(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat who’s running for governor, says a government efficiency panel appointed by Republican Governor Reynolds should drop the idea of changing the pension system for public employees.

“Look, these are teachers, they’re fire fighters, they’re plow drivers, they’re police officers,” Sand said to reporters covering one of his stops at the Iowa State Fair. “We have made this deal with them and, to me, when you make a deal, you made a deal and you stick with it.”

Last week, the group Governor Reynolds asked to review state and local government operations revealed it might recommend doing away with the defined benefit plan for pensions state and local government employees receive from IPERS, the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System.

State Auditor Rob Sand

“A big piece of this, to me, that I think everyone’s missing is they’re saying, ‘Oh, these are generous pensions,’ but they’re paychecks are lower,” Sand said. “I will mean a lot of people get into public service because the know, ‘I’m going to get less money now, but I’m going to get more money later,’ and yet I didn’t hear in the language of the recommendation that they’re going to talk about raising their wages.”

Last week during the task force meeting, former Fort Dodge Mayor Terry Lutz said some compensation packages in state and local governments “far exceed” the private sector and he said it’s time for a comprehensive review of pay and benefits for public employees. Lutz also suggested the state should shift to a pension system for future employees similar to 401Ks that’s based largely on contributions from the worker and how well investments perform.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Atlantic High School Alumni Smackdown Committee and Atlantic Parks & Recreation, is pleased to host “Smackdown After Dark” this Saturday, August 16th, 2025. Kelsey Bescorner, Program Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce says “I couldn’t be more excited to bring Smackdown After Dark back with a powerhouse performance from the hometown favorite, Gallivant! It’s the perfect way to wrap up summer. Live music, delicious food trucks, a cold drink in hand, and our community all together under the stars… and the best part is, it’s totally FREE!.”

The event will take place at Sunnyside Park with a beer garden, organized by the Atlantic Fire Department, and food vendors beginning at 5 PM. The Rock band “Gallivant” will play from 7 PM – 10 PM on the Band Shell. Beer tickets will be one for $5 or 5 for $20. Individuals will purchase tickets when entering the event, cash, check, or Venmo. Checking IDs will be required, and a wristband will be worn to identify legal age once at the beer tent. No outside alcohol is permitted.

The event is free admission and is open to everyone of all ages, not just alumni of Atlantic. “It’s important to stress that you don’t have to be a graduate of Atlantic High School to come to the concert. We want this to be a community experience while also giving alumni in town for the weekend a chance to catch up with old friends,” mentioned Beschorner.

The 11th Annual AHS Alumni Smackdown Tournament will be held the morning of August 16th. The event will take place at both Nishna Hills Golf Course and Atlantic Golf & Country Club. More than 60 teams are registered to play.

Stay up to date on the latest information regarding Smackdown After Dark by ‘following’ the event page on Facebook or visiting the Community Calendar on www.atlanticiowa.com. Smackdown After Dark is sponsored by Atlantic Parks & Recreation, Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department, Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

(An article by Cami Koons, with the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its previous decision to add seven segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters due to their high nitrate concentrations. In November the agency decided the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ list of impaired waters only “partially” met the requirements of the Clean Water Act to identify waterways with identified pollutants in excess of water quality standards. The EPA review of the list identified seven additional segments with high levels of nitrate and nitrate plus nitrite. Despite pushback from the DNR, and comments that the EPA had a “patchwork approach” to regulating nitrate across the country, the federal agency finalized the decision in January.  According to reporting from the Des Moines Register on Tuesday, the EPA office informed the DNR in July it had rescinded its decision. A spokesperson for the DNR confirmed the action in an email with the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

The original decision highlighted segments of rivers connected to municipal drinking water sources, including segments in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers which supply water to the Des Moines metro, the Cedar River upstream of Cedar Rapids, the Iowa River near Iowa City and the South Skunk River. EPA said in its November 2024 decision the nitrate concentrations in these segments exceeded safe drinking water standards. The DNR’s director, Kayla Lyon, pushed back against the decision saying the cities that source water from these rivers are all able to supply drinking water within the safe drinking water standards. Lyon also said the agency was “holding Iowa to a very high standard that it does not enforce elsewhere.”

A very full Raccoon River flows under a bridge at Walnut Woods State Park in West Des Moines, June 25, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Nitrate concentrations have been a topic of interest for many in central Iowa this summer. In June, Central Iowa Water Works issued its first ever lawn watering ban to account for high nitrate concentrations in source waters, the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, and to continue to meet demand. The regional water authority kept nitrate concentrations in finished water below the EPA’s drinking water standards thanks to the ban, which was lifted Aug. 7, and to nitrate removal systems at several facilities. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Board president Jenny Turner said the EPA’s decision to rescind the segments from the list was “an affront to the health and well-being of Iowans.”

“Issuing this reversal on the heels of Central Iowa Water Works first ever lawn watering ban and consistently high nitrate levels in these very same water segments is tone deaf, appalling, and dangerous,” Turner said in a statement. The release of Polk County’s two-year water quality study has also brought the issue to the forefront for many Iowans. A widely attended presentation on the report has been viewed more than 2,000 times online, and at the event, researchers called for regulation on the agriculture industry for its links to nitrate pollution, which the study highlighted. Tarah Heinzen, the legal director with the environmental group Food & Water Watch said the “water crisis” in Iowa should be a “call to action.”

“Instead, Trump’s EPA is callously turning its back,” Heinzen said in a statement. “The data is clearer than ever that central Iowa is facing persistent, toxic nitrate contamination endangering thousands — and industrial agriculture is responsible.”

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds has designated today, August 13th, as “Solar Day in Iowa.” In honor of the occasion, solar industry leaders and advocates came together at the Iowa State Fair to celebrate all things solar at “Solar Day at the Iowa State Fair.”

“Iowa farmers have a long history of harvesting the sun to feed, fuel and power the world,” said Ray Gaesser, Chair of the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum. “Whether it’s powering farm facilities or leasing land for utility-scale projects, solar energy is a drought-proof resource that helps farmers hedge against fluctuating commodity markets.”

The Governor’s proclamation reads:

• Whereas, Iowa is a world leader for the production, development and technology of renewable energy. These industries create jobs in Iowa and grow the state’s economy.
• Whereas, Iowa ranks 16^th among U.S. states in technical potential for solar energy production, ahead of states such as Florida and Georgia, and has the potential to add enough solar to meet the state’s electric needs more than 150 times over.
• Whereas, Solar energy has become an important option for Iowa farmers, businesses and homeowners to manage their energy future.
• Whereas, Solar energy benefits both rural and urban Iowa, with solar installations in all of Iowa’s 99 counties. 
• Whereas, Iowa’s solar industry employs more than 1000 people and supports nearly 100 businesses involved in the supply chain. 
• Whereas, More than $1.1 billion has been invested in solar in Iowa, growing local economies.

“From rooftops to row crops, solar energy benefits Iowans in both urban and rural parts of the state,” said Todd Miller, Board President of the Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association and co-founder of 1 Source Solar. “The Iowa State Fair is the perfect backdrop to celebrate solar’s impact in Iowa, especially our rural and agriculture communities.”

(Radio Iowa) – Researchers at the University of Iowa are looking for help testing out developing technology that’s designed to determine whether a driver should be behind the wheel. Tim Brown, director of drugged driving research at the U-I’s Driving Safety Research Institute, says study participants will be paid to drink enough alcohol to be over the legal limit, and then they’ll hop into a driving simulator. “What we’re looking at is a combination of vehicle sensors, so sensors on the steering wheel and the pedals, looking at your lane position,” Brown says, “but more importantly, newer technology that looks at the driver’s face and is able to look at expression and glance behavior, all of those things that might provide an outward sign of the driver’s state.”

There are already multiple devices that are designed to keep a vehicle from starting if the would-be driver has been drinking. Brown says they’re looking to develop systems that go well beyond those which could potentially be placed in all new vehicles.

Photos from the UI’s Driving Safety Research Institute

“Ignition interlocks are often a system that is designed to deal with people who’ve already been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol,” Brown says. “These driver monitoring systems are really geared towards providing a safety net to prevent impaired driving. This is technology that would be in the vehicle and would provide warnings to the driver.” A federal study in 2023 found more than 12-thousand people were killed in crashes nationwide that involved alcohol. That’s about 34 people killed every day, or one death every 42 minutes.

Brown is confident these emerging technologies in driver monitoring systems will be able to save lives. “Right now, we think about them primarily in the context of somebody who’s distracted or drowsy, so letting a drowsy driver know they might need to stop and take a break, or somebody who’s distracted to put their attention back on the roadway,” Brown says. “They’re really systems that are designed to alert the driver to conditions they might be unaware of so they can take corrective action.” The study pays $820 and participants will need to make four visits to the U-I’s Driving Safety Research Institute in Coralville: one 2-hour screening visit, two 8-hour daytime visits, and one 8-hour overnight visit. They need to be between 38 and 68, in good health, legally licensed to drive in the U-S, and willing to drink enough alcohol to be above the legal limit.

For more information, fill out the survey at bit.ly/Alcohol-DMS or visit dsri.uiowa.edu and click on “Participate.”

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Roads Department reports a little more than three-quarters of a mile of 140th Street, between Oak and Noah Avenues, will be closed, beginning at 7-a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14th, for regrading. The project is expected to take two days, and should be finished by around 3:30-p.m. Friday, August 15th.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is touting her influence in the Trump Administration and giving firm signals that she’s running for re-election in 2026. Ernst spoke this morning at the Westside Conservative Breakfast Club in Urbandale and mentioned the five Democrats who’ve launched campaigns for the U.S. Senate. “I love it,” Ernst said. “Every day we get a new Democratic member of the House or Senate that decides to run for this senate seat. Bring it on, folks, because I tell you at the end of the day Iowa is going to be red,” Ernst said.

Three of the five Democrats who’ve launched campaigns for the U.S. Senate are currently members of the Iowa legislature. As Ernst concluded her remarks this morning, she told the crowd 2026 will be a “big election year” for Iowa Republicans. “In the Republican Primary, you must turn out, O.K? And then after all of those choices have been made through the Republican Primary, we all come together as Iowa and support our Republican candidates and we turn out in November and we put the Democrats in their place,” Ernst said, to applause and cheers.

Ernst began by saying President Trump’s four year break from the White House gave him a chance to develop his “America First” policy agenda and select federal agency leaders who are working to put it in place. “I visit with the president often. I get to work on a lot of his agenda items,” Ernst said. “…I work very well with President Trump. All of those cabinet members know it and when they need something or I need something, we are constantly collaborating and working together.”

Ernst said this spring, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture asked her to lobby Trump to let an updated calculation for some farm subsidies be included in the One Big Beautiful Bill he signed July 4. “She said, ‘You have a really good relationship with President Trump. Could you please call him?’” Ernst said, with a laugh. “And so I was tasked by Secretary Rollins and the chairman, John Boseman, of the (Senate) Ag Committee to call President Trump.”

Ernst said Trump returned her call at midnight on a Sunday. “Sorry I don’t do the best Trump impression, but you know he was like: ‘Oh, oh Joni. All right. I’ll talk to the team about your farmer stuff,’” Ernst said, continuing with her reply to Trump: “‘O.K., thanks Mr. President.’ I’m glad that I have the trust of my colleagues and the administration officials to be the one out there attempting to convince the president to include our farmers in some of these items and he really does case about our Iowa farmers.” In July of 2016, Ernst was among the people Trump interviewed as a potential running mate before picking Mike Pence.

State Representative Josh Turek of Council Bluffs launched his campaign of the U.S. Senate yesterday. Knoxville Chamber of Commerce executive Nathan Sage, State Representative J.D. Scholten of Sioux City, State Senator Zach Wahls of Coralville, and Des Moines School Board president Jackie Norris are the other candidates who’ve said they’ll compete for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2026 nomination for the U.S. Senate.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, received an update from Adair/Guthrie County Environmental Health Executive Director Jotham Arber. He mentioned that during the month of July, his staff was working on completing Perc (percolation) tests. That’s a method used to determine the water absorption rate of soil, which is crucial for designing and installing septic systems. They’ve also conducted many water tests and well rehabilitation’s.

They’re also participating in a pilot program, with regard to radon testing using an electronic device.

It’s hoped they can eventually have some of the new devices to loan-out for a week and see in real-time what the radon levels are. Under the current system, home test results using a card are sent in a lab, and the results are returned to the home owner, not the Environmental Health Agency, so it’s difficult to know if the radon levels are high in a particular area, Arber says.

Arber says they have information packets available, with regard to nitrite and nitrate levels in rural well water.

He says the information is especially important for new, rural homeowners who are having a well installed. Jotham Arber told the Adair County Supervisors they are working on getting the Beacon system rolled-out to the three counties the Environmental Health Department serves in this area. Septic systems will be included in the software program that will be compatible with the county’s system that is already in-place.

Beacon and qPublic.net combine both web-based GIS and web-based data reporting tools into a single, user friendly web application that is designed with the user’s needs in mind.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, during their regular weekly meeting this (Wednesday) morning (Aug. 13), approved a bid from Adair County Concrete for concrete work around the Veterans Memorial. Board Chair Nathan Baier said there was just the one bid.

The Board also approved the final drawings, with regard to the Grandstands on the Adair County Fairgrounds. Baier said there was essentially one change from the initial concept.

The Supervisors heard from Community and Family Resources (CFR) Executive Director, Michelle DeLaRiva. Community and Family Resources (CFR) is a free standing comprehensive substance use treatment provider based in Fort Dodge, which serves individuals across the State, from 14 counties.

DeLaRiva asked, and the Board approved, $450 to help cover the cost of a committal for one person who did not have the funds to cover CFR’s service. Supervisor Jodie Hoadley, said they don’t have much choice, because it is an unfunded mandate from the State. DeLaRiva said she will be back in January to discuss future funding needs.

And, Chair Nathan Baier, upon receiving approval from the Board, signed the Contract and Performance Bond with GovCo, for the N27 Lincoln (Township) Bridge project. Afterward, County Engineer Nick Kauffman provided his weekly Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities report.

The Board also received an update from Environmental Health Director Jotham Arber.