(Radio Iowa) – A ribbon cutting Wednesday celebrated the new facility in Scott County that converts landfill waste gas into usable natural gas. The facility was built by Waga Energy and Bryce Stalcup, the executive director of the Scott County Waste Commission says the gas generated will help power around four-thousand homes each year.  “Unfortunately, there’s waste that you just can’t recycle or divert, and it has to go somewhere,” he says. “Well, when we can then capture the gas as that waste breaks down and then get that use of it, that’s the best thing that we can think possible for our community.”

The process at the Davenport plant takes the gas produced by decomposing garbage and filters it to extract carbon dioxide and other pollutants, and then sends it straight into the MidAmerican energy pipeline. “For Scott County, what this means is cleaner air, better use of our natural resources, and proof that sustainability and economic responsibility can go hand in hand,” Stalcup says.

A new facility in Scott County recovers gas from the landfill. (Waga Energy photo)

The facility is expected to help prevent the landfill site from producing nearly 16-thousand tons of C-O-2 equivalent emissions each year. The facility has been operating for more than a month. It’s the eighth landfill gas capturing facility in Iowa, and the second that Waga Energy has built in the United States.

(Radio Iowa) – Country music superstar Carrie Underwood will perform at the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville next year. Keith Rahe is executive director of Dyersville Events, which owns and operates the site. He says after the success of the Tim McGraw and Nickelback concerts at the Field of Dream this past Labor Day Weekend, the U-S Concert Agency has booked three concerts at the Field of Dreams next Labor Day weekend.

“They’ve really done an outstanding job this time with Carrie Underwood on Saturday night, Shinedown for Friday night as the headliner and then Creed on Sunday,” Rahe says. Underwood has had 85 number one hits on the Billboard charts. Shinedown is best known for its 2008 hit “Second Chance” and Creed’s top single “With Arms Wide Open” won a Grammy.

Ballpark rendering image (Dyersville Events, Inc. – credit)

The concert series next September is just one of the big events announced this week. Major League Baseball is returning to the Field of Dreams in 2026. “On August 13, we’ve got the Philadelphia Phillies playing the Minnesota Twins…August 11, we’ve got the Iowa Cubs playing the St. Paul Saints, which is a minor league game,” he says. “We’re thrilled to welcome Major League baseball and everybody back with our new ballpark.”

Rahe wasn’t watching on T-V as the Yankees played the White Sox at the Field of Dreams in 2022 or the Cubs played the Reds there following year. He was at the site. “Just to see how excited those professional athletes, like an Aaron Judge and others to walk out of that corn and come onto that beautiful setting, it’s pretty magical,” Rahe says.

On July 7th and 8th, the Field of Dreams will be hosting the Home Run Challenge and All-Star Game for the Northwest League. It’s a summer-time league in the upper Midwest and Canada for college stand outs. Rahe has had his own experience playing on the Field of Dreams. In the movie, a team of Ghost Players clad in Chicago White Sox uniforms emerge from the corn field.

South Homeplate Plaza (Dyersville Events, Inc. – credit)

Rahe is head of a group of local “Ghost Players” who’ve been recreating those movie moments at the field since 1989.  “People come from all over the United States, all over the world actually,” Rahe says. “I think that’s the key element that with the development that we are doing. It doesn’t change the original movie site whatsoever. This ballfield was built in a farmyard with corn surrounding it and we’re never going to change that.”

Rahe was at the field yesterday (Thursday) and people had made the trip there to play catch and take turns at bat.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest Creighton University Rural Mainstreet survey shows nearly 63 percent of rural bank C-E-Os in Iowa and nine other Midwest states believe the rural economy is either in a recession now or will sink into recession next year. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss directs the survey and calculates a monthly economic index for the region. It has fallen to its lowest level since May of 2020.

“That’s problematic for those rural areas just simply because it’s individuals that are dependent on agriculture,” Goss says, “and that links to urban areas as well.” According to the International Trade Association, Iowa has exported more than a BILLION dollars worth of agricultural goods and livestock so far this year — about 28 percent above last year’s tally.

However, over 18 percent of the rural bankers who responded to the Creighton survey expect farmers in their area will wind up earning less than they spent raising crops and livestock this year. “The agricultural economy and the Mainstreet economy tied to it is not doing very well,” Goss says. “It’s being pulled down by weak commodity prices particularly grain, of course, but also…the high cost of inputs.”

Ernie Goss (Creighton University photo)

About 58 percent of the bank C-E-Os expect farmland prices to fall next year. “Farmers are in a pinch, but the good news — and we’ve been asking this question across many months about the paying back of loans — and the farmers in my judgement have been very vigilant about borrowing and the bankers have been very vigilant about lending. In other words, it’s not a return to the ’80s yet and we don’t see it there.”

Goss says data indicates there’s been an uptick in farmland prices in Iowa so far this month.

(Radio Iowa) – The driver of a semi was ticketed for a traffic violation after his truck was hit by a train and the load of meat it was carrying spilled out. Sioux City Sergeant Tom Gill says the driver apparently tried to beat the train through the crossing around 2:30-p.m., (Wednesday). “So it hit the back third of the trailer that was pulled by the truck, causing the trailer to rip in half and then several boxes of meat that the trailer was hauling fell out onto the ground,” he says. Gill says the engineer saw the semi, but could not stop in time. He says the truck driver should never have tried to cross the tracks.

“So there’s going to be red flashing lights, there’s going to be bells going off. Anytime you’re coming up upon train tracks it’s important to look both ways for a train,” Gill says. “It should have been very apparent that there was a train coming, and luckily that truck there was no injuries to the driver. There was some substantial damage to that truck. An estimated 50-thousand dollars in damage to that semi trailer.”

The crash and spilled meat caused the roadway to be closed for several hours. The truck driver is from South Sioux City and works for a transportation company there.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports four people were arrested on Theft charges early today (Thursday):

• 18-year-old Kamren Matthew Schmidt, of Ames, 19-year-old  Demetrius Lovell Holmes Jr., of Marshalltown, 18-year-old Tyler Theodore John Harms, of Eldora, and 18-year-old Tylor Murray Ward, of Mount Pleasant, were each charged with Theft 2nd Degree ($1,500 > $10,000). Schmidt was additionally charges with Eluding-Speeding 25 Over Limit. All four subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail, and held.

On Tuesday, Nov. 18th, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 27-year-old Joseph Atoliph, of Atlantic, after he turned himself-in on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Atoliph was booked and held at the Cass County Jail.

Three people were arrested Nov. 16th on drug charges in Cass County:

• Tammy Jo Durrett, 56, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance. Durrett was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and later released on her own recognizance;
• 61-year-old Sandra Marie Peel and 35-year-old Scott Nathaniel Belew, both of Atlantic, were arrested for Gathering Where Controlled Substances are Used, and Possession of Controlled Substance. Peel was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and later released on bond. Belew also arrested on a warrant for Parole Violation. He was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held.

On November 14th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Payton Daugherty, 19, of Cumberland, on the charge of Possession of Marijuana 2nd. Daugherty was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on his own recognizance.

(Radio  Iowa) – Next week may be one of the busiest travel weeks in Iowa history, according to a forecast from AAA Iowa. The motor club’s Brian Ortner says the study estimates nearly 82-million Americans will be leaving home for the Thanksgiving holiday, including six-and-a-half million Midwesterners traveling by car, plane, train, bus or boat.

“When we’re looking at this year, it’s growth over last year in our region, for a total of almost 2% growth,” Ortner says. “Those who are taking the car is growing by about 1.3%, a majority of people are traveling that way from our region, over 5.8 million folks. Three-hundred-six thousand are taking to the air, a growth of almost 2%.”

Ortner says the number of people taking cruises this year bounced 12-percent over last year, and he says plenty of Iowans will be setting sail for Thanksgiving. “Some reasons for that are, affordability, accessibility and obviously, the destination,” he says. “Weather, we’ve been fortunate lately, but usually when we get into Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, weather in our area isn’t always the best. Some of us like snow or cold, but none of us like the ice, and why not be on a boat in the sunshine?”

For road warriors, the current average price for gasoline in Iowa is $2.80 a gallon, which is a full 30 cents below the national average. “We shouldn’t see any significant changes beyond that. There’s some fluctuality going on with the markets, but, looking at the markets today, crude oil, which makes up the largest cost of a gallon of fuel, is trending less than $60 per barrel. So, I would think you’ll see those prices either plateau right now, or even decrease a little bit as we move toward the Thanksgiving holiday.”

The Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is reminding Iowa motorists to buckle up. During Thanksgiving week last year, Iowa had 17 fatal or serious injury crashes, including five that involved people who weren’t belted in.

(Radio Iowa) – The Emmet County Board of Supervisors is seeking a second legal opinion on a proposed settlement with the company that has planned to build the Red Rock Energy Center wind farm. Last December, the Emmet County Board of Adjustment rejected a permit for the project and the company sued. Doug Hanson, chairman of Emmet County’s Planning and Zoning Commission, says the county would sign away a lot if it agrees to settle the lawsuit. “The citizens of Emmet County, you really owe it to them to fight,” Hanson said during the supervisor’s meeting this week.

Emmet County Attorney Melanie Summers Bauler is warning that seeking a second legal opinion would likely be a lengthy process. “Unless you can tell that attorney we’re talking about 7000 pages of discovery, then they don’t have any idea how long it would take them to review,” she said. She says a lengthy delay could derail the negotiated settlement. Supervisor Tim Schumacher says that’s not a comfortable spot for the board, but county officials have heard from a lot of people during public hearings who oppose the settlement, and they’re getting a lot of letters from residents who’re urging the board to sign the agreement and let the wind farm’s construction begin.

“I think it makes sense to get another opinion,” Schumacher said. Schumacher volunteered to reach out to a Des Moines law firm the county has previously used and see how quickly an attorney could review the settlement. The agenda for the Emmet County Board Supervisors meeting on November 25th also indicates the board will again discuss the issues surrounding the settlement.

Invenergy is the Chicago company that has proposed building a wind farm in Emmet and Dickinson Counties. In May, the Dickinson County Board of Adjustment unanimously approved the company’s permit to erect 67 wind turbines in their county. Invenergy is the largest private developer of wind energy projects in North America.

(Clarinda, IA) – Page County Sheriff Charles McCalla, today (Thursday), said his office has officially kicked-off its annual “Operation Blessing” program, which continues a tradition that has brought Christmas joy to local children for more than four decades. Requests for gifts are being accepted now through December 12, 2025. Sheriff McCalla said that should all requests for gifts to be filled and distribute in-time for Christmas.

McCalla says Operation Blessing started in the mid-1980s as an initiative of the Page County Reserve Program, with the goal of making sure every child in rural Page County had an opportunity to receive a gift for Christmas. The program has continued every year since, for over 40 years, adapts to the times and according to community needs. This year, gifts will be delivered just before Christmas Eve.

The program serves children from birth through age 14 who reside in Blanchard, Braddyville, Coin, College Springs, Essex, Northboro, Shambaugh, Yorktown, and the rural areas of Page County. Requests must be made by a parent or guardian, by either calling the Sheriff’s Office at 712-542-5193, or by stopping in person at 323 N. 15th Street in Clarinda. Parents may request both a first and second gift choice, and the Sheriff’s Office recommends selecting one toy and one clothing item. Monetary donations, which help sustain the program each year, are accepted year-round at the Sheriff’s Office. Donations may be dropped off in person or mailed to 323 North 15th Street, Clarinda, IA 51632.

Sheriff Charles McCalla extended his gratitude to the community, as well as the staff at the Sheriff’s Office, Jail, and PAGECOM Dispatch, for their continued support, without which the program would not be able to continue. The Sheriff said also,“We thank everyone who contributes to making this a success each year. May everyone have a joy-filled and safe holiday season.”

(Anita, IA) – CAM Community School District Superintendent Dr. Pam Stangeland, today (Thursday), said no injuries were reported after one of the District’s buses veered-off the road outside of Anita. The incident occurred at around 6:40-a.m. on 740th Street. In a news release on the District’s Facebook page, Dr. Stangeland said no students were on-board at the time, and no other vehicles were involved. The bus  driver was not injured.

Her statement said they believe dense fog was a contributing factor to the incident. Families of students who would have been on-board were notified, and the bus was safely pulled back onto the road, and is currently operating as normal. The incident is believed to have happened when the bus driver over-corrected a steering error.

Read Dr. Stangeland’s full message to parents and district patrons below:

(Red Oak IA, November 20, 2025) – As part of National Rural Health Day, Montgomery County Memorial Hospital + Clinics (MCMH + Clinics) today announced it has earned a 2025 Performance Leadership Award for excellence in Quality. Compiled by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, the Performance Leadership Awards program recognizes top quartile performance (i.e., 75th percentile or above) among rural hospitals.

The Performance Leadership Awards program is based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®, a comprehensive and objective framework for assessing how rural hospitals are performing. INDEX benchmarks are relied upon by rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure performance across multiple areas impacting hospital operations and finance.

Ron Kloewer, Chief Executive Officer of MCMH, expresses his sincere gratitude, “We are honored to be chosen for this award, and to serve our patients in rural Southwest Iowa. It is a privilege to be a part of our patient’s healthcare journey, and I am proud of our staff who continues to place immense value on delivering high quality care and loyalty.”

“The areas of quality, outcomes, and patient perspective are cornerstones of healthcare delivery across rural America, and this year’s Performance Leadership Award recipients are establishing a standard of excellence for their rural peers to follow,” said Michael Topchik, Executive Director, Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We are delighted to shine a spotlight on such strong performance and honor the achievement of these hospitals on National Rural Health Day.”

MCMH + Clinics is a county-owned full-service medical campus located in Red Oak, IA, with Rural Health Clinics in Malvern, IA & Villisca, IA. The Red Oak location consists of a 25-bed critical access hospital with inpatient and emergency services, several Rural Health Clinics and an Outpatient Specialty Clinic that is home to over 30 visiting specialty providers. MCMH + Clinics is governed by a seven-member, publicly elected Board of Trustees.