(Onawa, Iowa; Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Years of drought conditions on Iowa’s western edge have lowered water levels at Blue Lake near Onawa, and impacted recreation at the lake.  The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting a public meeting Thursday in Onawa to discuss the low water levels and the department’s ongoing studies and lake restoration projects at Blue Lake.  200 years ago, when the Lewis and Clark expedition came through the region, the oxbow lake was an active channel of the Missouri River, but now it is fed by a small watershed off of the Missouri River, and is located in Lewis and Clark State Park just west of Onawa.

According to DNR’s annual lake restoration report, Blue Lake has a number of “aesthetically objectionable conditions” like algal blooms, and low water clarity that contributed to decreased recreational use. Since the early 2000s DNR has been working to restore the lake via chemical restoration, removal of “rough” fish and selective dredging.  Water levels in the Missouri River have been “especially low” over the past five winters, which led to low groundwater levels in the region and impacted not only Blue Lake levels, but water in communities throughout western Iowa. The lake is currently about five feet below its crest elevation, or the fullest pool of the lake. Ben Wallace, a fisheries biologist who has worked on Blue Lake’s restoration projects said drop means the lake has about one third of its full-pool volume.

Wallace said the informational meeting Thursday will help address concerns within the community about the low lake levels and to explain DNR’s work at Blue Lake.  According to the DNR report, the Lake Restoration Program spent about $10,000 on a dredging and fish barrier project at Blue Lake in the 2023-2024 fiscal year and allocated $265,000 in fiscal year 2025 for well and pump assessment, fish renovation and containment site improvements at the lake. Wallace said some folks in the community have questioned if the DNR’s dredging work contributed to the lake’s low levels, but he said lake restoration work is done very “systematically” with the “entire picture” in mind. Plus, Wallace said this isn’t the first time Blue Lake has had levels this low. He said historic maps of the region show levels just as low, if not lower in the 1930s. He said water levels in the lake are about on par with groundwater levels in the region. That type of drought takes more than just a good rain to replenish.

A beach area at Blue Lake in Lewis and Clark State Park. (Photo courtesy of Iowa DNR)

Restoration work at the lake has also addressed turbidity, or water clarity, by eliminating and blocking common carp from the lake.  Wallace said these bottom-feeding fish continually stir up the sediment on the bottom of the lake which causes cloudy water, poor conditions for other fish and makes it easier for algae to bloom on the surface. Wallace said common carp are a problem at a lot of lakes in Iowa, but high densities in Blue Lake have impacted the water quality. DNR’s lake restoration efforts included the installation of fish barriers and aggressive carp angling in the lake to help reduce the common carp populations.  In addition to the work to restore the lake, Lewis and Clark State Park Manager Nathan Fylstra said his team has been working hard to improve the state park with updates to the visitor’s center, improved drainage systems and a general clean up of ditches and fences.

The park is adjacent to the 250-acre Blue Lake, which typically hosts summer swimmers, boaters and anglers.  Wallace encouraged anyone with an interest in Blue Lake to attend the informational meeting Thursday at the Onawa Community Center, 320 10th Street, at 5:30 p.m.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Page County Attorney, James L. Varley, reports the following activities in the Iowa District Court for Page County for the week of June 2, 2025. The Honorable Eric J. Nelson, District Court Judge of the Fourth Judicial District presided. 

Jason Charles Allison, age 48, Coin Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness. The defendant was sentenced to 60 days in the Page County Jail, with all but 2 days suspended and placed on probation for 1 year. As a condition of probation, the defendant is to complete a substance abuse evaluation and follow all recommendations. The defendant was assessed a fine of $430,suspended, and ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.

Paul Patrick Cooley, age 57, Clarinda, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Operating While Intoxicated-1^st Offense. The defendant was granted a deferred judgment and placed on probation for 9 months. The defendant was authorized to attend and complete the Second Chance’s Program in lieu of serving 2 days in jail. The defendant was ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.

Cindy Joe Gray, age 45, New Market, Iowa, appeared by counsel and admitted to violating the terms and conditions of her probation. The Defendant was found to be in willful contempt of court and sentenced to time already served. The Defendant’s terms of probation were modified to require her to reside at the Residential Correctional Facility until maximum benefits have been achieved.

All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

(Radio Iowa) – Gates have been used on the Interstate-35 in northern Iowa for many years to close the roadway during winter storms. They are now being installed across the state, including an area in central Iowa near one of the state’s fastest growing cities. The D-O-T’s Bob Ellis says a blizzard in February led to the decision to install five gates on the northbound I-35 ramps in Ankeny. “Was that we had multiple accidents just north of 36th Street between 36th and Huxley, where the interstate pretty much closed itself, so those gates would come in handy where we just don’t let any more people get onto the system,” Ellis says. He says they work with local law enforcement to figure out when things are bad enough to close the gates and cut off interstate access. Ellis says they started putting the gates along Interstate 80 last year, starting in Altoona and heading east all the way to Davenport.

“They have come in handy over east and a few of the larger accidents, even in the not winter season that we were able to close, one of the gates just so people wouldn’t get on anymore,” he says. “Like if we had a detour traffic. But there again, we work together with local law enforcement and our traffic management center to make those determinations.” Ellis says they don’t use the gates very often to close down the interstates. “There have to be some pretty big reasons to close them,” he says. Ellis says the gates are another tool in their toolbox in dealing with the heavy traffic issues in central Iowa.

The Iowa DOT is adding gates to northbound I-35 ramps in Ankeny, and on I-80 from Altoona east. (DOT photo)

“There’s probably times before that we could have used them down here that we didn’t have them. We just found a specific time here, especially with the the road construction between Ankeny and Des Moines, with the temporary barrier walls that are out there, those caused us more issues this winter with blowing snow where the snow wouldn’t just go across the road like in normal. It was getting piled up and stuff and causing visibility issues,” he says. “So we decided you know what, we’re in a situation here to let’s just put some gates down here in case we need them.”

Ellis says the gates don’t cost a lot to install and can really help keep from allowing more cars and people to get onto the interstate when there are bad conditions.

(Radio Iowa) – While some states have seen gasoline prices bounce dramatically in the past week, Triple-A-Iowa spokesman Brian Ortner says increases in pump prices here have been much more moderate. “The international events with Israel and Iran and then the United States launching activities against Iran had an impact on gas prices,” Ortner says. “As we sit today, gas prices across the state of Iowa, on an average, are $3.04 per gallon, which is great. If we look at a week ago, it’s only four cents more than a week ago.” It’s costing more to fill up the tank in Iowa now than it did in late May, but Ortner says that’s typical during the transition from spring to summer.

“It is almost 20-cents more than a month ago, but if we look at the year as a whole, we were $3.18 a gallon last year across the state on an average,” Ortner says. “Crude oil makes up the largest percentage of the cost of a gallon of fuel and crude oil has now dropped again below $70 per barrel, so we’re seeing things level out.” With the summer driving season in full swing and the 4th of July holiday coming up next week, he says pump prices may still inch higher.

“When demand goes up, price will go along with it, usually in the summertime,” Ortner says, “and we see that trend happen, and we’ve seen it a little bit as we’ve entered into these warmer months, but not as significant as we may have seen in the past, which is great for consumers.” While Iowa’s average gas price is $3.04, the national average is $3.22. Gas prices across Iowa are widely varied, with the cheapest gas in Council Bluffs at $2.89 a gallon and the most expensive in Dubuque at $3.17.

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2025 – Hormel Foods Corporation, a Tucker, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 256,185 pounds of canned beef stew product that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically wood, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The canned beef stew item was produced on February 4, 2025. The following product is subject to recall [view labels]:

• 20-oz. metal cans containing “Dinty Moore BEEF STEW” with “BEST BY FEB 2028” and lot code “T02045” printed on the can. The lot code may have an additional number at the end.

The product subject to recall bears establishment number “EST 199G” printed on the can. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide.

The problem was discovered after the establishment notified FSIS that they had received three consumer complaints reporting pieces of wood in the beef stew product.

There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ pantries. Consumers who have purchased this product are urged not to consume it. This product should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Hormel Foods Corporation at 800-523-4635 or media@hormel.com.

(Radio Iowa) – A spokesperson for Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says prosecutors have filed felony charges in six cases of alleged election fraud. In March, Secretary of State Paul Pate announced an audit found 35 non-citizens voted in Iowa last year and five others tried to vote, but their ballots were rejected. Another 237 people were registered to vote in Iowa, but did not cast a ballot.

“It does take a while for the DCI to get through that many names,” Pate says. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is in charge of reviewing Pate’s list of 277 potential non-citizens who allegedly voted OR were registered to vote in 2024. This year, the legislature gave Pate authority to use federal data or hire private entities to check Iowa’s voter registration records and flag potential non-citizens.

“What we’re trying to do is put safeguards in now so that on the registration side we can deal with this much more effectively,” Pate said. Two weeks before last November’s election, Pate asked county election officials to challenge the ballots of over two-thousand registered voters who were legal U-S residents when they got an Iowa driver’s license, but might not have become U-S citizens.

“Doing it on Election Day at a polling site when you have thousands of people coming into vote and you’re trying to expedite the process is not ideal for trying to check on citizenship,” Pate says. Pate says that’s why it was important to get authority to be pro-active well before Election Day and cross-check voter registration records with citizenship data.

Nearly one-point-seven MILLION Iowans voted in 2024 and critics say Pate’s list of 40 people who voted or tried to vote last year is a small fraction of all votes cast.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Lottery is on track to finish the fiscal year at the end of this month ahead of projections. Lottery CEO Matt Strawn updated the Lottery Commission today.

“Through May 2025, total lottery sales of $400,986,731 are 4.61% or $17.7 million ahead of forecasted budget projections in sales for the fiscal year,” Strawn says. The money the Lottery will send to the state is also ahead of projections. “Total lottery proceeds $81,063,349 are up 14.3% or 10.1 million dollars ahead of forecasted budget projections for proceeds for fiscal ’25,” he says.

The Lottery is coming off a record for sales of nearly 490 million dollars in the last fiscal year after five lotto game jackpots hit more than one billion dollars. “There was not a single Powerball jackpot that exceeded 600 million dollars this fiscal year,” Strawn says “As equally unprecedented as last year’s billion dollar jackpots were, that’s unprecedented and certainly had a significant impact when it comes to Powerball sales.”

Iowa Lottery Headquarters. (RI photo)

Strawn spoke after the Commission meeting and says the economy has had some impact on sales. )”Everybody’s wallets are a little skinnier as it relates to, you know, increased prices, whether it is at the gas pump or whether it’s, you know, products at the grocery store,” Strawn says. “I always remind I wins that a lottery product is to be enjoyed responsibly with your discretionary income and when there’s less discretionary income, Iowans are responsible consumers. So one of the first things to go is, you know maybe buying that five dollar scratch ticket.”

Powerball ticket sales are down nearly 53% from last year, Mega Millions sales are down nearly 31$ and scratch tickets are down 4.2%t. Lotto America sales were up 35% and InstaPlay and Pulltab sales were also up.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Roads Department is notifying motorists about two, temporary road closures in Adair County:

Beginning at Noon on Wed., June 25th, Norfolk Avenue will be closed north of 260th Street, until Noon on Friday, June 27th, as part of a construction project. (See map below)

Norfolk Ave.

And, beginning at Noon on Wed., June 25th, 130th Street in Adair County will be closed from Orange Avenue to the Quarry entrance at 2434 130th Street, until Noon on Friday, also. This is also part of a construction project.

130th

AVOCA – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a petroleum release at the West Nishnabotna River near Avoca in Pottawattamie County. On June 24, staff from the DNR’s Atlantic Field Office observed a petroleum sheen entering the West Nishnabotna River, just north of the Avoca exit off Interstate 80.

The petroleum originated from the Eagles Landing Flying J Truckstop located just north of the City of Avoca. The facility is a registered leaking underground storage tank (LUST) site with the Iowa DNR, with a No Further Action classification since 2011.

This spring, a complaint was filed with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regarding potential petroleum contamination at the facility. During the investigation of the complaint, it was discovered that a petroleum product was being discharged into an on-site stormwater retention basin. The investigation found that the release did not reach any state water body. Eagles Landing has been cooperative in conducting cleanup activities following the discovery of the release.

Recent heavy rainfall in the area has impacted cleanup efforts at the facility, leading to an unknown amount of product reaching the West Nishnabotna River.

A contractor hired by the facility has added absorbent booms and sphag sorb to the river to prevent further downstream movement. The public is asked to avoid the area at this time. No dead fish have been observed, and the investigation is ongoing.

To report a release after hours, please call the DNR’s emergency spill line at (515) 725-8694. Quick reporting can help DNR staff identify the cause of an incident. The DNR website has more information about spill reporting requirements.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he and fellow Republicans in the chamber are forging ahead with the wide-ranging so-called Big, Beautiful Bill and he remains hopeful they will be able to pass the massive tax-and-spending cut package by the White House’s deadline of July 4th.

“All I can tell you is last night from 6:00 to 7:30, we had a caucus and there’s a commitment on everybody’s part to get this done,” Grassley says. “We probably won’t finish until Sunday, but we’re going to stay in session until we get it done.”

The Senate’s parliamentarian has removed several key elements from the bill, including a provision that would have prevented people who aren’t documented from getting benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“Illegal immigrants are illegally in the country. I don’t think we should be supporting people that entered illegally into the country,” Grassley says. “There’s legal ways to get here and we’ll help people that need help that legally enter our country and obey our laws.”

Reports say the parliamentarian also removed a measure for price supports on a host of farm commodities.

“That’s a loss from this standpoint, that if we get it in the reconciliation bill, it’ll be taken care of and make up for the fact that we have a seven-year Farm Bill now from 2018,” Grassley says. “We should have had two years to get a new five-year Farm Bill. We won’t get it. I think we’ll get it this year. We’ll take care of these things in the five-year Farm Bill.”

Another controversial measure was reportedly removed that would have created a framework for the sale of some 250-million acres of federal land, though Grassley says he might have supported that portion of the legislation.

“Two-hundred-fifty-million acres sounds like a lot of land, doesn’t it,” Grassley asks. “It’s one-half of one-percent of all the federal land. That’s what this statute says.”

The land is now owned by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The plots are in 11 states, all in the western U.S., none in Iowa. The provision would have opened up broad expanses of that wilderness for development.