(Radio Iowa) – Winnebago Industries plans to close two manufacturing facilities in northeast Iowa. The Iowa Workforce Development’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining website shows the company has informed the state that 77 employees will be laid off at the Waverly facility on September 8th, with 18 being laid off at the Charles City campus on that same date. An additional 26 will be let go when the Charles City plant fully closes on December 12th.

In a statement released to the media, Winnebago says they are working to streamline their operations by moving production from the two plants to their Forest City and Lake Mills locations. They say the decision follows a comprehensive assessment and reflects the company’s proactive response to optimize their manufacturing footprint, enabling them to enhance operational efficiency and align production with consumer demand.

The announcement comes after Winnebago announced in May that they were laying off almost 200 employees at all four of their northern Iowa facilities.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter has released a report that summarizes habitat loss in the state and calls for urgent action to expand corridors that connect wild areas. Drake University ecology and botany professor Thomas Rosburg says Iowa has lost more than 90 percent of its wetlands and prairies and around three-quarters of its forests and woodlands in the last 200 years. “And this means of course that millions and millions of individual plants and animals that once were here are now simply gone,” he says. He says what’s left of Iowa’s native ecosystems is largely fragmented, which makes it harder for species to move for food, mates and shelter.

“And that’s of course a tremendous conversion from what once was a tremendously diverse and bountiful and productive landscape to again, a now landscape where biodiversity is threatened,” Rosburg says. He says expanding and improving habitat corridors along streams and rivers could help connect the state’s remaining prairies, wetlands and forests. “The other type of corridor that’s sort of ready to use is our roadways,” he says. He says we could add more native grasses and wildflowers alongside roadways to make a difference.

Sixty-two counties and 25 cities in Iowa do this, according to the Tallgrass Prairie Center

(Radio Iowa) – A nine year old central Iowa boy has won a national award for being a civic leader. Henry Menninga, of Des Moines, has helped organize mock elections to teach people about elections, he distributes care packages to homeless individuals and he writes thank you notes to locally owned businesses in his neighborhood. “I feel like I just want to help everybody,” Menninga said. “…I like helping people. It makes me feel happy.”

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate hosted a ceremony at the statehouse yesterday (Wednesday) and presented Menninga with the Medallion Award from the National Association of Secretaries of State. Pate says he was blown away by Henry’s dedication to his community, which includes organizing garbage clean-up at a city park. Henry’s mother says her son gets an idea and he follows through — like the snacks, handwarmers and hats he distributes in care packages for homeless people.

Sec. Pate, Henry Menninga & Senator Knox. (photo courtesy Sec, Pate’s office)

“Driving to his school downtown when he was five and he would see them on the street and so he asked me on the way home: ‘What can we do to help them?’ And I just said: ‘There’s lots of different resources for them. I’m not sure exactly what we could do.” And he said: ‘Well, let’s make them bags and you post it on Facebook so people help me get the stuff,'” she said. “That’s just of how he is. He just kind of pulls the ideas himself.”

Henry is one of just 100 people in the country this year who’ll be getting the medallion for civic engagement. Iowa’s secretary of state says Henry’s story is a reminder that effective leadership isn’t about age, it’s about having the courage and determination to care for others.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education held their regular monthly meeting at the High School, Wednesday evening. The Board heard from District Transportation Manager Steve Andersen, who recapped the past year’s transportation statistics.

He said the District’s fleet consists of 14 buses, each with a 65-passenger capacity, three are used primarily for activties, the rest for routes and activities. There are four diesel and 10 propane-powered buses, along with 12 gasoline vehicles. There are also some SUV’s and passenger cars. He praised his route drivers and fleet mechanics for their efforts in keeping the passengers safe.

ACSD Transportation Director Steve Andersen

Andersen expressed his thanks to the Board for approving the new bus routing software that’s been implemented over the past year. Later on during the action portion of the meeting, the Atlantic School Board approved Andersen’s request for the purchase of two, 65-passenger diesel Blue Bird buses from School Bus Sales, for $278,484. The buses will be used for activities and backup routes. Andersen said it will take about six-to seven-months for the buses to be delivered.

Andersen said while he likes the clean-burning properties of propane, the flexibility and range of diesel is preferred for this round of purchases. In her report to the Board, Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen discussed recent reports about a shake-up in the Hawkeye 10 Athletic Conference.

Johnsen said the Superintendents’ consensus is to try and keep the Conference “very strong and competitive.” She mentioned also, the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) is slated to end in the next couple of years.

The Board will work with the IASB if the Board members decide they want to hold a vote on the levy, but regardless of their decision, it has to be done before 2027. The Atlantic School Board approved an elevator repair bid from Kone Elevators and Escalators, for the Washington Elementary School, in  the amount of $130,000. The Board then discussed matters pertaining to the proposed bond referendum for District Facilities improvements, and later acted to approve: An SVPA (architects)  fee proposal; a Bond Election Engagement Letter with Attorneys Ahlers and Cooney, along with a Sales Tax Bond Issuance Letter.

Atlantic School Board mtg. 7-9-25 via YouTube

The Board also heard from Piper Sandler Managing Director for Education, Travis Squires, with regard to the funding options the district has for the proposed projects, and the borrowing limits. Last month, the Atlantic School Board reviewed a facilities master plan prepared and submitted by SVPA Architects, with an estimated total cost of just over $40 million. Financing for the project is split into two pieces, with over half of the project funded by a $28-million general obligation bond. In order for the referendum to pass, it must acquire 60% of the vote as a ballot question in November.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board approved Employment Contracts for the 2025-26 School Year, along with four resignations (as previously mentioned).

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Simpson College has secured an interim president ahead of the next academic year, the second the Indianola university has seen since the death of its president this spring. The private college announced in a news release Tuesday it has selected Susan Stuebner, a former university president who has held various leadership roles at multiple universities, to serve as interim president for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Simpson College launched a national search for an interim leader in May with the goal of having someone in place for the fall, and Stuebner will start in her role July 28. While her term as interim president is only set for the next academic year, acting board of trustees chair Terry Lillis said she could still earn the full presidency. The board will conduct a review of her service later in the year, after which “mutual interest” in seeing her stay in the role will be determined.

(Photo courtesy of Simpson College)

Before coming to Simpson, Stuebner served as president of Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire for eight years before stepping down to advise the college’s interim president. She’s also served in leadership positions at Allegheny College and Lycoming College, both in Pennsylvania.

With Stuebner coming in to lead Simpson College, acting president Terry Handley will step back into his role as chair of the college’s board of trustees, according to the release. Handley was chosen by the board to take on temporary leadership of the college after its president, Jay Byers, was found dead in the president’s residence on campus in April.

“This has been an extraordinarily difficult time for Simpson College,” Handley said in the release. “But the collective strength and resiliency demonstrated by our community has been nothing short of remarkable. We are once again in good hands with the coming leadership of Interim President Stuebner.”

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has announced proposed rules that remove the category of “special concern” species from its rule on threatened and endangered species.  Species on the “special concern” list include bald eagles, peregrine falcons, southern flying squirrels, smooth green snakes and a number of butterflies. The move came as part of DNR’s adherence to the governor’s executive order to simplify administrative rules across agencies.

Tammie Krausman, the department’s public information officer, said the decision to remove the category allows the department’s administrative rules to follow the relevant chapter of Iowa statute.  Krausman said in an email this will make the administrative rules “consistent with” the statute that “explicitly addresses that DNR responsibilities are to identify those species that are endangered or threatened in the state.”

“The ‘special concern’ classification is not identified in that law,” Krausman said. This is not the first notice DNR has put out about its efforts to refine its administrative code. In fact, all state agencies have been completing the same work following an executive order, known as Executive Order 10, signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2023.

A bald eagle soars above the Des Moines River in late January 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

The executive order created a moratorium on administrative rulemaking and ordered agencies to complete a “comprehensive review” of all existing administrative rules. Reynolds, in the release about the order, said it was a “commonsense approach that gets government out of the way and leads to a more robust economy in every community.”

The order also called for an evaluation and “rigorous cost benefit analysis” of existing rules to determine if the public benefits justified the cost.  A press release from DNR about the proposed rule change regarding special concern species said “there is no change in policy or enforcement in the new rule.” Many of the special concern species have small populations in the state, like peregrine falcons, which were reintroduced in Iowa and are regularly monitored by DNR staff and Iowa volunteers.

Some species from the “special concern” category were moved to the threatened or endangered category in the proposed rules. Species moved to the “threatened” list include: black tern, pirate perch, bullsnake, two spotted skipper, and regal fritillary. Species moved to the “endangered” list include: pugnose shiner, dusted skipper and ottoe skipper.

Wally Taylor, legal and conservation chair with the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, said it was “a problem” to remove the special concern category from the administrative rules. Taylor has opposed several changes DNR has made in its efforts to follow Reynolds’ order, and is involved in a lawsuit against the state that alleges the governor does not have the authority to make agencies adopt less-restrictive standards.

Krausman said the list of special concern species will continue to be part of the Iowa Wildlife Action Plan, and she said the department will “actively monitor the status of these species.” DNR is accepting informal comments from the public on the proposed rule changes through July 15. Those interested can submit their written comments via email to John Pearson and Kelly Poole at the department : john.pearson@dnr.iowa.gov and kelly.poole@dnr.iowa.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – A Gowrie man has been found guilty of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse charge in Calhoun County. Twenty-one-year-old Nathaniel Kyren Bevers McGivney was found guilty of both charges by a judge for the murder of 17-year-old Michele “Luna” Jackson of Farnhamville on September 22nd, 2024.

Court records state Bevers-McGivney used a knife to cut the throat of the teen then hid her body to conceal his crime.

He remains in custody awaiting his sentencing hearing that has been scheduled for August 15th.

(Radio Iowa) – A lawyer from southwest Iowa who focuses on eldercare and estate planning says she’s finding many Iowans are ill-prepared for worst-case scenarios. Deborah Peterson, of Council Bluffs, led an online workshop this week on behalf of the Iowa chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. “People are not doing a really good job of having their affairs in order all the time, and one of the things we really push on is doing powers of attorney,” Peterson says, “because when any type of dementia sets in, the affected loved one is not able to make good decisions.”

More than seven-million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including some 62-thousand in Iowa. Another 100-thousand Iowans serve as caregivers for family members and friends. Peterson says some people don’t like to confront their mortality by creating things like a will or medical power of attorney, which is understandable, however:

“It’s very important that early on, while you’re competent in life, you can pick someone that you trust, and that’s a big word, a trustworthy person to handle your affairs, financial and health wise,” Peterson says, “and a lot of people don’t have that in place.” Having a living will isn’t just for the elderly. What’s considered early-onset Alzheimer’s can strike a person in their 30s, and Peterson says many people are simply unprepared — at all ages.

“Unfortunately, in that situation, then you’re going to be stuck with having to go to a court proceeding and having to prove the person with dementia being unable to manage their affairs,” Peterson says, “and it can be a long, drawn out, expensive process.” Some people will wait until they have children or buy a house before they’ll draw up a will, but Peterson notes the legal age in Iowa is 18, and that’s not too early to get organized.

“We see that what happens is when a parent or a loved one passes away, then the kids will say, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to get this done because look at this mess Mom and Dad left us,'” Peterson says. “Most of the messes that are created, most of us lawyers can clean them up, but it’s not cheap and it’s not easy.” The Alzheimer’s Association is hosting hour-long virtual workshops for veterans every Tuesday this month, though many of the topics are relevant to anyone facing Alzheimer’s disease and all are welcome to attend — for free — via Zoom.

To learn more or register, visit alz.org/crf.

DUBUQUE COUNTY, Iowa – On July 1, 2025, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) requested assistance from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) with an officer-involved shooting along Highway 151 near Cascade in Dubuque County, Iowa.

At approximately 4:30 a.m. on July 1, members of the DCSO, Dubuque Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Monticello Police Department, and Jones County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle on Highway 151 north of the Highway 136 interchange. The traffic stop was related to a multi-jurisdictional investigation.

During the traffic stop, the suspect in this investigation, an adult male and sole occupant of the vehicle, displayed a handgun. Shots were fired, which resulted in a DCSO sergeant, and the suspect, being struck by gunfire. The DCSO sergeant was transported to MercyOne Emergency Care in Dubuque, then to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He was later released after being treated for a gunshot wound. The suspect, identified as James Sherrill, 36, was pronounced deceased. Sherrill was from the Linn County, Iowa area.

The officers involved have been identified as follows:

Sergeant Adam Williams, 46, an 18-year veteran of the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office;

Officer Chad Leitzen, 49, a 23-year veteran of the Dubuque Police Department;

and Officer Cole Millard, 42, a 2-year veteran of the Monticello Police Department.

This is an ongoing investigation. No additional information will be released at this time.

Upon the conclusion of the investigation, the DCI’s investigative findings will be reviewed by the Dubuque County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says there will be no amnesty for workers on farms and in food production plants who’re facing deportation because they entered the U-S illegally.  “The promise to America to ensure that we have a 100% American workforce stands, but we must be strategic in how we are implementing the mass deportations so as not to compromise our food supply,” Rollins says. “Ultimately the answer on this is automation, also some reform on the governing structure.” Rollins says it’s up to congress to come up with a permanent fix to the immigration system — and she says now is not the time to compromise on the president’s promise of mass deportations.

“Then also when you think about there are 34 million able-bodied adults in our Medicaid program,” Rollins said. “There are plenty of workers in America.” The ag secretary’s comments follow President Trump hints during a speech in Iowa last Thursday that his administration was working on legislation so that farmers would be able to vouch for their migrant workers.) “Brooke Rollins brought it up and she said: ‘We have a little problem. The farmers are losing a lot of people,'” Trump said. “We figured it out and we have some great stuff being written and let the farmers be responsible.” Trump suggested farmers would be able to vouch for undocumented employees who’ve worked for them years.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins (official USDA photo)

“And I think that’s going to make a lot of people happy,” Trump said. “Now, serious radical right people who I also happen to like a lot, they may not be quite as happy, but they’ll understand — won’t they?” During a news conference in Washington, D.C. yesterday (Tuesday), Rollins said the president has been unequivocal that there will be no amnesty and mass deportations will continue in a strategic and intentional way.