Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:00 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will announce in September whether she’ll need to call a special session to address a budget shortfall. The Republican governor told reporters Tuesday she is still reviewing financial information for the budget year that ended in June. The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency said this summer that Iowa’s roughly $7.2 billion budget was facing a revenue shortfall of about $100 million. The agency warned the figure could fluctuate.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says the state agency that advocates for the elderly and disabled will review its budget in an effort to avoid some cuts to staff visits at facilities like nursing homes, but she didn’t offer specifics. The Republican governor told reporters Tuesday her office is communicating with the office of the Iowa Long-Term Care Ombudsman to review options. The ombudsman’s office says reductions to its budget would limit staff travel to facilities like nursing homes.

VERSAILLES, Mo. (AP) — The father of a 20-year-old man who drowned in a Missouri lake while he was handcuffed will be able to attend the sentencing of a highway patrol trooper involved in the case. Craig Ellingson, the father of Brandon Ellingson, of Clive, Iowa, was concerned last week that a judge’s schedule would prevent him from speaking at the sentencing for Trooper Anthony Piercy. The hearing has been rescheduled for Sept. 19, which will allow Ellingson to attend.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been found guilty of a lesser charge in the 2015 shooting death of a Waterloo resident. Prosecutors had charged 39-year-old Steve Fordyce, of Denver, Iowa, with first-degree murder for the August 2015 death of 43-year-old Donald Harrington. The Courier reports that a bench trial was held earlier this month, and on Tuesday, District Judge David Odekirk in Black Hawk County found Fordyce guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

VERSAILLES, Mo. (AP) — The father of a 20-year-old man who drowned in a Missouri lake while he was handcuffed will be able to attend the sentencing of a highway patrol trooper involved in the case.

Craig Ellingson, the father of Brandon Ellingson, of Clive, Iowa, was concerned last week that a judge’s schedule would prevent him from speaking at the sentencing for Trooper Anthony Piercy. The Kansas City Star reports a judge rescheduled the hearing for Sept. 19 in Versailles, Missouri, which will allow Ellingson to attend.

Piercy avoided an involuntary manslaughter trial by pleading guilty in June to the misdemeanor boating violation. In May 2014, Piercy pulled Brandon Ellingson over on the Lake of the Ozarks. Ellingson drowned after he was thrown from the boat while wearing an improperly secured life vest.

In an update to an earlier post: Officials with the AHST-W School District posted this evening on their social media site, that a District School Bus was involved in a collision with a car southeast of Walnut at Highway 83 and 570th Street. Seven students were on board the bus. Two were transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Two people in the car were also transported to the hospital.

Walnut Rescue, Medivac and the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. No other information was immediately available. (All photos submitted to KJAN)

Details are sketchy, but reports in to KJAN this evening indicated an accident took place this afternoon between a car and and AHSTW School District bus. The accident happened on Highway 83, near (southeast of ) Walnut. Walnut Rescue, Medivac and the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office were on the were on the scene.

No other information was immediately available. (All photos submitted to KJAN)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says the state agency that advocates for the elderly and disabled will review its budget in an effort to avoid some cuts to staff visits at facilities like nursing homes, but she didn’t offer specifics. The Republican governor told reporters Tuesday her office is communicating with the office of the Iowa Long-Term Care Ombudsman to review options.

The ombudsman’s office announced recently that reductions to its state-appropriated budget, which is just above $1 million, would limit staff travel to facilities like nursing homes. The travel is aimed at monitoring conditions.

Reynolds says a large portion of the office’s budget is salaries and administrative costs, so officials may try to use resources differently. She declined to clarify if that could lead to layoffs at the ombudsman’s office.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2017 — In response to a request from Bob Wegand, Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) acting State Executive Director in Iowa, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Clarke, Decatur, Jefferson, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Union, Wapello, Warren and Wayne counties in Iowa as primary natural disaster areas due to a recent drought.

Farmers and ranchers in other counties in Iowa also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Area counties included are:

Adair; Adams; Dallas; Guthrie; Ringgold and Taylor.

All counties listed were designated natural disaster areas on Aug. 25, 2017, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for FSA’s emergency (EM) loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, include Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; the Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; and the Tree Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA service centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports 43-year old Joe Edward Harris, of Shenandoah, was arrested today (Tuesday), after Harris turned himself in on a Page County warrant for Violation of a protection order.  Harris was booked into the Page County Jail on $300 bond.

Joe Edward Harris

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will announce in September whether she’ll need to call a special legislative session to address a budget shortfall.

The Republican governor told reporters Tuesday she is still reviewing financial information for the budget year that ended in June. The books on that budget year won’t officially close until next month.

The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency said this summer that Iowa’s roughly $7.2 billion budget, which lawmakers already cut last session, was facing a revenue shortfall of about $100 million. The agency warned the figure could fluctuate.

Reynolds has authority to transfer up to $50 million from an emergency fund. A larger shortfall would require lawmakers to return to Des Moines to approve either a higher transfer or cuts.

The Harlan Police Department says no injuries were reported following accidents that have taken place over the past couple of weeks. The most recent accident happened Saturday, when vehicles driven by Hans Henning Kofoed, of Molov, Denmark, and Leah Ann Heiman, of Harlan, collided at the intersection of Highway 59 and Chatburn Avenue. Authorities say it occurred when Kofoed failed to yield the right of way. His 2017 Chevy Malibu struck the right rear of the 2012 Ford Fusion, driven by Heiman.

An accident August 24th occurred in Harlan, when Jocelyn Elise-Marie Cheek, of Panama, who was driving a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am, failed to yield to a 2005 Chevy Tahoe, driven by Justin David Wooster, of Harlan. Cheek’s car was hit on the passenger side by the Tahoe.

On August 23rd, a 2007 Ford Escape, driven by Sonia Shepherd, of Harlan, was traveling west on Chatburn Avenue, when the vehicle crossed the center line of the road in the 1900 block, and narrowly missed a light pole and two trees before colliding with a third tree.

Harlan Police said also, on Aug. 19th, a 2002 Ford F-350 pulling a trailer, was eastbound on Durant Street, when the trailer became unhitched in the 1400 block of Durant. The trailer veered off the road and hit three cable boxes. The pickup was driven by Tyler Alex Powers, of Harlan.

And, on Aug. 17th, a 2004 Ford Ranger pickup driven by Terry Lynn Saunders, of Harlan, was backing out of a parking stall, when the vehicle struck a 2007 Honda Accord, driven by Cassie Ann Brockhoff, of Shelby.

The Harlan Police Department has issued a report on recent arrests. On August 24th, 68-year old Larry Levi Andersen, of Kirkman, was arrested following a traffic stop in Harlan.  Andersen was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating while intoxicated.

On Aug. 21st, 41-year old Joshua Urena, of Harlan, was arrested for driving while suspended.

On August 19th, Harlan Police arrested 21-year old Dalton Chandler James Henscheid, of Harlan, for driving while barred and careless driving. And, 44-year old Jeffery Allen Sanderfer, of, Harlan, was arrested on an active warrant.  Sanderfer was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

August 18th, Harlan Police arrested 48-year old Lee Alan Dille, of Harlan, for possession of a controlled substance, prohibited acts penalties, possession of drug paraphernalia, and failure to maintain safety belts. The previous day, 59-year old Walter Charles Gaul, of Harlan, was arrested on an active warrant and transported to the Shelby County Jail.

And, on Aug. 17th, 20-year old Seth Dewayne Strong, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop in Harlan.  Strong was charged with driving with a suspended license.