(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowans could see their first snowflakes of the season this weekend. Meteorologist Dylan Dodson, at the National Weather Service in Johnston, says there are still a lot of uncertainties in the forecast, especially across northern Iowa. “Because the temperature differences at the surface are going to matter a lot,” Dodson says. “One to two degrees could be the difference between rain or snow for you with this system as these typically are towards the beginning of the season.”

While today (Thursday) and Friday should feature unseasonably warm weather, the storm front will move in on Saturday, though the only sure thing is — it’ll be dropping some form of precipitation. “It’s tough to say how much we’re going to get,” Dodson says. “You could see some areas that just get all rain. There could be some areas that look at one to two, maybe even three inches of snowfall. It definitely is going to vary depending on where you’re at and what the temperature is in that area.”

While the forecast calls for parts of the state to experience low temperatures in the teens by Sunday night, highs could be back to near 60 by the middle of next week.

(Radio Iowa) – Health care providers who met with Rob Sand, a Democrat who’s running for governor, are raising concerns about the private companies that manage Iowa’s Medicaid system and the shortage of rural doctors. Dr. Abby Flannagan, a 33-year-old O-B-G-Y-N at UnityPoint Health in Grinnell, says without incentives to practice in rural Iowa, it won’t just be a shortage — there won’t be physicians delivering babies outside of urban areas. “And sadly, I think, in my lifetime,” Flannagan said, “which is terrifying ’cause it’s always something you think is never going to happen while you’re around, but I do think unfortunately in the next couple of decades we’re going to see that.”

Flannagan says UnityPoint in Grinnel is already the only hospital delivering babies between Waterloo and Pella and Des Moines and Iowa City. During a forum in Newton yesterday (Wednesday), Flannagan told Sand there need to be dramatically more residencies in Iowa for med school graduates and the state’s current student loan forgiveness programs are too limited. Sand held the listening session in Newton, where the city’s hospital closed its labor and deliver unit in 2024. “I think at the end of the day, the vast majority of Iowans want someone there to deliver their babies,” Sand said. “…I think it’s important we not just talk about being a welcoming Iowa, but just quit with the culture war and just be focused on solving real problems for people.”

Others who participated in the round table raised concerns about regulations they fear may penalize hospitals and doctors that deliver higher percentages of cesarean deliveries. The former president of Mercy Clinics in Des Moines told Sand hospitals, doctors and clinics are still waiting too long to get reimbursed for providing care to Iowa Medicaid patients — and have to consider whether it would cost more to sue or pay the interest on a line of credit from a bank while they wait to get paid by the managed care companies the state hired to handle transactions.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The owners of the shuttered Steer N’ Stein are suing the Iowa State Fair, accusing it of a “coordinated and retaliatory campaign” to close their business after the fair terminated their lease earlier this year. KCCI reports Steer N’ Stein owner Mike Krantz claims the fair terminated Steer N’ Stein’s lease, citing unpaid fees totaling $102,000. The lawsuit alleges that the company faced issues with a new payment system used by the fair, and the family believed they had settled the balance until they received a notice from the fair stating they owed $90,000. Krantz said they were not informed why they owed the money.

The family accuses the fair of defamation, alleging it misrepresented the amount of money involved in the dispute. The lawsuit also claims the Iowa State Fair improperly auctioned off the property and engaged in uncompetitive business practices. Krantz’s attorneys say the financial, reputational, and constitutional damages could exceed $90 million.

The Iowa State Fair declined to comment.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say Iowans should have a few more days of unseasonably warm weather before the cold sets in, so this may be the ideal time to transition the lawn mower to the back of the barn or shed and get the snowblower ready for duty. Kris Kiser, president and C-E-O of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, says to prep the mower for storage by sharpening the blade, putting in a new spark plug and air filter, and running it until it runs out of gas. “Fuel has ethanol in it now, which is hygroscopic. It’ll absorb water over time and phase separate. The key is to not let that happen,” Kiser says. “So run the product dry, clean it and try to store it in dry place. That’s key for power equipment.”

If your mower or other tools, like weed trimmers, run on those large, rechargeable batteries, there’s a right way and a wrong way to store those for the winter ahead — and those batteries are pricey, so don’t just leave them attached. “Follow your manufacturer directions to the letter here,” Kiser says. “There are some differences with that, but likely it’s going to be — charge them up, don’t put them on a metal shelf, and store in a cool, dry place.” If your snowblower was put away properly in the spring, he says it should be an easy chore to get it ready for the winter ahead. Fuel stabilizers, products like Sta-bil, may be helpful but Kiser would refer you back to the instruction manual. “The key, I think most engine manufacturers today will say, run it dry, store it dry with nothing else in it,” Kiser says. “It should, when you introduce fresh fuel, remember fuel stales now, and so when you’re ready to bring it back out for the season, use fresh fuel. Don’t have fuel that you’ve kept in a can in the garage for 30 days or more, fresh fuel should bring it back.”

Does much need to be done to a snowblower to get it ready for action? “A lot of it’s going to be determined by how you put it up, so if you run it dry and you’ve stored it in a dry place, you should likely have no issues whatsoever,” Kiser says. “Not all snow blowers have them, but check the air filter, check the oil, but if you put it up, it’ll likely fire right when you fill it with gasoline. Give it a pull or two, it should fire right away.” Forecasters says light snow is possible in parts of Iowa this weekend, but no accumulation is likely. Still, the flying flakes will be here soon enough, and Kiser says when that day arrives, you’ll want to take another precaution for the health of your snowblower.

“If you’re going to get a snowstorm, clear the area that you intend to plow or blow, because that machine is going to find sticks, debris, the garden hose, dog toys, whatever is left out there. That machine is going to find them, and once the snow covers them, you’re not going to see them,” Kiser says. “So the key is, before the storm, get out there, clear it, you don’t want the machine finding those items.” If you have questions about your power equipment but can’t find the original instruction manual, he notes it’s probably online.

https://www.opei.org/

BLAIR, Neb. — A western Iowa woman who was arrested in Blair, Nebraska after her two children were rescued from a hot car this past Summer, has plead guilty to child abuse. KETV in Omaha reports the incident happened in August at an apartment complex. Blair police arrested Tanya Knudsen of Missouri Valley. She plead guilty, Wednesday, to a charge of child abuse.

Blair police said employees at a nearby business heard children screaming and called 911. A Washington County Sheriff’s sergeant, who was in the area, found a 3-year-old and a 16-month old crying inside a locked vehicle. The vehicle was not running, and the children were secured in car seats.

The kids were taken to the hospital and were released to a family member. Knudsen is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2026.

(Cedar County, Iowa) – Four people were injured Wednesday evening in eastern Iowa, when a pickup and a car collided southeast of Mechanicsville. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2003 Ford F-150 pickup was eastbound on Highway 30 approaching Indian Avenue at around 6:15-p.m., when for reasons unknown, the vehicle crossed the center line of the road into the westbound lane, where the pickup collided with a 2008 Toyota Avalon.

Both drivers and two juvenile passengers were injured in the crash. No names had been released as of the posting of this report. One of the crash victims was transported by ambulance to St. Lukes Hospital. One of the juveniles was transported to the UIHC hospital. The second juvenile and an adult were transported to UIHC, with the adult being taken by helicopter.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, Tipton, Mechanicsville and Clarence Police Departments, Clarence, Mechanicsville, Stanwood and Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Fire/Ambulance, Aircare and MedForce.

(Radio Iowa) – The State of Iowa is paying 600-thousand dollars to settle the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by the former spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Health. Polly Carver-Kimm’s lawsuit claimed that during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials started to restrict her ability to follow Iowa’s Open Records Law and fulfill records requests from news outlets, then someone else in the agency was put in charge of releasing public records.

Carver-Kimm says she was ultimately told in July of 2020 she could resign or be terminated due to restructuring in the agency. She has said the state had no legitimate reason to fire her. Carver-Kimm’s attorney says his client fulfilled her responsibility to make sure the public’s business remained public, but at great personal cost.

Pictured: The Iowa Judicial Building. (Photo courtesy of Iowa Judicial Branch)

State officials aren’t admitting wrongdoing through the settlement. Carver-Kimm is married to Radio Iowa Sports Director Todd Kimm. She was a long-time reporter and radio talk show host before she was hired by the state health department in 2007.

The three-member State Appeal Board approved the settlement on a two-to-one vote yesterday (Wednesday). State Auditor Rob Sand voted no. Sand, a Democrat who is running for governor, says the law allows state officials to be held personally liable and taxpayers shouldn’t be writing the check for this settlement.

(Radio Iowa) – One of two finalists to be the next president of Iowa State University says artificial intelligence is transforming society and Benjamin Houlton) says if he’s hired, one of his goals would be to make I-S-U a global leader in A-I.  “China is making big bets – fast,” Houlton said. “We need to make the same kind of bets.” Houlton has been dean of the College of Agriculture at Cornell University for the past five years. He’s overseeing 12-hundred staff, 600 faculty, 500 facilities and 300 million dollars worth of annual research.

“The United States is now 4th in (research and development) spending in agriculture. We’re behind China, we’re behind Brazil, we’re behind the EU,” Houlton said. “We need new investments.” Houlton says as I-S-U’s president, he’d work to establish more public-private partnerships and recruit the best talent to join the I-S-U faculty. “There’s a lot of talent on the sidelines at institutions that are looking at a place like Iowa State saying: ‘You know what? That’s a place that gets it. That’s a place I can be mission focused. That’s a place that would inspire me to do really great things.'”

Houlton says there is room for introspection and reform in higher education and it’s critical to regain the public’s trust — and work to ensure the students of today can thrive in the environments of tomorrow. “My vision is an institution that is afraid of no ideas. None,” Houlton said. “No idea should be too scary for us to address. No viewpoint should be too scary for us to evaluate. Our job is to be an honest broker for society, to be a convenor and to build bridges across disparate areas so that society can continue to power forward and we can best support America’s interests.”

Houlton spoke yesterday (Wednesday) during a public forum in Ames. He jokingly described himself as a “cheesehead” — he was born and raised in Wisconsin — and Houlton geeked out about Olympic Gold Medalists Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson, who both wrestled in college for Iowa State. “I will say this that I was an honorary coach for the Cornell wrestling team and I still get on the mat and wrestle with the kids. Yes, at age 50, but it’s amazing. They’re nice to me,” Houlton said, “so the bottom line is I’m so excited to be here with you and to experience Cyclone Nation.”

The other finalist for the I-S-U presidency is North Dakota State President David Cook. He’s an Ames native and he’ll be on the campus today (Thursday) for a series of events before a public forum late this (Thursday) afternoon. The two men will be interviewed by the Board of Regents next Tuesday.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council met this (Wednesday) evening. During their brief session, the Council held a Public Hearing on the Transfer and Sale of 302 Birch Street, a property owned by the City. City Administrator John Lund previously mentioned Randy C. Clark was the only party to submit a bid for the property, which was for the assessed amount of $5,600. Lund noted Clark had taken care of the property by mowing it since it was acquired by the City. Following the public hearing, the Council adopted a Resolution executing the sale of the property.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council passed a Resolution “Authorizing Adoption of Amended and Restated Policies and Procedures regarding Municipal Securities Disclosure,” which the City’s Finance Attorney says needed to be updated to reflect laws that were changed in 2019, pertaining to Municipal Bonds. John Lund explained….

The Council passed also, a Resolution “Assessing Unpaid Fees and Costs to Property Taxes,” with regard to billing for the cleanup of nuisance properties with garbage, junk, tall grass and weeds. The City will formally charge costs relating to the abatement of such nuisances in the same manner as assessed property, if fines and/or cleanup costs are not paid by the property owner after being informed of their responsibility to take care of their property. John Lund said for property owners facing assessment, the City will send a notice by regular mail to each affected property owner. This notice will include a copy of the resolution and the specific assessment amount. Additionally, property owners will be informed of their right to object or request a hearing within 10 days from the date of the notice.

John Lund discussed a request by the Atlantic Bottling Company to eliminate all parking on the east side of their plant at 2nd and Walnut, to make semi traffic safer and more efficient. The request includes removal of 11 parking stalls currently in existence on the east side of Walnut Street, north of 2nd.

Lund noted the company (Atlantic Bottling) has been a valuable part of the community and county. The suggestion was made to make the area an official, “No Parking Zone,” but no action on the request was taken at this time. And, during the Council Committee reports, Councilperson Emily Kennedy said Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) received a grant for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations. Mayor Grace Garrett added to the conversation…

In other business, the Council approved three Pay Applications by contractors for the various City Street Improvement Projects.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Auditor Jill Ozuna reports (Pursuant to Code of Iowa Sec. 50.51), the Secretary of State’s Office has ordered a post-election audit of the November 4, 2025, City/School Combined Election.

The race to be audited will be the first race, on the first ballot style available (For School Director At-Large) in Precinct 4 (Grfld, Lncln, Sher, Pilot Grove, Twp, Elliott). The polling location for Precinct 4 is the Elliott Community Building.

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office will conduct this audit on Thursday, November 13, starting at 1:00 p.m. The audit will take place on the 3rd floor, Auditor’s Election room of the Courthouse, 105 E Coolbaugh Street, Red Oak.

The proceedings will be open to the public.