More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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SUPERIOR, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man died after being pinned by a machine he’d been working with in northwest Iowa. The accident occurred around 12:40 p.m. Friday at a farm in rural Superior. The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office says the man was pinned by a backhoe attached to a tractor. The Sheriff’s Office says the man was pronounced dead at the scene. He’s been identified as 72-year-old Thomas Mart.

Officials with the Creston Police Department report three arrests took place Monday. 63-year old Kathy Conley, of Creston, was arrested at her home at around 10:24-p.m., on a charge of (Simple) Domestic Assault. She was transported to the Ringgold County Jail and held while awaiting a bond hearing. At the same time and place, 36-year old Bobbie Sue Flynn, of Creston, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct. She was being held in the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.

And, 22-year old Jacob Davis, of Cromwell, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, Monday afternoon. Davis was arrested on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear in Court on an original charge of Theft in the 3rd Degree. He was being held at the jail in Creston on a $5,000 bond.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Members of Iowa’s largest business group are predicting the state’s economy will grow over the first three months of 2018. Mike Ralston is president of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI), which has released the results of an inaugural survey of its members. “Those who responded to the survey, 80-percent of them expect sales to increase in the first quarter of 2018,” Ralston said. “That’s really good news for Iowa.”

According to Ralston, there are several reasons why so many leaders of those companies expect a bump in sales over the first quarter of next year. “One is that ABI folks tend to be exporters and exports are strong right now. Another one is there seems to be an indication that the ag market is going to improve and a lot of folks in Iowa make things for the ag sector, so that’s good news,” Ralston said. “And third is folks have had some success in attracting new workers and thus, they’re able to fill out shifts and be more productive.”

Just over 72-percent of ABI board members said they plan to make capital expenditures in Q-1 and many expect to expand their workforces. “Fifty-percent of the people who responded to the survey indicated that they are going to hire in the first quarter,” Ralston said. “So, if you’re looking for work, there are jobs out there in Iowa.”

ABI member companies come from all 99 Iowa counties. This is the first time ABI has conducted a public quarterly survey of its board in the organization’s 114-year history.

(Radio Iowa)

Red Oak Police say the driver of a vehicle involved in a collision at around 5:45-p.m. Monday was checked by medics but was not seriously injured. The accident happened at the intersection of 8th and Joy Streets, when a 2016 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 56-year old Jeanne Franson, of Villisca, struck a 2009 Nissan Murano driven by 43-year old Shirley Urich, of Red Oak. Authorities say the crash happened when Franson failed to yield at the intersection. Her pickup struck the Murano on the passenger side front door. The impact caused the Nissan to spin 180 degrees on the roadway. Airbags deployed on both vehicles. Urich was checked out by medics but did not require transport to the hospital. Franson was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop or Yield sign.

Damage from the crash amounted to $9,000.

A traffic stop just south of Elliott at around 12:10-a.m. today (Tuesday), resulted in the arrest of 33-year old Cory Ross Smith, of Elliott. Smith was arrested for Driving While Revoked for OWI Test Refusal. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

Winter may be making a very timely arrival later this week. The winter solstice will occur at 10:28 A-M Central Time on Thursday and forecasters say Iowa may see snow fly about that same time as much colder weather arrives, as if on cue. Meteorologist Cory Martin, at the National Weather Service, says they’re tracking a storm system that will be moving across the Northern Plains in the Thursday-Friday timeframe.

“It looks likely that parts of Iowa are going to see their first accumulating snowfall of the winter season,” Martin says. “That looks most likely across northern Iowa at this point. Further south, into central and southern Iowa, it’s a little bit more uncertain. We’re going to have some relatively warm air lingering around that might keep us with rain or a rain-snow mix.”

Since it’s still a few days away, forecasters are shying away from predicting just how much snow will fall and where, though Martin says it’s likely most of central and southern Iowa will see little-to-no accumulation. “Further north, how much snow we’re expecting right now, it doesn’t look like anything too heavy,” Martin says. “It looks like the best bet for heavier snow will probably stay up in South Dakota to Minnesota but we’ll continue to monitor that.”

With the Christmas holiday coming up, there will be plenty of motorists on the roads later this week. Martin says the state’s main east-west corridor may be wet but it shouldn’t be white. “Oh, for Interstate 80, I wouldn’t alter any travel plans at this point,” Martin says. “Just stay vigilant for forecast updates to see if anything changes through the week. One thing to keep in mind for the weekend, we are looking at a rather cold air mass surging south out of Canada. It’s going to be below- to well-below-normal temperatures here. If you’re traveling, make sure you have safety kits with you, just in case something were to happen.”

The latest forecast calls for rain likely most of Thursday before changing to freezing rain near sunset. A mix of freezing rain and snow is likely to continue Thursday night into early Friday morning.  Another travel hazard on Thursday and Friday could be strong, gusty winds. Temperatures will be plummeting over the weekend as well.

(Radio Iowa)

A woman from Nebraska was injured during a single-vehicle, rollover accident Monday evening near the Cass-Pottawattamie County line. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2003 Toyota Camry driven by 22-year old Agnes Santo Lako, of Lincoln, NE., was traveling east on Interstate 80 at around 4:50-p.m., and near mile marker 50, when for reasons unknown, the car went out of control.

The vehicle entered the median and rolled once, coming to rest on the driver’s side on the inside lane of I-80 westbound. The lane was blocked during the initial investigation. Authorities say alcohol is a likely factor in the crash, which remained under investigation.

The Patrol says Santo Lako, who was wearing her seat belt, was flown by Midwest MedAir to the UNMC in Omaha.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:20 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district and his wife are opening their home to a 17-year-old Guatemalan immigrant whose parents were forced to leave the U.S. because they weren’t in the country legally. Jennifer Galdames applied for legal residency before her stepfather and mother were detained in October. The high school junior didn’t want to move to New Jersey to live with a relative she hadn’t met, so Des Moines Schools Superintendent Tom Ahart and Jami Bassman Ahart took her in.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Fire has destroyed a popular Des Moines bowling alley that dates to the 1950s. A fire department spokesman says firefighters were called to Plaza Lanes just after 5 a.m. Monday after a passerby reported smoke and small flames. Firefighters opened up the roof in an effort to douse the flames but the fire moved quickly through the structure, with the roof collapsing about a half hour later. In a message on the business website, the owners promised to rebuild the bowling alley.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A judge has sentenced a Chicago man to life in prison for the 2015 shooting death of a man during an argument in Burlington, Iowa. The Hawk Eye newspaper reports 24-year-old Earl Booth-Harris was sentenced Monday following his November conviction of first-degree murder in the death of 24-year-old Deonte Carter. Police say Booth-Harris shot Carter three times on Feb. 16, 2015, after arguing over stolen shoes. Later, Booth-Harris was charged with attempted murder in an attack on a jail officer.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The funeral service for former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s brother has been held in northern Iowa. Monroe “Monte” Branstad, who was 67, died last Wednesday at a Mason City hospital after a recent illness. Terry Branstad, now ambassador to China, returned to Iowa for the Monday funeral.