(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has passed a bill with new state restrictions on farm implement dealerships — so the owners of tractors and combines could repair the diesel exhaust fluid systems on the equipment themselves. Republican Representative Derek Wulf of Hudson, who’s a farmer, goes even farther, suggesting it could be interpreted to mean the systems could be permanently disabled.

“This bill is simple,” Wulf said. “It gives farmers and ranchers the ability to repair and alter their equipment that they own as they see fit and remove the diesel control systems if they so choose.” In early February, the Trump Administration announced that under its interpretation of the Clean Air Act, the exhaust systems on diesel powered farm equipment may be disabled FOR REPAIRS and manufacturers cannot justify limiting access to tools or software.

The bill that cleared the Iowa House last (Monday) night would require manufacturers to provide free information and software to diagnose and fix diesel exhaust systems. And they’d have to sell both the tools and replacement parts to make the repairs at a significantly reduced price.”I think it’s important that we realize that farmers are the original innovators in this country and we should continue to allow them to do that,” Wulf said. “Previous administrations have forced costly and burdensome emissions systems and regulations onto farmers and ranchers through the EPA. Every day this country faces 63 more farmers going out of business. Folks, we have to do everything we can to help reduce additional costs to farmers who have to pay the penalty with their livelihoods because of environmentalists’ interests.”

The bill passed with the support of 55 Republicans and two Democrats. Opposition came from nine Republicans and two dozen Democrats. Representative Kenan Judge, a Democrat from Waukee, says he’s all for saving farmers’ money, but permanently disabling the diesel exhaust system is risky.”If you have your tractor under warranty and you go to take this system off, all of a sudden now if you take your tractor back into the dealership and this modification has hurt the engine, you lose your warranty,” Judge said.

On February 3rd, President Trump’s E-P-A administrator said the Clean Air Act prohibits the removal or disabling of emission control systems, but the law has an exception that lets the systems be disabled to make a repair.

(Radio Iowa) – Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg who’s a candidate for governor, has filed the paperwork to get on the Republican Primary ballot this June. To qualify for the primary, statewide candidates must submit nominating petitions signed by thousands of voters across the state. Sherman says he’s been to all 99 counties and his team has far surpassed the signature requirements.

“We feel like we have some momentum, and we’re out there in the grassroots, working hard,” Sherman said, “and we’re just having a blast falling in love with Iowa all over again.” Sherman announced he was running for governor a year ago — before current Governor Kim Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection.

“I think that’s something that sets me apart,” Sherman said. “It shows clarity and conviction for why I’m doing what I’m doing.” Sherman and four other candidates are vying for the Iowa G-O-P’s nomination for governor. All candidates running in the Democratic and Republican Party Primaries have until March 13th to submit their nominating petitions to Iowa’s secretary of state. Petitions can be challenged, though, and a state objection panel convenes to determine if candidates submitted enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

(Logan, IA) – A collision Monday evening in Harrison County resulted a death and one person seriously injured. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened at around 5:42-p.m. on Highway 30, near 260th Street (Southwest of Logan). Authorities say a 2012 Toyota Rav 4 (SUV) was traveling east of Highway 30 and a 2018 pickup was traveling westbound.

The SUV crossed the centerline of the roadway and collided with the pickup truck in the westbound lane of travel. The driver of the SUV, 30-year-old Merari Eduviges Perez, of Manilla, died from injuries sustained in  the collision. The driver of the pickup, 57-year-old Daryl Jay Fichter, of Missouri Valley, was injured, and transported by Harrison County EMS to the Missouri Valley Hospital. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.

The Patrol was assisted by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and Logan Police.

(Radio Iowa) – Police have identified the three people found dead in a north Iowa home Saturday evening. Mason City Police Chief Mike McKelvey says the deceased are 33-year-old Morgan Lee Tarr, 39-year-old Shey William Pals, and 73-year-old Larry Gene Walker, all of Mason City. Walker was the owner of the property. On Saturday, McKelvey said, “At this stage of the investigation, there are no signs of foul play or struggle.”

The Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office will perform autopsies on all three individuals. No additional information will be released at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – Supporters say a bill working its way through the Iowa Senate could speed up the process insurance companies and government-run insurance programs require before approving a patient’s medical treatment. Seth Brown, a lobbyist for the Iowa Medical Society, says the bill addresses a huge headache for doctors, clinics and hospitals.

“Administrative burdens associated with prior authorizations are definitely the top pain point for our members and something that they voice a lot of frustration about,” Brown said. “For every 45 minutes of paperwork, it’s about 30 minutes of patient care, so that is a little bit of a lopsided equation.” The bill would require a peer-to-peer review when a doctor contacts a patient’s insurance company to try to reverse denied care.

“For example, if you have a gynecologist reviewing a neurosurgery, it just doesn’t make sense,” Brown said, “and so some constraints around that are definitely welcome on our end.” Iowa’s two major hospital systems — UnityPoint and MercyOne — support the bill. Insurance companies oppose it. Matt McKinney — a lobbyist for the Federation of Iowa Insurers — uses the phrase “utilization management” rather than “prior authorization.”

“Whether we like it or not, there are millions upon millions of dollars that are wasted in this country on health care,” McKinney said. “There are millions that have been saved this year, in Iowa, because of utilization management.” Jay McLaren is a lobbyist for Iowa Total Care, one of the three companies that’s managing all Medicaid claims in Iowa. He raised concerns about the bill’s requirement that notification letters include the name of the person who decided a doctor’s care plan is not approved.

“The people who put those letters out there do face threats of retaliations,” McLaren said, “and that’s something that we have a concern for based on the safety of our employees and contractors.” McLaren says his company quit identifying the people making prior authorization decisions in December of 2024 shortly after the C-E-O of UnitedHealthcare was shot to death in New York City.

The bill also would make it illegal for insurance companies to use Artificial Intelligence to authorize or deny medical treatment. Lobbyists for insurance companies told senators human beings are making prior authorization decisions and they don’t object to that part of the bill.

(Atlantic, IA) – Get ready to welcome spring by attending the Cass County Master Gardeners’ 2026 Spring Garden Seminar, scheduled for Saturday, March 28.  This year’s seminar is open to anyone interested in learning more about local garden topics, with a theme of Growing in Nature. The event will be held at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic from 9 AM to 12:30 PM and feature three presentations on timely garden topics. In addition to the presentations, the day will wrap up with an opportunity to make and take home a “puddling pool” for garden pollinators.

The event opens with registration and light refreshments at 8:30 AM. The first session begins at 9 AM with a presentation on Gardening in a Changing World by David McKinney with the Iowa Arboretum. The second speaker of the day will be Dr. Cindy Haynes, Iowa State University, sharing tips for Creating a Cut Flower Garden. David McKinney returns for the last session of the day to discuss Non-Native Plant Heroes. The program will conclude shortly after noon, with giveaways and a short closing. Participants are invited to visit the make-and-take station on their way home to create a custom “pollinator puddler” they can take home and install in their garden.

Plan now to join the Cass County Master Gardeners as we gather, learn and GROW together at the 2026 Spring Garden Seminar! Cost for the seminar, including refreshments and materials, is $30 for the day if paid by March 21. After this date regular registration and walk-in registration will be available at $35/attendee. Registration is now open and can be completed online by visiting the online registration page at https://go.iastate.edu/CZTFIK. Online registrations may be paid by credit card or check. Paper registration forms are also available at the Cass County Extension office or can be printed online. Registrations are not refundable but may be transferred to another attendee with advance notice.

A full schedule and program registration information is also available by visiting the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass, or by stopping into the Cass County Extension office. Previous seminar attendees with a current email address on record will also receive a registration link by email. Questions can be directed to Kate Olson at 712-243-1132, or by email at keolson@iastate.edu. Mark your calendars, get registered, and plan to join the Cass County Master Gardeners for the 2026 Spring Garden Seminar on Saturday morning, March 28!

(Radio Iowa) – A survey of manufacturing supply managers in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states finds the tariffs enacted by President Trump last year are causing wide-reaching financial troubles for many American companies. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says even though the nation’s highest court struck down the president’s tariffs in late February, the damage is already done. Plus, Goss says Trump’s response will only continue making things worse.

“The Supreme Court issued a statement and a ruling that really saved the president from himself,” Goss says. “Now, he didn’t take that as I would have hoped he did, by that I mean, just let it go. He, instead, implemented even more tariffs and more uncertainty.” The president initially enacted the tariffs on dozens of countries, saying they would help to level the playing field for U-S companies to compete, but Goss says it’s clear the move had the opposite effect.

“The exports and imports for 2025, even with these tariffs, we’re still running a deficit and the deficit did not come down to any significant extent, about a half a percent from ’24 to ’25,” Goss says. “And of course, that hurts agriculture and manufacturing.” Goss says the monthly survey showed a sharp upturn in new February orders, which pushed the overall economic index for Iowa and for the region into solid growth territory, though he says difficulties persist.

“Six out of 10 supply managers in manufacturing in our survey reported that tariffs were hurting their firm, so that’s obviously not good,” Goss says. “We asked about AI, and this did surprise me, 87% said not much of an impact at all in their company thus far.”

The report says Iowa exported $13.6 billion of manufactured goods for all of last year, compared to $15.0 billion for 2024, for a 9.3% decline. Likewise, Iowa’s importation of manufactured goods fell from $11.6 billion in 2024 to $10.9 billion last year, for a 5.8% decline.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Iowa is asking lawmakers to provide three-point-six MILLION dollars to recruit and support rural students interested in a career in health care. Barbara Wilson, the University of Iowa’s president, made the pitch during a recent budget hearing at the statehouse.

“We know that there are health care deserts around the state and our goal is to double the number of students who are interested in rural health care,” Wilson said. Federal data indicates there are more than 360 health professional shortage areas in Iowa and most of those are in rural parts of the state. Some of the new state funding would be used to provide scholarships to University of Iowa medical students who plan to work in rural Iowa after they graduate.

“Other states are doing this,” Wilson said. “It’s a competitive market, so the more we can do this, the more we can keep these bright young people here.” Wilson says another portion of the money would be focused on the training period after a doctor has graduated from medical school by creating more medical residencies in rural Iowa.  “It turns out the number one predictor for whether a medical student or a doctor will stay in the state is where is their residency,” Wilson said. “It’s not where they came from, it’s not where they went to medical school, it’s where is their residency? Residencies are costly, but they ensure that once you dig in for one or two years, all of a sudden you’re going to love that community and you’re going to want to stay.”

Fewer than nine percent of U-S physicians practice in rural areas.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – March 2, 2026 – If you drive on Interstate 29 near Onawa (Exit 112) you need to be aware of an upcoming project that may slow down your trip, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Sioux City construction office.

On Wednesday, March 4, weather permitting, I-29 traffic near Onawa (Exit 112) will be placed in a head-to-head traffic pattern so a maintenance project can be completed on the Iowa 175 bridge. There have been multiple hits to the structure in the past. Traffic on the Iowa 175 bridge will remain in a one-lane pattern until this maintenance project is completed.

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.

The latest traveler information is available anytime through the 511 system. Visit 511ia.org; call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide); stay connected with 511 on Facebook or X (find links at  https://iowadot.gov/travel-tools/iowa-511/511-social-media-sites); or download the free app to your mobile device.