(Radio Iowa) – A four-year effort to get the road to the Keokuk National Cemetery repaired culminated with a ribbon cutting Monday. Keokuk Mayor Kathie Mahoney took office four years ago, and made it a priority to resurface the street to Iowa’s only national cemetery after years of patching left it in poor shape. “This road leads to where you rest, and it stands as a lasting symbol that you gave,” she says.

The road to the place where so many who’ve served their nation are buried is now a wide, smooth, concrete street with new curbs and gutters, new sidewalks, and a new designation as the “Road of Honor.” Cemetery Supervisor Brent Inskeep says the street improvements are about more than just pavement and stone. “It is a pathway to remembrance. A symbol of respect, and now, thanks to the hard work of many, it reflects the dignity and honor our veterans and their families deserve,” he says. Inskeep says the Road of Honor matches the solemn beauty of the cemetery and tells every visitor that they’re entering a national shrine.

Veteran Bill Smith of Keokuk served on the Road of Honor committee. “We need to show respect to all that have served. We are the gatekeepers of this sacred site and the path that leads us here,” Smith says. He says people in Keokuk and throughout Lee County care deeply for military veterans.

Keokuk Mayor Kathy Mahoney makes remarks at the ceremony. (Richard Egger photo)

Democratic State Representative Ross Wilburn made the more than 200-mile trip from Ames to Keokuk. This town is important to him. “In 1864, my great, great grandfather was enslaved in Palmyra, Missouri. (He) escaped, enlisted, and became part of the First Iowa Colored Infantry. They were trained in Keokuk, Iowa, so the area has special meaning to me and my family,” Wilburn says. Wilburn is also a veteran, having served in the Iowa Army National Guard. He says he found the Road of Honor a welcoming stretch as he headed to the ceremony, and believes visitors from the community and from throughout the country will also find it a welcoming path as the come to pay their respects to those laid to rest in Keokuk National Cemetery.

(Oakland, Iowa) – A judge in the case of a Pottawattamie County man charged in connection with a fatal UTV vs. pedestrian collision, has granted a continuance in the date for a jury trial. The case of 85-year-old Gene Fritz from Oakland will now take place 9:30-a.m. July 22nd, in Pott. County District Court. It’s the fourth time his trial was rescheduled. The most recent delay was granted June 30th. His case was to have been heard July 1st, prior to the most recent continuance.

When his case comes to court, the jury will decide if Fritz is guilty of Homicide by Vehicle – Reckless Driving, in connection with the December, 2024 death of 83-year-old Sandra Madron, in Oakland. Fritz has entered a plea of not guilty.

According to law enforcement reports, the incident on December 26th occurred at 570 North Highway Street, in Oakland. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found Fritz’ UTV on the sidewalk and Madron lying on her left side. She was transported to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, and later died from her injuries.

Fritz had told deputies that he was heading home at the time of the crash and often drove his UTV on the sidewalk because he “can’t see well and he drives very slow.” He has said that he didn’t see Sandra Madron until he hit her and “she must have been wearing dark clothing.”

Further investigation revealed that Fritz did not have a valid driver’s license, and the UTV he was operating was not registered for roadway use.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democrats are criticizing Senator Joni Ernst’s vote in support of the bill that lays out President Trump’s priorities and suggesting it will be a major issue as she seeks reelection in 2026. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says tax cuts in the bill will make the lives of the top one percent a little more luxurious, while most Iowans will have a harder time keeping up with rising energy costs.

The candidates campaigning for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2026 U-S Senate nomination are posting video statements online. Candidate Zach Wahls, a state senator from Coralville, points to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform that indicates 20 rural Iowa hospitals already are at risk of closure — before cuts the Medicaid make survival even harder. “We need a senator who’s going to fight for us, not just toe the party line.” Candidate Nathan Sage, the executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, says the bill is an attack on working class people.

“We’re going to have Iowans losing Medicaid benefits and SNAP benefits,” Sage said. “We are going to have Iowans dying over this ‘big beautiful bill.'” J.D. Scholten of Sioux City, a member of the Iowa House who’s running for the U-S Senate, calls it the “Billionaire Bailout Bill.” Scholten says Ernst betrayed Iowans with her vote for the legislation, which Scholten says will transfer wealth from the working class to the top one percent and endanger rural hospitals and nursing homes.

(Radio Iowa) – Inflation is rising, trade numbers are falling, and the overall Midwestern economy is slowing, according to a monthly survey of supply managers in Iowa and eight other states. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says a score of 50 is considered growth neutral on the zero-to-100 scale, and the region may soon be seeing the numbers contract.

“The overall reading from the June survey was down to 50.7 from May’s reading of 51.0,” Goss says. “Now, this is still above growth neutral, but the direction of the manufacturing economy, according to our index, is slowing down, getting slower and slower and slower.” The regional manufacturing employment score for June stayed below growth neutral, while imports are spiraling, down to a score of just 30 on the zero-to-100 scale, which Goss says is a real concern.

“The export reading was also not good, it was 43.4 and that’s just not where we want to see it,” Goss says. “In other words, the trade numbers, we’re looking like more of a mercantilist society where each nation is trying to be more self-sufficient, and we economists don’t support that movement.” Manufacturers stocked up on supplies earlier in the year, before the threatened tariffs were implemented and now, Goss says, trade in both directions is drying up.

Ernie Goss

Goss says he’s also worried about housing, which is a key indicator of an economy’s health. “The housing sector is slowing down much, much, much faster, slowing down faster, and that’s a real concern of mine going forward,” he says. “The Federal Reserve has indicated they’re not going to move on interest rates in July. That is foolish. They should be reducing interest rates at their July 30th meeting. That should be done and it will probably not be done.”

Iowa’s overall score for June fell further below growth neutral to 48, a drop of nearly two full points since May. Goss says a federal report shows Iowa’s manufacturing sector exported five-billion dollars in goods during the first four months of the year, compared to five-point-four billion for the same period last year, a drop of more than eight-percent.

(Radio Iowa) – Police conducting traffic stops in Iowa can now issue fines if they find an open container of a beverage containing T-H-C in the passenger area of the vehicle. It’s a new law that went into effect today (Tuesday) and those caught violating it are to be fined 260 dollars. Representative Zach Dieken of Granville is a state trooper who led debate of the policy this spring.

“We actually run into this quite frequently,” Dieken said, “so I think this is a good change in the law.” It has long been illegal to have an open or unsealed bottle, can or jar of alcohol in the passenger area of a vehicle. Iowa law now extends to open containers of beverages that contain any amount of T-H-C derived from hemp, a chemical which has intoxicating effects. Representative Jerome Amos Junior of Waterloo says it’s an important change.

“Ensuring that individuals that are driving on the road also, like with alcohol, are not driving impaired,” Amos said. This latest policy on T-H-C drinks passed the legislature with only one “no” vote. Last year the legislature limited the amount of T-H-C from hemp that can be in consumable products produced and sold in Iowa.

CRESTON, Iowa – July 1, 2025 – If you travel on eastbound Interstate 80 west of Des Moines you need to be aware of an upcoming project that may slow down your trip, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office.

Eastbound I-80 between Grand Prairie Parkway (exit 118) and the I-35/I-80 West Mixmaster will be fully closed from 8 p.m. on Monday, July 7, until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8.

When the roadway is closed, you will follow a marked detour route (see map below) using Grand Prairie Parkway (exit 118) up to University Avenue, and I-80/I-35 (exit 124).

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

(Radio Iowa) – Both of Iowa’s U-S Senators have joined 48 other Republicans in voting to pass a bill to enact President Trump’s policy priorities on taxes and spending. Senator Chuck Grassley says voters in November gave Trump a mandate to fix the economy and secure the border and Grassley says the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” enacts the America First policies Trump and congressional Republicans promised.

Grassley says it prevents the largest tax increase in history by preserving the tax cuts Trump signed in 2017. Senator Joni Ernst authored an amendment to the bill to prevent people who are laid off — but have over a million dollars in income from other sources — from getting unemployment benefits. I-R-S records show over 21-thousand millionaires got unemployment checks in 2021 and 2022.