ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa farmer says thousands of his honeybees died after someone vandalized their hives. Jake Knutson said Wednesday that someone removed straps holding down three of his hives near the Ankeny airport last week and then damaged them with logs, bricks and cinder blocks, knocking off the tops. That left the bees to die in the rain that’s been covering central Iowa over the past several days.
When he returned to the hives, he found that one had been knocked over again and another was teetering on its stand.

No arrests have been reported. In another incident of hive vandalism , Sioux City police arrested boys 12 and 13 after 50 hives were knocked over in December, killing at least 500,000 bees.

(Radio Iowa) — A southwest Iowa boy who’s being treated for brain cancer got a video message of encouragement this week from one of his Hollywood heroes, actor Robert Downey Junior. Amy Tijerina of Council Bluffs, says her seven-year-old, Jackson, was diagnosed in 2016 and was told he needed immediate chemotherapy.   “When they do that, they put a port in their chest and his port is right in the middle of his chest,” Tijerina says. “When his doctor put it in, he told Jackson, ‘Oh, you look just like Iron Man,’ and that he’ll get special strength from his port just like Iron Man gets strength from his button.”

She says that’s where the boy’s obsession with the Marvel superhero began — and Downey has played Iron Man in several blockbuster films. “His biggest wish was that he got to meet Iron Man and he didn’t just want to meet Iron Man in a costume, he wanted to meet the Robert Downey Junior,” Tijerina says. “I put it out there on Facebook, if anybody knew somebody that I could contact, and I had a couple of friends get back to me and say, ‘I have connections in Hollywood, let me see what see what I can do’.”

One of those friends came through and got Downey to record a 27-second video message of hope especially for the ailing second-grader. “Jackson, is that you? Hi, it’s Robert Downey Junior, but you can call me Tony,” Downey says. “I’m thinking about you. Stay strong and know that my prayers are with you and also, life is challenging and you’re just the man for the job, so, lots of love.”

Tijerina says it’s a dream come true for her son to have gotten the video from the actor who plays Tony Stark, the man inside the Iron Man armor. She says her son has other items on his bucket list, but this checks off a big one. “He does want to go to an Iowa Hawkeye game, he’s toured the stadium but he’s never gone to an actual game,” Tijerina says. “He wants to go to an Atlanta Falcons game. He wants to meet Peyton Manning because he’s another huge hero of Jackson’s and he’s the hero that really got him through his first major brain surgeries.”

She says her son is taking an experimental oral chemotherapy drug which the family gets through St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Tijerina says they aren’t sure how well the treatment will work, but they keep making sure Jackson is the happy seven-year-old he deserves to be.

Video link: https://www.facebook.com/amy.holbentijerina/videos/10217912913162303/

(KCCI via Radio Iowa) — Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and Democratic challenger Fred Hubbell met in their first televised debate last (Wednesday) night to make their case to Iowa voters. The hour-long forum was broadcast by K-C-C-I T-V in Des Moines. “We can’t afford to go backwards and that’s the direction that Fred wants to take the state,” Reynolds said in her closing statement. In his closing, Hubbell said: “She promises more of the same and I promise to bring change.”

Private management of the state’s Medicaid program was the major flash point of the evening. Hubbell has pledged to start unraveling the managed care contracts Reynolds has signed if he’s elected governor. “The costs are out of control,” Hubbell said. “We now find out that the per-member cost of Medicaid is rising faster now than it did before privatized Medicaid.”

Reynolds says the old system was not sustainable. “You’re telling everybody what they want to hear and not talking about how you’re going to fund the system,” Reynolds said. “…We have two years of experience. We now know what it costs to take care of our most vulnerable Iowans.”

The candidates were given a chance to ask one another questions. Hubbell questioned a campaign check Reynolds took and Reynolds questioned Hubbell’s personal finances. “I’m transparent with the contributions that I’m taking,” Reynolds said. “Why don’t you release your tax statements so Iowans can see maybe what you’re hiding or what you’re embarrassed of?” Hubbell responded: “I think the governor is questioning my motivation to run for governor. It’s never been about the money. I’ve even offered to not be paid as governor. The only special interest I have is Iowans and I’m going to work every day to help their lives be better.”

Reynolds has released 10 years of the personal income tax returns she and her husband filed. Hubbell released the front pages of the tax return he and his wife filed last year, showing their income and how much they donated to charity. During last night’s debate, both of the candidates said they oppose reinstating the death penalty. Both oppose legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Both said local governments should decide when fireworks may be sold and set off. And Hubbell said “yes” to term limits, while Reynolds said “no.” The two candidates are scheduled to participate in two other televised debates this month. Libertarian Party candidate Jake Porter sat in the audience for last (Wednesday) night’s debate. His supporters protested outside before the event, chanting: “Let Jake debate.”