(Radio Iowa) – While the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is closed for a 20-million dollar renovation, officials at the West Branch facility hope to keep the topic of Iowa’s only native president top of mind with a comprehensive exhibit at the Iowa State Fair. Greta Bierman, a spokeswoman for the Hoover Presidential Foundation, says one feature will give fairgoers the chance to work off those corndogs by playing a round of Hooverball.

“This was a game that was developed when Herbert Hoover was the president, and he played Hooverball every day except for Sunday with his cabinet members,” Bierman says. “It’s kind of a cross between volleyball and tennis, and since you’re throwing a medicine ball over a really high net, it keeps you in shape.” The display will include a photo booth where fairgoers can dress up as the 31st president and the first lady and stand behind a podium as if giving a campaign speech. Bierman says it will be packed with interactive exhibits.

“Our whole display booth is going to show the history of Herbert Hoover himself,” Bierman says, “but it also gives you images of what the museum looked like before the renovation and what it’s going to look like after.” While some only associate Hoover with the Great Depression, Bierman says there’s much more to learn about his career as an engineer, a world traveler, his deep Iowa roots, and how his legacy of integrity, service, and innovation still inspires generations.

“‘Ask me about the great humanitarian,’ is one of our mottos,” she says. “All of the humanitarian work that he had done from the Belgian food relief after the First World War, again after World War II, when the Mississippi flooded, how he headed up helping that food relief in the United States.” The fair opens Thursday and the exhibit will be located west of the D-N-R building and north of Grand Avenue on Monday and Tuesday. The library and museum is expected to reopen in the summer of 2026 with fresh exhibits and immersive storytelling.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports a Madison County man was arrested July 30th on an Adair County warrant for Theft in the 4th Degree. 39-year-old Justin Carl Bush, of Winterset, was arrested following an incident at a Greenfield hardware store. The items he allegedly took were valued at nearly $725. Bush was released from the Adair Jail July 31st, on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – One of the Democrats running for the U-S Senate seat Republican Joni Ernst holds plans to visit 99 counties in 99 days. Nathan Sage launched the tour this weekend with stops in nine counties.  “The only way you’re going to be able to listen to everybody is by going to them, so 99 in 99 is to get out there and have these conversations with everybody and if we can do it by working a little bit harder, showing that we’re the working class candidate that’s willing to do this and drive across the state and have these conversations that’s what we need to do,” he says, “because at the end of the day a lot of these people can’t drive to Des Moines, they can’t drive to Mason City to see me, so I need to be where they’re at.”

U.S. Senate candidate Nathan Sage

Sage, a veteran and Mason City native, is the executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce. Sage began his U-S Senate campaign in mid-April and by the end of June he had raised over 700-thousand dollars. It was just 14-thousand less than Ernst raised during the quarter and more than the other competitors for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2026 U-S Senate nomination collected for their campaigns. “I’ve never been a candidate before, so I don’t know what to expect, so the fact that we have over $547,000 of that money is $200 donations or less our average — our average donation is $25 — that is cool,” Sage says. “People are the grassroots, understand that I’m here to represent them.”

Sage spoke with Radio Iowa after an event in Warren County. He will campaign in Boone County tomorrow (Tuesday). Sage plans to end his 99 county tour on November 4th by hosting a town hall in central Iowa. The 2026 Iowa Primary Election is on June 2nd. Sage’s other stops this weekend were in Mitchell, Polk, Bremer, Hardin, Audubon, Monona, Harrison and Shelby Counties.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says it’s shameful for Democrats to criticize Trump’s pick to lead the U-S Attorney’s office in Washington, D.C. Grassley and 49 other Republican senators voted to confirm former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to the post this weekend. “You may hear my Democrat colleagues criticize Ms. Pirro for some of her colorful remarks during her time as a TV personality,” Grassley says. “…She has a larger-than-life personality, but she has decades of distinguished record as a prosecutor and judge.”

Grassley says Pirro was a trailblazer in the legal profession. “She spent 27 years prosecuting criminals and another three as a judge,” Grassley says. “In those three decades Ms. Pirro gained a reputation for fierce advocacy against domestic abuse and crime against children.” Grassley says Pirro set up one of the first sting operations against sexual predators on the internet.

Grassley made his remarks during a speech on the Senate floor. Iowa’s other U-S Senate, Republican Joni Ernst, also voted for Pirro but has not commented on Pirro’s confirmation.

(Radio Iowa) – More than 13-thousand people used a new Iowa website to search for child care in its first nine months of operation. Iowa Child Care Connect lets Iowans search for child care openings specific to their kid’s age, and policymakers can use it to see which parts of the state have a higher need for more child care options. Ryan Page is director of child care at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. She says the website’s succeeding and other states want to replicate it. “There are a lot of states that have a search function, most do, however, they don’t have the near real-time availability,” Page says. “They also don’t have that supply-and-demand data in real time to help navigate policy decision making.”

Paige Smothers is the owner and director of Sprouts Early Learning Academy in Carlisle. She says it’s easy and quick to submit her center’s availability to be displayed on the state website.  “I was surprised that, as a center, I’ve been able to use that information too, like when we were trying to explain some differences in our enrollment numbers,” Smothers says. “It’s just been very, very attainable, very accessible, and very user-friendly, for both the family and the centers.”

Smothers says since the website launched, she’s noticed more families that drive through Carlisle to get to work each day are reaching out to her child care center. The website was built with about five-million dollars in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – A man from Glenwood was arrested Sunday night on a drug-related charge. According to the Glenwood Police Department, 18-year-old Alex Carter Burnison was arrested at around 11:10-p.m. in Glenwood. He was charged with Possession of Marijuana/1st offense. Bond was set at $1,000.

(Audubon, Iowa) – The Audubon County Engineer’s Office reports painting contractors will be working in Audubon County repainting pavement markings on all County pavements County wide over the next week. Expect travel time delays and use caution when approaching/passing painting crews. The project is expected to be completed (Weather permitting), by 6-p.m. Friday, August. 8th.

(Creston, Iowa) –  The first few days of August brought seven arrests in Creston. According to the Creston Police Department, late Friday night, 18-year-old Tanner James Richardson, of Tingley, was arrested at the intersection of Devoe & Spruce. Richardson was charged with Driving While License Denied, Suspended, Cancelled, or Revoked. Richardson was cited and released on a promise to appear.

Three people were arrested during the early morning hours on Saturday morning, in Creston: 38-year-old Christina Marie McDonald, of Creston, was arrested at the intersection of Montgomery & Spruce. McDonald was charged with Driving While License Denied, Suspended, Cancelled, or Revoked. McDonald was cited and released on a promise to appear; 33-year-0ld Alex Shamblin Cole, of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, was arrested at 900 S Sumner St. Cole was charged with Operating While Under the Influence 1st Offense, and Carry Weapon – While Intoxicated (OWI). Cole was transported and held at the Union County Jail; and, 35-year-old Maria Soledad Pantoja, of Afton, was arrested at 800 Laurel St. Pantoja was charged with Interference with Official Acts, and Public Intoxication. Pantoja was transported and held at the Union County Jail.

Just before 3-a.m. Sunday, Creston Police arrested 46-year-old Russell Edward Orr, of Creston, at the intersection of Lucas & Vine. Orr was charged with Operating While Under the Influence 1st Offense. Orr was transported and held at the Union County Jail And, at around 4:15-a.m. Sunday, 43-year-old Angel Jean Davis, of Creston, was arrested at 302 N Pine St. Davis was charged with Public Intoxication. Davis was transported and held at the Union County Jail.

Sunday night, Michael Edward Walker, of Creston, was arrested at 207 E Montgomery St. Walker was charged with Disorderly Conduct – Loud Raucous Noise, and Public Intoxication. Walker was transported and held at the Union County Jail.

(Audubon, Iowa) – The Audubon County Roads Department reports a paving project on Lark Avenue, from Highway 44 north to 220th street, is finished, and Lark Ave. is now open to thru traffic. The road was closed May 12th for work on the project.

(Audubon, Iowa) – The Audubon County Road Department reports today (Aug. 4th), that 220th Street from Kingbird to Lark Avenues is once again open to thru traffic. Officials say bridge repairs have been completed. The road had been closed since May 12th.