(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Bicycle Coalition has released the second phase of its study on the impact of biking on the state. Coalition executive director Luke Hoffman: “This phase of the study found that 40 percent of recreational cyclists ride at least twice per month, generating consistent economic impact, job creation, and workforce development and quality of life for the whole state,” he says. Hoffman says the most surprising thing to him was the impact is felt across the state in all 99 counties.  “Even in the most rural counties, for example, Adams County, you know, we even saw economic impact there. And so this is something that we think is really significant, and something that should be helpful as a tool for folks as they apply for grants, and think about how do we move Iowa forward economically.” Hoffman says.

He says the biggest economic impact is felt by restaurants, bars, and places where cyclists stop when they’re out riding. ” Of course when you’re on a bike and you’re biking somewhere, you’re a lot more likely to stop than when you’re in a car,” Hoffman says. “And so because of that, the spending that we see from cyclists, you know, has a huge economic impact year over year.” Iowa has continued to expand its trail systems built on old rail lines and connecting more and more cities. Hoffman says it does kind of follow the line from the “Field of Dreams” that “if you build it they will come.”

“In fact, even if you don’t build it, they’ll still come right, because you got the gravel riders, you’ve got the road bike riders. The thing about the culture in Iowa is we’ve already built it. You know, we already have the world capital trails already over two-thousand, according to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, multi use trails across the state,” he says. Hoffman says the bike culture continues to expand from the annual ride across the state to leisure riding on trails, to bike parks, and many other events. ” They’ll do races, they’ll go do a gravel race, which is a really burgeoning part of the industry right now. So I think that’s the exciting thing about it is that we expect to see this kind of spending in Iowa just because of the sheer fact of the culture,” Hoffman says.

Hoffman says the impact on Adams County is around 500-thousand dollars, while in Dallas and Black Hawk it is 25 million dollars, and the annual economic impact on Polk County exceeds 150 million dollars.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak arrested a man late Monday night. Authorities say 22-year-old Michael Daniel Hohl, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 11:50-p.m. following an investigation into a shopping cart owned by the Red Oak Hy-Vee, that was set on fire in the 900 block of N. 4th Street, in Red Oak. Hohl was charged with Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree, a Simple Misdemeanor. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Audubon County, Iowa) – A large machine shed was heavily damaged in a fire Monday afternoon in rural Audubon County. The blaze at 2513 Jay Avenue near Hamlin was reported at around 2:47-p.m.  When crews arrived on the scene they found the structure and several pieces of equipment on fire.

Mutual aid was requested from area fire departments, including Brayton, Exira and Kimballton. The fire was contained about 90-minutes after the first crews arrived on the scene. The last unit returned to quarters at around 5:45-p.m.

The north half of the structure sustained a total loss. No one was injured. The cause of the fire remained under investigation at this time.  Other agencies assisting at the scene included:

• The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office
• Audubon County Communications Center
• Audubon County Emergency Management
• and MidAmerican Energy.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra hasn’t set a date to formally launch his campaign for governor, but is dropping hints about his future. Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, was at the Clay County Fair in Spencer this weekend talking about his background in northwest Iowa.

Feenstra suggests reversing Iowa’s brain drain will be a priority.

Feenstra was chairman of the tax-writing committee when he was a member of the state senate and he says lowering property taxes would help make Iowa communities more vibrant.

Feenstra is a former Dordt University professor.

(Radio Iowa) – The State Board of Education has updated the rules for a new law that establishes a state conference realignment committee for schools wanting to be in a activities conference. Board lawyer Thomas Mayes says the listened to public input and changed the original plan that would have selected the nine activity directors on the committee from the nine Area Education Agencies.

He says that gives the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union more flexibility in selecting the members. Mayes says they want to find a conference for every school that wants to be in a conference.

Mayes says the new committee will have much more flexibility to achieve that goal.

The rules update also includes the terms of the committee members which Mayes says was inadvertently left off in the updated rules. He says the members will serve four-year terms and are eligible for reappointment once. The executive directors of the girls’ Union and the boys’ Association will make appointments to the committee, including filling vacancies.

Each group will contain at least one representative of a nonpublic school. There will be a public hearing on the updated rules on October 21st from 8:00 a-m to 9:30 a-m in Room B-50 of the Grimes State Office Building in Des Moines.

CORALVILLE, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections report a man serving time for two counts of second-degree sexual abuse in Cass County, has died. 59-year-old Timothy Duane Smith was pronounced dead at 8:17 a.m. on Sept. 9, 2025, in the palliative care unit of the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center.

His sentence began on Aug. 9, 2018.

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa legal scholar who’s an expert on genetic privacy says the thousands of Iowans who used the genetic testing company 23andMe may have dodged a bullet with its recent bankruptcy, but she fears repeats with similar companies.

UI law professor Anya Prince says the genetic data of some 15-million customers nationwide appears to have emerged from the company’s financial challenges with all security measures intact.

“What happened in the bankruptcy proceeding is that the winning bidder for the data and the company was a company called TTAM, which actually stands for 23andMe,” Prince says. “It’s a nonprofit entity owned by the original co-founder of 23andMe, and that company has promised to keep the same services, keep the same employees.”

Prof. Anya Prince (UI photo)

If it had fallen into the wrong corporate hands, Prince says that genetic data could have been used in ways customers of 23andMe never intended.

“There could be worry about that being misused by life insurance companies or other insurance companies, or use by law enforcement — which some people are uncomfortable with, or purchased by a foreign nation,” Prince says. “There could be a range of options that really our laws don’t protect against fully.”

The company’s at-home test kits are easy to use and the reports sent back to customers based on their DNA often provide information about their ancestry and family members. Still, depending on the test, those genetic markers may also reveal predispositions to diseases, which could mean higher premiums, should an insurance company access the data. Also, law enforcement might be able to access your genetic data without a warrant, which could have all sorts of implications.

Prince has co-authored a paper saying the 23andMe bankruptcy and sale exposed critical gaps in consumer privacy protections, and she says new privacy laws are needed, either at the state or federal level, to safeguard genetic data.

“When people give their private data, including genetic information, to companies like this, they really are trusting them to be good stewards of their data,” Prince says, “but right now, our laws don’t require them to be good stewards of the data. It just requires them to tell people what’s going to happen in the privacy policies that we know nobody reads anyway.”

Prince and a colleague have launched a website that tracks genetic privacy laws across the U.S. She recommends it for anyone who’s already given out their genetic data, or who might be considering it.

“We meant it to be available for everyone and readable by everyone,” Prince says. “There’s lots of maps so you can click through, and we really hope that it’s accessible, and we did not put it in the legalese that everybody gets so annoyed with their lawyers for speaking in.”

Prince says the U.S. lacks a comprehensive federal privacy framework for genetic data protection and the country’s health privacy law (HIPAA) does not apply to direct-to-consumer DNA testing companies.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests that took place last week and this past weekend. Saturday evening, 40-year-old Sabrina Sue Winkelmann, of Fontanelle, was arrested by Police in Adair, for Assault with Bodily Injury. She was later released on bond.

Wednesday afternoon, Adair Police arrested 68-year-old Patricia Ann Denson, of LaCrosse, WI, for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, and a Prescription Drug Violation. She was later released on bond.

On Sept. 9th, Adair County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 57-year-old Jon Eric Muselman, of Osceola. He was taken into custody in Orient for OWI/1st offense and Failure to Obey a Stop or Yield Sign. Muselman was cited and released.

And, on Sept. 8th, an Adair County Deputy arrested 34-year-old Clayton Carl Albrecht, of Truro, following a traffic stop on I-80 near mile marker 80 in Adair County. Albrecht was charged with: OWI/1st offense; Driving Under Suspension; Failure to Maintain Control, and Open Container-Driver/21-years of age or older. He was released the next day on bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The northwest Iowa Democrat who won a special election for a seat in the Iowa Senate has been sworn into office. Catelin Drey is representing a district that includes areas of rural Woodbury County as well as Sioux City, where Drey lives. “There is something very humbling about taking the official oath in a moment when it feels like that has become increasingly difficult or increasingly controversial,” she said. “That oath is sacred and I look forward to doing the best that I can to uphold that.” There are now 17 Democrats serving in the Iowa Senate and it breaks the G-O-P’s 34-seat super majority.

Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner says it means Democrats have the ability to be part of the mix in developing legislation. “Way too often the last few sessions it was perhaps a Senate of 34. Now we’re a senate of 50. If they want to get people confirmed, if they want some other things, they will need to work with us, but that’s honestly the way it should work,” Weiner said. “That’s the way Iowans want it to work.” This is the second special election Senate Democrats have won this year. Drey, who won with about 55 percent of the vote, takes office less than a week after influential conservative Charlie Kirk was killed in Utah and two students were shot at a Colorado school by a 16-year-old that authorities say was radicalized by online content.

Drey says it’s a fraught time and she’s thinking about the safety of children in school as well as the safety of public officials. “I am optimistic that we have an awareness now that this type of rhetoric is dangerous,” Drey said, “and I’m also optimistic that we can find some solution to solve the gun violence crisis that is ongoing in this country.”

Drey will serve the remainder of Senator Rocky De Witt’s term. De Witt died of cancer in June.