SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa inmate in Sioux City has been placed on escape status after failing to return from his work release detail on New Year’s Day. The Sioux City Journal reports that 29-year-old Timothy Raymond Denney was staying at the Department Corrections Work Release facility in Sioux City following a conviction for second-degree robbery and going armed with intent.

People in work-release can leave the facility for a certain amount of time for jobs. Denney was transferred to work release on Oct. 8. His sentence was for 15 years. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 712-279-6960.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — At least one Iowa state lawmaker plans to push legislation this session that would provide direct funding for food banks in Iowa. Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports that Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, is drafting such a bill for the 2015 session.

Others, including Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, support a state plan already in place that allows for up to $1 million in state money as matching funds for private donations to food banks. Branstad has pointed to the $150,000 in state funding last year that matched the $150,000 donated by CN Railroad to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank in Waterloo.

The food bank’s director, Barb Prather, says the $300,000 was used to buy better quality food for the charitable food bank, like canned chicken, tuna and fruit.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City woman and her two dogs are safe after escaping a house fire. Sioux City firefighters responded to a report of the fire around 7:30 p.m. Friday and arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the house.

Sioux City Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Brad Robinson says the woman was able to round up her two dogs and get out of the house shortly after seeing the flames. The fire was quickly extinguished, and no one was injured. Robinson said the American Red Cross is helping the woman find shelter and clothing.

Nebraska and Iowa are among those states preparing for another blast of wintry weather this weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for much of eastern Nebraska and most of Iowa beginning Saturday evening through Sunday morning. The weather service says the region could see light snow accumulations of 1 to 2 inches in northern areas and up to 4 inches further south.

But the weather service says high winds and plummeting temperatures will make for dangerous conditions for travelers and anyone venturing outdoors. Temperatures are expected to drop to near zero by midnight and into Sunday morning, and wind chills could fall to 20-below zero.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An old Danish windmill is the pride of Elk Horn, Iowa, but decades after it was moved from Denmark, residents are struggling to pay for repairs to get the structure’s blades turning again. Windmill manager Lisa Riggs noticed last spring that something was wrong with the 168-year-old windmill, dismantled in Denmark and reassembled in 1975.

An inspection determined the harsh weather had caused some of the mechanics that attach to the giant sails to shift, forcing the blades to be stopped. Despite its popularity, Riggs says it’s tough for a little town to raise the $25,000 to $100,000 needed for repairs.

Mayor Stan Jens says the windmill has given Elk Horn a huge lift, and it’s essential to get the blades turning again.

Several weather systems will move through Iowa the next three days. The first, and widely advertised snowfall will begin late this afternoon in northwest Iowa and move southeast throughout the state as the night goes on. All of Iowa could see freezing drizzle before the snow arrives tonight, but little to no ice accumulation is expected. Once the snow starts it should be light with amounts of 1-2 inches common across most of the state.

Expected snowfall totals thru 6-a.m. Tue., 1/6/15

Icy spots will develop on area roadways. Motorists are advised to anticipate the slipper conditions and to please drive with care. As the snow ends, strong winds of 20-30 miles an hour will cause dangerous wind chills and blowing snow conditions overnight and on Sunday. By Monday, a second clipper storm system will also move through north central and northeast Iowa dropping even more snow.

(Iowa Storm Chasing Network)

Officials with the Woodbine Community School District have announced their intentions to begin talks with officials from Boyer Valley about staff sharing options after having discussions with other area school districts. Superintendent Justin Wagner, who is working in Woodbine as part of a sharing agreement with Harlan, told The Daily NonPareil it’s important that Woodbine maximize the amount of sharing dollars it can receive from the state by exploring sharing for administrative and business office positions.

The flu isn’t the only nasty thing that’s spread across Iowa in recent weeks. Geoff Greenwood, a spokesman for the Iowa Attorney General, says phone scams continue to be a problem. “We’re getting calls, dozens of calls every day from people who are reporting some kind of impersonation or imposter scam,” Greenwood says. Greenwood says they are cold or random calls to people across the state.

“They pick up the phone, the person on the other end of the line says I’m with the I-R-S or I’m with the sheriff’s office or I’m with your energy company, you owe us money and you need to pay us right now or you risk getting arrested before the end of the day,” Greenwood explains. “They are threatening phone calls, they demand action now.” He says one of the keys that the calls are a scam is the caller is urgent that you pay immediately.

They want you to give them a credit card number or a debit card number, or a prepaid money card number, in some cases even wiring them money, and then they say you won’t get arrested. These are all scam calls, they are very effective calls,” Greenwood says. He says the calls may’ve picked up this time of year because they can catch people at home for the holidays. And he says technology has improved to allow the scammers to hide their identities.

“They’re able to mask their numbers through what they call spoofing. So, it may look on your caller I-D as if you really are getting a phone call from the I-R-S or from some number. But it’s really an overseas call, the number is made up and is certainly not their phone number,” according to Greenwood. “It adds to the scam, it makes it more believable, and unfortunately people are falling for it.” Greenwood says the high pressure tactics asking you to pay and the call itself are an indication the caller is running a scam.

“The I-R-S is not going to cold call you and tell you that you owe back taxes or penalties and that you need to pay now. The same goes for your the local sheriff’s office and any other governmental agency,” Greenwood says. “They are going to deal with you through the mail, if necessary certified mail. They are not going to call you at home or on your cellphone.”

(Radio Iowa)

351 AM CST SAT JAN 3 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST SUNDAY FOR: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD COUNTIES.

MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS: WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM CST SUNDAY...

* TIMING…THIS EVENING INTO LATE TONIGHT.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW/ICE ACCUMULATIONS…1 TO 2 INCHES WITH SOME HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY…NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS TO 40 MPH OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. VISIBILITIES MAY REDUCED TO ONE HALF MILE OR LESS AT TIMES IN THE SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW OVERNIGHT.

* IMPACTS…HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR MIXED PRECIPITATION…SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW AS ICY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TONIGHT. BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS ARE ALSO EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW…OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING SNOW MEANS THAT VISIBILITIES WILL BE LIMITED DUE TO STRONG WINDS BLOWING SNOW AROUND. USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING…ESPECIALLY IN OPEN AREAS.

MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (AP) — DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is reopening all public roads to allow ice fishing access on DeSoto Lake. When conditions permit, DeSoto Lake is open to ice fishing from Jan. 2 through the end of February each year – the time period between the fall and spring bird migrations. Anglers must determine for themselves whether the surface ice is thick enough for safe fishing. A general guideline is a minimum of 4 inches of clear and solid ice for foot travel and ice fishing.

If there are waterfowl using the lake in January and February, ice fishing may be barred from small areas of the lake. DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge sits 25 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska, on U.S. Highway 30, between Missouri Valley, Iowa, and Blair, Nebraska.