(Radio Iowa) – If you’ve ever seen one of those big orange snowplows carving a path through the drifts and thought, “That’s the job for me!,” now is your time. The Iowa D-O-T is in need of several hundred snowplow drivers for the upcoming winter season, which could be upon us faster than you’d expect. Craig Bargfrede, the D-O-T’s winter operations administrator, says the agency needs to hire a lot of bodies, pronto.

“From a statewide perspective,” Bargfrede says, “we have just over 600 open winter seasonal positions that are used to augment our full-time staff during winter operations.” One qualification is having a C-D-L, or a commercial driver’s license, and Bargfrede says it’s a demanding job to maneuver those snowplows when an Iowa blizzard is blowing.

It’s not just like hopping in a truck and away you go. There’s a lot of moving parts. There’s a lot of things to be observing and paying attention to while you’re in the cab,” Bargfrede says, “not only the traffic around you, but monitoring your spreader control, monitoring everything going around that plow.” The job of snowplow driver is critically important to Iowa’s transportation infrastructure, and while it can be highly challenging, Bargfrede says it also has its rewards.

“It can be kind of a tense situation at times, but yet at the end of the day, it’s one that we say can be very gratifying,” Bargfrede says, “and the fact that you’re helping the traveling public get around to their destinations in a safe manner.” New hires will start at 22-dollars an hour, while returning workers will make 23-50, and Bargfrede says they’re especially low on drivers in one region of the state.

“Specifically in the Des Moines/central Iowa area, we still have a number of openings that we’re trying to fill, and yes, we’d be looking at trying to fill those as soon as possible,” Bargfrede says. “You never know when Mother Nature is going to decide to start teasing us or treating us with the white snow, so we need those folks ready to go.” The D-O-T is holding an open house-style hiring event to recruit temporary snowplow drivers on Thursday from 5 to 7 P-M at the agency’s Des Moines North Garage in Des Moines.

(Carroll County, Iowa) – An Audubon County man who was wanted on a South Dakota warrant associated with a shooting death, has died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, first responders were dispatched at approximately 9:15-a.m. to a field near the intersection of 300^th Street and Mahogany Avenue following a report of a suicidal male in possession of a firearm. The man – who was identified as 58-year-old Lance Allen Meaike, of Audubon, was found deceased near his vehicle upon their arrival at the scene.

The South Dakota Attorney’s Office has confirmed Meaike was wanted on a felony charges of first-degree manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, in connection with the June 12th shooting death in  Lawrence County, S.D., of 59-year-old Larry Petersen, of Audubon. Authorities previously said the incident occurred as part of an altercation at a cabin outside Lead, S.D.

An investigation determined a fight broke out that evening between four men from Iowa and Nebraska who were staying together as a group of UTV riders. During the altercation, a single round from a .9-mm handgun discharged, striking 59-year-old Larry Petersen, of Audubon. Petersen was transported to Monument Health Lead-Deadwood Hospital, where he later died from his wounds.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congressman Zach Nunn says it’s up to a handful of Democrats in the Senate to end the federal government shutdown. “There is no reason for this shutdown. The only people who have a say in whether they want to come back to open up the government are about six Senate Democrats and we’ve seen them peel off in ones and twos, but here we are at a point now where families are actually deciding if they’re going to fill up their car with gas, be able to fill up their refrigerator with food or whether they’re going to go broke,” Nunn said. “Nobody here, nobody in Iowa wants to see that — Republican or Democrat.” Nunn says Republicans are willing to consider a one-year extension of the tax credits for Americans who buy health insurance on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, but not until the shutdown ends.

Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn (R-Ankeny) (RI file photo)

“What we shouldn’t expect is that one party, in fact six people, take the entire government hostage to deal with something that starts in 2026,” Nunn said, “when we have people for the last 40 days are worried about whether they’re going to get their SNAP benefits, WIC or the assistance that they need from the federal government.” Nunn uses the word “catastrophic” to describe the shutdown. “This is the reason that we’ve seen guys like Senator Fetterman says Democrats can’t get their [expletive] together. It’s the reason that we’ve seen the largest federal unions, whether they’re air traffic controllers or the Teamsters all come out and say: ‘Open up the government, let’s pass a clean C.R. and then let’s get down to the important work of doing policy for the American people.”

Nunn, who lives in Ankeny, represents Iowa’s third congressional district. He spoke with reporters following a meeting at a farm co-op in Carlisle.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections report 24-year-old Tyronn Lou Mallory, who was convicted of Willful Injury – Causing Serious Injury, Going Armed with Intent, and Reckless Use of a Firearm with Serious Injury in Woodbury County, failed to report back to the Sioux City Residential Treatment Facility as required on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.

Tyronn Lou Mallory

Mallory is described as being an American Indian or Alaska native. He stands 6-feet 2-inches tall and weighs 212-pounds. Mallory was admitted to the work release facility on Oct. 15, 2025. Persons with information on Mallory’s whereabouts should contact local police.

For more information on the state’s work release program, please see Iowa Code 904.901-904.910.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  For more than two decades, a simple box filled with food has meant something extraordinary to families in Cass County, hope, comfort, and the chance to share Christmas dinner together. This holiday season, Atlantic Rising, in partnership with Hy-Vee, is once again leading the beloved Christmas Box Program, continuing a tradition that began more than 20 years ago with West Central Community Action. What started as a small effort to brighten the holidays has grown into one of Atlantic’s cherished community projects. A project that proves the spirit of giving is alive and well. Kelsey Beschorner, Atlantic Rising Treasurer/Secretary, says “Every box we deliver represents more than a meal. It’s a reminder that our community cares. For some families, it’s the difference between going without and gathering around the table together.”

Last year, Atlantic Rising members and volunteers delivered boxes of Christmas dinners to 140 individuals and families across Cass County. But this year, with rising costs and continued challenges, the need is expected to grow significantly. Beschorner says “We’re already seeing an increase in need. Our goal is to make sure that no one in our community goes without this Christmas, but we can’t do it alone.”

Christmas Box assembly line in 2024 (Courtesy Kelsey Beschorner)

To make the program possible, Atlantic Rising raises funds through fundraisers including a super fun event, Glow BINGO, that was hosted in July. The event brought laughter, light, and generosity together for one important cause; ensuring that everyone can experience the joy of Christmas dinner. According to Beschorner, “Glow BINGO was so much fun, but what really shines is the kindness of those who came out to support the event. The money raised goes straight into curating boxes that will fill homes with warmth and good food.”

On Thursday, December 11th, Atlantic Rising members and local volunteers will gather once again to pack and deliver boxes filled with all the essentials for a festive Christmas meal. Kelsey Beschorner says “Atlantic Rising is proud to carry on this tradition. With Hy-Vee’s partnership and the incredible support of our community, we’re not just delivering food; we’re delivering hope.”

If you’d like to help make the holidays brighter for a local family, you can nominate a family or individual, volunteer to help, or make a donation to the Christmas Box Program. Contact Atlantic Rising at 712-243-3017 or chamber@atlanticiowa.com.

(Radio Iowa) – The dean of the College of Agriculture at Cornell University is one of the two finalists to replace Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen, who is retiring. Benjamin Houlton is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and global development at Cornell. Houlton co-founded a company that works with landowners to remove carbon dioxide from the soil and he directs a 100-acre project on carbon sequestration. This is how he introduced himself as Cornell’s Dean of Agriculture.

“For the past 15 years, I have built a program focused on global environmental sustainability and most recently been thinking about how we can deploy carbon capture in working lands — that is farmlands and ranching land — to catalyze negative emissions and help produce food in a way that is more resistant to climate change as well as more nutritious.”

Houlton was born and raised in Wisconsin and earned a degree in water chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a masters in environmental engineering science from Syracuse and a doctorate from Princeton in ecology and evolutionary biology. He previously served on the faculty at the University of California – Davis before his appointment at Cornell in 2020. Iowa State, Cornell and U-C-Davis are all land-grant universities.

Houlton will visit the I-S-U campus tomorrow (Wednesday) and participate in public forum late Wednesday afternoon. The name of the other finalist for I-S-U’s presidency will be released tomorrow (Wednesday) morning — and that person will be on the Ames campus on Thursday.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s starting to see encouraging signs that a resolution may be near to end the federal government shutdown, now in its 35th day. Grassley says he meets every Monday with a half-dozen or so other top Senate Republican leaders, while this past Monday, things were different.  “And it was the first Monday that we’ve had some good news,” Grassley says, “that there seems to be the proper negotiations going on, but it includes things other than just opening up government.” Another member of Iowa’s delegation in Washington hints that government could be reopened by Thursday, but Grassley wouldn’t offer a timeline. He notes the month-long shutdown is having a significant impact at home.

“Iowans are suffering painful consequences,” Grassley says. “I’m getting calls into my my office, ‘Where can we get food? is the question.” Grassley says 131-thousand Iowa families rely on the federal government for food assistance, which he says translates to about 400-thousand people. Those SNAP benefits ran out this past Saturday. “Yesterday I had the report of one mother in Marion bursting into tears at the cash register when she realized she wouldn’t be able to afford groceries for her family,” Grassley says, “because there just wasn’t any money on that card.” Even if there’s no agreement to reopen the government, Grassley says lawmakers are working to shift funding from an emergency account that would pump some money into the U-S-D-A for SNAP.

“Well, it’d probably have to be a partial allotment to each person that qualifies,” Grassley says, “because if there’s $5 billion available, it takes $9 billion a month to give an average of about $500 to each food stamp recipient.” Since the weekend, Iowa food pantries are seeing a significant boost in demand.

(Radio Iowa) – The National Association of Counties is encouraging county officials — and all Americans — to participate in Operation Green Light for Veterans this week — and many county office buildings in Iowa will be lit to honor veterans in the area. Winnebago County Veterans Affairs Coordinator Mary Lou Kleveland says the courthouse in Forest City will be lit with green lights, starting tonight (Tuesday). “It’s just a way that we can drive around and see these green light bulbs and just have another reminder of the sacrifices that our veterans made so that we can have freedoms,” Kleveland said. “I don’t think we can say, ‘Thank you,’ enough.”

(Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

About 200-thousand service members transition to civilian life each year and Kleveland says up to 72 percent of them experience high levels of stress during the transition. “We also have a lot of Vietnam veterans who, as we know the story, they came back, they weren’t welcomed and so they’re just now seeking out benefits 40 years later,” Kleveland says. “And then we have our Operation Enduring Freedom and all the Gulf War and War on Terrorism men and women coming back…but also our peacetime veterans that did a lot behind the scenes that we will never know about.”

Operation Green Light begins tonight (Tuesday) and continues through Veterans Day on November 11th.

(Radio Iowa) – The final numbers are tallied and state climatologist Justin Glisan says the just-ended month of October ended up being much warmer and drier than usual. “Overall, the temperature was about 57 degrees and that’s about six degrees above average,” Glisan says, “so around the 13th warmest on record with 153 years of records.” As for precipitation, Glisan says rain showers were few and far between during October.

“About 6/10 of an inch below the average,” Glisan says. “There was a swath from southwest through central to north-central Iowa in which we saw above-normal rainfall, and a lot of that rain fell in the last week of October.”

As for the month ahead, he says there are strong signals in the forecast through the first half of November indicating warmer-than-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation.

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