Briefs
Tuberville blockade of military nominees roils hearing for top Air Force official
WASHINGTON — The Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday conducted a nomination hearing for the next U.S. Air Force chief of staff, a key appointment caught up in the more than 300 military promotions currently blocked by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy. Gen. David W. Allvin, now vice chief […]
Conditions of Iowa crops decline as they reach maturity
Crop conditions continue to decline in Iowa due to a lack of rainfall and available soil moisture, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Monday. Only 21% of the state’s topsoil has adequate moisture for growing crops. Last week, the average rainfall in Iowa was 0.07 inches, far short of the typical 0.84 […]
Food and Drug Administration approves COVID boosters for upcoming season
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the latest round of COVID-19 boosters, as public health officials brace for another cold and flu season. An advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to vote on recommendations Tuesday, the final step in the process before people will […]
Trump, holding wide lead in latest caucus poll, returns to Iowa Saturday
Former President Donald Trump was headed Saturday to Iowa, where a new poll shows no other candidates have neared his large lead among likely GOP caucusgoers. Trump was scheduled to make an appearance this afternoon at Iowa State University in Ames, where tens of thousands are gathered for the Iowa-Iowa State football game. He rallied […]
Biden to nominate former FAA deputy to lead aviation agency
President Joe Biden chose a new nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday, months after the U.S. Senate blocked his first choice. Biden intends to nominate Michael G. Whitaker, an executive at Supernal, a company working on an electric air vehicle, and a former deputy FAA administrator during President Barack Obama’s administration, according […]
Drought now encompasses 91% of Iowa
Drought conditions in Iowa worsened last week amid a continuing lack of rainfall, according to a U.S. Drought Monitor report on Thursday. More than 91% of Iowa is now suffering from some degree of drought, up from 80% a week ago. Much of that shift happened in central and southwestern parts of the state. Extreme […]
Less than half of Iowa corn and soybeans rated ‘good’ or better
The overall condition of the state’s two primary crops has declined precipitously in the past two weeks amid ongoing heat and dryness, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Tuesday. There was virtually no rainfall in the state last week, State Climatologist Justin Glisan reported. The highest precipitation total was 0.05 inches in […]
Iowa Flood Center receives $1 million to expand monitoring for droughts, floods
The University of Iowa’s Iowa Flood Center will use $1 million awarded through Congress’s Community Project Funding to expand its ability to monitor flooding and droughts and manage watersheds. Announced Tuesday in a news release, the funding will go toward the addition of 30 new hydrostations to its network, which includes counties in eastern and […]
Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19; President, testing negative, maintains schedule
WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Monday night, the White House said in a statement. Biden has mild symptoms and will spend the week at home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the White House said. President Joe Biden tested negative Monday night and Tuesday. He will continue to be tested “at a […]
Summit will present its witnesses this week for pipeline permit
A new phase of Summit Carbon Solutions’ evidentiary hearing for its pipeline permit is poised to begin Tuesday. The company plans to call its 15 witnesses to testify over the course of four days, according to the Iowa Utilities Board. The hearing is a final component of the IUB’s process for weighing the company’s application […]
State says psychologist won’t respond to patient-abandonment complaint
An eastern Iowa psychologist is facing disciplinary charges related to allegations of patient abandonment. The Iowa Board of Psychology alleges that in June 2022, it received a complaint that licensed psychologist Tracy Ksiazak of Iowa City had abandoned a juvenile patient by failing to respond to inquiries on the patient’s behalf. In August and October […]
DNR issues two fines for stream contamination from construction sites
State regulators recently levied fines for construction sites of a housing development and a community college where soil wasn’t properly controlled and eroded into waterways. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recently fined the Indian Hills Community College Development Corp. $4,000 for soil runoff from the Indian Hills site in Centerville, where a new academic […]