases such as the state to the north of us and a state to the east of us,” Anderson said. “We can actually, are going to probably be one of the few states that will be able to talk about tax reform again.”

Anderson helped crafted the “Invest in Iowa” plan Reynolds unveiled last February. It called for lowering Iowa individual income taxes by 10 percent and raising the state sales tax by one percent to finance water quality and mental health programs. Anderson has shifted from his role as tax policy advisor to work on economic issues during the pandemic, as Reynolds and her staff have discussed how to spend over a billion dollars in federal aid. “This governor is very committed to making sure that we can grow businesses, recover from this and get on the other side of 2020 as fast as possible,” Anderson said.

Anderson worked with an economic advisory board the governor appointed earlier this year. The group’s final meeting was in October and its top recommendation was for the state to make child care more accessible and affordable.

(Radio Iowa) – Two of the pardons President Trump has granted involve a criminal case connected to the 2012 Iowa Caucuses.  Four men connected to Ron Paul’s presidential campaign were convicted of concealing payments to a state senator who changed his endorsement from Michele Bachmann to Ron Paul just before the 2012 Iowa Caucuses. Former state Senator Kent Sorenson of Indianola pleaded guilty and a judge sentenced him to 15 months in prison.

The president did not pardon Sorenson, but Trump did pardon two others who were found guilty by a jury. They are John Tate, Ron Paul’s campaign manager, and Jesse Benton, the 2012 campaign’s chairman who is also married to the candidate’s granddaughter.