(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s conducting a national search to find a new director for the Department of Natural Resources. On May 1st of last year, Chuck Gipp retired after seven years as the agency’s leader. Bruce Trautman has been the department’s acting director for the past 12 months. “Bruce has been the deputy for quite some time,” Reynolds says. “He’s doing a good job over there and instead of working on someone else’s timeline, I want to make sure we get the right person.”

The governor says it’s a big agency with a wide variety of responsibilities and that has complicated the process of finding a new director. “We have a great story to tell. This is a beautiful state. We have a lot of opportunities and need to really be able to address both ag concerns, business concerns and environmental concerns as well.”

There’s been an acting director leading the state’s prison system since the previous director retired December 27th. Reynolds says after a national search, she’ll be interviewing prospects for that job in the next few weeks.

(Radio Iowa) — A return to cool, wet weather put the brakes on planting in most areas of the state. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says the weekly U-S-D-A crop report showed less than two suitable days for field work last week. “It has definitely been a challenge this spring for producers all across the state,” Naig says.  Naig says less than half the projected corn acres are planted. “We’re at 48 percent planted in corn, which is four or five days behind average. Soybeans are at 13 percent statewide — and that’s nearly a week behind average — so there’s obviously a concern out there on the part of our farmers,” according to Naig.

The U-S-D-A report says this is the smallest percent of corn planted by May 12 since 2013 when just 15 percent of the expected crop had been planted. It is the fifth time in 40 years that less than half the expected crop has been planted by May 12. The soybean planting is six days behind both last year and the five-year average. Naig says farmers are anxious — but this is not new. “This also something that our producers are very used to dealing with, is the weather each spring,” Naig says. “We know if we can get some sunny weather and some warmer temps, this crop can get in the ground pretty quick.”

He says farmers still have some time before considering a move from corn to beans. Naig says as you get to the end of May and Memorial Day they start to think of all of their options, but he says producers like to wait as long as possible to make those decisions. Cool temperatures are also a problem for corn that is already planted, as only five-percent of the corn is emerging. “Northwest Iowa up where we farm up there in Palo Alto County, we have really struggled to get those soil temps to stay above 50 degrees with any consistency,” Naig says. “It is interesting as you travel the state north to south — even just how the trees are leafed out and the difference.”

Northeast Iowa is lagging most in corn planting — at only twenty-four-percent. West central Iowa has the most corn planted at 67 percent

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that allows Iowa farmers to legally grow industrial hemp. The Iowa Hemp Act passed the Legislature with overwhelming support last month. The bill Reynolds signed Monday allows licensed growers to cultivate the crop on up to 40 acres. First, however, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship must develop a plan and submit it for approval of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA must still release its own regulations this fall.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that establishes a legal way to bet on professional, collegiate and international sporting events. It also legalizes fantasy sports contests and internet fantasy sports betting, but delays betting based on college sporting event statistics until May 2020. Betting is expected to begin as early as this summer.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say an 11-year-old Iowa boy whose bedroom was covered in plastic sheeting told an investigator that he hadn’t been outside in several months. His parents have been charged with kidnapping, child endangerment and neglect. Marion County court records say 49-year-old Rocky Wooldridge and 43-year-old Jennifer Wooldridge, of Knoxville, are scheduled for arraignment June 6. The records don’t list an attorney.

INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) — A group is trying to raise money to repair the roof of a historic one-room schoolhouse near Indianola and prevent damage to documents inside the building. The Des Moines Register reports a nonprofit group that manages the Hoosier Row schoolhouse is trying to raise $7,000 to replace the roof after storm damage this past winter. Group secretary Genie Hansen says the 119-year-old building is filled with maps, slate chalk boards and other items. It’s the last one-room schoolhouse in Warren County.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — China’s announcement Monday of higher tariffs on $60 billion of American exports — retaliation for President Donald Trump’s latest penalties on Chinese goods — hit particularly hard in the farm belt. China’s vast consumer market has been a vital source of revenue for American farmers.

Since December, when U.S. and China negotiators called a truce to tariffs and began signaling that an agreement might be reached, soybean farmers had been holding out hope that sales to China would resume, said Todd Hultman, an Omaha-based grain market analyst with agriculture market data provider DTN. In the meantime, the farmers had been storing a record stockpile of nearly 1 billion bushels.

The latest news of a new round of tariffs, with no agreement in sight, spooked the financial markets and some farmers who had been tentatively optimistic. In a statement Monday, the American Soybean Association reacted with frustration edged with anxiety. “The sentiment out in farm country is getting grimmer by the day,” said John Heisdorffer, a soybean farmer in Keota, Iowa, who is chairman of the ASA. “Our patience is waning, our finances are suffering and the stress from months of living with the consequences of these tariffs is mounting.”

A slowdown in soybean sales, and the huge stockpiles that result, has a ripple effect. Farmers in many parts of the corn belt have suffered from a wet and cooler spring, which has prevented them from planting corn. Typically when it becomes too late to plant corn, farmers will instead plant soybeans, which can grow later into the fall before harvest is required. Yet now, planting soybeans with the overabundance already in bins and scant hope for sales to one of the biggest buyers in China, could raise the risk of a financial disaster. “This is the fifth year of low prices, basically, for crops,” Hultman said. “I think time is just wearing us out.”

To Brent Gloy of Grant, Nebraska, many farmers like him appear to be facing only bleak alternatives for planting. On Monday, Trump told reporters that a new program to relieve U.S. farmers’ pain is being devised and predicted that they will be “very happy.” The administration last year handed farmers aid worth $11 billion to offset losses from trade conflicts.

Trump seemed to suggest that the aid will make up for, or partially cover, the $15 billion that he said represented “the biggest purchase that China has ever made with our farmers.” In fact, U.S. farm exports to China approached $26 billion in both 2012 and 2013 and equaled $19.5 billion in 2017 — before his trade war began taking a toll on agricultural sales to China.

Gloy, an agriculture economist and a partner in the online research website Agriculture Economic Insights, said he fears there may be no end in sight to the Trump administration’s trade dispute with China. And he noted that most crops that farmers could plant aren’t profitable right now. He said worries that the entire agriculture sector could face severe trouble if the dispute lasts indefinitely.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that establishes a legal way to bet on professional, collegiate and international sporting events. It also legalizes fantasy sports contests and internet fantasy sports betting but delays betting based on college sporting event statistics until May 2020.

The new law excludes betting on some events, including minor leagues and in-state college team players. Sports betting is limited to those 21 and older.

Reynolds, a Republican, has declined to suggest whether she supported the expansion of gambling in Iowa. She signed the bill on Monday. The law gives the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission regulatory authority over sports betting. The commission regulates the 19 state-licensed casinos in Iowa and its administrator, Brian Ohorilko, has said most of the state’s casinos are expected to set aside onsite space for betting.

The casinos also will contract with online and mobile application vendors to set up bets electronically. The commission has been developing rules that will determine how sports betting will work at the casinos, online and through a mobile application. Betting is expected to begin as early as this summer.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that allows Iowa farmers to legally grow industrial hemp. The Iowa Hemp Act passed the Legislature with overwhelming support last month.

The bill Reynolds signed Monday allows licensed growers to cultivate the crop on up to 40 acres. First, however, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship must develop a plan and submit it for approval of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA must still release its own regulations this fall, with hopes of allowing farmers to grow hemp next year. Since the 2018 Farm Bill eased federal restrictions on hemp production, most states have either legalized production or are growing it under a 2014 law that allows limited commercial production or research plots.

Among those that haven’t is South Dakota, where the governor vetoed such a law last month.

The Cass County Health System Foundation recently awarded the Louie and Elsie Hansen Scholarships, which provide $5,000 to each student for the upcoming academic year. The 2019 recipients are:

·       Emily Beerman, Clarkson College

·       Madison Helvie, Des Moines Area Community College

·       Morgan Anstey, Iowa Western Community College

·       Tatum Heath, Morningside College

Dave Chase, CCHS Foundation Treasurer, said “We usually award two scholarships every year, but this is the second time the board has awarded four scholarships. We had a number of great applications this year. We’re very happy to be able to help these four exemplary students in their pursuit of a healthcare degree.”

The Louie and Elsie Hansen Scholarship was established through the generosity and careful planning of these two life-long Cass County residents. The Hansens believed in higher education, so much so that over 70% of their estate was bequeathed for that purpose, including a gift to the CCHS Foundation.

Under the supervision and guidance of the CCHS Foundation, scholarship opportunities are provided yearly. As per the Hansens’ wishes, scholarship candidates must have graduated from a Cass County high school and be enrolled in and accepted to an accredited nursing or medical doctor school pursing a degree as LPN, RN or MD.

The Hansens lived and farmed in the Marne area until they retired and became residents of Atlantic. Louie was a Cass County Supervisor and served on the county Agricultural Soil Conservation Committee. He is often remembered as a great story teller. Louie and Else are also remembered for their many collections. The Hansens were avid travelers, enjoying vacations throughout Europe and Hawaii. Being of Danish ancestry, their visits to Denmark allowed them the chance to discover relatives, traditions and special locations of their families’ past.

Deputies with the Mills County Sheriff’s Office engaged in the pursuit of a vehicle early Sunday morning, following an attempted traffic stop. The Mills County K9 Unit tried to stop a vehicle near 4th and Washington Streets at around 1:06-a.m., but the vehicle failed to stop and attempted to elude law enforcement for about 35 minutes, at speeds of up to 120-mph.

During the pursuit, law enforcement was able to successfully deploy multiple sets of “Stop sticks,” causing the vehicle to become disabled. The driver, 29-year old Christopher McDaniel, of Pacific Junction, and his passenger, 27-year old Shialea Cozad, of Council Bluffs, were arrested without further incident on multiple charges. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Glenwood Police, the Iowa State Patrol, Pottawattamie and Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputies.

And, at around 10:25-p.m. Sunday, the Mills County K9 Unit was called to assist with a suspicious vehicle in Pacific Junction. Upon investigation and a search of the vehicle, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were located. The driver, 55-year old Elden German, of Pacific Junction, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and OWI/1st offense. He was transported to the Mills County Jail without incident.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 27-year old Matthew Whitt, of Shenandoah, was arrested at around 10:35-a.m. today (Monday), on a Fremont County warrant for Violation of Probation. Whitt was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $10,000 bond while awaiting extradition to Fremont County. At the same time Whitt was arrested, 23-year old Paige Clark, of Red Oak, was taken into custody for Possession of Drug equipment.

She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond. Both arrests took place at 310 Park Avenue, in Red Oak.

Police in Council Bluffs, today, identified the person riding  a bicycle who was struck by a vehicle on Old Lincoln Highway near Northline Drive, early Saturday morning. He was identified as 55-year old William Shepard, of Council Bluffs. The accident happened sometime around 2:25-a.m. Saturday. Upon arrival, deputies found Shepard suffering from serious injuries.  The vehicle that struck him had left the area.  Shepard was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Later in the day, Saturday, a subject voluntarily contacted the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office and advised they had information about the bicyclist being struck.  When the subject was contacted, they admitted to being in the area and hitting something.  Their vehicle was seized as evidence.  There was damage to the vehicle.  The driver’s name will not be released unless charges are filed.

The case remains under investigation.