Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An arbitrator has sided with Iowa state employees who objected to a state proposal that would have forced them to pay up to 15 percent of their monthly health care premiums. The arbitrator sided with the employees’ union yesterday, saying the employee union’s proposal to instead pay $20 a month toward their health care premiums was the most reasonable. Republican Governor Terry Branstad’s office says the decision will “cost the Iowa taxpayers an additional $24 million.”

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City woman has pleaded guilty to helping Jamal Dean flee after he shot a Sioux City police officer. The Sioux City Journal reports that 34-year-old Evette Morris-Hernandez entered her plea Friday in federal court. She is one of eight people indicted for their roles in helping Dean leave town after he shot Sioux City police Officer Kevin McCormick April 29th, 2013.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Des Moines police officer who served more than two years in prison following a string of arrests is back behind bars. The Register reports that officer Brandon Singleton tested positive for methamphetamine twice this month, prompting a parole violation complaint that put him back in the Polk County Jail after he was paroled on January 13th.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A house fire in Waterloo has sent two people to the hospital. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that firefighters rescued a man and a woman from a burning Waterloo home around 3:30 yesterday morning.

341 AM CDT SUN MAR 15 2015

…EXTREME FIRE DANGER OVER CENTRAL IOWA THIS AFTERNOON…

LOW HUMIDITY AND STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS COMBINED WITH DRY FUELS WILL LEAD TO A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER SITUATION THIS AFTERNOON OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN IOWA.

SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-RINGGOLD COUNTIES…

RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS!

Counties in the pinkish-red color are under a Red Flag Warning this afternoon. The flesh colored counties are in a Fire Weather Watch. (3/15/15)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* WIND…SOUTHWEST WINDS SUSTAINED 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AS LOW AS 19 PERCENT.

* FUEL…90 TO 100 PERCENT CURED.

* IMPACTS…ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SPREAD RAPIDLY. ANY OUTDOOR BURNING IS HIGHLY DISCOURAGED AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED TODAY.

* TIMING…SHORTLY AFTER NOON CONDITIONS WILL BECOME FAVORABLE FOR RAPID FIRE GROWTH. THIS WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON ENDING IN THE EARLY EVENING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW…OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS…LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

308 PM CDT SAT MAR 14 201: Counties affected – Monona & Harrison in western IA

RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR EASTERN NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF WEST-CENTRAL IOWA…

* WINDS…SOUTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AS LOW AS 19 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS…ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL SPREAD RAPIDLY AND QUICKLY BECOME OUT OF CONTROL. OUTDOOR BURNING WILL NOT BE RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW…OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS…LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AND WARM TEMPERATURES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

AREA COUNTIES: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FIRE WEATHER WATCH, IN EFFECT FROM NOON UNTIL 7-P.M., SUNDAY, FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS.

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH is in effect from Noon until 8-p.m. Sunday for FREMONT, MILLS, MONTGOMERY, PAGE, POTTAWATTAMIE & SHELBY COUNTIES.

* WIND…SOUTHWEST WINDS SUSTAINED 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY…20 TO 25 PERCENT…AS LOW AS 19 PERCENT. * FUEL…90 TO 100 PERCENT CURED.

* IMPACTS…ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SPREAD RAPIDLY. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR. LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE RED FLAG WARNINGS.

A rural Pottawattamie County family’s estate has donated a huge sum of money to the Neola Fire and Rescue Department. According to the Daily NonPareil, the Helen Darrington estate made a donation of $102,000 to Neola Fire and Rescue. Fire Chief Bill Schierbrock said the Darringtons were a family the department responded to a few times over the years, and the family had always donated to the department’s fundraisers in the past.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An arbitrator has sided with Iowa state employees who objected to a state proposal that would have forced them to pay up to 20 percent of their monthly health care premiums. The arbitrator sided with the employees’ union on Saturday, saying the employee union’s proposal to instead pay $20 a month toward their health care premiums was the most reasonable.

The wage proposals of both the state and union leaders were much the same. State employees will get a pay hike of about 6 percent over two years. Union president Danny Homan on Saturday lauded the decision, saying it will “help put money in the pockets of state employees.” But Gov. Terry Branstad’s office says the decision will “cost the Iowa taxpayers an additional $24 million.”

An accident on Interstate 80 eastbound in Adair County blocked one of the lanes for a little more than 40-minutes, Saturday. Stuart Fire and Rescue and Menlo Rescue were dispatched to the scene at 3-p.m., near the 92 mile marker, but Guthrie County Deputies arriving on the scene reported there were no injuries. According to scanner traffic, a vehicle, a 2011 Toyota driven by a woman from Lincoln, NE., went through the cable barrier in the median. No other details were immediately available.

The annual “Cancer in Iowa” report released Friday shows the number of skin cancer cases in Iowa has been increasing. Mary Charlton with the University of Iowa College of Public Health says it is one of the most preventable cancers, and many efforts are underway to try and reverse the trend. Charlton says there are many initiatives where groups are handing out sunscreen at events like minor league and little baseball games. “People are starting to build more shade, sort of shelters at ballparks and things like that to keep themselves protected. Wearing hats to keep them protect them, all of that is relatively simple,” Charlton says.

She says you can do a lot on your own to help keep skin cancer from becoming deadly. “Early detection is important, and just looking at your skin once a month and going in to see a health care provider who could diagnose skin cancer about once a year would help detect those lesions very early when they are more treatable,” Charlton says. Charlton is an epidemiologist and says there are many things you can do to avoid all types of cancer.

She says you can not smoke, or quit smoking, minimize your time in the sunlight or in tanning beds and eat a balanced diet. You can see the full state report on cancer at the U-I College of Public Health’s website at: www.public-health.uiowa.edu.

(Radio Iowa)

An economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture says ethanol plants are becoming more efficient. Last month, the agency increased its forecast of corn needed for ethanol by 50-million bushels, but a more recent forecast reduced it by 50-million. The USDA’s Acting Chief Economist, Rob Johansson, says this is a case of less means more. “We’re finding…we’re using less corn to make a gallon of ethanol. So, our ethanol refining is becoming more efficient,” Johansson says.

Iowa leads the nation in ethanol production, creating nearly 30-percent of all ethanol. Across the country, ethanol plants are expected to use 5.2 billion bushels of corn this year. That is 1% less than previous forecasts but nearly one-and-a-half percent more than in 2014. Iowa’s 43 ethanol plants produced 3.9 billion gallons of the fuel in 2014, a new production record, according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Chris Parks

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