(Cass County, Iowa) –  The Atlantic Fire Department was called to the scene of a fire early this (Friday) afternoon, north of Atlantic. Fire Chief Tom Cappel said the call about a shed and vehicles on fire at the Steven Frisbie  residence at 54735 Buck Creek Road came in at around 1:17-p.m.

A full-size pickup, a smaller pickup, an older model Chevy Monte Carlo and the shed were a complete loss.

One person was checked-out by Cass EMS and treated at the scene. Marne Fire was called for additional water, but told they could disregard while enroute. Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies were also on scene at the fire.

(Audio courtesy Jennifer Nichols)

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Republicans will now begin the process of selecting a nominee for governor after Kim Reynolds announced this (Friday) morning she would not run for reelection in 2026. Reynolds narrowly won reelection in 2018 in the middle of President Trump’s first term and Democrats won three of Iowa’s four U-S House seats that year. Reynolds, in the video message announcing her decision not to put her name on the 2026 ballot, talked about her party’s prospects.

Dave Kochel is a political consultant who worked on the governor’s 2018 campaign. He expects several Republicans to consider running for governor in 2026.

Bird, who has been Iowa’s attorney general since 2023, had been scheduled to speak at a news conference this (Friday) morning around the time of the governor’s announcement and reporters were told she was not able to attend the event. Kochel, who got his start in politics in the 1980s when he worked on Terry Branstad’s campaign, says he’s happy for Reynolds.

In February, Republican Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg who is a former state representative — announced he planned to run for governor in 2026.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – April 11, 2025 – If you drive on U.S. 34 between G Avenue and Iowa 48 in Red Oak you need to be aware of an upcoming construction project that may slow down your trip.

Beginning on Monday, April 28, until Friday, May 16, weather permitting, crews will temporarily close U.S. 34 between G Avenue and Iowa 48 so they can remove and replace the concrete pavement and turning lanes at the intersection of U.S. 34 and Iowa 48, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Council Bluffs construction office.

While the roadway is closed you will follow a marked detour route for east- and westbound U.S. 34 using G Avenue, 200th Street, Iowa 48, and U.S. 34 (see map below).

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds will not seek reelection. She made the announcement late this (Friday) morning in a social media post.

During a news conference in February, Reynolds said she was proud of her conservative record and would seek reelection. Reynolds got her start in elected office as Clarke County Treasurer in 1994 and has served as a state senator, lieutenant governor and as governor since mid-2017. She says her three decades in public service has been an incredible journey.

Screenshot of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ video announcement

The governor says she’s ready to support her family through the next stage of life, especially her 11 grandchildren.

Reynolds’ current term ends in early January of 2027 and she says she’s not going to slow down in the last 21 months of her term, which ends in early January 2027.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart released the following statement regarding Kim Reynolds’ announcement that she does not intend to run for another term as Governor:

“Iowa Republicans’ decade in control of state government has left Iowa 49th in economic growth and with a $900 million budget deficit thanks to taxpayer handouts to special interests and vouchers for wealthy families who already send their kids to private schools. In 2026, voters will get to hold them accountable for taking our state in the wrong direction.

It’s time to vote for a Governor who will put Iowans to work, lower costs and support our rural areas.”

(Wiota, Iowa) – A collision this (Friday) morning on Interstate 80 in Cass County has claimed the life of a semi tractor-trailer driver from New York. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2023 Kenworth semi was traveling west on I-80 at around 1:10-a.m., when the rig struck the rear of a westbound 2018 Freightliner semi. The collision occurred in the right-hand lane. Following the impact, the Kenworth entered the median and became engulfed in flames.

Iowa DOT still-frame camera image of the crash on I-80 in Cass County ( 4-11-25)

The other semi came to rest on the shoulder of the road.

The driver of the Kenworth – identified as 35-year-old Jagdeep Singh, of Floral Park, NY, died at the scene. The driver of the other semi,  60-year-old Andre Steadman, of Dover, FL, suffered minor injuries. Fire and EMS personnel from Atlantic and Anita assisted at the scene, along with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest Drought Monitor report shows improvement in most areas of the state thanks to above-normal precipitation in March. The D-N-R’s Jessica Reese McIntyre says western, and central and northwest Iowa got he most rain. She says northwest Iowa in particular had areas of severe drought. “That was completely removed with the rain that fell, the precipitation that northwest Iowa saw, and so that’s very encouraging,” she say. Mcintyre says there wasn’t much change in the southeast and southwest areas of the state. “They are just kind of floating along. There was a little bit of improvement in southwest Iowa, but for the most part, they are kind of holding to where they were,” McIntyre says.

Iowa Drought Monitor map (released 4-10-25)

The eastern side of the state has the largest area of drought. “Unfortunately, northeast Iowa did not see a whole lot of improvement. They’re still in the d1 classification, which is moderate drought,” McIntyre says. McIntyre says the overall picture is pretty good right now. “We are in a significantly better position than we were this time last year, as far as drought is concerned, because we didn’t bust out of that really long record drought until the end of May, early June,” she says.

McIntyre says we are getting into our wettest months and if that holds true this year, we could see more of the dry conditions go away.

(Radio Iowa) – House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says the state sales tax exemptions House Republicans proposed this week on laundry detergent, toilet paper and vitamins fall far short of addressing the needs of working Iowans.  “Any lowering costs can help, but this isn’t going to really make up for the rising costs in health care, child care and housing,” Konfrst said. “And we’ve been proposing legislation to lower those costs.”

House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans in the legislature don’t control monetary policy at the federal level and their proposals to reduce the cost of everyday items with sales tax exemptions are a way to help Iowans dealing with inflation. “If the speaker really wants to talk about lowering costs for Iowa families, we have a lot of proposals we’d be happy to sit down and discuss,” Konfrst said. “We think this is small potatoes to what Iowans need.”

House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst (D-Windsor Heights) (official photo)

House Democrats have proposed bills to provide state grants to raise the wages of child care workers and tax credits for small businesses that provide child care as a benefit for employees. House Democrats have also called for a state law that would force landlords to refund half of a deposit fee if they do not let the applicant become a renter as well as a cap on rent increases for current tenants, so rent could not go up more than the inflation rate. None of those bills have been advanced by Republicans who control the debate agenda in the Iowa House.

(Radio Iowa) – A new state report finds nearly all pregnancy-related deaths in Iowa in recent years were preventable. The state’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee report looked at 20 pregnancy-related deaths that occurred between 2019 and 2021 and determined 19 were preventable. Committee chair Stephanie Radke is an OB/GYN at University of Iowa Health Care and says they reviewed extensive records to determine how preventable each death could have been.

“What were their interactions with the healthcare system?” Radke says. “What was their social situation around the time they became pregnant? And could those things, if we think they contributed to the person dying, do we have a chance of addressing those things?” The report makes numerous recommendations for health care providers, facilities, systems and communities including better screening and care coordination efforts.

Radke says the purpose of the report is to make sure Iowa is in line with national standards of care. “We want to think about, are all of our facilities prepared to manage a catastrophic hemorrhage, an eclamptic seizure,” she says, “and then in all facilities, are we really identifying risk factors?”

The report also found the deaths disproportionately affected people who are Hispanic or black as well as those on Medicaid.