(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Board of Regents approved a revised policy today (Tuesday) that says faculty at the three state universities may teach controversial subjects as long as they don’t include indoctrination of one perspective. Regent David Barker says this is important in light of recent videos that purport to show faculty at some schools trying to undermine the law against D-E-I initiatives. “I think we improved it by taking out references to anything specific, and there isn’t anything that shouldn’t be taught,” Barker says.

Barker says any subject can be discussed as long as there is no censoring of viewpoints. “If some controversial policy is taught, students should be informed that this is controversial and they should have an understanding of both sides of it,” he says.

Regent Nancy Dunkel disagreed, saying there shouldn’t be any attempt to stifle academic freedom. “Academic freedom is a principle that scholars, teachers, and students in educational institutions have the freedom to teach, to learn, to conduct research, and publish or express ideas without fear of censorship, retaliation, or institutional interference, as long as those thoughts align with standards of scholarly integrity and professional ethics,” Dunkel says.

Dunkel says they should change the title of the provisions to “restrictions of academic freedom.” “These revisions that we’re going to vote on here soon are not clarification, they are restrictions to academic freedom,” she says. Dunkel says calling something controversial is ambiguous, because it depends on who is deciding what is controversial.

The revision passed on a 7-1 vote with Dunkel the only Regent to vote against the policy. Student Regent Lucy Gipple was not at the meeting. The policy change takes place immediately.

(Radio Iowa) – Five Democrats are now running for the U-S Senate seat Republican Joni Ernst holds. Josh Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs, says he’s a moderate Democrat who’s battle tested after winning two campaigns in an Iowa legislative district that supported President Trump in 2024. “I am the Democrat that is representing the reddest part of this state,” Turek said. “I am in a county that Trump won by 20 points and a city that Trump won by 11 points and I won by nearly six points and that is because I have got the grit, the hard work, the determination to go out every single day and have conversations with Republicans and independents and talk about the kitchen table issues that actually matter.”

Turek, who is 46, was born with spina bifida. He won gold medals in wheelchair basketball representing the United States at the Paralympic Games in 2016 and 2020. Turek says people want legislators who work in a bipartisan way for the middle class and working families. “My philosophy is country over party. I am a genuine prairie populist,” Turek said. “…I am going to fight for raising the minimum wage. I’m going to fight for affordable housing. I’m going to fight for affordable and accessible health care, which I can speak to with credibility having gone through an enormous amount of adversity in my life, having 21 surgeries before I was even 12 years old due to my disability.”

Turek says his political hero is former U.S. Senator Tom Harkin. “I am someone that knows and understands the impact a senator from Iowa can make. It was because of Senator Harkin and his work with the Americans with Disabilities Act that has allowed me to have the success in my life that I’ve been able had,” Turek said. “Had it not been (for the Americans with Disabilities Act), I never would have had the economic, the educational or the occupational opportunities to be successful in my life.”

Turek played professional wheelchair basketball in Europe and Australia for 17 years and, since 2021, he’s worked for a company that sells wheelchairs for children and adults as well as rehab technology to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers. Turek’s current competitors for the Democratic Party’s U-S Senate nomination are Jackie Norris of Des Moines, Nathan Sage of Indianola, J.D. Scholten of Sioux City, and Zach Wahls (like “walls”) of Coralville.

(Radio Iowa) – There’s now a timeline for the closing of the old Mississippi River bridge from Lansing to Wisconsin, and the opening of the new bridge. D-O-T Highway Division Administrator Tony Gustafson says the old bridge will close October 15th. “When the bridge is closed on October 15th, they’ll begin demolition immediately on the existing bridge…removing the deck panels manually, but also using dynamite to demo the bridge,” he says. Gustafson says work on the new bridge will require work that has caused the old bridge to move in the past and they need to proceed with that work. He told the Transportation Commission they have an updated schedule for opening the new bridge.

“Trying to open up the bridge to a one-lane of traffic in March of 2027…it’s a steel truss bridge, so the steel truss members have to be painted with a special paint, twice, not only once but twice, so that’s why they have to look at opening the bridge to one lane of traffic when they work on one side of the bridge painting the steel members and they’ll switch traffic to the other side to paint the other side steel members,” Gustafson says. He says they’ve been able to make good progress on the new bridge. “The construction is still progressing very well…in a couple weeks they’ll have all the substructure work complete which are all the piers and abutments, and they’re looking at starting the steel erection from the Iowa side east,” he says.

Gustafson says they are working on some things to help motorists until the new bridge is open. One option is to bring the Cassville ferry to the area. “Hoping to get them to the site, to Lansing, during that October to April timeframe when they are not working,” Gustafson says. “They would go back to Cassville in April. We’re looking at a couple of the different ferry options for permanent service while the bridge is out of service.” Gustafson says they are working on environmental clearance to build the dock walls to service the ferry. “One dock wall on the Iowa side will be at the Lansing marina and then the other dock wall will be at the Cops of Engineers beneficial use site on the Wisconsin side which is right next to where the contractor is staging their work,” he says. “We may have to do some mussel relocations and some other environmental clearances before we can start building those dock walls.”

He says they hope to complete the entire project by the end of 2027.

AMES, Iowa – Aug. 12, 2025 – The Iowa Department of Transportation is asking for public input, with regard to the proposed replacement of a bridge on Iowa 37 over the Boyer River, just west of U.S. 30 in Harrison County. Construction will take place starting in the spring of 2028 and be completed by the fall of 2028. Traffic will be detoured during construction. The proposed detour would follow U.S. 30 to Denison, Iowa 141 to Ute, and Iowa 183 to Soldier. Accelerated bridge construction techniques are planned to reduce the duration of the required detour. Access to properties will be maintained at all times.

Share your feedback by August 25th, at https://pima.iowadotpi.com/public/event-registration/search?project_id=19810&pe_guid=9ac1ddcb-9e1c-4452-8725-9ca12be2e43b

(Atlantic, Iowa) – In an update to their previous report, the Iowa State Patrol, today (Tuesday) said a juvenile from Atlantic who was struck by a vehicle late Monday evening, died from their injuries after being flown by LifeNet to Methodist Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. The crash remains under investigation.

The collision happened at around 7:50-p.m., Monday, as a 1999 Chevy Suburban driven by 22-year-old Todd Schwab, of Atlantic, was traveling west on West 6th Street near the intersection with Birch Street. An -as yet unidentified- 8-year-old child ran out onto the road from 401 West 6^th and was struck by the vehicle.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by Atlantic Police and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

(Atlantic, Iowa)  – The August session of Healthy U will be presented at Cass Health in Atlantic, by Cass Health Pharmacist Sara Arnold. The session takes place at Noon on Thursday, August 21st, in Conference Room 2 at the hospital. Arnold will be presenting on over the counter medications and supplements. Her main points will include what to look for when buying over the counter as well as what medications and supplements work best for treating certain conditions.

Space is limited! A free boxed lunch is provided for all attendees, so reservations are required. Call 712-243-7479 to reserve your seat. For more information about Healthy U, visit casshealth.org/healthyu.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County held a brief meeting this (Tuesday) morning. The Board received comments from West Township resident Jan Norris, with regard to recent developments in the proposed Summit Carbon Pipeline project.

Norris said also…

Jan Norris speaks to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, 8-12-25

She added, “The conditional permit the ICU granted for Phase 1 is being appealed. Response briefs were filed last week asking the permit be thrown out. One concern is that landowners are left in limbo for what could be years until the company finds a viable path forward. As you know, there is no way for them to meet the condition of getting a permit in South Dakota. In fact, Summit has no application pending – they never filed a new one after being denied by the South Dakota PUC – twice.”

After acknowledging her comments, the Montgomery County Supervisors heard a regular, weekly update from County Engineer Karen Albert.

The Board’s next regular meeting is at 9-a.m., on Tuesday, August 19th.

(Creston, Iowa) – No injuries were reported following a collision Monday afternoon, in Creston. According to Creston Police, vehicles driven by 68-year-old Rodney Cottrell and 39-year-old Daisy Redd, both of Creston, collided at the uncontrolled intersection of Harsh and Vine Streets, at around 3-p.m., Monday. Authorities say both drivers’ view was blocked by an illegally parked SUV on Vine Street. When Redd slowed down, but then proceeded into the intersection, her vehicle was struck in the middle of the intersection by the vehicle being driven by Cottrell.

Police said damage to the vehicles amounted to $3,500 altogether, but were able to be driven from the scene. Daisy Redd was cited for Failure to provide proof of insurance (financial liability).

(Radio Iowa) – An expert on insects says it’s been a great summer in Iowa for mosquitoes, and a lousy summer for people who are getting nipped by the flying pests. Entomologist Lyric Bartholomay says mosquitoes are thriving in Iowa and all across the Midwest due to heavy rains and hot weather, which may also bring a rise in insect-borne diseases like West Nile virus. “In a situation like this year where we’re experiencing record rainfall and record high temperatures, it becomes kind of a perfect storm for mosquitoes to have ample places to lay their eggs and for their immatures to develop,” Bartholomay says. “I think we’re heading into what could be a serious West Nile virus year with a lot of cases.”

Mosquito-USDA-photo

She says climate changes could be leading to a rise in cases of various diseases carried by mosquitoes, as seasonal changes are impacting mosquito activity. “Maybe folks have noticed, too, that the last date of frost is coming later and maybe the threat of frost in the spring is wearing away sooner,” Bartholomay says, “and so in many parts of the country, mosquito season is just lasting longer.” Bartholomay says there are a variety of ways to try and control mosquito populations, including eliminating anything with standing water in your yard which might become a mosquito hatchery. Plus, there are several effective chemicals.

“For immature stages, we have an arsenal of controls that includes all kinds of microbials, things like hormone mimics that disrupt how they grow, and then more traditional insecticides,” she says. “For adults, we have a few kinds of insecticides that can be used either from a backpack fogger or a truck or an airplane.”

She notes, a community’s capacity to use those tools depends on its investment in controlling the insects. Bartholomay is an entomology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.