(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University researcher is using a special tool to test the limits of lithium-ion batteries. Todd Kingston says the device called the accelerating rate calorimeter or ARC. “It enables us to do various types of electrochemical, thermal, mechanical and electrical abuse testing in a very safe manner,” he says. Kingston purchased the ARC with a grant from the U-S Department of Defense’s Office of Naval Research. It can safely recreate the conditions that cause batteries to heat up. “It’s specifically designed to contain a thermal runaway event, explosions of the battery,” Kingston says. Kingston says they can push the batteries beyond their charging limits, or submit them to mechanical abuse.

“Mechanical abuse could be like a crush test. So if you apply pressure to a battery, some batteries are designed, they have a kind of a rigid can and can withstand some pressure. But after enough pressure is applied, you can start to have mechanical deformation and start to actually mechanically deform the active materials inside of the battery,” he says. Kingston is an associate professor of mechanical engineering and says they want to learn how to prevent issues with the batteries. “Ultimately we are interested in improving the safety and the performance of batteries. That being said, I don’t design batteries myself, but we can provide lots of information that would inform the design or the guidelines or the use of battery in various applications,” Kingston says

Waste haulers say lithium-ion batteries have increasingly caused problems with fires in garbage trucks and landfills, and are encouraging everyone to recycle batteries. Kingston says his research could also help in the recycling process. “Recycling them, even the collection and transport of batteries, you know, ones that are reached their end of life and are looking to be recycled, there’s a lot of safety concerns associated with just, you know, that process the recycling process and how do we safely transport them, how do we safely recycle them. So there’s a lot to learn and a lot that we need to still improve on,” Kingston says. He says the are testing a range of batteries used for various applications from smaller ones to larger ones used in electric vehicles.

(Ankeny, Iowa) – A small aircraft experienced an engine malfunction while in flight, Thursday, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at around 11:30-a.m., on the 12th hole at the Briarwood Golf Course, in Ankeny. According to an Ankeny Police Department social media post, there were no injuries reported. The flight originated from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Ankeny was not the pilot’s intended destination.

The FAA coordinated the removal of the aircraft from the golf course.

(Ankeny PD Facebook page photos)

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — The Iowa State Fair is introducing new policies to enhance accessibility and convenience for attendees. Visitors can now bring in sealed or unsealed drinks, including water, soda, or Gatorade, but alcohol remains prohibited.

CEO Jeremy Parsons said they want to be able to provide an affordable option for families when they come to the fair. Snacks in soft-sided coolers are also allowed, ensuring affordability for families who may not be able to attend for the food. Rules include no glass containers, no alcohol, and outside food and drinks are not permitted at the grandstand.

To reduce entry lines, particularly at Gate 11 on Grand Avenue, new gates are being added on the northwest side near East 30th and Elwell Family Park.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The 2025 Cass County Fair Royalty was selected Thursday evening. The King and Queen winners were Nollan Smith and Lily Johnson. Smith was chosen from a field of four candidates. The others included: Colin Rudy – Cass County Cowpokes & Atlantic FFA; Conner Johnson – Grove H.O.T & Atlantic FFA; and Carter Witzman – Bear Grove Blazers & Atlantic FFA.

Johnson was chosen as Queen from a field of nine young ladies. They included: Zoey Amos – Pleasant Noble United & Griswold FFA; Alyson Dreager – Bear Grove Blazers & Atlantic FFA; Jacquelyn Freund – Washington GEM & Atlantic FFA; Miley Kelly – Griswold FFA;  Addison Masker – Atlantic FFA; Josephine Millikan – Griswold Clubsters; Leah Ohms – Union Leaders & CAM FFA, and Olivia Olson – Pymosa & Atlantic FFA.

Lily Johnson is a member of Grove H.O.T & Atlantic FFA, and the daughter of Jim and Melissa Johnson. She advances to the Iowa State Fair, to compete in a statewide competition vying for the 2025 Iowa State Fair Queen title. (Photo is from the Griswold CSD Facebook page)

Nollan Smith is a member of the Griswold Clubsters & Griswold FFA, and son of Ryan and Windy Smith. Conner Johnson was named Fair Prince. He is the son of Jim and Melissa Johnson, and Josephine Millkan was named Fair Princess. She’s the daughter of Shad & Anita Millikan.

The “Littler Mister” title was awarded to Malcolm Wickard, son of Allan and Braedi Wickard, and one of 12 candidates. The title of “Little Miss” went to Hattie Leighton, daughter of Matt and Sandra Leighton. She was one of 14 candidates.

2025 Royalty Judges were Mandy Pitzen and Cassidy Robinson. KJAN’s Jim Field was the Master of Ceremonies. Last year’s (2024) Cass County Fair Royalty included: Claire Pellett (Queen); Jack Brahams (King); Makayla Atkinson – Princess; Jace Thomsen – Prince & Mr. Congeniality; Claire Pellett – Miss Congeniality.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is working to preserve one of the last pieces of undeveloped shoreline on East Lake Okoboji. The foundation bought the 50-acre property in 2021 for eight MILLION dollars and has been restoring native habitat. Joe Jayjack, the foundation’s director of external affairs, says this year’s check list includes removing some man-made terraces.

“To restore some of the natural terrain on the property and prepping for some prairie restoration to restore a lot of the grasslands that were historically there, and then a little bit of tree work and shoreline restoration right along the lake there that is going to make a big difference, especially during high water events and the stability of the shoreline.” The area is called Narrows Preserve and includes over two-thousand feet of East Lake Okoboji’s shore. When the work is finished, the foundation plans to open the area to the public.

“It’s going to be a really great place for people to enjoy some light outdoor recreation,” Jayjack says. “We have some mowed trails out there and it’s connected to the state park just to south of it, so we’re happy with the progress so far.” The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has an option to purchase another 73 acre tract of land in the city limits of Arnolds Park.

Jayjack says it’s an area surrounded by three bodies of water in the Iowa Great Lakes region. “Eventually we’ll turn it over to the City of Arnolds Park,” Jayjack says. “It’ll be managed by Dickinson County Conservation to be a public nature area and park that people will be able to use.”

The foundation faces an October deadline to raise one-point-nine MILLION dollars to purchase the property, which has never been developed.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn says a bill he’s co-sponsored would impose new sanctions on Russia as it continues attacking Ukraine. “To send a clear message to Russia: the world is watching and we will not stand by,” Nunn says. The bill would give the U-S Treasury Department authority to block foreign banks from having access to U.S. financial institutions if they’re doing business with Russian energy companies or any individual linked to Russia’s leader.

“Every delay empowers Putin. Every loophole prolongs this war,” Nunn said. “Every life that is lost in Ukraine today is a potential threat to Europe and the United States’ national security tomorrow.” Nunn says the bill targets the financial pipeline that’s fueling Putin’s war. “We must act with urgency and strength,” Nunn says, “reinforcing the message that access to the U.S. financial system should not be used by any enablers of Moscow’s aggression.”

Nunn says Russia’s largest aerial attack of the war happened on July 9th after President Trump said European allies could buy U-S made Patriot missiles for Ukraine. “As President Trump continues to ask for peace in the region, pleading directly to Moscow itself…this escalation requires a strategic, immediate and forceful response,” Nunn says.

Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, is co-sponsoring the bill with a Democratic congressman from New Jersey and the House Financial Services Committee approved the measure this week on a 53-to-one vote. It’s eligible for debate in the full House when lawmakers return in September from their summer recess.

Coralville, IA – Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA), operated by Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) has once again been named the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Regional Transit System of the Year. The award was announced during the Iowa Public Transit Association Annual Awards at the Hyatt Regency in Coralville on Thursday, July 17^th. This is a 3-peat for SWITA winning this award, the first time an agency has been so honored.

The Iowa DOT Award is based on several factors meant to represent ridership and efficiency. SWITA has earned this award again due to strong ridership numbers while being the most cost-efficient system in the state.

SWITA Transit Director Mark Lander said, “This award represents all the hard work that our dedicated team puts in each day to ger the people of Southwest Iowa where they need to go. This takes everyone from the staff, the drivers, the shop, the board, and other supporters. We are honored to stand out amongst such remarkable peers.”

Iowa DOT Regional Transit System of the Year 2025 (L-R): Iowa DOT Public Transit Director Kristin Haar, SWITA Transit Director Mark Lander, SWITA Transit Coordinator Kristen Templeton, Iowa DOT Transit Programs Administrator Laura Lutz-Zimmerman, Iowa Transit Programs Administrator Matt Oetker, Iowa DOT Administrative Support Amy Colwell, Iowa DOT Compliance and Training Specialist Jamie Wingert

SWITA transportation is accessible to everyone in the eight-county region, including the disabled and elderly. SWITA offers several transportation options including work routes, medical trips, student transportation, taxi service in six communities, and special trips. SWITA vehicles are equipped with wheelchair accessibility and one personal attendant rides free.

SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy said, “Iowa is a model across the nation for rural public transportation. Not every state has public transit in every county like Iowa does, so to be recognized as Iowa public rural transit system of the year is amazing. SWITA is always pushing hard to provide the best service to the most people, and everyone in the region benefits from that.”

SWITA Driver of the Year Mike Ames was also honored at the IPTA Driver Awards Dinner on Friday, July 18^th at Walker Homestead Farm and Winery in Iowa City. Mike was able to attend a dinner with other top drivers from across the state and be recognized for his great work by his peers.

Mike Ames – Driver of the Year 2025 (L-R): SWITA Transit Director Mark Lander, SWITA Driver of the Year Mike Ames

AMES, Iowa – July 24, 2025 – The Iowa Transportation Commission is beginning the process to update the State Transportation Plan for Iowa. This plan provides a framework for how future investments should be made to Iowa’s multimodal transportation system, including all modes such as aviation, public transit, rail, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, highways, and water transportation.

As part of the update, we’re inviting Iowans to offer input on Iowa’s multimodal transportation system. We’ve created a short survey to collect feedback on the current system and gather ideas for the future of transportation in Iowa. The survey takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. Input from this initial survey will be used to help shape the State Transportation Plan objectives and strategies.

The survey is available at: https://iowadot.gov/FutureTravel and will remain open until August 31, 2025.

For additional information on the current State Transportation Plan, please visit https://iowadot.gov/transportation-development/systems-planning/areas-planning/transportation-plans/state-transportation-plan.

For questions, please contact the Iowa Department of Transportation, Systems Planning Bureau, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50010, call 515-233-7950, or email iowa.motion@iowadot.us.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University’s long-running art rental program is ending after five decades. It allowed hundreds of students, faculty, staff and even local Ames residents to rent artwork from the university’s Memorial Union for a fraction of their original cost. Letitia Kenemer, the Memorial Union arts coordinator, says demand has fallen since the program was launched in the mid-1970s. “We still have renters, we still have people that come in,” she says, “but we just don’t have as much as we used to.”

ISU photo

The collection once offered nearly 300 works of art for people to keep for up to two years at a time, but the numbers have dwindled in recent years. “It was no longer actually making any income and the rentals had gone down,” Kenemer says, “and we tried some different things, but it just hasn’t been as robust as it used to be.”

More than 200 framed prints and posters from the collection will be available for purchase at I-S-U Surplus during the first week of August, with prices starting at just $10.

(Radio Iowa) – Today’s (Thursday) updated Drought Monitor report shows Iowa is close to being drought free. The U-S Drought Monitor map shows only about four percent of the state now has drought conditions. Most of Wappello County still has moderate drought, with some across the county line into Monroe and Davis County in southeast Iowa. There’s also some abnormally dry conditions in those counties. A sliver of moderate drought is hanging on in southwest Iowa, along the western edge of Mills County.

There’s some abnormally dry conditions in nearby Fremont and Page counties. The year started with 94 percent of the state with some type of drought condition.