(Radio Iowa) – As we endure the sweltering sun of summer, Iowans may find some relief in pondering the cooler weather that’s sure to come. The new edition of the Farmers’ Almanac is now available and managing editor Sandi Duncan says they’re predicting plenty of cold and widespread snow for the Great Plains states, including Iowa.  “The 2024 Farmers’ Almanac says, ‘The BRR is Back,’ meaning that there’s going to be a lot of cold temperatures coming to your neck of the woods this winter season,” Duncan says. “Overall, we’re thinking that it’s going to be ultimately more of a cold than a snowy winter, but we do see some occasional bouts of storminess bringing widespread rain and snow to your region.”

The publication is forecasting a more traditional winter ahead, with colder temperatures and near-countrywide snowfall. As for Iowa, it may arrive sooner, not later. “Winter is going to start a little bit early. It looks like in December, the Farmers’ Almanac is calling for some snowy conditions,” Duncan says. “Some people like to have a little bit of white around the Christmas holidays so that may happen, but looking into January and February, the cold is more the headliner this winter.”

After wintertime is technically over, the almanac is calling for what it calls a “Polar Coaster Spring,” which doesn’t sound like something that will enthuse Iowa farmers — or many of the rest of us. “It’s kind of going to go back and forth and in fact, winter is going to hang on,” Duncan says. “We’re calling for some cool and cold conditions through March and into April. So even though the calendar may say spring, it looks like it’s going to be kind of a Polar Coaster, meaning that we see nice days that remind you that spring is coming, but overall, we see a kind of a chilly, rainy season on tap for you all.”

In a Radio Iowa interview in August of 2022, the almanac’s editors predicted we’d have a “glacial, snow-filled” winter, with heavy snows beginning in late October. How did that forecast compare to what Iowa actually saw?  “Cold weather kind of got stuck over Russia and China, so of course, you had some cold conditions, but our forecast was slightly off the mark,” Duncan says, “but you know, we do our best. We try to give people an idea of what may come 12 months to 16 months down the road so that you can plan ahead.”

The Lewiston, Maine-based almanac was founded in 1818 and boasts a forecast accuracy rate of 80- to 85-percent. The formula was developed more than two centuries ago, based on factors including sunspot activity, planet positions, and the effect the Moon has on the Earth. Besides long-term weather predictions, the Farmers’ Almanac also contains a wealth of information on gardening, cooking, home remedies, folklore, managing your household, living in harmony with nature, and more.

farmersalmanac.com

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Fair starts tomorrow (Thursday) and on Saturday seven presidential candidates plan to compete for the attention of tens of thousands of fairgoers and throngs of media. On Saturday morning, four G-O-P candidates plan to have a “Fair Side Chat” with Governor Reynolds on the fairgrounds. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who’s considered former President Donald Trump’s chief rival, is among them.

Trump has not accepted the governor’s invitation to appear with her, but Trump just announced he intends to visit the Fair early Saturday afternoon. Two Democrats who’re running for president and two Republican presidential hopefuls will be speaking at the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox Saturday afternoon as well.

It may be a bit like the day in 2015 when Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were at the state fair and Trump flew his helicopter over the fairgrounds. Trump later wandered through the fairgrounds, sampled a funnel cake and a turkey leg and spoke with fairgoers.

Sixteen presidential candidates intend to make the same kind of trek through the Iowa State Fair this year.

[UPDATE 8/10/23] Kaylee Arnold was found safe and is being reunited with her family, according to a release from the Davis County Sheriff’s Office.

Original story follows:

(Bloomfield, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Public Safety, in cooperation with the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, has issued an Endangered Person Advisory, for 13-year-old Kaylee Arnold. Kaylee was reported missing Tuesday evening (August 8, 2023). She was last seen at about 7:00 p.m. at the Casey’s Store in Eldon, Iowa. Based on information discovered during the investigation, law enforcement considers Kaylee endangered.

Kaylee is 4’11” tall and weighs 90 pounds. She has dark brown eyes and hair that is dyed red. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, dark shoes, and a gray shirt with “Camp Wapello 2011” on the back. Both of her ears and her left nostril are pierced.

Kaylee Arnold

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Kaylee Arnold is asked to call their local law enforcement or the Davis County Sheriff’s Office at 641-664-2385.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports one person suffered suspected minor injuries during a single vehicle accident on Tuesday. Deputies responded to the crash around 10:50 a.m. in the 1900 block of O Avenue. Upon arrival the driver of a 2023 Ford cargo van, Corey Cloyed of Omaha, was standing upright outside the vehicle. It was determined that the van was traveling southbound on O Avenue when it drove on the shoulder and entered the west ditch.

Cloyed was transported to Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for evaluation of minor injuries. No citations were issued at the time.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Red Oak Rescue and Stanton Fire and Rescue.

(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa man who admitted to sexually abusing three of his nine children has died in prison. The Iowa Department of Corrections says 48-year-old James Beaudrie of Des Moines died of a chronic illness August 4th.

Beuadrie was arrested in Chicago in 2012 after a nationwide manhunt, and was charged with nine counts of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of child endangerment. He was reportedly living with his nine kids in the game store he owned at the Merle Hay Mall.

Beaudrie pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree sexual abuse in a deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2013.

(Radio Iowa) -Gasoline prices rose almost 50-cents a gallon in Iowa in the past month, and they’re still climbing. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says prices should start to level off very soon. “We’re at $3.78 a gallon, up 13-cents from a week ago which isn’t the greatest news, but as the weather starts to cool — and that’s a big component of this — hopefully, we’ll see some relief coming,” Ortner says. “As the summer travel season ends, the demand for gasoline will also help with the amount of supply that’s currently available.”

A month ago, gas was averaging three-30 a gallon in Iowa. Ortner says the steamy weather is key in the pump price hike.  “A big factor in those prices going up is the extreme heat that we saw last month,” he says. “It played a role in the recent spike in prices because some refineries had to pull back their production. Some of those refineries work in 100-degree weather, but we were seeing temperatures of 103, 110 in the areas where the refineries are.”

So far, no tropical storms have hit the oil producing states of the Gulf Coast region this year. Triple-A spokesman Gene LaDoucer says international issues are also driving factors in the price increases. “Russia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to further their production cuts,” LaDoucer says. “That is coupled with extreme heat in the United States, which is resulting in additional maintenance, requirements at refineries and reduced output. Couple that with the extremely high travel volumes this summer.”

Prices vary widely across the state, as Council Bluffs is averaging three-68 a gallon, while Dubuque is at three-88. Triple-A says the national average is three-82. The latest check (8/9/23) shows gasoline prices in Atlantic average $3.84 per gallon. The lowest is $3.78 and the highest is $3.90/gallon.

(Radio Iowa) – The State of Iowa is using 21 million dollars in pandemic relief money to buy a fully furnished office building and move all 540 employees out of the Wallace State Office Building that sits across from the state capitol. The 45 year old Wallace State Office Building has windows on its southern facade that reflect the image of the Capitol Building, but the Wallace Building has been in dire condition for decades. The windows leak. The roof is in rough shape. The parking garage has been closed for years due to falling chunks of concrete.

The heating and ventilating system is out of whack and some employees have said they suffer from “sick building syndrome.” The state Executive Council has approved buying a two-story office building on the west side of Des Moines. Staff from the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing who’ve been working in the Wallace Building are moving into that facility.

Iowa Department of Agriculture employees in the Wallace Building will move into the Hoover State Office Building a few blocks away. It will be up to legislators to decide what’s done with the decrepit Wallace Building. A report presented to the state Executive Council indicates demolition costs could be recouped by selling the corner lot in downtown Des Moines where the Wallace Building now sits.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with Google have announced the company is investing $350 million this year at its Council Bluffs data center campus. This builds on Google’s more than $5 billion investment in the state since breaking ground on the site in 2007.

Google’s continued investment in technical infrastructure, including its data centers, plays a critical role in supporting the company’s AI innovations and growing Google Cloud business. The Council Bluffs data center is one of Google’s largest facilities and helps power popular digital services — like Google Cloud, Workspace (which includes Gmail, Docs, Sheets and more), Search and Maps — for people and organizations worldwide.

In Iowa, Google has created jobs for over 900 people in a variety of full-time and external supplier roles, including computer technicians, engineers, and a variety of construction, food services, maintenance, and security roles. As a pioneer in computing infrastructure, Google’s data centers are some of the most efficient in the world. Google was the first major company to set an ambitious 2030 goal to run its business on carbon-free energy (CFE), every hour of every day, in all of its data centers and campuses worldwide.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst said “It’s great to be in Council Bluffs to celebrate new opportunities and jobs for the community. Additional investments at this data center will be a boon to southwest Iowa, and I am proud that highly-skilled Iowans are working to keep the internet up and running for those around the nation and world.”

Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh said “From infrastructure investments to investments in community initiatives, Google’s continued commitment to Council Bluffs is apparent.“The new investment announced today in the Council Bluffs data center facilities, along with Google’s support of the new co-working hub, will continue to provide a ripple of economic impact throughout our community.”

As part of Google’s long-term commitment to the state, the company announced a $250,000 grant to Advance Southwest Iowa Corporation will support the creation of the first-ever co-working entrepreneurial hub in Council Bluffs. This collaborative space will help local entrepreneurs overcome the challenges to starting and running a successful business by providing a variety of services and resources. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, and the hub will help strengthen the local community through knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities.

Allie Hopkins, Google Head of Data Centers, Iowa and Nebraska said “Iowa is building the infrastructure for American innovation. It’s home to one of Google’s largest data centers, providing the infrastructure for digital services and AI innovations that serve people and businesses around the world. We’re proud to be building it here in Iowa and today’s investment underscores our long-term commitment to the Council Bluffs community and the entire state.”

Google has a history of supporting projects and initiatives that help bridge the digital divide in Iowa. Google was a key partner in the effort to bring the BLink community Wi-Fi network online for Council Bluffs. Google has also supported STEM learning for over one thousand Iowa students through hands-on learning opportunities like the Iowa STEM Council and CS First coding events. Since 2009, Google has awarded more than $3 million to local schools and nonprofit organizations including efforts to expand computer science education and upskilling Iowans to help grow their careers and expand their businesses.

Throughout Iowa, 177,000 Iowa businesses have connected with their customers through Google, and Grow with Google has partnered with more than 160 organizations in the state to train tens of thousands of Iowans on digital skills, including public libraries, chambers of commerce, and more. Last year alone, Google helped provide $1.45 billion of economic activity for thousands of Iowa businesses, publishers, nonprofits, creators and developers.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report the arrest at around 10:25-a.m. today (Tuesday), of 63-year-old Thomas Oscar Anderson. Anderson, who is from Red Oak, was arrested for False Reports to a Public Entity – a Simple Misdemeanor. Anderson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents today (Tuesday) approved the University of Iowa’s request to purchase the financially troubled Mercy Hospital in Iowa City for 20 million dollars. University of Iowa president, Barbara Wilson, told the Regents that the university and Mercy have a long history. “Many of our employees are part connected as neighbors and as family members and friends across the two institutions. And so we’ve been very anxious to watch what’s happening with Mercy Iowa City,” Wilson says. Mercy filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, and the hospital would join U-I Healthcare if approved by the bankruptcy court.

“We recognize that the outcome is, of course in the hands of the bankruptcy court. But we share a goal to preserve the ability to offer health care access to a wide variety of individuals, both in the community and beyond,” Wilson says. U-I Vice President for Medical Affairs, Denise Jamieson says they do not know how long the process will take. “We know that this bankruptcy proceeding is very complex, and it’s going to take some time to play out in the court. And there. It’s an evolving situation, we still have many unanswered questions,” Jamieson says. She says Mercy will continue serving its patients through the bankruptcy.

“It’s critically important that as this moves through the courts, Mercy Iowa City continues to see patients and there not be disruption in care,” she says. “And this will really help all of our patients receive organized timely, high quality health care services from both Mercy Iowa City as well as University of Iowa Health Care.” Jamieson says they are excited about a potential future where the two would join together us one, and says they think this would be in the best interest of the state’s health care needs. Jamieson says U-I Healthcare will work with Mercy through the process.

” Over the next weeks, days, weeks, months, we will spend time collaborating with Mercy Iowa City’s current employees and leadership to better understand their needs and their ideas and their concerns, and to understand which services will best serve the community,” Jamieson says.

The U-I proposal to buy Mercy Iowa City came after the hospital’s main investor Preston Hollow called for the hospital to be placed in receivership. Preston Hollow had invested 42 million dollars into Mercy and says it’s evaluating the deal before taking further action. Mercy Iowa City had rejected the University of Iowa’s offer of more than 600 million dollars to buy the facility two years ago and turn it into a community division of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.