(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Auditor and Democrat candidate for governor Rob Sand made a stop in Sioux City Monday. Sand said before his event that the record number of school vouchers is a concern. “These private schools can do anything they want on God’s green earth with these tax dollars and the public’s not going to find out about it,” Sand said. “There’s only one thing that’s illegal, they can’t give a rebate to parents, but anything else they want to do is completely legal.” That’s not his only criticism of the school voucher program.

“And then on top of that, look at the unwillingness to allow us to look at the program. We actually tried to audit the controls of the program and the run as administration wouldn’t allow us to do that,” he says. On another issue, Sand said legalizing and taxing marijuana would help the state’s budget. “It’s silly to me that we do not do that, and I think we’re past due for it right now. Iowans are taking their tax dollars and spending them in other states,” Sand said.

State Auditor Rob Sand

The stop was one of several Town Halls Sand is conducting during his campaign.

(Radio Iowa) – K-C-R-G T-V is reporting that three correctional officers experienced medical emergencies following a drug search at the Anamosa State Penitentiary last week. Officers conducted a cell search July 20th and found multiple sheets of paper consistent with the K2/K3. The officers reportedly had a reaction to something from the cell or the papers. All had to be given NARCAN.

(Radio Iowa)- Get your shopping list ready as the annual Iowa sales tax holiday is at the end of this week. Iowa Department of Revenue spokesman John Fuller says it gives you a break on some items. “There’s no sales tax on articles of clothing or footwear that are less than one hundred dollars,” he says. There are other items you wear that won’t be tax free. “Watches and jewelry and umbrellas and roller blades,” Fuller says. Fuller says you can go online to find out exactly what qualifies for the tax break.

“There’s a P-D-F sheet on our website that has a whole list of items, a pretty detailed list for it,” he says, “What is exempt, meaning you don’t have to pay tax and and but things you you would have to pay tax on.” Fuller says the sales tax holiday is always on the first Friday and Saturday of August every year.  “Yeah, the concept is to give Iowans a sales tax break for for a couple days per year comes right sort of before school starts. So it might be a good time to do some school shopping,” he says.

The two-day sales tax break for approved items starts at 12:01 a-m on Friday and runs through midnight Saturday.

(Radio Iowa) – There’s no sign in Iowa yet of a destructive insect that can devastate all sorts of plants, trees and crops, but the spotted lanternfly is confirmed this summer in northern Illinois near Chicago. Boone entomologist Ginny Mitchell says homeowners, gardeners, farmers and grape growers need to take note and be vigilant for this flying pest.  “The nymph, or the immature stage of the spotted lanternfly, they feed on softer things like vines, flowers,” Mitchell says, “then once they get to the adult stage, they can feed on woody plants, any sort of trees.” The lanternfly was last reported in Iowa in 2022 when it was found in a Dallas County apple orchard. Mitchell says they’ve been known to infest corn and soybean fields, too, but really anything that grows outdoors is seen as a potential meal by this bug.

Adult spotted lanternfly (USDA photo)

“These insects secrete a honeydew, which is like a sugary substance that their body creates,” Mitchell says, “so they secrete that and it causes the plant to get a sooty mold which can devastate the plant and kill the plant, especially grape vines, which are very susceptible to mold.” The spotted lanternfly has a distinct appearance, both the young ones and the adults. “The immatures or the nymphs are black with white spots,” Mitchell says, “then the adult is still black and white, but then it has these vibrant reddish orange wings on it also.” The nymphs may be about the size of a dime while the adults grow to about an inch in length. Mitchell encourages Iowans to be on the lookout.

“If you spot one, it’s important that you capture it in a container,” Mitchell says. “They don’t bite. They’re not going to hurt you. They’re not poisonous or venomous. Immediately reach out to the DNR and let them know your location. They’ll probably send somebody out to inspect the insect itself, and then also the area that you found it on.” The fly has its origins overseas and Mitchell says its natural host plant is what’s known as the tree of heaven, which is native to Asia, but there are some in Iowa. It’s believed the lanternfly may’ve arrived in the U-S on a shipping container.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Monday, arrested a woman wanted on a Mills County warrant. Authorities say 44-year-old Ashley Marie Hall, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 2:25-p.m. in the 1200 block of Circle Drive, in Red Oak. She was taken into custody on the warrant for Violation of Probation. Hall was transported to Mills County and then to the Mills County Sheriff’s Office. She was being held in the Mills County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (KCRG & KCCI) – At least 200 workers at a meat packing plant in southern Iowa had their work visas revoked, and they must leave the United States. The United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1149 confirms that between 210 and 220 employees at Ottumwa’s JBS plant were informed that their visas have been revoked and their employment terminated. A Local 1149 official said this is the largest termination of visa workers in his 23 years with the union.

Another union official told KCCI that the HTE Hormel plant in Algona is dismissing 12 employees for the same reasons.

On July 15, Ottumwa Mayor Rick Johnson told city council members that JBS has been meeting with workers from places like Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. He couldn’t confirm if more groups would be affected. The Mayor said JBS is providing workers with $1,000 dollars each to help them self-deport.

The Ottumwa plant employs around 2,500 people.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – FedEx is laying off 84 employees in eastern Iowa as part of a widespread “network transformation”. According to a release from FedEx, the company is launching a network transformation program to improve package delivery. As a result, some FedEx facilities are closing, while others are consolidating in an attempt to streamline FedEx services.

The FedEx facility on Harrison Street in Dubuque is set to close, impacting 27 employees. In addition, the FedEx facility on Beech Way SW in Cedar Rapids will reduce some of its staff. While the Cedar Rapids facility will remain open, 57 employees are set to be laid off as a result of the new program.

Staff members at both facilities were made aware of the layoffs months in advance. FedEx reports that many of the employees will be offered other roles within the company. Affected employees are being provided with career transition support, reassignment opportunities, and compensation packages, according to a statement from the company.

INDIANAPOLIS — A Texas man accused of stalking and sending “sexually violent” social media messages to Caitlin Clark has pleaded guilty. According to KCCI-TV, Michael Lewis, who was 55-years-old at the time of his arrest, was taken into custody in January after investigators say he threatened and stalked Clark. He was arrested at a hotel in Indianapolis after traveling there from Texas.

Lewis proclaimed himself “guilty as charged” during his first court appearance. The court filed a not guilty plea on Lewis’ behalf.

Lewis pleaded guilty Monday and was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison, some of which has already been served. He is also prohibited from contacting Clark and is banned from all Pacers and Fever games and events.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The theme for this Thursday evening’s Produce In the Park in downtown Atlantic, is “Drumstick Night.” Organizers say it’ll be  a “Drumtastic time,” with the Atlantic Public Library’s all-ages drumming activity.

Drumtastic at the Atlantic Public Library

The event – which takes place from 4:30-until 6:30-p.m., features chicken drumsticks from a local vendor, and, Cass County Tourism is giving away 100 ice cream drumsticks, first come, first served!

There will be over 25 vendors set-up at the downtown Atlantic City Park, featuring: Fresh Produce (tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, green beans, and more), Farm-Fresh Eggs, Local Meats (including chicken drumsticks!), Baked Goods & Desserts, Freeze-Dried Snacks, Local Honey, Arts & Crafts, Garden Decorations, Compost.

Pho Wheels & Sushi Food Truck will be at Produce in the Park July 31

Food Trucks on site include : Pho Wheels and Sushi, and the Teeny Weeny Weiner Wagon. Kids’ craft activity, accordion tunes, and Visiting organizations: Healthy Cass County, Cass Health, Atlantic Kiwanis, and more!

Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HxDwrhn5k/

(Via the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Corn rated nearly 90% good to excellent during the reporting period from July 21 through July 27, while wet conditions limited farmers’ activities in the field, according to the latest crop progress and condition report.  Iowa crops continue to progress slightly ahead of schedule while above-average temperatures and precipitation caused humid conditions and in some cases, caused excessive soil moisture.

Across the state, topsoil moisture went from 21% surplus last week to 30% surplus this week. Subsoil moisture conditions also increased to 24% surplus, up from 17% last week.  According to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, the weekly average precipitation was 1.58 inches for the reporting period, which is 0.61 inches above the normal. Some regions of the state, however, received as much as 7.2 inches during the reporting period and southeastern Iowa had between 3 and 5 inches.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said with only a couple of days left in July, it “could rank among the top ten wettest Julys on record. Last week was hot and muggy as a heat dome settled over the Midwest, producing some sweltering heat and humidity,” Naig said in a statement. The average temperature for the week, at 77.5, was more than 4 degrees above normal. Temperatures throughout the period were between 2 and 6 degrees above the 30-year average.

Soybeans also rated 82% good to excellent for the reporting period and 81% of soybean acres were blooming. Soybeans are five days ahead of last year and two days ahead of the five-year average in terms of setting pods, as 52% of the crop across the state has reached that stage. According to the report, nearly half of Iowa oat acres have been harvested, with higher percentages of harvest completed in southern regions of the state.

Oats rated 83% good to excellent and hay rated 86% good to excellent.  Across the state 87% of alfalfa hay acres have had a second cutting and 28% have undergone a third cutting. Pasture conditions also rated well at 82% good to excellent, though according to the report, some livestock stress was reported on account of the heat and humidity.