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Antique tractor parts dealer cited for burning tires
A Strawberry Point man who strips antique tractors for parts to resell had been illegally burning the tires from the tractors until March, when someone reported a fire on his property north of town, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Jerry Everitt, 81, has agreed to stop burning the tires and is in […]
Prairie seed farmer fined for building river levees without permission
A Winterset farmer has twice built earthen levees near rivers on his land without a permit and was recently fined $5,500, according to a recent Iowa Department of Natural Resources order. Dan Allen, founder of Allendan Seed Company, was first issued a notice of violation by the DNR in 2014 for constructing a levee along […]
Biden pledges more support for farmers, ‘the backbone of freedom’
At an Illinois farm on Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced federal assistance to alleviate costs for farmers and consumers and ensure there is enough food to meet world demand as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. Biden said he will double the recently announced federal funding to boost domestic fertilizer production. He also pledged to extend […]
Iowa COVID infection rate accelerating; up 50% in past week
The number of new COVID-19 infections in Iowa jumped 50% in the past week, with an average of about 453 confirmed cases per day, according to data published Wednesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health. The state recorded 3,172 new cases for the past week, up from 2,114 the previous week. It’s unclear how […]
Prime corn yields are likely gone for Iowa farmers, agronomist says
Corn farmers in Iowa are unlikely to net the high yields of recent years because their planting has been delayed significantly by cold and rain, according to an Iowa State University agronomist. The impact of that delay will depend heavily on farmers’ progress in the next two weeks and weather conditions for the next several […]
Iowa corn planting now two weeks behind average
Farmers eager to plant corn were further delayed this past week by cold and rain and are now two weeks behind the five-year average, according to a Monday report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It’s a crucial time for the corn crop because the optimum planting window is closing, according to Iowa State University […]
DNR: Southeast Polk stadium builders failed to control erosion
Soil-laden stormwater runoff from the new Southeast Polk Community School District stadium site polluted a nearby creek last year because builders didn’t take enough precautions to limit erosion, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The school district agreed to pay a fine of $6,000 for the November 2021 violation, a DNR administrative order […]
Judge denies governor’s request to dismiss public records lawsuit
A lawsuit brought by Iowa Capital Dispatch and others against Gov. Kim Reynolds that alleges her office repeatedly failed to comply with the state’s Open Records Law will proceed, a judge ruled Friday. Reynolds sought to dismiss the lawsuit, in part because her office provided some of the records after the lawsuit was filed in […]
Bird flu isn’t as bad this year because of Iowa’s response, ag officials say
The current outbreak of highly contagious and deadly avian influenza has affected far more flocks and states this year than the last outbreak seven years ago, but the number of birds that have been culled this year is fewer. Why? Iowa. In the 2014-2015 outbreak, Iowa accounted for about two-thirds of the more than 50 […]
Credit union exec gets prison for $1.5M embezzlement but must repay $1,000
The former chief executive of a now-defunct western Iowa credit union was sentenced Wednesday to up to 15 months of federal imprisonment for a decades-long scheme to embezzle nearly $1.5 million, according to court records. However, Janine Keim, 69, of Denison, was only ordered to repay $1,000 because federal prosecutors were unable to prove how […]
Grassley demurs on his role in potential Roe reversal
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley was reticent in a call with reporters Wednesday about his role in the anticipated overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark court decision that made abortions widely available in the United States. “You never know what they’re going to do,” Grassley said of Supreme Court nominees he has supported. “You look […]
Iowa COVID cases up 23% in past week
The state averaged a little more than 300 new confirmed COVID-19 cases per day in the past week, a 23% increase over the previous week, according to Iowa Department of Public Health data released Wednesday. That continues an upward trend since late March, when the number of weekly cases had diminished to one of the […]