(Radio Iowa) – The most recent rains do not figure into the U-S Drought Monitor report this week, which shows nearly 47 percent of Iowa was drought-free. The Iowa D-N-R’s Jessica Reese-McIntyre says things have been heading in the right direction. “When you compare it to a year ago in like mid-May of last year, we are sitting a little bit better statewide,” she says. Reese-McIntyre says this weeks rains will help build up groundwater as we enter a time when the crops are growing and water use overall increases with warmer temperatures. She says it’s not certain if the wetter trend will continue.

“According to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, the month of June outlook for precipitation looks to be equal chances of precipitation, so there’s no real clear signal, but it will be one way or the other. So we could likely see just normal precipitation, which is good, because May and June are the wettest months,” she says. Reese-McIntyre says one issue looming is the amount of rain the driest areas of the state in western Iowa will get. “It looks like the western third of the state will see the chances of precipitation are leaning below normal more significantly than the rest of the state,” Reese-McIntyre says.

She says that is just a forecast for now, and she is hopeful those areas will get rain to help with their deficits.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court today (Friday) ruled the families of four employees of the Tyson meatpacking plant in Waterloo who allegedly died after contracting COVID-19 at the plant can continue a lawsuit. The Supreme Court ruling says families cannot sue the company itself, but can sue a Tyson executive and supervisors.

The ruling says there are sufficient facts that those company officials recklessly disregarded a substantial and unnecessary risk that the workers would be exposed to COVID-19 if they kept working. Court information says the Tyson plant in was the largest in the U-S with three-thousand workers.

The Supreme Court ruling reverses a district court ruling that said Iowa’s Workers’ Compensation Act was the only remedy for the estates of the four to make claims, and it dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says it’ll be after the holiday before the Senate reviews the so-called Big Beautiful Bill that passed the House earlier this week, incorporating many of President Trump’s major political goals. It includes $140 billion for mass deportations and immigration enforcement, eliminating taxes on workers’ tips and overtime, extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, and increasing the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.

Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says senators are aware of most of the bill’s contents, but she believes they can improve on it. “I think there’s so much in it right now,” Ernst says. “We just need to take the time, hear from our constituents about it, and then make those decisions as we come back. I hope that we can strengthen the bill. I hope that we can really make sure that our federal spending is actually going to the areas where we need to be spending, and maybe some of the extra-type programs we can scale back on those, or eliminate unnecessary spending.”

Other provisions include nearly $700 billion in federal spending cuts for Medicaid, and a $267 billion funding reduction for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP. The bill also institutes new work requirements for SNAP recipients. Ernst expects a close review of the Medicaid and SNAP content.

Senator Ernst. (Photo from Ernst’s office)

“If we’re looking at Medicaid,” she says, “making sure that those that are not part of that vulnerable population that we want to protect are moved out of Medicaid. Otherwise, having those work requirements, making sure that it meets the needs of Iowans, I think that will be critically important.”

Ernst challenges the Congressional Budget Office report which indicates the measure would increase the nation’s deficit by more than $3 trillion. “Anytime you hear a number like that, you are concerned,” Ernst says, “But, I would say the CBO was absolutely wrong when we did the 2017 bill. What we saw, actually, from the 2017 tax bill — which this is basically a replication of that — was extremely growth in revenue in the federal government, because with the tax provisions for individuals, and small businesses or so forth, we saw a lot more growth within the economy.”

The senator also supports Trump’s 2017 tax cut package, which was due to expire at the end of the year.

(Radio Iowa) – The USDA has given the State of Iowa the go-ahead to prohibit Iowans from using federal food assistance to buy candy, salty snacks or sweetened drinks like pop, starting in January.

During taping of this week’s “Iowa Press” program at Iowa PBS, Governor Kim Reynolds said current data shows 20% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits are being used to buy those items. “This really lines up with what the intent of what SNAP was designed for in the beginning,” Reynolds says, “and they can use those dollars to purchase healthy foods.”

Gum, marshmallows, sweetened coconut and dried fruit that’s rolled into strips for snacking are also on the soon-to-be-banned list. Reynolds said the state will work with food retailers to recalibrate their systems so SNAP benefits may no longer be used to buy items on the list. “I mean they’re saying right now that 40% of students — kids — have at least one chronic illness. One in six children nationally are obese,” Reynolds said. “We’re not a healthy population and, again, we’ll get back to the original intent of SNAP and that was a supplement low income families with nutritious foods.”

Governor Kim Reynolds on the “Iowa Press” set on May 23, 2025. (Iowa PBS photo)

The American Heart Association sent a statement to the USDA supporting Iowa’s plan to “reduce the consumption of sugary drinks.” The group said the soda industry’s long-time opposition to enacting similar policies nationwide is “outrageous.” Iowa Hunger Coalition board member Sheila Hansen said  the goal should be “to make sure all Iowans have greater access to nutritious food” rather than to “punish low-income Iowans and deny kids a candy bar when they want a treat.”

Thousands of Iowans will be camping and building campfires this Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages campers to buy firewood from where they will burn it instead of bringing it from home.

“Moving unseasoned firewood around the state can threaten the health of our forests by spreading insects like emerald ash borer (EAB), oak wilt, and other pests that live in firewood,” explains Tivon Feeley, DNR Forest Health Forester.

Plenty of firewood is available locally to your favorite state or county park. Ask a park ranger or campground host where you can get local firewood. Make sure you burn all of your firewood at your campsite; don’t leave it or transport to a new area.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship requires all firewood sold or acquired in Iowa to have the county and state of harvest location on the label of packages and the delivery ticket for bulk firewood.

Learn more about the importance of using local or certified heat-treated firewood at www.dontmovefirewood.org/.

DES MOINES (Iowa DNR News) – — Fawning season has officially arrived, which means Iowans will see lots of deer on the move. From now until late June, DNR field staff across the state will receive many phone calls and emails regarding “abandoned deer.” But in reality, most of the wildlife reported to DNR field staff are not really abandoned at all. And while the people who attempt to “rescue” these babies have the best of intentions, they are doing more harm than good. Fawning season traditionally begins during the last week of May and peaks in the first couple of weeks in June before gradually tapering off.

Does are secretive about the birthing process and will venture out from normal use areas looking for a secluded spot to deliver this year’s crop of fawns in peace. “These spots can be anything from an open hay field to a field terrace to the flowerbed in your backyard,” says Jim Coffey, forest wildlife research biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “This seclusion process is a driving force in protection for the lanky, wavering fawn. Fawns will be left alone while the doe returns only to nurse. This is normal deer behavior,” he said.

“The doe searches out an isolated location where she feels safe and, on occasion, those places may leave us scratching our heads wondering what the doe was thinking. But she chose that location because it made sense to her,” Coffey said. “The worst thing someone can do at this stage is to ‘rescue’ the fawn. The mother is likely nearby and watching you. Leave it be, or if you did handle the fawn, return it to where you found it and walk away.”

Fawning season typically runs from late May through most of June

The Iowa DNR will not be rehabilitating or commingling fawns with other deer to avoid the potential of spreading chronic wasting disease – or other disease – to new areas. This emphasizes the point of leaving ‘abandoned’ fawns be. The spindly legged newborn fawn is designed with a few survival tools built in – its spots are cryptic camouflage that emulates the sunlight spots projected onto leaf litter of the forest floor and its lack of movement the first two weeks helps to reduce scent patterns. This combination is the fawn’s best chance at survival until it is capable of following the doe.

Fawning season also coincides with an increase in deer vehicle collisions. “There is a lot of movement this time of year that relates to the social structure of deer. The doe is on the move looking for the safe isolated place to have the fawns.  Additional movement comes from last year’s fawns that are now isolated teenagers starting to venture out to find new space. These yearlings have to make their own decisions for the first time, encounter other adult deer and build new social structures,” Coffey said. “This movement behavior can occur during all times of the day. Once it settles out, the active movement time will return to dawn and dusk.

“The key to remember is that for the next month deer may not be acting like we think deer should act, stay alert while driving at any time of the day.” Drivers are reminded to drive defensively, avoid distractions, slow down, and provide safe distance between vehicles.  Don’t veer for deer! If a driver does hit a deer, drivers can get a salvage tag for the meat by calling either the local conservation officer or local law enforcement agency. The salvage tag is free and is required to legally possess the meat. Salvaging requires that the entire deer be removed from the roadway.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags in the State to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to noon on Monday, May 26, 2025, in honor of Memorial Day. She has also directed the National League of Families POW/MIA flag also be flown on the Capitol grounds for the entire day.

Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays on the Capitol Complex. Flags will also be at half-staff on all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state.

Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says she and her staff are assessing legislation that would establish new regulations for carbon pipelines. “There’s a whole lot of passionate advocates on both sides of this issue,” Reynolds says, “so I have been meeting with stakeholders on both sides. We started that this week. We’ll continue that next week.” The governor has until June 14th to make decisions on ALL the bills that cleared the legislature this year. Reynolds says for at least another week she plans to continue what she describes as listening sessions with advocates of the bill and those who are asking her to veto it. “I’ll make an informed decision based on the conversations we’ve had,” Reynolds says, “but we’re still in the midst of doing that.”

The governor says almost every meeting has led to additional research by her legal counsel and other staff to learn more about the details of the bill and its impact. “We’ve reached out to some individuals to have them come in, so I’m getting a good view of both sides of the issue,” Reynolds said, “and just talking to me about what the impact of the bill means to them.”

Reynolds made her comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight (Friday) on Iowa P-B-S. After four years of action on pipeline-related bills in the House, this is the first year the Senate passed one to the governor’s desk.

(Radio Iowa) – A provision that would have given federal officials control of pipelines did not make it in the budget bill that passed the U-S House. Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says it was a concern. “My stance is the same. It always has been. I am always leery of eminent domain and I want to ensure that land owners’ rights are protected,” Hinson says. The Republican from Marion says there was a pipeline provision she supported. “It did include some permitting reform for natural gas. President Trump has been very clear that he wants to make sure we are energy dominant. And so I think those are provisions that everybody could build consensus on and get behind,” she says. The bill is now in the hands of the Senate and Hinson says she hopes they keep the provisions that help small businesses.

“I hope that they keep all of the successful Trump tax cuts that we made permanent in the bill. I hope all that stays. I’m hearing from my colleagues across the Rotunda that they support those as well,” Hinson says. “You know, when I look at the wins in this bill, the no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, you know, the historic tax relief for seniors. Unleashing American energy, I think all those things are certainly President Trump’s priorities. They are my priorities, and I think that they are, you know, Republican Senate priorities as well.”

Hinson says the Speaker of the House has talked with his counterpart in the Senate in hopes of quickly moving the bill ahead. “Number one, I think because we do have a very narrow majority in the House and it’s a delicate balance to make sure we get the policies through the house and then again the Senate, but also for the American people, delivering this relief as soon as possible is of the utmost importance,” Hinson says.

Hinson made her comments during a conference call with reporters.

(Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources) – Officials with the Iowa DNR say the popular Iowa online interactive fishing atlas has been updated to include DNR managed lakes, community fishing ponds, hundreds of miles of Iowa rivers including the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and miles of trout streams. New search features allow anglers to search by waterbody and quickly zoom in to find lake contours, fishing structures, river bends, and trout stream riffles with aerial imagery.

The mobile-friendly atlas will sync with your current GPS location to help you navigate a river segment and find specific lake contours, fish structure locations, and amenities such as fish cleaning stations.  DNR Fisheries Biologist Lewis Bruce says “Anglers preferring a paper map can easily create a custom map with the new print tool. You can print a small area of a lake or an entire river segment to identify fish structures in lakes or a trout stream segment.”

Iowa Fishing Atlas (Screenshot)

Go to https://programs.iowadnr.gov/maps/fishingatlas to plan your next fishing adventure. You can also find the fishing atlas on the free Go Outdoors Iowa App. “Anglers can view the fishing atlas on both desktop computers and mobile devices,” said Lewis. “Making it the perfect tool for every angler throughout all fishing seasons.”