(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he doesn’t know if President Trump has the power to remove a member of the Federal Reserve Board, though Trump said on social media Monday night he’s firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook, an unprecedented move. “I don’t know for sure whether he has the authority to do it,” Grassley says. “The courts are going to answer that question.” Cook is refusing to step down. Trump says he’s firing Cook because of allegations she committed mortgage fraud, though no charges have been filed. The Federal Reserve is a panel that traditionally operates independently from partisan politics, and if the firing is upheld in the courts, it could cause a critical disruption of financial markets.

Grassley, a Republican, says: “The U.S. Supreme Court has hinted, and I want to emphasize the word hinted, that it’s probably a little more difficult for the president to fire somebody from the Federal Reserve Board than it is anybody else in his or her administration.” Grassley, who serves on the Senate Finance Committee, says he voted against confirming Cook for the Fed position a few years ago on the basis of her financial policies. He describes Cook as a “loose money person,” and he notes the Fed essentially has two objectives which should carry equal weight.

“One is to prevent inflation, and the other one is to make sure there’s full employment,” Grassley says. “I voted against her because she would tip the scale to the employment part of it, and that is the Fed taking action on loose money, which then would breed further inflation.” The term “loose money” refers to the policy of broadening the supply of money as a way to boost growth in the economy and make it easier to take out a loan.

Cook is the first black woman to serve on the Fed’s board of governors. She was appointed by then-President Joe Biden in 2022.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Forty-five percent of Iowa corn acres have reached the dent stage and soybeans are just beginning to color, with nearly all, or 90%, of the crop already setting pods, according to the latest crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Corn and soybean crops are a day or two behind the five year average schedule on several progression stages. Corn in the dough stage reached 88% which is three days behind the average for the Aug. 18 through Aug. 24 reporting period. Corn acres rated 84% good to excellent and soybean acres rated 79% good to excellent, a slight drop from the previous reporting period for both crops.

The report also noted disease pressure continued to rise in Iowa crops. Field agronomists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach noted continued presence of southern corn rust and sudden death syndrome, along with a slew of other diseases and pests have been present across the state.  Oat harvest is nearly finished in the state at 97% completion, and nearly 80% of alfalfa hay acres have had a third cutting.

Corn growing in a western Iowa field in August 2023. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Farmers had nearly 6 days suitable for field work this week and enjoyed high temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s later in the week due to a cold front that pushed in.  “Farmers across Iowa enjoyed a welcome break from the rain last week along with cooler temperatures and less humidity,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a statement.  Naig said the cooler temperatures are forecast to hang around for the remainder of the month.

Despite the cool temperatures through the weekend, the average temperature for the reporting period was still 1.3 degrees above normal, according to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, who said temperatures were “unseasonably warm” for most of the period. Ames logged the highest temperature for the week, which at 97 degrees Fahrenheit was 16 degrees above the normal.  Northeastern parts of the state had “unseasonably” high precipitation totals early in the week, with some areas logging as much as 6 inches of rain.

The average precipitation across the state was 0.87 inch, just slightly below the normal of 0.93 inch.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Shawnna Silvius, Mayor of the City of Red Oak for the past two terms, announced today (Tuesday) that she will not seek re-election at the conclusion of her current term. Her news release said over the past four years, Mayor Silvius has served the community with dedication and vision, leading the city through significant progress despite unforeseen challenges. “I am proud of what we have accomplished together as a strong mayor, council, and staff team,” said Silvius. “From housing development to infrastructure improvements, strategic planning, and downtown revitalization, we have built a strong foundation for Red Oak’s continued growth.”

Red Oak Mayor Shawnna Silvius (Official photo)

She notes the following Key Accomplishments during her tenure as Mayor:

• Housing Growth: Expanded housing opportunities with a new subdivision of 33 townhomes under construction and 26 more planned, ensured the completion of the adaptive reuse of the 25-unit 1917 Lofts, completed a rural housing study, and strengthened the rental inspection program.
• Neighborhood Revitalization: Removed 25 nuisance and dilapidated properties, opening space for redevelopment and improving the community’s appearance.
• Grants & Investment: Secured a $500,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant along with multiple state and federal awards.
• Infrastructure & Technology: Completed water and wastewater studies, implemented city-wide GIS mapping, and expanded residential fiber optic broadband access to soon complete countywide coverage.
• Planning & Strategy: Finalized the City’s Comprehensive Plan and launched annual council strategic planning to guide priorities.
• Downtown & Flood Mitigation: Advanced downtown revitalization through a new downtown assessment and re-engaged flood mitigation and levee planning.
• City Operations: Increased staff salaries, invested in critical equipment for all departments, advanced cross-department team building, introduced regular performance reviews, and launched a modern city
  operations software system.

Silvius also expressed confidence in Red Oak’s future leadership, highlighting her support for Tim Fridolph, who she appointed to serve two years as her Mayor Pro Tem and who is now running to succeed her.
“In the time I’ve come to know Tim, I am certain he will lead with transparency, integrity, and dedication,” she said. “He cares deeply about our residents and will continue building trust while guiding Red Oak forward.”

With her recent career transition and a desire to pursue higher-level political aspirations, Silvius said she believes this is the right time to step aside, while pledging to remain fully committed during the remainder of her term. “I hope Red Oak will continue to embrace change, progress, and the reinvestment that has been necessary to advance our positioning and growth,” she added.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Monday (Aug.25th), issued a report on arrests that occurred over the past week.

There were two separate arrests August 19th in Adams County: A traffic stop resulted in the arrest of 52-year-old Christopher Newcomb, of Corning, for Driving While Suspended; And, 34-year-old Derrick Maxwell, of Corning, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense, and two-counts of Domestic Abuse Assault Causing Bodily Injury, following a reported fight in progress.

Three people were arrested August 20th in Adams County: 22-year-old Colin Farrow, of Corning, was arrested on four active Adams County warrants for Failure to Appear; Adams County Deputies issued a Juvenile Referral for a 17-year-old female from Lenox, for Failure to Appear on a citation for Driving Under Suspension. The teen was referred to Juvenile Courts for further proceedings; and, 24-year-old Zoey Calkins, of Corning, was arrested by Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies, for Domestic Abuse Assault-Causing Bodily Injury – 1st Offense, Burglary – 1st Degree, and Theft – 4th Degree.

On or about August 23rd, 2025, at approximately 1:50 pm, Adams County Deputies arrested 55-year-old Rhonda Thompson, of Lenox, on an Adams County Arrest Warrant for Failure to Appear. Also arrested on or about the 23rd, was 46-year-old Justin Beckwith, of Corning, for Domestic Abuse Assault-1st offense.

*Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.*

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department say two people were arrested on separate charges, Monday. 46-year-old Lela Ann Churchwell, of Creston, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct – Loud Raucous Noise, Public Intoxication, and Interference with Official Acts.

And, 52-year-old Frank Tomas Infante-Silva, of Louisville, Kentucky, was arrested  for OWI/1^st Offense, and Possession of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana/1^st Offense. Infante-Silva and Churchwell were being held in the Union County Jail.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak arrested a man Monday night who has no known address of residence. Authorities say 44-year-old Phillip Andrew Page was arrested at around 9:45-p.m. for Public Intoxication, and a Weapons Violation. Page was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – At least three Iowa cities are seeing multi-million-dollar legal settlements from chemical companies for PFAS contamination in drinking water. The biggest Iowa payout is to Des Moines which expects a ten-million dollar check as part of a class-action case. Christina Murphy is with the WEST Des Moines Water Works, which will receive more than three-million dollars from 3-M, DuPont, and other companies.

“The frustrating thing is that it hasn’t been ruled out at the federal level, so people can still use those compounds in manufacturing,” Murphy says. “A lot of industries have taken steps to not use them anymore, but there’s no federal rule preventing them from doing so.” Exposure to PFAS comes with several health risks, including thyroid problems, immune system changes and a higher risk of certain cancers.

Cory McCoid, with the Iowa D-N-R, says they started statewide sampling for PFAS in 2020 and about a dozen locations statewide have levels above federal guidelines. PFAS from firefighter foam is one of the sources.  “What we’ve seen a lot so far across the state is people taking wells offline,” McCoid says, “and then utilizing other wells or putting new wells in.”

Dubuque is also expecting a payout of more than three-million-dollars, Sioux City should get more than 500-thousand, and several more cities are still waiting on word. McCoid says smaller communities might not have the resources to participate in the class-action lawsuit.

(Radio Iowa) – A soybean disease called sudden death syndrome – or S-D-S — is showing up in more fields this year due to a wet growing season. Iowa State University Extension plant pathologist Daren Mueller says a soil fungus causes S-D-S, largely by producing a toxin that’s absorbed into the soybean’s leaves, which turn yellow and die. “The more rain we get, the more toxin that’s going to be there and sort of hastens the death of the plant. But you still, it is a patchy disease and sometimes the fields are not 100 percent infected. So, it’s still good to have a few rains to finish out the crop that isn’t infected,” he says.

Mueller says treatment is not an option once S-D-S is detected, but farmers can consider different soybean varieties and seed treatments next year. He says planting later in affected acres can also decrease risks of the disease.“As farmers are planting earlier and earlier, that actually increases the risk of S-D-S, so maybe identify the fields that are worst, and try to put those toward the end of your list that you’re going to plant,” Mueller says.

Mueller made his comments on the Iowa Public Radio show “River to River.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Fire Department was dispatched to the scene of two vehicles on-fire this (Tuesday) morning, The unoccupied vehicles were located on Commerce Street, just west of Linn Street. The dispatch was requested by an Atlantic Police Officer at around 3:46-a.m., who  saw the vehicles on fire while on patrol.

photo by KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

Fire fighters arrived on scene at around 3:54-a.m.

Additional information is currently not available.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office took to social media, Monday, to warn residents of a phone scam. Someone may call you saying that they are allegedly members of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, and are trying to collect fees over the phone. Some of these scammers are even phishing the Sheriff’s office phone numbers and calling, masked as the Sheriff’s number.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds residents they WILL NOT collect fees over the phone. In fact, they will NOT ask for payment of any type over the phone.

If you are in question about the legitimacy of the phone call, gather the name of the alleged Sheriff’s Office employee, hang up and call the Cass County Sheriff’s office directly. Their office phone line is 712-243-2206 or the Cass County Public Safety Communications line is 712-243-2204.

As a general reminder, it is good practice to not give personal or financial information out to anyone over the phone, especially questionable sources.