(Radio Iowa) – The amount of soybeans harvested statewide more than doubled last week, and corn wasn’t far behind. Dry weather saw farmers bump the bean harvest up from 24 to 52 percent in the latest U-S-D-A report. That’s one week ahead of the five-year average. The corn harvest hit 30 percent complete — up from 16 percent last week. The corn harvest is now five days ahead of last year and six days ahead of the five-year average.

(Radio Iowa) – Tonight’s (Wednesday) Powerball drawing is estimated at more than one-point-seven BILLION dollars. Iowa Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says we are in an extraordinary run for jackpots. “Twenty-23 marks the first time that four lottery jackpots have topped a billion dollars in the same year — I mean it’s ‘s incredibly unusual,” Neubauer says. There was a one-point-six BILLION Mega Millions jackpot won August 8th, a Powerball jackpot just above one BILLION was won on July 19th, and a nearly one-point-three-five BILLION Mega Millions jackpot was won January 13th. Neubauer says the jackpots came after the games were tweaked to match what players want.

“I know people love to joke about the odds in Powerball and Mega Millions, right. I mean, the games have long odds. There is no doubt about that,” she says. “But you don’t get the big jackpots without those long odds, so over time, some of the changes that have occurred in the games do mean that the odds are longer to win. But also the jackpots are so big because they they’ve been growing for months.” The jackpot drawing tonight is no exception.

“It was last one on July 19th with a ticket in California. So the interesting thing is that when you get just these long runs in between winners that also helps achieve the sky high numbers that we’re seeing today,” she says. Another factor is more players buy tickets once the jackpot reaches a certain level, which adds more money to the pot. Neubauer says this current jackpot has followed that pattern. “It seems like we’re to the point where it’s what we call water cooler talk where everybody’s talking about it you know we start to see office pools forming,” Neubauer says. “And we do see when the jackpot is really up there like it is now, we see first time and occasional players jumping in.” Neubauer says the key thing is to remember the shut off time for tickets.

“It is 8:59 p-m on the night of the drawing, If you buy a ticket after that time it will still be a valid ticket, but it will be for an upcoming drawing,” she says. The estimated prize for this drawing is now the second-largest in history behind the two BILLION dollar jackpot won last November.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (KCCI) — The first Safe Haven Baby Box in Iowa has been installed in Fort Dodge, the city announced Monday. The box is at the Fort Dodge Fire Department at 1515 Central Avenue. The city said the box will become available to mothers following a test period and blessing later this week. According to Safe Haven Baby Boxes’ website, the boxes take “the face-to-face interaction out of the surrender and protect the mother from being seen.”

According to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Iowa’s Safe Haven law “allows parents — or another person who has the parent’s authorization — to leave an infant up to 90 days old at a hospital, health care facility, a fire station, through a newborn safety device, or to an Adoption Service Provider without fear of prosecution for abandonment. A parent may also contact 911 and relinquish physical custody of an infant up to 90 days old to a first responder of the 911 call.”

A new expansion of Iowa’s Safe Haven law will now allow people to give up their baby anonymously through a newborn safety device at places staffed 24/7 with first responders. The Iowa HHS says more than 60 children have been declared safe havens since the law was enacted in 2002. The Safe Haven Crisis Line is available 24/7 at 1-866-99BABY1 (1-866-992-2291).

CRESTON, Iowa (KCCI) — A Union County man who was charged in August with more than 40 counts of sexual abuse,  has pleaded guilty to at least one of the counts. KCCI says court records show 42-year-old Ryan Kissell, of Creston, was sentenced to 10-years in prison, following his plea of guilty to at least one count of lascivious acts with a child.  Kissel also has to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to his victim.

Greenfield police officers and Adair County sheriff’s deputies arrested Kissel on Aug. 16th at Nodaway Valley High School, where he was a special education teacher and head football coach. Investigators say Kissell abused a child for a decade. He was initially charged with 24 counts of various lascivious acts with a child, 21 counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Kissell was hired in May as a special education teacher for Nodaway Valley High School in Greenfield and head football coach of Nodaway Valley/Orient-Macksburg, according to the district’s school board minutes from May 10. He’s listed as a resource staffer on the Nodaway Valley High School staff directory. He previously taught and coached multiple sports in the Creston Community School District, including high school girls soccer and middle school football.

(Sidney, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Fremont County report the arrest of a man on Sexual Abuse and other charges. 29-year-old Donald Wayne Riggins, Jr., of Sidney, was arrested Tuesday at his residence. He faces one-count each of Sexual Abuse 3rd Degree, against an incapacitated individual, a Class C Felony; Sexual Abuse 3rd Degree, a Class C Felony; and two counts of Indecent Exposure, Masturbation, a Serious Misdemeanor.

Donald Wayne Riggins, Jr.

Authorities say at around 5:16-p.m., Tuesday, Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a business in Sidney for a report of a sexual assault. Upon arrival, deputies met with a victim who reported on Saturday (Oct. 7), the victim observed a man allegedly masturbate in a city park and then again at the victim’s residence, against the victim’s will. On Tuesday (Oct. 10), the same male entered the victim’s residence and allegedly committed a sexual assault. A suspect (Donald Riggins, Jr.) was quickly identified.

During the investigation, deputies made contact with a second victim who also reported a similar incident with Riggins, Jr., in the early summer of 2023 and allegedly assaulted by him in July of 2023.

If you have any information regarding any alleged sexual misconduct by Riggins, you are asked to contact the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office at 712-374-2424, ask for Sgt. Andrew Wake, or your local law enforcement agency.

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Tuesday) announced her appointment of Hunter Thorpe as a district associate judge in Judicial Election District 2B.   Judicial Election District 2B includes Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Humboldt, Marshall, Pocahontas, Sac, Story, Webster, and Wright counties

Thorpe, of Ankeny, Iowa, is an assistant county attorney at the Boone County Attorney’s Office.  He received an undergraduate degree from Central College and his law degree from Drake Law School.

Thorpe fills a vacancy created following the retirement of the Hon. Steven Van Marel.

The latest Iowa Climate Statement signed by more than 200 scientists and researchers at Iowa colleges and universities says the state needs to invest more in solar power. Retired Iowa State University climate scientist Gene Takle says when wind is paired with solar, they tend to make up for each other’s weaknesses.

Around 60 percent of electricity generated in Iowa comes from wind. University of Iowa environmental health professor Peter Thorne says solar could potentially overtake wind.

Several large-scale solar projects are under development, including a 200 mega-watt solar farm in Linn County at the former Duane Arnold nuclear plant. Iowa’s electric wind production is higher share than any other state, but Iowa solar energy capacity is well below the national average.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s Attorney General is leading a 13 state coalition opposing a new Massachusetts law that puts restrictions on the sale of pork based on how the animals are raised. A statement from Attorney General Brenna Bird’s office says the Massachusetts law goes even further than a similar California law.

Shipments of non-compliant pork into the state would be banned even pork meets all Iowa and federal safety and quality standards.

A-G Bird’s statement says these strict new mandates will create extreme costs and regulations to compete in the industry, forcing many family hog farms to close shop.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has met in person with Israel’s top leaders as they respond to terror attacks that started over the weekend. Ernst says Hamas needs to be destroyed.

Ernst spoke by phone with Radio Iowa from Jordan after spending much of today (Tuesday) in Israel.

Ernst, a Republican, and three Democrats from the U-S House met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as the leader of the opposition party in Israel. Ernst says having a bipartisan delegation from the U-S meet with Israel’s leaders sends a powerful message.

Ernst, a retired Iowa National Guard officer who did a tour of duty in Iraq, says Hamas chose this weekend to strike knowing it was a major Jewish holiday and there would be many Americans visiting family in Israel. Israel declared war on Sunday.

Ernst left the U-S on Wednesday, originally planning to attend a conference with Israelis, Palestinians and Arab state leaders. Her first stops, though, were in places like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s crown prince this week has pledged to stand by Palestine, dealing a blow to efforts to form a diplomatic relationship among the U-S, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Hamas burst through border walls in Saturday’s attacks and has been firing rockets at Israel’s capital this week. Israel’s Iron Dome defense system has repelled thousands of rockets. Ernst says the U-S must provide Israel with additional intelligence as well as munitions to restock the Iron Dome. Ernst, a part of G-O-P leadership in the U-S Senate, says House Republicans must quickly select a new speaker so congress can act.

Ernst is also calling for freezing six billion dollars of Iran’s assets, being held in South Korea, that were part of a prisoner swamp the Biden Administration arranged between the U-S and Iran last month.

Ernst says the sadness and terror in Israel is palpable. One of the Americans Ernst met in Israel had just attended the funeral of his 18-year-old son’s best friend.

Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks has been in some of the overseas meetings with Ernst, including a visit to Bahrain on Monday, but Miller-Meeks was NOT part of the delegation that visited Israel Tuesday.

ATLANTIC, IOWA — Officials with SWIPCO (The Southwest Iowa Planning Council) welcome three new staff members to the organization.

Chris Parks

Chris Parks has assumed the role of Communications Coordinator, overseeing community outreach, public engagement, and media communications for SWIPCO and SWITA (The Southwest Iowa Transit Agency). Parks is a graduate of Glenwood High School and has a bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He has a wealth of journalism experience as a broadcaster for 16 years at KJAN Radio in Atlantic. Chris lives in Atlantic with his wife Mandy and their two children Carson and Greta.

Julie Hays is a new Transit Scheduler. Julie joins the team that connects area residents to the transportation they need. SWITA serves eight counties in Southwest Iowa with a fleet of 100 vehicles. Transportation provided includes work routes, student transportation, day habilitation routes for disabled individuals, medical transport, and a range of other services.

Julie Hays

To find out more about the transportation services provided by SWITA you can call 712-243-2518 or 1-800-842-8065 or get more information at www.swita.com.

And, SWIPCO welcomes Barb Boggs as a Grants Specialist. She will work with SWIPCO Disaster Recovery Planning to help with citizen claims and surveying for the agency. Barb will help clients navigate through application procedures and ensure the agency is meeting grant regulations.

SWIPCO and the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund operate a wide range of programs including housing repair, down payment assistance, demolition of dilapidated houses, and lead abatement. SWIPCO also provides building inspection services and currently has more than 1,500 rental units in its inspection program. Boggs will assist with all of these programs and will be an asset to the agency.

Barb Boggs

Boggs has lived the majority of her life in Atlantic and graduated from Atlantic High School. She has a varied background with work in financing, a law office, the postal service, and more.