COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT-TV) – Amazon’s new facility in Council Bluffs will allow for same-day delivery consistently in the Omaha metro for the first time. According to a news release from Amazon, the facility in Council Bluffs will be able to enable fulfillment, sorting, and delivery all from the same location.

Amazon officials said that their Council Bluffs site is the first to allow for same-day delivery in the metro, saying that items will be able to be delivered to the Omaha metro area within a four to five hour delivery window. Previous instances of same-day delivery in the metro were due to coincidental inventory in nearby facilities, according to Amazon.

In conjunction with the facility’s opening in December of 2024, Amazon said they donated $15,000 to the Council Bluffs Community School District to support STEM education initiatives.

The new facility in Council Bluffs is the first to serve the Omaha area, but is the 4th in the state of Iowa. Amazon also has a fulfillment center in Papillion, NE.

(Creston, Iowa) – A total of seven people were arrested over the past few days in Creston. Three of them were arrested on drug charges. According to the Creston Police Department, 44-year-old David Junior Richman, of Creston, was arrested Friday evening on a Union County warrant for Possession of a controlled substance 3rd offense and Possession of drug paraphernalia. Richman was taken to the Union County Jail, where he was being held on a bond of $5,300; Friday night, 21-year-old Jayden Ronald Vernon Peavler, of Creston, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana-1st offense. Peavler was taken to the Union County Jail and later released after posting $1,000 bond. And, Sunday evening, 36-year-old Tara Lynn Mickael, of Creston, was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance – Methamphetamine/1st Offense, and Intent to Manufacture/Deliver Meth over 5g Under 5kg. Mickael was being held in the Union County Jail on $26,000 bond.

Creston Police report also:

• 78-year-old Joyce Louise McCubbin, of Creston, was arrested Friday afternoon for Theft in the 5th Degree. McCubbin was cited and released on a promise to appear in court.
• Early Saturday morning, 56-year-oldDonnajo Michelle Aunspach, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Suspended and OWI/1st Offense. Aunspach was taken to the Union County Jail and later released after posting $1,000 bond.
• Saturday night, Savannah Irene McVay, of Creston, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Offense – Causing Bodily Injury, and Criminal Mischief 3rd. McVay was taken to the Union County Jail where she was later released of her own recognizance. In connection with the same incident, 45-year-old Gary Steven McVay, of Creston, arrested for Violation of No Contact Order. McVay was taken to the Union County Jail and also later released of his own recognizance.

(Des Moines,Iowa – Iowa DNR news) – An estimated 2,200 students from more than 140 schools from across Iowa will be in the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center (Bullseye) and the 4H Building (3D) at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines from Feb 28th to March 2nd, to participate in the 18^th Annual National Archery in the Schools Program State Tournament. This is the largest youth archery tournament in Iowa. Iowa student participation in the National Archery in the Schools Program has grown each year beginning from scratch in 2006 to now more than 4,800 participants in 2025.

“The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is one of the finest youth sports programs in Iowa. It teaches discipline, focus, and perseverance while giving students of all skill levels an opportunity to excel. NASP not only promotes physical activity but also fosters confidence, personal development, and an appreciation for the sport of archery,” said Zach Benttine, archery coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Competition begins Friday at 5-p.m., then resumes at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday for the bullseye and 3D competitions.  There will be 50 targets set up for bullseye, which will allow 100 participants to shoot at a time.  There will be 30 targets set up for 3D, which will allow 60 participants to shoot at a time. Admission is $5 for those 19 and older; 18 and younger are admitted for free.

Atlantic HS & MS Archers participate in a Dec. 2023 event in Orient (file photo from the Atlantic Trojan Archery Facebook page)

Archers Shoot for College Cash & Equipment

Archers participating in the Iowa Archery in the Schools Program can earn money for college. More than $10,000 will be awarded in college scholarships based on performance at the state tournament. An additional $13,000 will be awarded outside of the state competition to archers participating in the program based on academics, essays, and other established criteria. In addition to scholarships, teams receiving placement at the state tournament will also be eligible to receive an estimated $18,000 in equipment for their schools.

Scholarships are provided by Iowa Hunter Education Instructor Association, Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever, Whitetails Unlimited, Iowa Bowhunters Association, Safari Club International, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Haney Family Foundation, Chuck Hallier Memorial, and the National Archery in the Schools Program.

For more information on the Iowa Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) visit www.iowadnr.gov/nasp

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Southwest Iowa Beekeepers organization is inviting any and all beekeepers to their annual meeting on Sunday, March 23 at 1pm at the American Legion Memorial Building in Atlantic, Iowa. The group’s mission is to support beekeepers, share knowledge and build the beekeeping community.

Whether you have 1 hive or 100 hives, Southwest Iowa Beekeepers welcomes all beekeepers and all styles of beekeeping so whether new or old, big or small – join them for exchange of ideas and general bee camaraderie.  Even if you don’t have any hives, that’s ok! The groups members would love to help new beekeepers get started. Beekeeping is both challenging and exciting and much like the bees they tend, bee keepers, they say, are stronger when they lean into each other for support.

The club meets 5 times per year. Meetings are held in March, April, June, August, & October. The summer meetings are typically hands-on field days held on member farms. For more information you can contact Nathan Paulsen by emailing southwestiowabeekeepers@gmail.com.

Southwest IA Beekeepers photo

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Iowa Farmers Union is hosting a series of Cancer Listening Posts, including one in Atlantic on Sunday, March 2^nd. The event will be in the American Legion Memorial Building’s Memorial Hall, from 2-until 3:30-p.m., Sunday. The event is one of four Cancer Listening Posts the Iowa Farmers Union has put together throughout the state. The first was held last Friday in Spencer. The next is this Friday, in Fairfield, followed by a Cancer Listening Post in Charles City on Saturday. ,

The IFU said in a press release, “Recent data highlights Iowa as one of the states with the fastest-growing cancer rates in the country. The Cancer Listening Posts will serve as a platform for individuals to voice concerns, discuss potential causes, and explore solutions to improve healthcare and prevention efforts in rural communities.”

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the country, and is No. 1 in number of new cases per year.

(Radio Iowa) – A monthly survey of bank C-E-Os in Iowa and nine other Midwestern states shows a dismal outlook. The Creighton University report shows the February score fell to 38 on a zero-to-100 scale, where 50 is growth neutral. Creighton Economics Professor Ernie Goss says the new numbers are reminiscent of the COVID-era, and he cites struggling commodity prices as one of the big reasons for the Midwest economy’s continuing slump. “Agricultural commodity prices, particularly grain, are moving up a bit lately,” Goss says, “but still not as strong as we’d like to see. On the flipside, to give us some good news, livestock is doing somewhat better. When we asked the bankers about looking forward to 2025, they were much more positive about the livestock sector.”

About 71-percent of bankers surveyed expect livestock ranchers to experience positive cash flow or net income in 2025, while nearly half expect grain farmers to experience negative cash flow. Goss says President Trump’s recently-announced tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico have bankers concerned. Only nine-percent of those surveyed expect positive outcomes from Trump’s tariffs, as Canada and Mexico are major trade partners. “Retaliation is really a concern among bankers and economists, as well,” he says. “We’re talking about 47-percent of the exports of agricultural and livestock goods coming from this part of the country, 47-percent go to Mexico. So, if you see retaliation there, that would hit the economy really hard.” Another factor is continuing cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza detected in poultry in Iowa and other parts of the Midwest.

Goss says the main impact is in the survey’s confidence index, which sank to a score of 40 this month, down from January’s 42.3. “We ask each month for the bankers to look forward another six months,” Goss says. “They were pretty darn negative, as you can imagine in Iowa — one of the big producers of eggs and poultry. That’s a big issue, even without any contamination over to livestock.” Goss says the lack of action on a Farm Bill in Congress is also creating uncertainly among survey respondents across the region. “There’s so much uncertainty in agriculture and farming,” he said. “We don’t have much positive input from the U.S. federal government. We got a one-year farm bill. We need to see a five-year farm bill and not a one-year farm bill. Each year, we’re getting less and less support from the federal government.”

Goss says farm equipment sales continue to struggle, though February’s mark of 18.2 is actually up from last month’s level of 17.4.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and Congressman Randy Feenstra say they are working to help producers hit by the bird flu. Hinson, a Republican from Marion says it was the topic of a recent meeting. “Our Ag F-D-A Appropriations Committee had experts from U-S-D-A, APHIS, and animal research A-R-S, to really talk about what we need to be doing to combat avian influenza. This is about protecting those farmers and ranchers from losing their flocks and herds,” she says. Hinson says one topic was using prevention measures. “They’ve got a pilot program that’s designed to help with stopping the critters that get into these facilities that help spread, helping to deter the wild bird blocks that otherwise might bring that disease close to these, these barns and facilities,” Hinson says. They also discussed helping producers with their losses.

“On the indemnity side, we also had a great discussion about the math that they’re using and the system that they’re using to calculate what that indemnity looks like,” she says. Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull says he recently talk with the new U-S Ag Secretary about the issue. “We just lost 21 million birds over the last several months right here in western Iowa. So we’re looking at vaccines and solutions to try to mitigate this issue. We just heard that. You know, bird flu is now in rats and mice, so we’ve got to figure out a solution to this epidemic,” Feenstra says. Feenstra says he also learned some frozen U-S-D-A funds have been released. “There’s 20 million of grants that got released as of the 20th of February. So I’m so excited that happened,” Feenstra says. “We had a lot of discussions with the administration, and this is what happens. We have a new administration, and some things get hooked up, but I tell you what, we got this resolved.”

Feenstra spoke at an event in Sioux City and Hinson made her comments on her weekly conference call with reporters.

(Radio Iowa) – The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will let a higher blend of ethanol be sold this summer in Iowa and seven other Midwestern states. The sale of fuel with a 15 percent blend of ethanol has been prohibited nationwide in the summer due to concerns it could worsen smog levels. Bills have been introduced in congress to make the year-round sale of E-15 a permanent federal policy.

E-P-A Administrator Lee Zeldin says in the absence of congressional action, the agency is considering emergency waivers. He announced late Friday that E-15 may be sold in the Midwest this summer. Iowa elected officials, farm groups and the ethanol industry praised the decision.

(Radio Iowa) – Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is urging residents of Iowa’s first congressional district to contact Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks and ask her to vote no this week on a House plan that includes budget cuts and tax cuts. “We cannot allow that legislation to pass,” Sanders said. “…I look at a lot of polls and what the American people say is don’t give billionaires a tax break. Demand that they start paying their fair share of taxes.”

Sanders, who ran for president in 2016 and 2020, spoke in Iowa City this past weekend. People who gathered to hear from Sanders in the main venue and in two spill over locations were asked to share their contact information. The senator says they’ll be getting information via text or email on how to contact Miller-Meeks.

“Can you make that call?” Sanders asked, and the crowd cheered. President Trump has expressed support for the package House Republican leaders unveiled to implement his border security and energy policies, while cutting about two TRILLION dollars in federal spending. It includes an estimated four-and-a-half TRILLION dollars in tax reductions as well. Sanders launched a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour this past weekend.

“Trump believes he can do anything he wants for any reason — he can ignore congress, he can ignore the courts, he is above the law,” Sanders said. “…Now is not the time for despair or feeling helpless. Now is the time to stand up, to fight back, to take on Trumpism.”

Republican Governor Kim Reynolds posted a message on social media criticizing Sanders for lecturing Iowans on socialism while he owns three houses.

(Iowa News Service) – An agriculture program in Iowa is helping new and up and coming farmers learn from more experienced ones – and its organizers have uncovered another outcome they weren’t expecting. Steve Riggins and his wife moved to their Cambridge, Iowa, farm ten years ago. It’s been in the family since 1855, but hadn’t been worked in decades.

Riggins turned to Practical Farmers of Iowa’s “Labor for Learning” program, which recruits farmers who’ve been around a while to teach those, like Riggins, where to start. “They taught me everything from cutting hay, raking hay, working on machinery, moving cows, working in the dairy,” said Riggins. ‘They taught me a million different things I never would have had a chance to learn. And it was 10 times better than going through YouTube.”

The program teaches beginning farmers practical, hands-on skills and helps them understand ag management practices and financial strategies. It also gives those more experienced farmers some extra hands on their land. Research shows roughly 10% of the nation’s farmland will transition to the next generation in just five years.

www.color24.org

Martha McFarland, farmland viability coordinator with Practical Farmers of Iowa, said while the Labor for Learning program is good for teaching the next generation, organizers were surprised to discover that the more experienced farmers are also potentially recruiting people they will pass their farm on to – as rural America undergoes a huge generational shift in land ownership.

“It’s really awkward to have a match between a retiring farmer and someone who might come in and take over the land and just say ‘OK, now take over,'” said McFarland. “There has to be some kind of an interim getting to know you period. And so, to be able to help retiring farmers find that, in that context, is really helpful.”

She said the more experienced farmers go through a training program with PFI before they take on the new ones.