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Drought conditions improve across state

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

March 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The recent snow and rains have helped push back some of the drought conditions in the state. D-N-R Hydrologist, Tim Hall, the rainfall has been good to see. “The statewide average over the last seven days, three times the normal rainfall for that seven day period. And for the month of March, we’re ahead of normal. And so those things are all reflected in the U-S Drought Monitor this week,” Hall says. Northeast Iowa remains the driest area of the state, but the picture is better than last week.

“Almost 20 percent of the state was designated as D-3 extreme drought. And now that’s down to 12 percent,” he says. Hall says it is good to see the dry weather turnaround in March. “Every month that goes by between March and April in May and June, the monthly precipitation averages go up. So that’s why it’s really critical when we get above normal rainfall in March, because March is a pretty wet month, and even more so for April and even more so for May,” Halls says. He says the past few years a promising start to spring didn’t pan out.

“We’ve seen really encouraging early spring and late winter rainfalls, but then the tap has been shut off. And we’ve missed out on April May and June rainfalls over the past few years,” he says. “So we’re really hoping that this will set a trend that will allow us to see above normal rainfall in April and then May and then June. And that’ll go a long ways toward getting some significant areas of drought wiped off the map here.”

The Drought Monitor shows the areas of the state not reporting any drought have gone from just more than two percent to now just under ten percent.

Sleepy driver sideswipes a pickup in Creston

News

March 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – A vehicle traveling east on Highway 25 in Creston, Thursday morning (March 28th), sideswiped an unoccupied 2022 Ford Fleet pickup truck, causing a total of $4,000 damage. The Creston Police Department says the accident happened at around 7:15-a.m.  No injuries were reported.

Officials say 26-year-old Michaela Tabitha Ann Gellerman, of Missouri Valley, was driving a 2004 GMC Yukon SUV, when she fell asleep at the wheel. The vehicle struck the pickup, which was legally parked in the south lane facing east, with lights flashing, because the operator was working in the area at the time.

The SUV was in the north lane passing the pickup, when the accident occurred. No citations were issued.

(Update 3/28/24) Montgomery County fertilizer spill killed more than 749,000 fish

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

RED OAK  – The fertilizer spill near Red Oak in Montgomery County earlier this month killed nearly all the fish in an almost 50-mile stretch of the East Nishnabotna River to the Missouri border.

On March 11, NEW Cooperative, Inc. in Red Oak notified the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of a release occurring on-site. Approximately 1,500 tons (265,000 gallons) of liquid nitrogen fertilizer (32% solution) discharged into a drainage ditch, then into the East Nishnabotna River. The release occurred due to an aboveground storage tank valve left open for the weekend.

Upon learning of the release, DNR staff from the Environmental Field Office worked with the NEW Cooperative staff to stop the release and began cleanup efforts. DNR Fisheries staff began investigating the impacts to the Nishnabotna River.

DNR Fisheries staff documented the fish kill occurring in all 49.8 miles of the East Nishnabotna and Nishnabotna Rivers downstream of the spill. The kill continued in Missouri’s portion of the Nishnabotna River and ended near the confluence with the Missouri River.

DNR Fisheries staff used methods outlined in American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 35, and 571 Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 113 to evaluate the extent of the fish kill and estimate the number of dead fish. The rules and the use of the American Fisheries Society’s methodology are authorized by Iowa Code section 481A.151.

The fish kill count as of March 28th is below. Investigations of the release’s impact to other aquatic life are ongoing.

Species Number of Fish
Minnow Shiner Dace Chub 707,871
Suckers 1,542
Goldeye 201
Common Carp 9,255
Carpsucker 14,500
Buffalo 4
Sauger 199
Channel Catfish 7,681
Flathead Catfish 264
Green Sunfish 935
Silver Carp 67
Largemouth Bass 69
Grass Carp, diploid 6,654
Total 749,242

Cleanup efforts at the NEW Cooperative facility are ongoing. Contaminated soils continue to be removed from the facility and from around a levee west of the facility. The contaminated soils will be land applied at approved locations, at agronomic rates consistent with Iowa law. Additionally, NEW Cooperative is pumping water from the east side of the levee. The pumped water will be stored in on-site holding tanks until land application can occur. A third-party consultant is collecting samples of the water-fertilizer mixture to determine accurate land application rates.

Per Iowa Code section 455B.186, a pollutant cannot be discharged into a river without a permit. DNR field staff are working with the DNR’s Legal Services Bureau to determine next steps with regards to enforcement action and restitution for lost aquatic life. The DNR will continue to monitor cleanup efforts.

Field test results indicate ammonia levels are declining in the river. The DNR continues to advise people to avoid recreating on the river and collecting and/or eating dead fish found on or near the river.

Deede, Welker Named USA Wrestling Wrestler of the Year Finalists

Sports

March 28th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa women’s wrestlers Marylnne Deede and Kylie Welker have been named finalist for the USA Wrestling Women’s College Wrestler of the Year award, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon.

2024 will be the second year that this award is presented, and it is the top award in women’s collegiate wrestling.

Deede, a senior finished the 2023-24 season as the NCWWC National Champion at 155 lbs. The Springville, Utah, native had a 14-0 record in her first season with the Hawkeyes including six pins and five technical falls. Deede finished her collegiate career with an 86-19 record and is a five-time all-American and a two time national champion.

Welker, a sophomore had a 23-1 record in the inaugural season for the Hawkeyes. She is the 2024 NCWWC National Champion at 170 lbs. The Franksville, Wisconsin, native had 16 tech. falls and six pins in the 2023-24 season.

Both Deede and Welker were a key part of the Hawkeyes’ National Dual and NCWWC National Championship team titles. Both will represent Iowa in the 2024 Olympic team trials at Penn State in April.

The award will be selected by a vote from three major constituent groups: wrestling journalists, women’s college head coaches and the fans. Each of these groups will account for one-third of the vote. Fan voting opens today and runs through 9 a.m. CT on Wednesday, April 3, at https://usawrestlingevents.com/wcwoty. The winner of 2024 USA Wrestling’s Women’s College Wrestler of the Year will again be announced on FloWrestling on Thursday, April 4 at 11 a.m. CT.

Baltimore bridge collapse could be catastrophic for shipping Iowa goods

News

March 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – This week’s deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge may have significant ripple effects in Iowa, as that Maryland port is a vital link in the supply chain for getting Iowa’s commodities and a range of products to overseas markets.

Iowa U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s concerned that as long as that port is blocked by the wreckage and out of commission, the effects will be widespread.

“There’s a lot of heavy manufacturing and even some grain leaving Iowa through the Baltimore port,” Grassley says, “so it’s going to have a catastrophic impact on the economy.”

Grassley says it’s possible Iowa companies that need to ship their commodities or products overseas via the East Coast can use another port, but most of them are farther away which would likely mean higher costs.

“There’s alternatives, but those alternatives, like Philadelphia, someplace in New Jersey, maybe New York, are possibilities, maybe even Charleston, South Carolina,” Grassley says, “but it’s just going to be a detrimental impact and it’s not going to be short term.”

It’s still unclear how many people died when the bridge fell, perhaps six. Recovery operations are underway. There are calls for Congress to pass an emergency spending measure to pay for rebuilding the bridge, which collapsed early Tuesday after a support tower was slammed by a massive cargo ship, which was apparently malfunctioning.

“I would vote yes on this,” Grassley says. “One question we have, is there any insurance that the shipping company might have that ought to pay for that bridge? I think it’s worth looking into, so we don’t spend the taxpayers’ money. If somebody’s at fault for doing this and they have insurance, they ought to pay for it.”

Early estimates say rebuilding the bridge could cost $2-billion dollars and take a minimum of two years, possibly much longer.

Another attempt to expand benefits for Iowa first responders

News

March 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Lawmakers in the Iowa House are making another attempt to change benefits for first responders covered by Iowa’s municipal retirement system.

Under current law, firefighters, police and EMTs are eligible for disability as well as death benefits if they’re diagnosed with one of 14 types of cancer. Earlier this year, the House unanimously approved a bill to extend disability and death benefits for Iowa police and firefighters diagnosed with any type of cancer, but the plan failed to pass a senate committee by a mid-March deadline. Today, the same bill cleared the House Ways and Means Committee. Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton is the committee’s chairman.

“Our sixth and hopefully final time at attempting to provide parity in the 411 system for our police officers and firefighters,” Kaufmann said. “This is not an exercise in futility. I have expectations of a real hearing in the (Senate), which is something we have not received in the past five years.”

Brandon Pflanzer, secretary/treasurer of Iowa Professional Firefighters, thanked House lawmakers for taking this step.

“What it really is about is fairness. It’s about making sure that we are public employees — firefighters, police officers, EMS providers cross the state of Iowa have the same workers compensation benefits as those in the private sector. Right now that’s not true,” he said. “It also is about fairness in recognizing the risks that our members take and how it lives with them throughout the rest of their life for the service they provide.”

Waterloo Police Captain Jason Feaker, second vice president of Iowa State Police Officers Association, said the group’s pleased the bill also requires local governments to cover the costs of mental health evaluations as part of the annual physicals for first responders. The bill also says police and firefighters qualify for accidental disability benefits if a mental injury is linked to an on-duty incident.

“This will help us get on track with the PTSD that a lot of our members deal with daily,” he said.

According to the National Institutes of Health, about a third of first responders have PTSD at some point in their careers.

Child Care Provider Training to be offered in Atlantic April 25th

News

March 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County (IA) Extension Office is excited to be partnering with Leah Brooke, Extension Food and Health Specialist, to host a Gardening with Children childcare provider training on Thursday, April 25th, 2024. The training will be offered from 6:30 – 8:30 PM and will be held at the Cass County Community Center, 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic, IA.

Can digging in the dirt be good for children? Yes, when it encourages children to taste new vegetables that they’ve helped to grow. Gardening with children promotes a healthy lifestyle, early learning experiences, social development, and environmental stewardship. Participants will engage in hands-on-learning gardening activities through stations featuring crafts, literacy, container gardening, and taste testing.

Partial funding for this training is provided by Boost 4 Families Early Childhood Iowa. All participants will receive a FREE kids’ gardening tool set for attending! Participants can register for the training at: https://go.iastate.edu/YUEA6U. Registration deadline: April 22nd. Cost is $10.00 per trainee. Registration in I-PoWeR is also required.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers regular professional development training for childcare providers, outlining best practices relative to nutrition, physical activity, health, and safety for children in their care. The trainings are appropriate for staff at childcare centers, preschools, and home childcare providers. Each training offers 2 hours credit for childcare license renewal approved by Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). A full list of all upcoming trainings, offered both online and across the state, can be found online at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/cc-provider.

To learn more or to ask questions, contact Leah Brooke, Food and Health Specialist, at lbrooke@iastate.edu or call (712) 623-2592. You may also contact the Cass County Extension Office at (712) 243-1132 or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark focused on the NCAA Tournament

Sports

March 28th, 2024 by Seth Tiegs

Iowa star Caitlin Clark says she is focused on the present and not what lies ahead. USA Basketball announced Clark has been added to the roster of the U-S Women’s team that will take part in training camp next week leading up to the Summer Olympics in Paris. She is also expected to be the top pick in next month’s WNBA Draft. Clark and her second ranked Hawkeyes prepare to face Colorado on Saturday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in Albany, New York, after edging West Virginia in her final game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

 

West Virginia bottled up Iowa’s high scoring offense with pressure defense and Clark says the Hawkeyes can expect more of the same going forward.

 

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder says Clark continues to thrive in the glare of the national spotlight.

 

Bluder says Clark has remained focused on the team despite a hectic schedule.

 

USA Basketball says Clark’s attendance at the camp will depend upon Iowa’s status in the NCAA Tournament.

Former Drake coach Darian DeVries introduced at West Virginia

Sports

March 28th, 2024 by Seth Tiegs

Darian DeVries was introduced as the new coach at West Virginia. DeVries moved on after leading Drake to six-straight seasons of 20 win or more and three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four years.

 

DeVries led the Bulldogs to back-to-back Missouri Valley Tournament titles.

 

DeVries announed his son, Tucker, will be joining him at Western Virginia. Tucker DeVries is a two-time Missouri Valley Player of the Year. He takes over a tradition rich West Virginia program that suffered through 9-23 record this past season.

Iowa hosts Minnesota in B1G baseball series starting Friday

Sports

March 28th, 2024 by Seth Tiegs

Iowa baseball coach Rick Heller says the pitching staff needs to cut back on free bases as they get set to open a Big Ten series Friday at home against Minnesota. In 197-and-a-third innings Hawkeye pitchers have walked or hit 190 batters. It is a major factor in a 13-10 start for a team that was ranked as high as 18th at the start of the season.

 

Heller says while the bullpen has made strides the past couple of weeks the starting staff has not. Iowa’s three main starting pitchers have walked or hit 90 batters in 80 innings of work.

 

While the pitching as struggled the defense and offense has shined. The Hawkeyes are hitting .319 as a team and averaging more than nine runs per game.

 

Heller says Iowa will honor retiring Minnesota coach John Anderson this weekend. Anderson has been the Gopher coach since prior to the 1982 season and led the program to 21 Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.

 

Iowa opened Big Ten play last week by winning two of three games at Purdue.