(Griswold, Iowa) – Firefighters from Griswold were dispatched this (Friday) morning to a semi tractor-trailer on fire west of Griswold, near the Pottawattamie County line. The incident was reported at around 10:40-a.m. near 51724 Highway 92. On their Facebook page, Griswold fire officials said when crews arrived, the semi-truck was fully engulfed in flames and the fire had spread to the ditch and a nearby field, due to high winds.

Carson Fire was also dispatched, but told to disregard. Officials say the grass/field fire was extinguished at around 10:54-a.m., with the remaining flames contained to the semi. That fire was extinguished about 10-minutes later.

No injuries were reported on scene. The truck was a total loss. (Photos from the Griswold Fire & Rescue Facebook page)

(Radio Iowa) – Volunteers will soon be listening for frogs and toads in Iowa wetlands as part of an Iowa D-N-R survey that’s been happening for 35-years. Program coordinator Stephanie Shepherd oversees the volunteers who listening for the ribbits and croaks to track what are some of the most vulnerable species in the world.

“They’re very sensitive to their environment, or they have a lot of stressors that are impacting them,” she says . She says the survey helps biologists monitor what’s happening in Iowa’s wetland ecosystems.

“They’re just really important part of those wetland systems and keeping them running and balanced,” Shepherd says. The frog and toad survey turns 35 this year, making it the state’s longest-running amphibian survey.

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa legal scholar who’s an expert on genetic privacy says Iowans who used the genetic testing company 23andMe might consider deleting their data and profiles, pronto, as the company filed for bankruptcy this week. U-I law professor Anya Prince says there may be cause for concern about how all of that genetic data the company harvested about you might be used — or misused.  “It’s really important for people to understand that, in the case of a bankruptcy, their genetic data is an asset of 23andMe that can be sold to a new company,” Prince says. “It’s really unclear what that new company will look like, what they would do with the data, and so for people who are worried about that, deleting their information from 23andMe’s databases now can minimize some of the harm.”

The company is insisting that all data collected from some 15-million customers nationwide is safe and secure, but Prince isn’t so sure. “23andMe has done some things that are helpful for privacy of people’s genetic information, but you have to understand that the privacy policy that everybody agrees to right now says that the data can be sold, and it says that the new company also has to comply with that privacy policy,” Prince says. “All that sounds great, except that the privacy policy also says that it can be changed at any time.” The company’s at-home test kits are easy to use and the reports sent back to customers based on their D-N-A often provide information about their ancestry and family members. Still, depending on the test, those genetic markers may also reveal predispositions to diseases.

“Life insurance companies can charge higher premiums based on genetic information,” Prince says, “so if that 23andMe data got shared with a life insurance company, you maybe would face higher premiums based on your genetic information.” Also, law enforcement might be able to access your genetic data without a warrant, which could have all sorts of implications. Should Iowans skip doing any D-N-A tests? Prince says it comes down to a personal choice.  “I, for example, am an extremely private person, and so I would be less comfortable with that sort of data being shared,” she says. “It’s really important to remember that when this is outside the healthcare setting, it’s not protected by our health privacy law, HIPAA.” That stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

When 23andMe went public in 2021, its market value rocketed to nearly six-billion dollars. In the first nine months of this fiscal year, the company reported losses of 174-million.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – A search warrant executed Thursday evening at an apartment in Clarinda resulted in the arrest of two people on drug and child endangerment charges. Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports his officers executed a search warrant at an apartment located at 800 W. Tarkio Street. Officers seized methamphetamine and marijuana. Taken into custody was 28-year-old Richard Daniel Rodriguez and 26-year-old Mileena Jade Villanueva, both of Clarinda.

Rodriguez was arrested for felony distribution of methamphetamine, providing a place for gathering for the use of controlled substances, failure to have a drug tax stamp and child endangerment. Villanueva was arrested for child endangerment and providing a place for gathering for the use of controlled substances. Rodriguez and Villaneueva Gray are currently in custody at the Page County Jail pending formal charging decisions by the Page County Attorney’s Office.

A five-month-old child was taken into protective custody at the home and placed in the care of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

“All defendants are presumed innocent under our system of criminal justice until found guilty in a court of law.”

(Harlan, Iowa) – Fire officials in another southwest Iowa county have requested and were granted a Burn Ban Proclamation. The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency reports a Burn Ban for the County is now in effect until further notice, as a result of abnormally warm and dry conditions, low humidity, strong winds and tinder vegetation. That combination of elements can contribute to extreme fire behavior, which can put property and lives at risk.

As of Friday, March 28th, including Shelby- a total of nine counties in this area are under a ban on open burning. The others include: Audubon; Guthrie; Pottawattamie; Adair; Mills; Montgomery; Union and Page Counties.

For more information on Burn Bans in Iowa, see the State Fire Marshall’s website .

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A Pottawattamie County man was cited following a collision in Red Oak, Thursday. According to Red Oak Police, 59-year-old Robert L. Hutchison, of Council Bluffs, was driving 2026 GMC pickup truck in the left lane of eastbound on Oak Street at around Noon, Thursday, when he realized he was in the wrong lane. When he put his vehicle into reverse, the pickup struck a 2011 Chrysler driven by 19-year-old Emily Stevens, of Red Oak, causing a total of $3,000 damage. Neither driver was hurt, and both vehicles were driven from the scene of the accident, just west of the intersection of Oak and N. Broadway Streets.

Hutchison told police he didn’t see the car because it was in his blind spot. Red Oak Police cited him for Improper Backing and Improper Lane Change.

(Radio Iowa) – This is Severe Weather Awareness Week, and National Weather Service meteorologist Peter Rogers says it is important to know what is happening when a thunderstorm warning is issued. Rogers says there are a couple of factors that go into those warnings. “Hail that is the size of a quarter or larger, which is about the diameter of a quarter. And wind gusts that are at 58 miles an hour or higher,” he says. He says the speed of the wind is key.

“That’s generally when you start to see branches about the size of your wrist starting to break off. And obviously, the stronger the wind, the more potential damage and destruction you can see,” Rogers says. “On the hail side, an inch in diameter, that is when you start to see potential impacts to roofing material or you vehicle being dented. Those are king of those baselines when we start to issue thunderstorm warnings.” Rogers says straight line winds, including derechos, have become more common in the Midwest. “In our eyes at the Weather Service, whether the wind is spinning or moving in a straight line, if it is strong enough to start breaking things we want people to be paying attention, ” he says.

File photo from the July, 2024 derecho that toppled an 80,000-bushel grain bin in Luxemburg, Iowa (Photo by Luxemburg Fire Dep’t)

And take the same proactive action, again with regards to whether it is a tornado or not.” Rogers says its important to heed the warnings for thunderstorms and be prepared to react.

(Radio Iowa) – Due to budget cuts by the City of Sioux City, a long-running multicultural fair planned for this weekend could be the last. The Sioux City Human Rights Commission hosts the event that showcases music, dance, food and art from African, Asian, Native American and Hispanic cultures. Executive Director Karen Mackey says the city council recently voted to slash almost 40-percent of the funding requested for next fiscal year. “A wonderful event for 34 years. It’s been a great run, but if we actually do lose $140,000, we can barely afford staff,” she says. “We won’t be able to afford doing an event like that.” The free multicultural fair takes place at the Sioux City Convention Center Sunday from noon until 4 P-M with a focus on showcasing the metro area’s diversity.

“It matters a lot to many people in this community. It’s really the one time that you see just how diverse we are,” Mackey says. “We tend to live in our little silos and often they look like us, but on that one day, you’re seeing a lot of different people.” In addition to hosting the festival, the primary role of the Sioux City Human Rights Commission is to help investigate claims of discrimination in the workplace and with housing. “As long as we’re still available to fully investigate cases in a timely manner, that’s my focus,” she says, “so that’s more important than hosting this event, and perhaps someone else will take it up.”

Mackey says she plans to take a pay cut, in addition to reducing the hours for the commission’s four other employees. She believes city officials wanted to force her to retire. Mackey hopes the city council will reinstate the budget before it is certified for the new fiscal year.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – A St. Louis-based company with an Iowa grain dealer license has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Iowa farmers with unpaid grain sold to Benson Hill Holdings, Inc. prior to March 20, can file a claim for indemnity, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.  Don McDowell, communications director for IDALS, said the department is not “immediately aware” of any affected farmers.

The grain indemnity fund will pay farmers 90% of their loss, up to $300,000, though claims related to Benson Hill must be mailed or personally delivered to IDALS’s Grain Warehouse Bureau by July 18.  The fund was established by the Iowa Legislature in 1986 and accrues via a per-bushel fee on purchased grain and fees on licensed warehouses and grain dealers.

According to minutes from the Iowa Grain Indemnity Fund Board, the balance of the fund as of Feb. 19 was $8.4 million. Benson Hill filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy March 20 and has up to $11 million in debtor-in-possession financing to continue its day-to-day operations.  Christi Dixon, a spokesperson for the seed innovation company, said it is “restructuring” its finances. “We will continue to meet our contractual commitments and support key farmers without interruption,” Dixon said in an email.

Trucks deliver harvested grain in western Iowa. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Dixon said the company maintains a seed processing facility in Bondurant and employs seven people in Iowa. Benson Hill previously owned a soy processing facility in Creston, but sold the facility in February 2024 to White River Nutrition.

McDowell said the grain license for Benson Hill included locations in Cherokee and Galva.

(Iowa Capitol Dispatch/Des Moines, Iowa) – As Republicans move forward with their proposal to overhaul Iowa’s property tax system, House Democrats introduced their own property tax relief proposal Thursday: a $1,000 rebate for all Iowa homeowners and $500 rebate for renters. In a news conference Thursday, Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said both Republicans and Democrats heard on the campaign trail that property tax costs were one of the top concerns for Iowans across the state. But he said the Republicans’ plan, House Study Bill 313 and Senate Study Bill 1208, will not necessarily guarantee lower property tax costs.

Jacoby said the Democrats’ bill, House File 691, would provide immediate relief through rebates, which would be funded using the Taxpayer Relief Fund, which currently holds $3.75 billion. Democrats also released another bill, House File 916, to expand the existing Homeowner Property Tax Credit, which freezes property tax rates, to all seniors over age 65.

House Speaker Pat Grassley told reporters Thursday that he had concerns about using the Taxpayer Relief Fund, which contains one-time money, for these rebates, as these funds will also be used to implement the income tax cuts enacted by Republicans in recent years.

The GOP bill, proposed by Ways and Means chairs Rep. Bobby Kauffman, R-Wilton and Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, would remove Iowa’s “rollback” system that limits how much the aggregate taxable value of properties can grow each year. It would move the state to a “revenue-restricted” system, where taxable property value can grow by a larger margin, but would set new limits on how much local property tax levy rates can increase each year and how much new tax revenues could be collected by local governments.

Jacoby said the rollback system was first introduced in the 1970s as a way to lower property taxes in the face of the farm crisis and high inflation. He said as inflation remains a current concern, removing this system could lead to even higher costs for property owners especially as property valuations would be roughly doubled by removing the rollback. The residential property rollback rate was 47.4% in fiscal year 2026, meaning for a $100,000 home, only roughly $47,400 would be taxed.

Jacoby said while Democrats support making changes to Iowa’s property tax system, lowering property taxes would have to involve providing state funding for costs that were shifted to local governments through the 2013 property tax legislation signed by former Gov. Terry Branstad. While state lawmakers had agreed at that time to backfill costs related to issues like health and public safety costs, Jacoby said the state did not end up providing funding for these measures, leading to higher property taxes.

He said a similar problem could arise with this year’s bill, which proposes shifting $426 million funding for K-12 schools currently paid for using property taxes to the state.  Speaker Grassley said Republicans were committed to providing the education funding contained in the property tax bill if it were to pass. He also emphasized that conversations were still ongoing on the Republican property tax proposal and that “no bill right now is set in stone.”