(Radio Iowa) – Eight small business owners from Iowa have been in Washington, D-C with their counterparts from 15 other states to talk with lawmakers and policymakers. Ashley Kuhns owns a non-profit child support program in Grinnell and says they are discussing several issues.”Some of them include access to capital, affordable capital. Child care is one of them, the workforce is another one of them, competing with big businesses,” she says. She says lack of access to affordable capital makes it hard for small businesses to grow. “For us, because I don’t have a building, and I’m a nonprofit, it’s really difficult for us to access affordable capital, to be able to build a building if I want, or to afford that in this landscape, because I don’t have access to SBA loans, I don’t have access to the same things that some rural or small businesses have,” Kuhns says. She says she can’t offer the same pay packages and benefits that larger companies can.

“Being able to compete with those bigger businesses with those other businesses, is really something that lawmakers need to consider when building policy or having those conversations,” Kuhns says. Matha Hooglan from the Woudstra Meat Market in Orange City says they have the same concerns about access to money. “If we could take monthly what we’re putting into our interest payments, putting that into our businesses instead, the growth rate and the people that we would be able to impact and hire would grow drastically,” she says. “So that is definitely what I am advocating for the most.” Aaron Lenz owns the Roadhouse sports bar in Orange City and is concerned about supply costs.

Eight Iowa small business owners met with policymakers in Washing6ton, D.C. (Photo by Jimmy Centers)

“Since we opened four years ago, we’ve seen our cost of food products go about 47 percent higher than it were than there were when we opened,” Lenz says. “And that same pressure is felt on the average consumer and how they spend their dollars at the grocery store, which trickles into every other aspect of their life.” Lenz says looming tariffs are part of that cost concern. “My ask from our representatives is that if we’re going to see tariffs being implemented across the board, if we can somehow figure out how to exclude food products from those, I think that would help just about every consumer in the United States,” he says.

Lenz says they also want consistency in regulations. The Iowa business owners met with lawmakers and Small Business Administration leader Kelly Loeffler.

Dallas County, IA – In 2024, while assisting the Federal Bureau of Investigation with an investigation, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office uncovered evidence of sexual abuse that had taken place at a residence in rural Dallas County. Following an extensive months-long investigation, which included many interviews, executing multiple search warrants, and analyzing substantial digital evidence, arrest warrants were issued for 27-year-old Cheyenne Bretsch, of De Soto, and his father, 56-year-old Ross Bretsch, of Ankeny. The investigation determined that both individuals sexually abused the same female victim during the summers of 2019 and 2020.

As a result, the following charges have been filed:

• Cheyenne Bretsch – Four counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree (Class C Felony)
• Ross Bretsch – Seven counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree (Class C Felony)

Cheyenne Bretsch was arrested on March 11, 2025, and is currently being held at the Dallas County Jail. Ross Bretsch (aka Spenser Bretsch)  was arrested on March 13, 2025, and is also being held at the Dallas County Jail.

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this investigation by the Des Moines Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Story County Sheriff’s Office, and the De Soto Police Department. (Photos courtesy the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Community School District Finance Director Lisa Jones, Wednesday, provided the Atlantic School Board with a report on the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Property Tax Levy. As we’ve mentioned, a public hearing on the proposal will take place March 26^th at 6:30-p.m., in the High School Media Center, prior to the Board’s scheduled Work Session.

Jones said residents should receive a spread sheet in the mail by not later than March 20^th, breaking down the various proposed tax levies.

She said there are a lot of numbers on that spreadsheet, which can make it very confusing and shocking.

The Iowa Legislature for 2025–2026 budget includes a 2.25% increase in SSA (State Supplemental Aid), which would increase per-pupil funding for public schools by $176. The SSA is based on a state percent of growth rate. The Iowa House passed the bill with the 2.25% SSA rate. The Iowa Senate passed the legislation with a 2% SSA rate. Democrats proposed an amendment to increase the funding to 5%, but the amendment failed. Some school districts say the 2.25% increase is not enough. They say it doesn’t take into account inflation and rising costs.

Jones said because the Iowa Legislature has not set the SSA, the levy is based on the highest level allowed by law, once the rate is published. From there, the rate cannot go up, but it can go down. Currently, the Atlantic School District receives $7,826 per student in SSA.

Right now the district proposes $12.53/$1,000 assessed valuation. If State Aid rate comes out before the second meeting April, that could drop the rate to $12.526 (or less than a penny to what is currently proposed). The $12.53/1,000 rate would generate about $7-million for the district.

Jones said the public is encouraged to come to the meeting March 26^th at 6:30-p.m. In the High School Media Center, to ask questions about the levy and the district’s FY26 Budget.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say there’s a rising risk of severe weather across a wide portion of Iowa tomorrow (Friday) afternoon and evening, along with a drastic downshift in temperatures that may bring snow on Saturday. Meteorologist Brian Pierce, at the National Weather Service office in Davenport, says it’s a large, fast-moving system. “The primary risk we’re looking at is the potential for widespread damaging winds,” Pierce says, “but given how the winds are changing with height in the atmosphere, we now cannot rule out the potential for tornadoes to be occurring as well.” Pierce warns Iowans to be “weather aware” tomorrow, especially between 5 and 11 P-M.

“Be paying attention to the weather that’s going on around you,” Pierce says, “and the fact that these storms are going to be moving at highway speeds means you will have less time to react as they approach you.” A powerful blizzard swept across Iowa last Wednesday, knocking out the lights to more than 20-thousand Iowa houses and bringing traffic to a standstill with whiteout conditions. Pierce says this approaching system may be even worse. “The center of the storm system, which is going to be going through western Iowa, is very strong, comparable to the one we saw about a week or so ago, possibly even stronger,” Pierce says, “and so because of that, it will be bringing up moisture into the area, and the winds aloft are also very strong as well.”

While most of Iowa can expect high temperatures in the 70s today and tomorrow, Pierce says this incoming storm will bring much colder weather behind it. Lows by Saturday night will be in the 20s, with snow possible. “The snowfall is probably going to be more or less the western half of Iowa, but we can’t rule out some flakes falling in eastern Iowa as well,” Pierce says. “As for amounts, eastern Iowa is probably an inch at the very worst. It may actually be no more than a dusting.” Any snow that falls won’t last long, as the forecast calls for much of Iowa to be in the 40s by Sunday and the 50s on Monday.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports the arrest at around 10:25-a.m. Wednesday, of 46-year-old Joleen Mary Most, of Creston. She was arrested following a traffic stop and charged with Driving While Barred. Most was cited and released from the scene on a Promise to Appear in court.

(Ames, Iowa)  — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced 15 Iowa dairies Wednesday that were awarded a combined $750,000 in grants to expand production and save labor.  Naig made the announcement at the Iowa State University Creamery, which was one of the grant recipients and also the first member of the Choose Iowa network.  Choose Iowa is a state program, with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, that promotes and markets local producers. Naig said membership has been gaining “about one member a day” since the start of the year.  “It shows a tremendous interest in local foods, of course, and also we love the fact that we get a chance to tell stories about Iowa’s agriculture and connect consumers to farm families across the state,” Naig said.

The dairy innovation grants required a cost share on behalf of the dairy operations and the 15 projects represent a total investment of more than $4 million, according to IDALS. Eligible dairies have fewer than 50 employees and create products that are completely made in Iowa. Dairies were awarded up to $100,000 in funding for equipment that increased on-farm processing, like the creamery at ISU that will increase its cheese and ice cream production with a larger batch pasteurization vat, or for technology upgrades to reduce labor. Labor-reducing technology that grant recipients will be introducing, or expanding, include milking robots, rotary parlors, feed pushers and manure collectors. Naig said labor has always been a “huge challenge” for dairy producers.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig enjoys ice cream from the Iowa State University Creamery. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Robert Horst, the Iowa State Dairy Association president, said some of these innovations will cut the personnel needs by 50%. Horst said the other grant that was awarded for a processing upgrade, $11,688 for a semi-automatic bottle filler and capper in Plainfield, is the type of project that not only grows a dairy operation, but brings people to town.  Sarah Canova, ISU creamery’s business manager, said the new vat purchased with the help of around $25,000 from the Choose Iowa grant, will allow the creamery to nearly triple its current production, which frequently sells out during the fall and summer months. The creamery trains 25 undergraduate students a semester, which Horst said is where “a lot of the future begins” for Iowa dairy farmers. Horst called the grants “seed money” for several dairies that he said will use the upgrades to facilitate a “transition to the next generation.”

Choose Iowa also allocated $750,000 in small dairy innovation grants last year, with 20 recipients.  Naig said there is a “tremendous amount of interest” in the Choose Iowa program, which makes him excited for the future. Earlier this week IDALS informed partners that federal funding for programs supported local food purchases for schools, food banks and other institutions, which would have allocated an estimated $11.3 million to the state, had been terminated.  Naig said there was “no guarantee” the extended funding, authorized by USDA in October 2024, was going to remain through the change in administration. Naig said the programs brought forward a lot of good connections between producers and communities and he hopes there can be a permanent place for the programs, or something similar, in the upcoming farm bill.

IDALS announced Monday a pilot program with $70,000 to allocate to school districts to purchase Choose Iowa products for school meals. Recipients for the program will be announced in April.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The much anticipated Atlantic School District Robotics Team and Program will not continue, due to a lack of interest among students. Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen provided that update to the Atlantic School Board during their regular meeting, Wednesday evening.

She said also, with regard to snow days, they’ve had quite a few, and only limited time remaining before any make-up days are needed.

And, Dr. Johnsen spoke with the Board about the District’s cell phone policy. Right now, she said, any changes to the current policy are in limbo, until or unless, the legislature takes action.

She said if a revision to the policy is needed, the Board can definitely come back and do that. Johnsen asked, and the School Board agreed, to wait until the legislature makes its move, before the cell phone policy is changed. High School Principal Heather McKay said the policy isn’t being followed at the high school because there is so much confusion over what it entails. Board member Kristy Pellett…

In another update, as Councilman Mike McDermott mentioned during the Atlantic City Council meeting last week, the City and Atlantic Schools are exploring the possibility of splitting the cost of renovating the Washington Elementary School tennis courts, to incorporate a pickleball court.

The School Board discussed two possible options for the 2025-26 School Year Calendar. The school start date on both is August 25, because the normal start date of Aug. 23^rd is on a Saturday. One version of the calendar includes a full week off for a combined Spring Break and Easter. Another version splits-up the break.

No decision was made on the School Calendar, because it was a discussion item only. A public hearing on the 2025-26 Calendar and Budget (including the proposed FY26 Property Tax Levy), will be on March 26^th at 6:30 p.m., in the High School Media Center. A Board work session will follow the pulblic hearing.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority has awarded grants totaling more than three-point-seven million dollars to eight communities for water and sewer infrastructure. Chelsea, Duncombe, Fort Madison, Lawler, McGregor, Mediapolis, Wellman and Yale will receive the money through the U-S Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The community of Yale, in Guthrie County, was awarded a $425,000 grant for water system improvements. Other funds will add $415,000 toward the total project cost.

The I-E-D-A reports it received 19 applications totaling nearly nine million dollars in funding requests. Grants are awarded based upon the benefit to low and moderate income residents, financial need, project impact, and readiness and commitment of local resources to the project.

(Radio Iowa) – A new population report on monarch butterflies finds conservation efforts in Iowa and elsewhere are starting to show promising results. Mykayla Hagaman, a program specialist at the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, says researchers track the progress of the vital orange-and-black insect by measuring how much land the pollinators take up when overwintering in Mexico. “They occupied 4.4 acres, which is nearly double last year’s size of about 2.2 acres,” Hagaman says, “so, this is really encouraging to see this increase.” The annual survey from the World Wildlife Fund-Telcel Foundation Alliance demonstrates a sizeable boost in monarch numbers, but it’s still a long way from where the experts say the population needs to be.

“It does highlight the need for continued voluntary conservation efforts,” Hagaman says. “Scientists recommend to maintain a sustainable population of monarchs, we need, on average, about 15 acres of overwintering habitat, but we haven’t really seen those numbers since about 2018.” About 40-percent of all monarchs that overwinter in Mexico are estimated to come from Iowa and neighboring Midwestern states. In recent years, many thousands of Iowans have carved out portions of their properties to offer a haven for the butterflies, but Hagaman says additional help is needed.

“We can do so through establishing more monarch habitat,” Hagaman says. “Monarch butterflies really rely on people planting native milkweed, such as common milkweed or butterfly milkweed, and there’s other species that are native to Iowa as well. So people can go online and search up what milkweed are native to their areas.” She says plantings should include a variety of native species that bloom from early spring to late fall, to help provide nectar resources for monarchs during their migration.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the monarch as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in December of 2024.

(Radio Iowa) – The Ankeny-based Casey’s Convenience store chain reported in-store and gas sales were up slightly, as was their net income in the third quarter. Casey’s Darren Rebelez says weather conditions have been more of a recent concern than a potential recession. “Casey’s for a long time, has performed very well during recessionary times, and I think that’s for a couple of reasons. One is that we sell basic daily needs that people need. They’re low dollar denominations,” Rebelez says. He spoke during a conference call on the quarterly results and says their products are not the first to go.  “In the grand scheme of things, when people have to pull back on discretionary spending, a lot of what we sell would be considered by our guests to be non discretionary,” he says, “and because there tends to be a lower price point, it isn’t the first thing to cut on the list, because these are daily needs.”

Rebelez says when it comes to food, only about half of their stores have a national brand competitor in their trade area that Casey’s has to compete with. “As consumers start to look for value, we’re a great trade down opportunity from a price perspective, but not a trade down in quality,” Rebelez says. “So think consumers feel really good about being able to stretch their dollars with us on the food side.” Rebelez says their low income consumers who makes less than 50-thousand dollars a year make up only about 25 percent of their customers. He says they still see positive growth from those customers, it’s just not at the same rate for other income customers, and when they are cutting back, it’s in the alcohol and tobacco areas.

Rebelez says the weather can have a much more immediate impact. “I don’t have specific numbers to share with you on that other than to say February was a tough weather month. And I can tell you when the temperature difference is 50 or 60 degrees colder than the prior year. I mean, you see it in the numbers,” he says. Rebelez says the numbers come back when the weather starts to normalize. He says the weather impacted some of their newly acquired stores in Texas and Florida this quarter, where they had snow that they rarely see.