(Radio Iowa) – A state panel is predicting state tax revenue will fall nine percent during the current state budget year compared to the 12-month period that ended June 30th. The group met today (Thursday) and reduced the tax estimate it released in March by another 375 million dollars — citing factors like Iowa’s rising unemployment rate, falling soybean prices and the state income tax cut that took effect in January.

Kraig Paulsen, the governor’s budget director, serves on the panel. He says Republican lawmakers who passed the tax cuts planned for this, socking away six billion dollars’ worth of taxes over the past several years that can be spent to balance the state budget. “Is this where we want to be? Is it the most comfortable spot? No,” Paulsen told reporters, “but…the State of Iowa is in a good financial condition.”

Recent federal tax reductions are having an impact, too, since Iowa tax policies automatically adjust to mirror federal changes. Jennifer Acton, fiscal division director for the Legislative Services Agency, says declining consumer confidence could be concerning if trends continue.”Businesses appear more hesitant to hire and are leaving more jobs open due to softer sales and uncertainty,” Acton said. “…Meanwhile, manufacturing and finance, the two largest employer sectors in Iowa…have lost jobs over the past year.”

Former State Banking Superintendent Jeff Plagge says there are some worrisome signals in the ag economy. “Grain producers are going to have a difficult year, as they did last year,” Plagge said. Plagge and the other two panelists on the State Revenue Estimating Conference predict Iowa tax revenue will stabilize and begin to grow in 2027 — if there’s no recession. Governor Reynolds says now that Iowa’s three-point-eight-percent flat income tax is fully implemented, Iowans have more of their own money than they did at this time last year — and that’s just as it should be.

Democrats like Representative Dave Jacoby of Coralville say the state’s finances are plummeting. “I think it’s plain to see that the Republicans have been squeezing the tax balloon for years,” Jacoby said, “and that balloon has finally popped.” Senator Janet Petersen of Des Moines says the tax cuts have created a billion dollar hole in the state budget and state reserves will eventually run out. “This isn’t just a dip in revenues,” Petersen says. “This is a historic drop.”

Petersen is the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department has released a report on arrests and other incidents that occurred between Sept. 21st and Oct. 15th.

• 31-year-old Donovan Bruning, of Griswold, was arrested Oct. 4th for Driving While Barred.
• 42-year-old Julie Meisinger, of Atlantic, was arrested Oct. 3rd for Failure to Maintain Control.
• 28-year-old Christopher Martin, of Atlantic, was arrested Sept. 30th for Public Intoxication and Providing False Identification information.
• Atlantic Police arrested 20-year-old Kanden Hensley, of Stuart, on Sept. 27th, for OWI/1st offense.
• 22-year-old Chance Kline of Atlantic, was arrested Sept. 23rd for Public Intoxication, and
• 50-year-old Juan Hernandez-Brito, of Atlantic, was arrested Sept. 21st, for OWI/1st offense/

Atlantic Police report also, the following individuals were cited into court on charges of Theft in the 5th Degree:

• 9/23: 34-year-old Scott Belew, of Atlantic.
• 9/25: 60-year-old Rachelle Hegreberg, of Atlantic.
• 9/26: Lori Gilleland, of Atlantic.
• 9/27: Michelle Carey, of Adair, and 50-year-old Joann Schafer, of Villisca.
• 9/30: 61-year-old Connie Nichols, of Atlantic. And,
• 10/13: 81-year-old Larry Johnson, of Atlantic.

These individuals from Atlantic were cited into court for Disorderly Conduct:

• 10/6: 33-year-old Anthony Asay
• 10/14: 27-year-old Allen Van Aernam, and
• 10/15: 26-year-old Logan Russell.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) — A 7-year-old Adair County boy will be this week’s Kid Captain when the Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. KCRG reports Micah Norby, from Greenfield, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy at 5 years old, after his parents noticed him falling more often and lagging behind on the soccer field.  Micah received a new gene therapy on the day before his sixth birthday at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. The treatment was intended to slow the progression of the disease.

University of Iowa health care (photo)

The treatment needed to be administered before he turned 6. His health care team had to appeal for insurance coverage, and an illness caused a delay in treatment. Micah was the first child in Iowa outside of clinical trials to receive this treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He is now 7 years old and enjoys swimming, fishing, and using his remote-control car.

(Radio Iowa) – Democrat Jackie Norris has ended her campaign for the U.S. Senate. Norris, who is president of the Des Moines School Board, says the recent crisis surrounding the immigration arrest for former superintendent Ian Roberts has demanded her full attention — and has made her and the school board the target of vicious and coordinated attacks. Norris says it’s clear she needs to focus on her role on the school board and the campaign to pass a 265 million dollar borrowing plan for Des Moines Public Schools this November.

Des Moines School Board President Jackie Norris ends U.S. Senate campaign (Norris campaign photo)

Norris has worked on high profile Iowa campaigns and taught history and government at high schools in Ames, Perry and Johnston and was elected to the Des Moines School Board in 2021. Norris says ends her senate campaign with her head held high and will keep fighting for better politics and for a Democrat to win Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat in 2026.

(Radio Iowa) – A pitch competition — like what you see on the “Shark Tank” T-V show — is scheduled in Des Moines next Wednesday — and it will feature start-up companies from Argentina, India and Nigeria. World Food Prize Foundation C-E-O Tom Vilsack says the foundation is putting up 65-thousand dollars in prize money. “We’re really excited about the inaugural Innovate for Impact challenge,” Vilsack said. “We were sort of taken aback by the response. We had 387 applications from 62 countries.”

Executives from each of the three companies will make their pitches to a panel of judges, who will award 50-thousand dollars for first prize, 10-thousand dollars for second and five thousand dollars for third prize. The event will be held in downtown Des Moines as part of the annual World Food Prize Dialogue that starts Monday. “There’s an opportunity, I think, for us to learn a little bit more about innovation that’s taking place and the entrepreneurship that is alive and well in this field of agriculture,” Vilsack said. Vilsack says the three companies have the potential for worldwide impact. APOLO Biotech in Argentina uses R-N-A technology to produce an alternative to traditional pesticides.

(Pictured: WFP CEO Tom Vilsack – Radio Iowa/IA PBS credit)

Capsber Agriscience in India is already working with over 150-thousand small-scale farming operations to use microbes that are native to the soil rather than fertilizers to boost crop yields. The third business — Vet Konect in Nigeria — has created a digital platform that has connected tens of thousands of farmers in eight countries to information about raising livestock. Tickets are required to attend the pitch competition and can be purchased on the World Food Prize website.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the number of businesses listed on the state’s “Choose Iowa” website has doubled since January. The online marketplace was created during the pandemic when demand for locally raised food rose. “I want to encourage Iowans — shop local. Go to www.chooseiowa.com. You can find all manner of products — everything from cut flowers to honey to beverages to certainly protein, fruits and vegetables,” Naig said. “You name it, you can find all of the above in the Choose Iowa directory.”

This past spring the website opened up to horticulture businesses that sell trees, shrubs and other garden plants. It costs a business 100 dollars a year to be listed on Choose Iowa dot com. “Buy local and surprise some folks for Christmas this year,” Naig said.

The Choose Iowa website lets people search by location, by the name of the business or the type of product someone hopes to buy. It also includes information about whether the products can be purchased online or in person.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congressman Zach Nunn, of Ankeny, says President Trump’s move to pay U-S soldiers who are on active duty this week was just a temporary fix. Nunn says if the government shutdown doesn’t end soon, soldiers and airmen won’t get a paycheck at the end of the month. “We have a reality before us where 1.5 million troops are on pins and needles of whether they are going to be able to feed their family marching forward,” Nunn said. Trump directed the Pentagon to use about eight BILLION dollars of unused federal research funds for military pay this week, including members of the Guard and Reserve who are on active duty.

Nunn, who joined House Republicans at a news conference in Washington, D.C., notes reservists and Guard members who are NOT on active duty didn’t get paid. “15,000 National Guardsmen from Iowa were in danger of not being able to decide whether to put a down-payment on a new car or being able to put food in the refrigerator,” Nunn said. “…These aren’t theoretical. These are real people, real impact, real costs.”

(Photo: screenshot of Rep. Zach Nunn from his press conference Oct. 15th)

Nunn says Senate Democrats need back down and approve the plan House Republicans passed in January to keep the government open through November 21st. Democrats are demanding that the package include an extension of tax credits for health insurance purchased on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. The top Democrat in the House says Democrats are willing to negotiate with House Republicans, but haven’t been able to do so because the House hasn’t convened this month.

(Creston, Iowa) – A man from Creston was arrested early Wednesday morning. According to the Creston Police Department, 31-year-old Tyler Wayne Kimball was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and on an outstanding warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charges of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Disorderly Conduct.

Kimball was transported to and held at the Union County Jail.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests that were made between Oct. 9th and the 16th. There were two people arrested on October 10th in Cass County:

• Deputies arrested 32-year-old Reybert Tagata Aguilar, of Atlantic, for Possession of Controlled Substances, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Aguilar was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on his own recognizance.
• 41-year-old Andrew Lee Butler, of Atlantic, was arrested Oct. 10th for OWI/1st Offense. Butler was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on his own recognizance.

And, on October 9th, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 62-year-old Sally Newman Jones, of Anita, on a Warrant for Violation of a Domestic No Contact Order. Jones was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and later released on bond.

All criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in the court of law.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports a woman was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Des Moines. 46-year-old Crystalynn Kay Sterling, of Glenwood, was arrested on a out-of-county/out-of state warrant. She was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.