(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Racing and Gaming Administrator Tina Eick says she is happy with the numbers as they approach the end the calendar year. “At the end of November, we’re sitting pretty good. The casinos are running at half a percentage down for the calendar year, and on the sports wagering side, the books revenue wise are up twenty-two percent,” she says. Competition has continued to pick up for Iowa’s operations. The most recent is the start of mobile sports book wagering in Missouri. “Absolutely I would anticipate there’s going to be a huge interest in that for people in Missouri. I’m cautiously optimistic that given the eleven strong operators that we have in Iowa, that we will continue to have strong interest in Iowa,” Eick says.

Eick says they will know more in the coming months about how that competition has impacted Iowa’s casinos. “When those numbers come in, that first set of numbers come in January, that’s absolutely what we’ll be looking at. To see how things shake out with that new competition in Missouri,” she says. Eick says the casinos have held their own, even in the face of some big winter storms. “Weather is a wild card and we saw exactly that in the last few days of November. As I talked with different G-M’s they definitely were impacted by the wild weather we had over the Thanksgiving weekend,” Eick says. She says a better weather outlook here at the end of December is good to see.

Eick says the I-R-G-C has pushed casinos to reinvest in their properties to keep them up to date as a way to answer the competition at the borders. She says the Omaha/Council Bluffs area is an example of how that has paid off as a survey predicted they would lose as much as 40 percent of their business across the border. “The impact has not been anywhere near that 30 to 45 percent range. It’s more been in the ten to 15 percent range, so that’s great news,” she says.

The end of December will mark the end of the first half of the fiscal year for Iowa’s casinos and sports books.

(Radio Iowa) – New Year’s Eve is one of the most dangerous nights of the year to be on the road due to the risk posed by impaired drivers, and Iowans are being reminded to make responsible choices. Katie Jensen, a wellness education specialist at Emplify Health by Gundersen, says if you’re planning to celebrate and welcome 2026 tonight, be sure to make arrangements now in order to get home safely. “If you’ve been drinking at all, having a plan ahead of time, even before you would go out, making that plan and figuring out, ‘Okay, how am I going to get home? Am I going to maybe only have one or two beverages, because I know I’m going to be here for a while,'” Jensen says. “Maybe only have one or two when you first get there, and then switch to something non-alcoholic the rest of the evening.”

There are multiple options, ranging from designating a driver to using a taxi or ride-sharing service. If you’ll be driving, Jensen warns of imbibing in any substances that might impact your ability to drive, even cold medicine that might make you sleepy. “Anything that’s going to impair your focus, your concentration, is going to be something that you want to completely eliminate out of your system — or out of your car — before even getting on the road,” Jensen says. “So that could be drugs, it could be alcohol, it could even be texting and driving. That is another form of impaired driving, really, because you are taking your attention off of the road and onto something else.”

Officials with Triple A (AAA) say their “Tow to Go” program is available in Iowa for the New Years holiday. The organization says the effort is meant to decrease impaired driving by offering car owners a ride and a free tow of their vehicle within a ten-mile radius. Their initiative continues through 6 a.m. Friday, January 2nd. Officials with Triple A say they are proud to offer the service but they are asking folks to make an effort to arrange for a sober ride before heading out drinking and to only use Tow to Go as a last resort. Their service is available at no cost to both AAA Members and non-members. Your call is confidential. The hotline is (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246.

A recent study found more than ten-thousand people are killed in the U-S every year by an alcohol-impaired driver. “Really, making that one choice could affect not only your own family, but other people’s families as well,” Jensen says, “especially if you’re going to get behind the wheel and you’ve been drinking, or you’ve been doing other substances that would impact your concentration and focus.” December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.

(Red Oak, IA) – Police in Red Oak report a woman was arrested Tuesday night at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, on a felony OWI charge. Authorities say 40-year-old Kristin Ann Miller, of Clarinda, was arrested at around 7-p.m. for OWI/3rd offense – a Class D Felony. Miller was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

(Red Oak, IA) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a traffic stop this (Wed.) morning (12/31), in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest of 40-year-old Aaron Lucas Allen, of Red Oak, on charges that include Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Driving Under Suspension. Allen was arrested at around 12:18-a.m. near N. 8th and E. Nuckols Streets, in Red Oak. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $491.25 bond.  Red Oak Police assisted in the arrest.

And, at around 5:50-p.m. Tuesday (12/30), Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 23-year-old Chance Deshon Marley Manley, of Council Bluffs, following a traffic stop near Broadway and Walnut Streets, in Red Oak. Manley was arrested for Driving While License Denied, canceled, suspended or revoked. His bond was set at $491.25.

TOPEKA (KSNT) – An Iowa-based company has recalled dog food sold in seven states as it may be contaminated with salmonella. Consumers Supply Distributing, LLC, announced on Dec. 24 a recall of bagged dog biscuits due to potential salmonella contamination, which poses a health risk to pets and people. The recall announcement, which was also shared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said the recalled dog food was sold at retail stores in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Iowa, Texas, Montana and Nebraska.

Among pets, salmonella infections can make them seem lethargic or cause diarrhea, vomiting, and a fever. Even if a pet does not have any symptoms, the FDA says they can carry salmonella and spread it to other pets or humans. If your pet has any of the symptoms mentioned, it’s recommended that you contact your veterinarian.

The recall includes the following products, which both come in 4-pound bags:

“Country Vet Biscuits – Original Meaty Flavor”

UPC: 899623000463
Lot code: 40906513
Expiration date: Sept. 6, 2026
“Heartland Harvest Dog Biscuits”

UPC: 840227340691
Lot code: 40906513
Expiration date: Sept. 6, 2026

Consumers who may have purchased the recalled dog biscuits are encouraged to return them to the store for a refund. Those with questions can contact Consumers Supply Distributing, LLC, by calling 712-202-5609 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT on weekdays.

The notice explained that the biscuits were found to contain the salmonella bacteria during routine sampling. The company has halted production and is working to determine what may have caused the contamination. There have been no illnesses reported in connection with the dog biscuits, per the recall announcement.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KETV) — Law enforcement officers from Omaha and Council Bluffs have arrested a 21-year-old man in Council Bluffs, in connection with a deadly shooting last Summer, in north Omaha. The incident happened August 4th near North 24th Street and Patrick Avenue, in Omaha.

Once police got to the scene, they found 22-year-old Chance McCowin dead. 32-year-old Dontavis Montgomery, and 24-year-old Tai’Jianea Henderson, were injured.

On Tuesday, Dec. 30th, Omaha police announced the Metro Fugitive Task Force and the Council Bluffs Police arrested 21-year-old Damaree Amos in connection with the shooting.

He is set to be extradited to Douglas County, Nebraska.

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – The Environmental Protection Agency says exposure to lead can cause a whole host of health problems; from headaches and hearing problems in kids, to hypertension and brain damage in adults.

The EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule says lead water lines, or galvanized water lines, need to be replaced by 2037. In the new year, a new law will require more transparency about lead service pipes when homes are sold in Iowa.

Starting January 1st, House File 876 will add to the seller’s disclosure statement for real estate transactions the presence of lead service lines. That includes the lines that connect the city’s water main to the interior plumbing in a building, or to the water meter.

In 2024, cities sent notifications to homeowners to let them know if there were, in fact, lead service lines in their area that affected their homes. Now, if homeowners who do have those lead service lines elect to sell their homes, they have to include that in their disclosure statement to the buyer.

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – An 18-year-old is facing charges after firefighters in Sioux City were called to a fast-food restaurant on Gordon Drive. According to Sioux City Police, first responders were sent to the Wendy’s at 3805 Gordon Drive after getting a call on Tuesday, Dec. 30, reporting a fire.

The call came in at about 9 a.m., and police say customers and employees were evacuated from the building while Sioux City Fire Rescue extinguished the fire and secured the scene. “After reviewing surveillance video, investigators were able to identify a suspect who they believed was responsible for setting the fire,” stated the Sioux City Police Department in a press release.

Police say this suspect, identified as 18-year-old Malachi Neylon of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was located at a separate business a short distance from the Wendy’s.

Neylon is facing one count of first-degree arson and one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief. Under Iowa law, first-degree arson carries a possible sentence of up to 25 years in prison, and the criminal mischief charge is a misdemeanor that has a maximum penalty of one year in jail.

DALLAS COUNTY, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced Tuesday that the highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in a mixed-species backyard flock in Dallas County. The current outbreak of avian influenza has impacted nearly 185 million birds at backyard and commercial poultry farms since it began in 2022.

The Dallas County detection, which impacted a flock of 15 birds, according to an IDALS spokesperson, is the 10th detection in domestic birds in Iowa this year. The H5N1 strain of the bird flu has also been detected in wild, migratory birds, most recently in large numbers at several lakes in southwest Iowa.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and state departments of agriculture continue to urge producers to practice increased biosecurity to help prevent the spread of the flu. U.S. senators from Iowa and other agricultural states recently urged USDA to prioritize a vaccine strategy for the flu.

Producers who notice sudden increases in bird deaths, or symptoms like lethargy, swelling of the head, coughing and difficulty breathing in their flock should contact their veterinarians immediately.

The public health risk of HPAI remains low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

POLK COUNTY, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – State regulators have revoked the license of a registered nurse who provided home health care for disabled children before being arrested on child-pornography charges. In October, the Iowa Board of Nursing issued an emergency order suspending the license of registered nurse Kenneth Wayne Clark of Ankeny. The order was based on a disciplinary charge that Clark had engaged in unethical behavior and engaged in practices that are harmful or detrimental to the public by acting in a manner that is contradictory to professional decorum.

Court records show that on Aug. 1, 2025, Wayne’s home and vehicle were searched by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office alleges it found methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms, and marijuana, as well as multiple pieces of drug paraphernalia — including glass pipes, bongs and storage containers for marijuana and methamphetamine. One month later, on Sept. 9, 2025, Ankeny police alleged that from March 1, 2025, to July 30, 2025, Clark knowingly and unlawfully downloaded or possessed on his cellphone videos that are “consistent with child sexual abuse material.”

Prosecutors have charged Clark with 10 counts of purchasing or possessing the depiction of a minor engaged in a sex act. Police records indicate there are more than “2,600 unclassified videos and 60,511 images” at issue in the case, including at least 50 videos “consistent with child sex abuse material” that were allegedly downloaded onto the phone.

The court then issued a no-contact order against Clark barring any contact with minors. The Board of Nursing alleged the no-contact order was particularly relevant to its emergency order in that Clark was “doing in-home care for disabled children” prior to his arrest.

A trial on the criminal charges is scheduled for March 23, 2026.