Labor Day is often called a kickoff day for the fall campaign, but early voting in Iowa starts in just 27 days. Most of the high-profile federal candidates in Iowa started airing campaign ads in August. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley is seeking a seventh term in the U.S. Senate. Grassley’s doing something in 2016 that’s been rare in his senate career — he’s running an ad criticizing his Democratic opponent.

“It’s my job as one of 24 states where there are Republicans up for reelection to make sure that I’m a good trustee of your money and work hard to make sure that Iowa does not turn Democrat in the United States Senate,” Grassley says. Democrat Patty Judge says she’s running against Grassley because he’s “not paying attention” to the nation’s problems. “A wise man once said that if you are not a part of the solution, then you are part of the problem and I think today we’ve got a United States senator who is not proposing solutions and that’s my opponent, Chuck Grassley,” Judge says.

Republican David Young of Van Meter is the other first-term congressman from Iowa, seeking reelection in the third district. “I’m on a bill called ‘No Budget, No Pay’ and it simply says this: if you don’t do a federal budget by law annually, well, then you should have your pay withheld and you shouldn’t get that paycheck until you get the budget done,” Young says. “…I am the only member of congress who has followed up on that…not taking a paycheck from you, the taxpayer.” Jim Mowrer of Des Moines is the Democrat challenging Young this year. “My campaign is focused on my working families agenda, ensuring that every single working family in Iowa and across the country is able to make it,” Mowrer says. “Raising the minimum wage: if you work 40 hours a week in this country, you should not live in poverty.”

Republican Congressman Steve King of Kiron is seeking reelection to an eighth term in the U.S. House. “What is an FSCCC? Well that would be a full-spectrum constitutional Christian conservative,” King says. “I’m happy to be an FSCCC.” Kim Weaver, a social worker from Sheldon, is the Democrat who’s challenging King and she’s been telling crowds she was recently inducted into the “Daughters of the American Revolution.”  “I am a proud descendent of a real patriot that fought against the tyranny of the king,” Weaver said at a Progress Iowa event in late August, “so even though it’s going to be difficult, we need to show the nation that the descendent of a true patriot can dethrone yet another King.”

Congressman Dave Loebsack of Iowa City is seeking a sixth term in the U.S. House. Loebsack is the only Democrat in Iowa’s congressional delegation. He’s been campaigning alongside several other Democrats the 2016 ballot, including candidates for the legislature. “We know that if we accomplish all those goals this time, and I know we can do it, we will be set for 2018 to make sure that we get a governor in office in Iowa who knows Iowa values, who’ll work for progressive values.”

Chris Peters, a surgeon from Coralville who was a Libertarian Party candidate for the state legislature in 2010, is the Republican challenging Loebsack this fall. “I believe that partisan politics have greatly diminished our country and coarsened our public discourse,” Peters said. “I don’t believe a particular candidate is good or bad just because they have an R or a D after their name and I don’t believe an idea is better or worse simply because one member of a party or another proposed it.”

Republican Rod Blum of Dubuque is promising to “stand up to the G-O-P when it’s necessary” if he’s elected to a second term representing Iowa’s first congressional district. “In general, I’m a businessperson,” Blum says. “I’m a member of the ‘Yellow Pages Caucus’ in Washington and that caucus says if you can go through the Yellow Pages and find a private sector company that’s providing that service, the government shouldn’t be providing that service.” Monica Vernon, a member of the Cedar Rapids city council, is the Democrat challenging Blum. “We have got to get an economy that works for everyone,” Vernon says. “…We’ve got to get equal pay for equal work and that’s not just a woman’s issue. When women succeed, families succeed and when families succeed our communities do so much better.”

Iowa law allows early voting to start on Thursday, September 29th. Iowans can walk into their county auditor’s office on that day, ask for an absentee ballot and vote. Iowans can ask for an absentee ballot through the mail and vote throughout October and early November. Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Monday, November 7th if they’re mailed back in.

(Radio Iowa)

The leaders of Iowa’s largest businesses are growing less optimistic about the state’s economy. The Iowa Business Council’s (IBC) third quarter Economic Outlook Survey, released Thursday, shows projections for sales, capital spending, and hiring are all down several points from three months ago. Elliott Smith, executive director of the IBC, says “Our third quarter survey shows, I think, a little elevation of some anxieties that have been building among business leaders in this state — and really around the country — on the tenuous nature of the economy right now.”

The Iowa Business Council includes the CEOs of the state’s largest companies and each quarter they’re surveyed about their projections for sales, capital spending, and employment over the next six months. Numbers dropped in all three categories in the latest survey. “There isn’t anything that we’re raising red flags on yet, we’re still in positive sentiment territory for all of our indicators, so that’s good,” Smith says.

The chair of the Iowa Business Council, Mike Wells, says uncertainty in the global economy is making it difficult for Iowa companies to chart strategic plans.

(Radio Iowa)

Despite recent rains, nearly all the facilities in state parks and recreation areas in Iowa are open for the Labor Day weekend. All 101 camping sites with electrical hook-ups are claimed already at Rock Creek State Park, about six miles northwest of Grinnell.  The park’s lake has 15 miles of shoreline and a beach for swimmers. Boats are allowed on the lake, but there’s a “no wake” rule. It means a boat is to go no more than five miles an hour.

Last week nine inches of rain fell at the Yellow River State Forest near Harpers Ferry. Three of the four camping areas within the park will reopen today (Friday) for Labor Day Weekend camping. There was brief flooding at George Wyth State Park near Waterloo last week, but the campground there is open.

In central Iowa, the Ledges State Park near Boone is open to campers, but Canyon Drive in the park is closed to vehicle traffic due to high water. Hikers are allowed in the canyon, but they’re advised to stay out of the water. Horseback riding trails in two state parks and two state forests are closed and won’t reopen until the trails have dried out and flood repairs are made.

(Radio Iowa)

The percentage of Iowans who are obese has increased, according to an annual report released Thursday. Iowa now has the 12th highest adult obesity rate in the nation at 32.1 percent. That’s up from 30.9 percent last year, when Iowa was 16th in the rankings compiled by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report shows adult obesity rates are above 30 percent in 25 states and are above 20 percent in all states. Louisiana has the highest adult obesity rate at 36.2 percent and Colorado has the lowest at 20.2 percent.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:20 a.m. CDT

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An angry white officer repeatedly yanked on the dreadlocks of a handcuffed black man who was arrested after a dangerous high-speed chase in Iowa, then twice hit him on the back of the head. Video obtained by The Associated Press shows the officer briefly assaulting 24-year-old Montavis Keller and calling him names after the April 19 chase. A prosecutor has concluded that no charges are warranted against officer Adam Wittmayer, who was disciplined by his department.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids man has pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of minors in connection with improper contact with three girls. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 20-year-old Tyler Konigsmark, a former school bus attendant, pleaded guilty Thursday to the enticement charge and acknowledged that he used Snapchat and his mobile phone to request sexually explicit images of the girls, ages 12, 13 and 14. Konigsmark also admitted he twice had sex with the 12-year-old girl. He will be sentenced later.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri judge has fined the state Highway Patrol $5,000 after finding that it violated open records law in responding to requests from the family of an Iowa man who drowned while in custody. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the judge ruled Wednesday that the state’s delays in turning over documents to Brandon Ellingson’s family amounted to a “purposeful violation.” Ellingson drowned in 2014 on the Lake of the Ozarks.

BLUE GRASS, Iowa (AP) — A construction work was killed when the driver of a speeding vehicle apparently lost control in a work zone near the southeast Iowa city of Blue Grass. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy saw the speeding vehicle but before he could catch up to it the vehicle entered a work zone. The driver tried to exit the highway but careened into the construction area and hit a worker. The worker was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital. The driver and a child in the vehicle were injured.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency Thursday evening reports Shelby EMA 911 has been notified of a Windstream fiber line being cut affecting 911 and long distance in Shelby, Iowa. If you have an emergency use your cell phone to call 911 or if you know of anyone that only has a Windstream landline we recommend you to notify and check on them periodically.

September 1st:

• Craig Eilts of Griswold (Winner)

A northwest Iowa man is under arrest in Lincoln, Nebraska, charged with child enticement using an electronic communication device. Authorities say 63-year-old Dennis Ray Ragan of Moville responded to an online ad he thought was posted by a 15-year-old girl. The “girl” was really an undercover investigator in the Nebraska Attorney General’s office.

Last month Ragan exchanged 170 emails with the person he thought was a teenager, and on the final day of August he drove to Lincoln, Nebraska, to have sex with her. That’s when he was arrested.

(Radio Iowa)

In the 2015-2016 academic year, more than 250 Iowa high schools adopted EverFi, a free, online financial literacy program. First Whitney Bank and Trust has partnered with leading education technology company EverFi, Inc., to bring this interactive, web-based financial management program to over 200 students since the program’s inception in 2013.

“First Whitney Bank and Trust is very proud to have reached so many students with critical financial education. It’s a testament to our deep commitment to the Atlantic community,” Chip Hansen said. “It is critical that students understand important aspects of personal finance like what a credit score means and how to save for college, and this program is empowering them with the skills that will put them on a path to financial success.”

The 78 students reached through EverFi High School Financial Literacy course completed 340 individual modules of learning during the 2015-16 school year. Students’ knowledge of key financial topics rose by an average 22 percent based on pre- and post-assessment scores. Among the valuable topics covered were saving, banking, investing, renting versus owning, credit scores, taxes and insurance, and consumer fraud.

First Whitney Bank and Trust has partnered with EverFi, Inc. to bring the program to local students at no cost to the schools or the taxpayer. The eight-hour web-based program uses the latest in new media technology to bring complex financial concepts to life for today’s digital generation. The platform uniquely tracks the progress and performance of every student and provides students who successfully complete the course with certification in financial literacy, a valuable mark of distinction on college applications and resumes. In 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) highlighted EverFi’s schools-based financial education programs in a new report on Advancing K-12 Financial Education: A Guide for Policymakers.

“EverFi strives to help today’s generation prepare for a lifetime of challenging financial decisions”, said EverFi CEO and Founder, Tom Davidson. “We are grateful for our partnership with First Whitney Bank and Trust, which provides students with the critical skills they need to be savvy, responsible consumers.”

(Press Release)

Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke has released the final list of candidates whose names will appear on the ballot for the November 8th General Election in Montgomery County.

The candidates are as follows (Rep=Republican)

County Auditor: (Rep) Stephanie Burke

County Sheriff: (Rep) Joseph Sampson

Board of Supervisors/District 2: (Rep) Mike Olson

Board of Supervisors/District 3: (Rep) Bryant Amos

Board of Supervisors/District 5: (Rep) Donna Robinson

Montgomery Co. Ag. Extension Council (elect 4): Mike Thomas; Karen Klocke; Kelli Bucy. No other candidate has filed.

Montgomery Co. Hospital Trustees (elect 2) – 6 year term: Roger J. Ehmke; James A. Robinson.

Montgomery Co. Soil & Water Commissioner (elect 3) – 4 year term: David Carbaugh; Gary Querry; Fred Hossle.

Frankfort Township Trustee (elect 2): Rodney Hart; Don Gohlinghorst.

Garfield Township Trustee (elect 2): Gary Querry; John Willms.

Grant Township Trustee (elect 2): John Sunberg; Dennis Carlson.

Lincoln Township Trustee (elect 2): Bryan Jenkins; None filed.

Pilot Grove Township Trustee (elect 2): Ron Adams; David W. Olson.

Red Oak Township Trustee (elect 2): Howard O. Olson; None filed.

Sherman Township Trustee (elect 2): Daniel L. Phelps; James E. Good.

Washington Township Trustee (elect 2): None filed; None filed.

West Township Trustee (elect 2): David L. Gohlinghorst; Larry Heuer.

Red Oak School Special Election (elect 1): Bret Blackman.