(Radio Iowa) – The governor’s annual turkey pardoning ceremony highlights an industry that employs 38-thousand Iowans and produces about 12 million turkeys annually. Governor Kim Reynolds hosted the event at the governor’s mansion in Des Moines as two turkeys roamed the grounds.

There are over 130 turkey producers in Iowa. Josh and Kelli Berg of Early brought the two birds who’ve been given a Thanksgiving reprieve.

Berg’s operation now produces about a million turkeys every year. Iowa ranks 7th among the states in turkey production.

Reynolds says the industry will have an estimated 10-point-six BILLION dollar economic impact on the state this year.

(Des Moines, IA) – Iowa Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Tuesday) released a report on a special investigation of the Crossroads Behavioral Health Services for the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2024.  Crossroads is a nonprofit organization that provides outpatient mental health and addiction treatment center established to provide support, counseling, and therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and adults in service area 13. The special investigation was requested by Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) officials as a result of concerns Crossroads was misappropriating federal funds.

Sand reported the special investigation identified $167,716.23 of questioned cost incurred, $14,167.91 of improper disbursements and $194.72 of unsupported disbursements. The $167,716.23 of questioned cost incurred includes:

• $74,967.05 under Substance Use and Problem Gambling Services Integrated Provider Network grant for
unallowable expenses and unpaid reimbursements to the subcontractor,
• $65,036.44 under State Opioid Response grant for unallowable expenses and unpaid reimbursements to
the subcontractor, and
• $27,712.74 under ARPA Integrated Provider Network Supplement grant for unpaid reimbursements to the
subcontractor.

The $14,167.91 of improper disbursements identified were disbursements using County Opioid funding. The $194.72 of unsupported disbursements identified includes mileage reimbursements and supply purchases for which Crossroads could not provide supporting documentation for purchases made using County Opioid funding. Sand recommended Iowa DHHS officials implement procedures to strengthen DHHS’ internal controls and operations, such as monitoring of grant and subcontractor payments.

Copies of the report have been filed with the Polk County Attorney’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Division of Criminal Investigation. A copy of the report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at Special Interest Reports.

(Red Oak, IA) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County, today (Tuesday), received a Secondary Roads Department update from County Engineer Karen Albert.

Engineer Albert said also…

Following her report, the Board approved Chairperson Charla Schmidt’s signing of the final plans for a Low Water Crossing on 210th Street, west of L Avenue, in Montgomery County.

MCBOS Zoom meeting (Still frame image) 11-25-25

The Board also discussed a draft of the County Capital Asset Policy. Each board member acknowledged having read through the policy. Supervisor Alex Burton..

They passed a resolution adopting the policy as presented. Their next regular meeting is set for 9-a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2nd.

(Radio Iowa) – The two Iowans who serve on the House Agriculture Committee say farmers need congress to complete action on Farm Bill provisions as soon as possible. Republican Randy Feenstra of Hull represents Iowa’s fourth congressional district. It’s considered the second-most ag-intensive district in the U.S. House with nearly 30-thousand farms and other businesses that generated over 22 billion dollars worth of ag sales in 2023.

“We’re hoping that late December, early January we can finish the Farm Bill,” Feenstra said. “Now just remember when we did the Big Beautiful Bill, 85% of that Farm Bill was in that Big Beautiful Bill, so we’ve got a small percentage of conservative and research dollars that we’ve got to get passed.” Unresolved elements of the last Farm Bill, passed in 2018, were extended in this month’s funding package that reopened the federal government. However, Feenstra says some key trade promotion elements were included in this summer’s legislation.

“If we want to grow our export market, we have to make sure we have refrigeration in some of these new developing countries and there’s a lot of dollars in there to do that,” Feenstra said. “That’ll really help our poultry, our hogs, our cattle and our dairy if we can create more refrigeration around the world.” Republican Zach Nunn of Bondurant, Iowa’s third district congressman, says while congress delivered over 60 billion dollars for critical Farm Bill programs this summer, Iowa farmers need certainty and he’s pushing G-O-P leaders to move a full, five-year Farm Bill.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say it should be smooth sailing to travel Iowa’s roads on Thanksgiving Day, but some computer models are showing a wintry storm system developing on Black Friday that could make getting home a challenge. Trooper Paul Gardner, in the Iowa State Patrol’s Fort Dodge office, says motorists will need to keep a sharp eye on the forecast.  “Going to your Thanksgiving Day plans on Thursday probably won’t be a problem because it looks like, even though it will be cold out, it’ll be sunny, roads should be dry,” Gardner says, “but when we get some snow in the mix, maybe some freezing rain or ice on the roadways, that’s going to create a lot of problems.”

Radio Iowa file photo

If the threat materializes and we get a heavy snow Friday or into the weekend, Gardner says the D-O-T will be taking care of the roads and extra law officers will be out as well. “It will definitely be imperative that you watch the forecast, and watch how much snow we may be getting, and when you are on the road with icy conditions and snow that may be blowing across the roadway may be cause for some difficult driving conditions,” Gardner says. “Just play it safe, watch your speed, make sure you’re buckled up.”

A spokesman for the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau says there were 17 crashes statewide during the Thanksgiving holiday period last year that involved either serious injuries or deaths, including five people who weren’t wearing their safety belts.

(An IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH report) – Over the past five years, there have been at least 15 cases of Iowa nursing home workers being accused of taking photos or videos that violated residents’ right to privacy and dignity, an Iowa Capital Dispatch review of state records shows. The most recent case involves a northern Iowa nursing home that was cited for failing to report an employee’s allegations that a caregiver streamed video of a partially undressed resident to the social-media platform Snapchat. The Nora Springs Care Center, which is 10 miles east of Mason City, has been fined $500 for failing to report to the state inspections department an employee’s allegation of resident abuse. According to state inspectors, a certified nursing assistant was working the evening shift on Sept. 6, 2025, when she went to the care center’s shower room to obtain a wheelchair.

The CNA allegedly reported that after she knocked and opened the door to announce that she was entering the room, she saw another staffer in the room, kneeling down in front of a resident who had known cognitive issues. The CNA allegedly reported she could see that a cell phone was propped up against the wall and was recording on the Snapchat app, a social media program that streams video but typically limits the viewability of the content to a brief period before it becomes inaccessible. According to inspectors, the CNA alleged the worker who was kneeling in front of the resident appeared startled and quickly stood up. Upon fully entering the shower room, the CNA allegedly reported, she could see her own leg come into view on the video recording, and she could also see the resident’s leg on the phone screen. She allegedly stated that after she grabbed the wheelchair, she turned back to leave the room, and her colleague was standing in the doorway with no cell phone in sight.

At that point, the resident was sitting in a shower chair with a shirt and briefs on, but their pants were not fully on. The CNA left the shower room and immediately reported the incident to the nurse on duty. The resident was interviewed by the care facility’s staff three days later and allegedly stated he had no concerns regarding improper treatment and had not witnessed any improper cellphone use. According to inspectors, the facility conducted a “comprehensive investigation” that included interviews with the staffs and found “no evidence” to support the CNA’s allegations. According to the inspectors, the facility’s administrator allegedly confirmed Nora Springs Care Center had not notified the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing of the incident as required.

An Iowa Capital Dispatch review of state inspection records shows that since 2021, there have been at least 15 other instances of care facility workers taking photos or videos that resulted in the homes being cited for violating residents’ rights. In most of those cases, the photos or videos were shared with others via social media. Read more about those facilities HERE.

(Radio Iowa [w/additional info. from the Iowa Capital Dispatch]) – The U-S-D-A crop report is back after the government shutdown ended. The report shows 99 percent of Iowa’s corn crop is out of the fields making the harvest virtually complete. The southwest and south-central areas of Iowa lagged behind the rest of the state by a small percentage heading into last week. The bean harvest was at 99 percent complete in most of the state two weeks ago. The crop report says the weather has been mostly dry the last couple of weeks, allowing farmers to complete the harvest.

The national report shows the other top corn-producing states have on average just 4% left to harvest. The latest crop production report from USDA estimated corn yields were at 186 bushels per acre nationally, though the report does not include October yields due to the shutdown. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said farmers delivered a “significant crop” in 2025 despite “variable” weather conditions, disease and a challenging agricultural economy.  “Strong production requires strong markets, and we will continue working to build and diversify demand at home, across the country and around the world,” Naig said in a statement.

(Photo by Preston Keres/USDA)

According to the report, 67% of topsoil moisture and 66% of subsoil moisture across Iowa is adequate. South central Iowa has the driest soil conditions with about 60% of topsoil and subsoil short of moisture.  State Climatologist Justin Glisan said the statewide average precipitation for the Nov. 17 through Nov. 23 reporting period was 0.20 inch. That means precipitation was about half of the normal of 0.43 inch. Glisan said the statewide average temperature for the period at 43.8 degrees Fahrenheit was 6.1 degrees above the normal.

(DES MOINES, IA) — Fareway Stores, Inc. and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation announced Monday (Nov. 24th) the donation of a truckload of protein to Iowa’s six Feeding America food banks as part of their annual Meat the Need partnership. The donation, delivered Monday morning to the Food Bank of Iowa, includes 23 pallets totaling 25,000 pounds of protein —the equivalent of 100,000 servings for Iowans in need. Dos Rios taco meat (12,000 lbs.) was secured through a partnership with Two Rivers, while the ground pork portion (13,000 lbs.) was purchased from Webster City Custom Meats.

Jeff Cook, Vice President of Retail Market Operations with Fareway Stores, Inc., said “Fareway is honored to join forces with the Iowa Farm Bureau for the fourth year of Meat the Need. Together, we’re making a meaningful impact by providing protein to families who need it most. This donation reflects our ongoing commitment to serving the communities where
our employees and customers live.”

Brent Johnson, Iowa Farm Bureau President, Tami Nielsen, President & CEO, Food Bank of Iowa & Jeff Cook, Vice President of Retail Market Operations, Fareway Stores, Inc.

2025 marks the fourth consecutive year of the Meat the Need initiative, which ensures families across Iowa have access to essential protein during a critical time of year. Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson said “Iowa farmers take great pride in growing and raising the food that supports our communities. Food insecurity is a challenge that many families are currently facing, and Iowa Farm bureau is proud to partner with Fareway again to ‘Meat the Need’ and provide fresh, high-quality protein to those who need support.”

(Radio Iowa) – Four of the Republicans running for governor appeared at an Ida County G-O-P event last (Monday) night and three of them focused the crowd’s attention on the competitor in the race who wasn’t there. Zach Lahn, a businessman from Belle Plaine, mentioned Congressman Randy Feenstra as he was talking about the proposed carbon pipeline.

“The last time I heard him talk about this, he said, we ‘shouldn’t use eminent domain.’ I’m sorry, that’s not strong enough,” Lahn said. “You are disqualified from this from that answer alone.”

Feenstra held a meet and greet at a Pizza Ranch in Mason City last (Monday) night. Pastor Brad Sherman said he had hoped Feenstra would show up in Holstein and clarify his views on issues. Adam Steen, former director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, said people want answers, not absence. State Representative Eddie Andrews is the other candidate for governor who spoke in Holstein last (Monday) night.

The five candidates running for Feenstra’s seat in the U-S House were there, too. Each candidate for governor and for congress was given 10 minutes to speak and some used part of their time to answer questions from the crowd.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds will present former Governor Terry Branstad with the Iowa Award next month. It’s the state’s highest citizen honor. Reynolds says Branstad’s commitment to public service is unrivaled and no one is more deserving of the honor. Branstad was the nation’s youngest governor when he was first elected in 1982. In December of 2015, during his fifth term, Branstad became the nation’s longest serving governor.

Branstad chose Reynolds to be his running mate for his 2010 campaign and return to the governor’s office and she became governor when he resigned in mid-2017 to serve as U-S Ambassador to China. Former President Herbert Hoover was the first recipient of the Iowa Award, in 1951.

Former Governor Terry Branstad retired in early 2025 after a two year stint as president of the World Food Prize Foundation. (World Food Prize photo)

Branstad will be the 26th Iowan to receive it. Branstad says he’s honored and very pleased to be named on a list of very distinguished Iowans. Seven of the were named Iowa Award recipients by Branstad during his nearly 22-and-a-half years as governor.

Governor Reynolds will present the Iowa Award to Branstad during a ceremony in the Iowa Capitol on December 11th.