The income tax returns Iowans are filing provide some insight into the health of Iowa’s economy. Legislative Services Agency analyst Jeff Robinson says “So far this tax return season individual income tax returns for tax year 2015 are showing good wage growth,” he says, “but growth in unearned income such as interest, dividends and capital gains is negative, while reported farm income is down significantly.”

Robinson has reviewed overall tax payments to the state over the past nine months. “Year to date revenue growth is 2.3 percent through March and that is in line with current budget expectations for the year.” Eighty-eight percent of that growth is in income tax payments to the state. Sales tax payments to the state are up, but not quite as much as experts had predicted.

(Radio Iowa)

(Correction issued on 2nd accident report by Harlan P-D Wed. afternoon)

Harlan Police say no injuries were reported following two separate accidents, Sunday. One of the collisions happened at the intersection of Highway 59 and Lincoln Avenue. The other occurred in the 1400 block of Durant Street.

Authorities say a 2005 Jeep driven by Jacob Holloway, of Harlan, was traveling south on Highway 59, when a 2009 Mazda driven by Nancy Dahlgren, of Omaha, failed to yield to oncoming traffic. The vehicles collided, causing $5,000 damage. Dahlgren was cited for Failure to obey a Stop or Yield sign.

In the other accident, a car driven by Elizabeth Riessen and a motorcycle driven by Evan Dille, both of Harlan, collided. Officials say Riessen was westbound on Durant Street in a 2009 Chevrolet. She came to 1405 Durant Street and made a left hand turn to enter the driveway at the residence. A 2007 Honda motorcycle driven by Dille was traveling east on Durant. When Riessen made her left turn, she crossed the eastbound lane. The motorcycle hit the car on the front passenger side. Riessen was cited for making an unsafe turn or failure to give signal.

Police in Harlan report three, recent arrests. On Tuesday (April 5th), 48-year old Brian Sorensen, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant charging him with contempt of court, failure to appear.  Sorensen was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

Last Saturday (April 2nd), 20-year old Victor Cardoza, of Des Moines, was arrested following a traffic stop.  Cardoza was cited for driving while suspended and released.

And, on Thursday (March 31st),  Julio Gonzalez (a.k.a Margarito Ibarra-Ramirez), age unknown, of Red Oak, was arrested following a traffic stop.  Gonzalez (Ibarra-Ramirez) was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and cited for failure to have a valid driver’s license.

A new report finds 63-thousand Iowans have Alzheimer’s disease, a number that may triple by the year 2050 if a treatment isn’t found. In the next decade, Alzheimer’s cases are expected to grow by 16-percent in Iowa, as Baby Boomers age. Carol Sipfle, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Iowa Chapter, says the cost to Iowa families is also rising dramatically.

“Families are going to spend about $5,000 a year caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease,” Sipfle says. “That’s out-of-pocket cost. That’s not any kind of care in a facility or extra services they get from the community. That is just the straight out-of-pocket cost.”

The report finds dementia can strike the personal finances of families and friends who are caregivers. Nearly half say they have to cut back on their own expenses to afford dementia-related care, while others must draw from their own savings or retirement funds. While five-thousand dollars may be the average cost of care, families report losing 15-thousand dollars on average from reduced work hours or having to stop working entirely to provide care.

The costs add up: “It may be to hire someone to be in the home but it also may be things like making modifications to their home, ramps or security systems to prevent wandering,” Sipfle says. “It could mean a number of different things that are not covered by any type of insurance plan or Medicaid or Medicare.” Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the U-S and it’s the only disease in the top 10 causes of death without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression.

Iowa has the 5th-highest Alzheimer’s death rate in the United States. “There’s still a stigma associated with the disease,” Sipfle says. “People are reluctant to go to their doctor to get a diagnosis. We still even hear stories of physicians who don’t want to make a diagnosis because there’s no known way to prevent or treat the disease.” Crossword puzzles and math games like Sudoku may help to reduce the risk by exercising the brain, but she says there is no guaranteed way to prevent it. Roughly one in every nine Iowans over the age of 65 has Alzheimer’s.

(Radio Iowa)

An Onawa man is facing charges for taking off when a Woodbury County Deputy tried to stop near Sloan Tuesday morning. The vehicle took off on a country road, reaching speeds up to 117 miles-an-hour. When the pursuit reached Salix, the driver, 36-year-old Justin Derby, lost control as he tried to avoid and oncoming semi.

Derby fled the car and was chased to a sewage lagoon where he at first refused to come out. He’s charged with driving with a barred license, speeding, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and reckless driving.

Derby and two passengers were taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. Two other passengers in the car refused treatment. The Sheriff’s Department says more charges are possible.

(Radio Iowa)

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports a Guthrie County man was arrested on an outstanding warrant. 32-year old Patrick Lawrence Nolte, of Menlo, faces a Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Deliver, charge. The charge is the result of an investigation into an incident which occurred in the 2300 block of 210th Street in Audubon County, on June 25th, 2015. Stuart Police assisted with his arrest.

Nolte was transported to the Audubon County Jail and later released after appearing before a magistrate.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday), adopted an amended Fiscal Year 2016 County Budget and FY 2016 Iowa DOT/Secondary Roads Budget. The amendment includes a revenue increase of $1.828-million dollars and expenditure increase of just over $1.016-million.

Cass County Engineer Charles Marker explained part of the revenue increases came from Road Use Tax Fund (Gas Tax) monies from the State. The funds came in during after the FY 2016 budget was prepared, and amounts to $500,000. Of that, Marker said $200,000 was used for the purchase of additional road rock, the rest was allocated for three, sub-standard bridges. Work on those bridges will be conducted this summer.

Marker said the extra dollars from the Road Use Tax Fund are “greatly appreciated.” Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman explained other changes include increases of $25,000 Public Safety and Legal Services. Capital Projects and Debt Service also figured into the amendment.

In other business, the Cass County Board of Supervisors approved a contract with Rasmussen Mechanical Services for the courthouse boiler and burner project.

Cass County Engineer Charles Marker reports a bridge located a couple of miles south of Interstate 80 in Pymosa Township was closed immediately today (Wednesday) following an inspection. The high truss bridge is located on Chicago Road near Buck Creek Road, not far from the Buck Creek Church. Marker said their inspection revealed a wooden “pile cap” on the northeast corner of the bridge has shattered, making it unsafe.

Their concern is that the northwest corner of the bridge, which will carry more of the weight, might soon be in a similar situation. Marker says the bridge was closed so crews can replace the pile caps.

Marker said also, the Atlantic quarry where road rock is obtained by the Secondary Roads Department, is now closed, so crews are getting rock from the Lewis Quarry and the Stennett Quarry south of Griswold.

The damaged pile cap on a high truss bridge on Chicago Rd. (Cass County Engineer’s photo)

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

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Police in Creston are investigating the theft of a rabbit. Authorities say a woman who resides in the 300 block of N. Oak Street, in Creston, reported that when she came home from work, Tuesday, one of her rabbits was missing. The loss was estimated at $35.