This is the time of year when armies of pesky ants often invade Iowans’ kitchens and homes. Entomologist Jody Green says there are many types of ants but the small black ones are most common around Iowa. They can typically be seen marching in a line on kitchen tables and countertops.

“They’re really good at following that pheromone,” Green says. “They find something and they leave a little chemical trail and they all follow it, so it’s like an ant parade.” She says there are great commercial products available to get rid of ants but first you need to find their entry point.

“See where they’re coming in and out and get a sugar ant bait,” Green says. “Liquid ant bait is great. You can get them at any hardware store very cheaply. Make sure you bait them close to where their trail is and off your counter. You want it closer to the window or door or crack where they’re coming in because they’re often coming from outside.” The ants will carry the poison back to the colony and they will die within about a week. Green says the large, black carpenter ants can cause more serious problems.

“They do nest in rotten wood or moisture-damaged wood and they can forage long trails long distances,” Green says. “A lot of times, if there’s trees outside or rotten wood, they’ll come in. Occasionally, they’ll nest in the structure and that’s something for which you’ll want to get a professional.” Green says smaller black or yellow ants are the ones you tend to see marching in a line and those are much easier to get rid of using a commercial bait.

(Radio Iowa)

A northwest Iowa fire chief is advising people to keep their grills at least eight feet away from combustibles. Spencer Fire Chief Jon Conyn says solid surfaces like driveways and sidewalks are the best places to grill. “If you’re directly by your garage and then you have that kitchen door that opens and you have that gust of wind, where’s that smoke and possible grease or possible chance of a flame going to go?” he asks.

A city ordinance in Spencer forbids fires from being “ignited or maintained” when the wind speed is greater than 20 miles an hour. Conyn says with the right precautions, outdoor grilling is a good time for fellowship with friends and family. “But let’s do it wisely and safely,” Conyn says. “You know, watch the alcohol consumption when dealing with, working around flames. Keep little children far away from any kind of barbecue.”

The City of Spencer has an ordinance which restricts the SIZE of recreational fires, including fires used to cook food. The fire “shall be no larger than three feet in diameter and two feet in height.” According to the National Fire Protection association, about nine-THOUSAND fires are sparked by grills each year.

(Radio Iowa)

A rural telephone cooperative in western Iowa will begin work soon on upgrades to its broadband capabilities. The Coon Valley Cooperative Telephone Association in the Guthrie County town of Menlo recently landed a six-point-five million-dollar loan for the project from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Association general manager Jim Nelson says access to high-speed internet is increasingly important for the cooperative’s 700 members.

“A lot of our customers anymore, they also work from home, and they need that band width to operate,” Nelson said. The USDA financing will help the Coon Valley Cooperative Telephone Association to lay more than 200 miles of fiber lines. “The way we’re providing services today, the old copper lines, is not adequate, and we’re just looking at all new fiber optic to every customer we have,” Nelson said.

Construction on the fiber-optic network is slated to begin in August or September with completion in early 2019.

(Radio Iowa/Thanks to Rob Dillard, Iowa Public Radio)

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — One person was killed and two others were injured in a single-vehicle rollover crash in northern Iowa. The Winneshiek County sheriff’s office says 25-year-old Justin Vincek died at the scene of the crash around 4:20 p.m. Sunday on a county road.

Authorities say 24-year-old Casey Buxengard was driving a sports utility vehicle east at a high rate of speed when he lost control and entered the north ditch. The vehicle rolled several times across a field, coming to rest on its side. Buxengard and Vincek were ejected.

Another passenger, 26-year-old Lindsey Buxengard, was able to crawl out of the SUV after the crash. Lindsey and Casey Buxengard were taken to a hospital. All of the victims were from Spring Grove, Minnesota.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man lost his hand in a fireworks mishap in northwestern Iowa. The Sioux City Journal reports that Sioux City fire officials responded to the incident around 8 p.m. Monday on the city’s north side.

Assistant Fire Chief Dan Cougill says the man had been shooting off fireworks. The man was taken to a local hospital.

On Saturday, a four-week-old baby and her mother in eastern Iowa suffered burns and serious injuries when fireworks exploded on them during an illegal show. The property owner in Swisher was cited for failure to have a firework permit, in violation of a Johnson County ordinance.

Iowa recently lifted a decades-long ban on fireworks sales.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports a man wanted on a burglary charges was arrested last Friday in Greenfield. 33-year old Ryan Lee Woosley, of Osceola, was arrested on the warrant stemming from the April 2015 theft of a nearly new 2015 Polaris Ranger UTV from a residence in the 3200 block of 310th Street, in Adair County. The machine, valued at $12,745, was later recovered May 4th, 2015, in a garage located in the 2700 block of 300th Street, in Adair County.

An investigation led authorities to suspect Woosley, who lived at a residence in the 2900 block of 300th Street, in Adair County. Woosley later admitted to having stolen the UTV, which he intended to sell. In Feb. 2015, he also allegedly stole a 2006 Suzuki ATV from a barn in the 2800 block of 300th Street in Adair County. The machine was recovered on June 2nd, 2015. Another ATV, a Kawasaki Prairie 360, was stolen from a machine shed in rural Adair County in Feb., 2015. Both ATVs were sold to Woosley’s brother or brothers, and recovered without incident. The brothers were not charged in connection with the thefts.

Woosley was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $15,000 cash only bond.