(Radio Iowa) – The countdown clock is again ticking toward a weekend launch for Iowa native astronaut Peggy Whitson and her record-setting fifth space mission. First set for liftoff June 8th, there’ve been multiple delays due to bad weather at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and mechanical issues on both the Falcon 9 rocket and the docking area on the International Space Station. The launch of Ax-4 is now scheduled for early Sunday morning at 2:42/Central time.

Whitson is commander of the Axiom Space mission along with three crewmates from India, Hungary, and Poland. Whitson, who grew up on a farm near Beaconsfield, has spent 675 days in orbit, so far. She holds the record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut.

Ax-4 Crew (Axiom Space image)

The crew is scheduled to spend two weeks at the space station, conducting a series of some 60 experiments in biology, material and physical sciences, as well as technology.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is the nation’s top corn-producing state and Iowa farmers harvested over two-point-six BILLION bushels of corn last year — the second largest crop ever. Iowa State University ag economist Chad Hart says despite tariff challenges, U-S corn exports for the first five months of the year hit a three year high.

“The only big market where U.S. corn really isn’t moving is the Chinese market,” Hart says. “Almost everywhere else we’ve seen fairly sizable gains in sales and that holds when we look at soybeans as well.” The U-S-D-A has predicted a slight drop in soybean sales this year, but not as much as feared due to the lack of sales to China. Reports indicate corn exports remained well above average through early June.

“When you talk to farmers, there is some cautious optimism out there because they are seeing these additional sales,” Hart says. Hart says in June, it’s typically Brazil and Argentina that dominate global sales of feed grains. Iowa typically accounts for about eight to nine percent of all U-S agricultural exports. California’s the only state that exports more agricultural products.

(Central Poweshiek County) – A collision Thursday morning between two cars south of Brooklyn, in eastern Iowa’s Poweshiek County left one of the drivers dead. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Pontiac Bonneville driven by 70-year-old James John Jacobi, of Belle Plaine, was southbound on Highway V-18 just north of 460th Avenue, when a northbound Hyundai Sonata driven by 37-year-old Joshua Allen Klein, of Brooklyn, crossed the center line of the road, into the southbound lane.

James Jacobi tried to maneuver his car onto the shoulder to avoid the collision, but Klein’s car continued towards the Pontiac. The cars struck in an offset manner, driver’s side to driver’s side. Both vehicles came to rest in opposite ditches. The accident happened at around 7:40-a.m.

Jacobi – who was wearing his seat belt – died from his injuries at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – A group of residents from three mobile home parks in Johnson County says the rent for their lots has increased dramatically and the out-of-state company that owns the parks has not addressed health and safety issues. Nicole Platz is a resident at Modern Manor, one of the manufactured home parks Utah-based Havenpark Communities bought in 2019. “We need change. We need to ensure safe drinking water, stop excessive rent increases,” Platz said. “…The residents of Modern Manor deserve better.” Platz and other residents are calling for a two-year moratorium on rent increases for the lots.

Jessica Andino is the executive director of the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition. “They own their home as much as any other individual in the county, they just don’t own that land underneath…They rent it,” she said. “That means they are uniquely vulnerable to predatory practices of these out of state agencies.” A spokesperson from Havenpark Communities says the company has invested more than two MILLION dollars in upgrades at the parks it owns in Iowa and is committed to keeping them safe.

Havenpark owns 80 manufactured home communities in the United States. Bills to set some rules for mobile home parks, like a 90 day notice requirement for rent increases, have recently been introduced, but have never passed the Iowa legislature.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says the state unemployment rate increased again slightly in May as more people starting looking for a job. “More people are rejoining the workforce, which if they’re not employed when they rejoin, then that’s going to, you know, slightly increase your unemployment rate. But that’s fine. I will take a tenth of a point increase in unemployment rate to get 39-hundred Iowans back in the workforce any day of the week,” Townsend says. The unemployment rate was three-point- six percent in May. There have been continued layoffs in manufacturing, which is down 84-hundred jobs this year and in the professional and business service, and financial industries. Townsend says the Iowa economy is still doing well.

“We still have 18-thousand more workers in the workforce than we did a year ago, so that’s a positive sign. It’s also a good indication that even the folks that are getting laid off are finding new jobs,” she says. “Our average duration is up a little bit, it’s closer to ten weeks than nine weeks, but that’s still really low and it it’s a good indication that people can find that next job relatively quickly.” Townsend says those coming back into the job market recently have been women. “Primarily older women reentering the workforce. So you know, we saw a lot of women, older women leave the workforce during the pandemic to take care of children or parents as the case may be,” Townsend says. She says the labor market can handle people coming back to work, and those who have lost a job.

“We still have you know 49-thousand open jobs. So there’s jobs to be had for those who want to come back, so they’re encouraged to come back because there are jobs available. It would be a much worse situation if people were in the workforce, but we just didn’t have the jobs, you know, to give them,” she says. Townsend says Iowa has a labor participation rate that’s five points higher than the national rate, and also higher than some of the other states which have a lover unemployment rates.

(Creston, Iowa) – Two teens were hurt when the 2004 Kia Sorento they were in, went out of control and rolled-over Wednesday, in Union County. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the car, driven by 17-year-old Jerry Degonia, of Diagonal, went out of control at around 2:45-p.m. in the 2200 block of Clover Avenue (near 220th St). The car entered the east ditch before entering the west ditch, where it rolled over and came to rest in the east ditch. Degonia was ejected from the vehicle and transported by Medics to the Greater Regional Medical Center (GRMC) in Creston. A passenger in the car, 15-year-old Addison Brumfield, of Creston, was also injured in the crash. She was taken to the hospital by a parent. The car sustained $15,000 damage. No citations were issued.

And, Creston Police said no injuries were reported following an accident Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of Adams and Elm Streets. Authorities say the collision occurred at around 2:30-p.m., when a 2018 Chevy Malibu driven by 57-year-old Vickie Bohn, of Creston, was struck by a 2022 Nissan Murano SUV, driven by 75-year-old Lois Ehrenfried, of Fontanelle. The vehicles collided when Ehrenfried failed to yield the right-of-way, as she was traveling eastbound on Adams Street. Her SUV struck the car on the rear passenger side, as the Chevy was traveling south on Elm and most of the way through the intersection.

Damage to both vehicles was described as minor. Both were able to be driven away from the scene. The total amount of damage was estimated at $3,000. No citations were issued.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The Iowa Farm Bureau’s latest food and farm index found that among concerns of the high cost of groceries, the overwhelming majority of Iowa grocery shoppers surveyed are concerned about increases to food prices caused by government regulations. The Iowa Capital Dispatch says the annual survey, conducted by the Harris Poll, also found that more consumers are seeking locally grown and produced products. Latoya Guishard Welch, vice president of research for public release at the Harris Poll, said “At a time when trust in national institutions—from government to media—is at historic lows, the sustained confidence in local farmers speaks volumes about their authenticity and transparency, underscoring the strong bond and mutual respect between Iowa’s farmers and the communities they serve.”

According to the food and farm index, 80% of shoppers are concerned, and 47% are very concerned, about government regulations that increase consumer food prices. The percentage of people very concerned has more than doubled since 2021, when just 21% were more than just concerned about the role of government in increased food costs.  U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics show direct imports, or finished products ready for sale, accounted for 15% of U.S. spending on food and beverages. Foreign ingredients and supplies comprised 4% of domestic food production.  Forbes reported tariffs could have a significant impact on the cost of food and beverages at the grocery store, if imposed at their highest proposed levels.

A recent study from Farmers for Free Trade, a non-profit advocacy group, found that tariff costs for Iowa importers increased by $68 million, or 304% from April 2024 to April 2025. According to the study, imports from China had the highest tariffs, but imports from Mexico, Canada and South Korea faced dramatic increases in tariffs.  Goods imported from Mexico to Iowa in April 2024 had tariffs of 0.2%, compared to a 4.4% tariff in April 2025. Reciprocal tariffs between the U.S. and China, which are currently on a 90-day reduction agreement, would put Iowa industries at a “significant” risk. In particular, Chinese tariffs on U.S. exports would hurt Iowa pork and soybean producers especially hard. The Farmers for Free Trade study concluded the presidential tariffs, if they took effect and stayed in place, would “have major consequences” on Iowa.

Fresh vegetables at a farmers market. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Recent consumer price index data from U.S. Department of Agriculture shows a 23.6% increase in grocery prices from 2020 to 2024, which likely explains why price continues to be the most important factor for Iowa grocery shoppers when making decisions on which types of food to buy. Three-fourths of Iowans said meat, poultry or dairy products are part of their daily diets, and a higher proportion of Iowans say they prefer “real” meat and dairy over plant-based alternatives.

More and more, consumers are choosing to purchase these items directly from the farm. Sixty-nine percent said they have purchased groceries directly from farmers, through their online websites, farm stores or at farmers markets, and 40% of Iowa consumers look for locally made or grown labels when buying at the store. This is an increase from 2024 survey results which found around 30% of consumers sought local labels. The survey results also show that more than 90% of shoppers said they trust farmers and 49% said they place a “great deal of trust” in Iowa farmers in general. The survey also asked consumers if they felt confident farmers were caring for animals and the environment, which the vast majority, around 80% for each category, did.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston, Wednesday afternoon, arrested on a man on drug and other charges. Authorities say 31-year-old Taylor David Smith, of Creston, was arrested at around 3:10-p.m. at McKinley Park. Smith faces charges that include: Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Dissemination and Exhibition of Obscene Material to a Minor, and Entice Minor Under the age of 16.

Smith was taken to Union County Jail where he was being held without bond until seen by a Judge.

(Radio Iowa) – More Iowa employers are using chatbots driven by artificial intelligence to conduct their first rounds of job interviews, and an A-I expert at the University of Iowa says it might rattle you at first, but try to treat it like any other interview. Jim Chaffee, executive director of learning innovation and technology at the U-I’s Tippie College of Business, says this new-tech style of job interview can take many forms. Chaffee says, “It can be typed in, it can be where you’re speaking to kind of a unknown entity, kind of an ether, and they’re responding back on a chat, or it can be where you are interfacing with an avatar.” If you were expecting to be interviewed by a person and find yourself chatting with a ‘bot, Chaffee says to give it the same respect and attention you would a human, or you likely won’t get a follow-up call.

“Just treat it as any other type of interview where you are talking to a person,” Chaffee says. “If you’re having to type it out, then just type out what you would say to the person. If you’re recording it or you’re talking to the avatar, act like they’re a real person, because the AI is really looking for that kind of interaction.” The first interview chatbot was introduced just two years ago, Chaffee says. It asks basic questions that don’t require complex or complicated answers from candidates, answers that are reviewed by human managers who decide who to interview in person. It’s a tremendous saver of time and money for employers.

“If you’re getting 5,000 applicants a week, you need something to weed it down, and the applicant tracking systems that have been out there for many years just aren’t cutting it to the point that we need nowadays,” Chaffee says “It’s a great tool to figure out who are your best candidates for that next level of interviews.”

A survey done last year by Resume Builder that was reported by Forbes found nearly one in five employers use — or plan to use — chatbots for interviews within the next year.

(Radio Iowa) – A former Clarksville police officer has won a partial victory from the Iowa Court of Appeals on his sexual exploitation convictions. Prosecutors says Michael Tobin Junior started a relationship with a 14-year-old girl after investigating her case of online sexual exploitation. They say he showed her explicit photos and videos, and had sex with her at the police station.

A jury convicted Tobin of two felony counts of soliciting sexually explicit photos of minor, one felony count of promoting a sexually explicit video of a minor, and eight aggravated misdemeanors for possessing explicit images of minors. He was sentenced to not more than 15 years in prison.

Tobin appealed saying that some of the images were a part of his official duties. The Court of Appeals ruled that Tobin was not conducting his official duties when he showed sexually explicit images to the girl, but the evidence was insufficient to prove he wrongly possessed six images and they vacated those convictions.

Tobin is to be re-sentenced based on the five remaining counts.