One person was transported by Mercy Air One helicopter to the hospital following a rollover accident late Tuesday night, in Page County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2015 Chevy Camaro driven by 20-year old Austin Michael Larson, of Shenandoah, was traveling west on Highway 2 at around 10:35-p.m., when the car overtook a vehicle on the right, outside the lane of travel.

The Camaro went out of control and skidded sideways before it entered the ditch, where it rolled several times, and hit a utility pole. The car came to rest on its top in a bean field. Larson was not wearing a seat belt. He was flown to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. There was no immediate word on his condition.

Shenandoah Police and the Page County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.

Governor Kim Reynolds says she’ll wait until later this fall to decide if she needs to call legislators back to Des Moines to deal with the state budget. A Legislative Services Agency report released Monday indicates state tax collections during the past 12 months were below expectations by more than $104 million. Reynolds says there’s a lot of number crunching going on and she’ll wait until the end of September before making any decisions about a special session.

“You know, there are different numbers, so we’re continuing to work on that. We’re watching it every day and we won’t know for sure until September 30. We’re hopeful that we can get it below $50 million, then I can just transfer from the Economic Emergency Cash Reserve, but if not, we would be required to call a special session,” Reynolds said.

The governor has the authority to transfer up to $50 million from the state’s Economic Emergency Fund to cover a deficit. By the end of September, when all the calculations are completed – if the deficit is larger than $50 million, the governor will be forced to call a special session. Reynolds said she won’t think about making a call for a special session until September 30th.

Governor Kim Reynolds and House Speaker Linda Upmeyer talk with people prior to the start of Clear Lake’s Fourth of July parade

Reynolds said she’ll do everything possible NOT to call legislators back to Des Moines to deal with a budget issue. “I’d prefer not to, I mean, we hope we’ll be able to keep it under $50 million. But if we have to, we have to. What we’re focused on is turning this economy around and getting it growing again,” Reynolds said.

According to Reynolds, the Revenue Estimating Conference has had a tough job in the last couple of years projecting what will happen with the state’s finances. “They’re continually looking at (the financial situation) with the Department of Revenue. Every time they feel like they find it, there’s some other anomaly that pops out, so every day are continuing to look at how we can better forecast that, but it’s 18 months out. With this economy the way it’s been…and it’s just not because of agriculture. It’s the purchasing habits of Iowans, they’re going online. So it’s a combination of things,” Reynolds said.

The bottom line, Reynolds added, is when the agricultural community stumbles financially, it has a great impact on the Iowa economy. “It’s not the only factor, but it certainly plays a role in what we’re seeing,” Reynolds said. “When farmers aren’t making money, they don’t purchase the way they typically do. Even Casey’s (General Store) is feeling the repercussions of a stumbling ag economy.”

Reynolds made her comments before participating in the Fourth of July parade in Clear Lake on Tuesday.

(Radio Iowa)

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports an investigation into the illegal sale of methamphetamine, resulted in the arrest late Tuesday night, of a woman from Shenandoah. 35-year old Barbra Lea Johnson was arrested by Fremont County Deputies and the Fremont County K9 Unit.  Johnson was brought to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center and held on a $50,000 cash only, bond.

Barbra L Johnson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:50 a.m. CDT

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dubuque city leaders may end up paying more than $283,000 to 16 manufacturers that are seeking rebates on natural gas franchise fees. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that the city council will review the proposed legal settlement on Wednesday. Council members passed a 2 percent natural gas franchise fee in 2003, which provided a rebate for companies exempt from taxes on natural gas used in manufacturing. The 16 companies argued they were unaware of the exemption until 2013.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man lost his hand in a fireworks mishap in northwestern Iowa. The Sioux City Journal reports that Sioux City fire officials responded to the incident around 8 p.m. Monday on the city’s north side. Assistant Fire Chief Dan Cougill says the man had been shooting off fireworks. The man was taken to a local hospital.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — One person was killed and two others were injured in a single-vehicle rollover crash in northern Iowa. The Winneshiek County sheriff’s office says 25-year-old Justin Vincek died at the scene of the crash around 4:20 p.m. Sunday on a county road. Authorities say 24-year-old Casey Buxengard was driving a sports utility vehicle east when he lost control and entered the north ditch. Buxengard and Vincek were ejected. Another passenger, 26-year-old Lindsey Buxengard, was able to crawl out of the SUV.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Farmers can learn more about keeping their soil healthy at one of dozens of field workshops this summer and fall. The Soil Health Partnership is planning about 70 field days in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

This is the time of year when armies of pesky ants often invade Iowans’ kitchens and homes. Entomologist Jody Green says there are many types of ants but the small black ones are most common around Iowa. They can typically be seen marching in a line on kitchen tables and countertops.

“They’re really good at following that pheromone,” Green says. “They find something and they leave a little chemical trail and they all follow it, so it’s like an ant parade.” She says there are great commercial products available to get rid of ants but first you need to find their entry point.

“See where they’re coming in and out and get a sugar ant bait,” Green says. “Liquid ant bait is great. You can get them at any hardware store very cheaply. Make sure you bait them close to where their trail is and off your counter. You want it closer to the window or door or crack where they’re coming in because they’re often coming from outside.” The ants will carry the poison back to the colony and they will die within about a week. Green says the large, black carpenter ants can cause more serious problems.

“They do nest in rotten wood or moisture-damaged wood and they can forage long trails long distances,” Green says. “A lot of times, if there’s trees outside or rotten wood, they’ll come in. Occasionally, they’ll nest in the structure and that’s something for which you’ll want to get a professional.” Green says smaller black or yellow ants are the ones you tend to see marching in a line and those are much easier to get rid of using a commercial bait.

(Radio Iowa)