(Radio Iowa) – Enrollment at the three state universities has been holding steady recently, but there are some challenges ahead. Regents associate academic officer Jason Pontius says enrollment remains down from the record peak in the fall of 2016.  “Forty percent of that drop over that time are from Chinese national students who are choosing not to attend our universities,” he says. “And another factor that is influencing that is nationally, there’s been about a seven to ten percentage point drop in the percent of high school graduates that are choosing to go to college.”

He says there has been some recovery of the international students. “That recovery is not coming from Chinese students. It is actually coming, in part, from students from India that are increasingly attending our universities,” Pontius says. The enrollment at Iowa State, the University of Iowa and Northern Iowa is about 81 percent undergraduate students, and around 59 percent of those students are Iowa residents. Pontius says one of the issues ahead is a drop in the size of high school classes.  “Looking at a 15 percent decline between 2025 and 2029,” he says. “That data is coming from American Community Survey data. It is a sample, and generally speaking, the samples are pretty good.”

Pontius says the decline is going to likely hit nationally, but it is not evenly distributed,  “So there are major differences by region and state. The two regions that are expected to be hit the hardest are the Northeast and the Midwest, and with the least amount of impact in generally the South,” Pontius says.  Pontius says some are calling it an enrollment cliff, but he doesn’t believe it will be that severe. “While the nation looks like the class of fall of 2025 is going to be the high water mark, we are going to go it looks like a little bit higher in 2026 before the decline begins,” he says. “So yes, there is a decline. I hesitate to call it a cliff. And yes, we are looking to have the second one starting again around 2034.”

He says another issue the state schools face are surveys showing more high school graduates going directly into the workforce and bypassing college. ” That climbed in particular during COVID. Obviously, the hourly wage has gone up significantly during that time, and that may be driving some of it, and it also probably is driving some of the decline in college going rates,” he says.

Pontius made his comments during a report to the Board of Regents at their meeting last week.

(Iowa News Service) – Some Iowa farmers are putting a new spin on an age-old animal behavior. They’re using goats to remove weeds, overgrown brush, and non-native grasses – while helping some landowners restore native habitat to their acres at the same time. Goats are pretty well known for producing milk and cheese. They’re even used to help practice yoga these days.

Matt Vermeersch is a member of Practical Farmers of Iowa who farms about 170 acres near Red Oak – near the Nebraska state line – and operates Goats-On-The-Go, a side business stocked with herds of goats hungry for woody vegetation. “A lot of really what we refer to as weeds, or pain-in-the-butt plants,” said Vermeersch. “Things that they love are things like poison ivy, nettles, wild berry species with their thorns – then more woody species like Honeysuckle or buckthorn.”

Vermeersch estimated his three Goats-On-The-Go herds cleared about 120 acres of various vegetation this year, and could have done more had it not been for Iowa’s severe spring and summer weather. There are ecological benefits to the practice, too. People hire Vermeersch’s goats to clear land where native species once grew, and where farmers want it to return.

Goats on the go clear brush and other unwanted vegetation, including poison ivy, often to restore native grasses to Iowa farm & grasslands. (Matt Vermeersch/photo)

Vermeersch said while Iowa landowners are often trying to clear overgrown brush and reintroduce native species, sometimes they just need stands of troublesome weeds and brambles removed. At which, Vermeersch said, the goats have no equal. “It almost looks like a wildfire went through there the day after you take the goats off,” said Vermeersch. “We refer to it as a grazing line – and pretty much anything under 6 feet tall all that will be left are sticks and stems. All of the leafy material underneath that is usually consumed.”

Vermeersch said the goats are used for different reasons across the country. In western states, for example, they are dispatched to clear brush that can serve as wildfire fuel, reducing the chances that a fire can become catastrophic by keeping the underbrush down.

(Radio Iowa) – An eastern Iowa company that offers innovations for the quilting industry is marking its 50th year in business this week with a series of events, give-aways, classes and celebrations. Melissa McAfee, president and owner of Nolting Manufacturing, based in Hiawatha, says they make what are known as “longarm” quilting machines, which are a big help for individual home quilters all the way up to the industrial level.

“Doing a large quilt like queen size or king size, it can be really difficult to try to have consistency in your stitches and the way it looks and a lot of fabric to try to get through that small area,” McAfee says, “whereas your longarm actually is on a big frame, and you walk with it. You have it all set out so your machine moves versus your fabric moving.” A series of 14 classes are being offered for novices and experts in a range of quilting-related topics.

“We have classes starting here on Tuesday, throughout the whole week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday classes, and we have some free, some paid classes,” McAfee says. “They’re all on our website, www.nolting.com, and we’re going to be having some cake and lots of specials on our longarms.” While it’s predominantly something women do, McAfee says plenty of men are involved in quilting, especially from the technology side. Plus, she says quilting isn’t just for grandmothers, either.

Nolting Pro – Longarm Quilting Machine (Nolting image)

“When I first purchased the business in 2019, the overall quilting market was about $4.2 billion,” she says. “A market survey just came out showing that in the next year or so, it’s going to be up to a $5-billion market, so it is growing, and it’s growing fast.” The company was founded in 1974 by Fred Nolting, who designed and engineered the longarm quilting machine.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – The Sioux City Police Department is investigating a missing persons report. Authorities on Sunday said that on November 3rd , 50-year-old Joshua Eldridge was reported missing in the Sioux City area. Eldridge is described as being a white male, 5′ 9″ tall, and 175 Ibs.

Joshua Eldridge

If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Joshua Eldridge please contact the Sioux City Police Department at (712)279-6440.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has not announced whether she intends to seek reelection in 2026, but she is giving a few hints about her 2025 policy agenda. Reynolds held a campaign fundraiser last month and talked about her record so far. “I’ve signed five tax cuts into law over the last six years, lowering taxes for every single Iowan who pays them,” Reynolds said, to cheers. “January 1, we’re going to a flat, 3.8% flat and fair tax.”

Two years ago, at a Republican Governors Association forum, Reynolds said her goal was to eliminate the state income tax by the end of her current term, which ends in early 2027. However, Reynolds has indicated her focus in 2025 will be on a reducing tax that’s collected by LOCAL governments, like cities, counties and school districts. “We’re working on property tax,” she told the Westside Conservative Club on October 30. “We know we still have work to do there, so hang in there. We’ve shaved off $250 million, but we know we still have work to do.”

The latest report on STATE tax revenue indicates the state will take in a billion dollars less in income taxes over a 24 month period due to the tax cuts Reynolds has signed.  “But you know what the other component of that is you have to keep spending in check,” Reynolds said. “You can still invest in priorities that are important to Iowans…you just have to do it responsibly.” Reynolds signed a law in 2023 that has consolidated state agencies and she suggests there’s more to come.

“We’re not done. First of all, the culture that it’s creating, just that kind of environment and the collaboration between my agencies — it’s exciting,” Reynolds said. “It’s generating new energy and a passion to really look at how else we can change government and make it more innovative and just really responsive to the people that we serve, so that fires me up and believe me, there’s so much opportunity there.”

Democrats in the legislature say the tax cuts Reynolds has already signed will lead to cuts in state services and warn a reduction in state support of public schools is ahead when the next round of income tax cuts take effect. During her remarks at the Westside Conservative Club in late October, Reynolds addressed the criticism of her tax cuts. “We can sustain them and we’re doing it in a responsible manner,” Reynolds says. “Believe me, I am very conservative…I am not going to be the governor who cuts taxes to raise them again.”

Reynolds says the state has enough money as a cushion in case there is a downturn in the economy — and a more dramatic decline in state tax collections. There’s a BILLION dollars in the state’s cash reserve plus a two-and-a-half BILLION dollar budget surplus. There’s also three-point-75 BILLION dollars in the state’s Taxpayer Trust Fund.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Six people, including three juveniles, were injured Sunday afternoon when a car and an SUV collided west of Glenwood, in Mills County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2023 Honda Accord exited Interstate 29 northbound at Exit 35 and onto the Highway 34 eastbound ramp, before turning westbound onto the eastbound lanes of Highway 34. The car continued westbound in the eastbound lane, striking a 2006 GMC Yukon SUV head-on. The accident happened at around 12:45-p.m., Sunday.

The driver of the car , 49-year-old Philip Wilson, of Tea, South Dakota, and the driver of the SUV, 40-year-old Eric Meyer, of Glenwood, were injured, along with Meyer’s passenger, 34-year-old Miranda Sims, of Glenwood, and the three juveniles. The names and ages of the juveniles were not released.

Two of the juveniles suffered minor injuries and were not taken to the hospital. The third juvenile, along with Meyer and Sims, were transported to Bergen-Mercy Hospital by Mills County and Silver City EMS. Wilson was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital by Silver City EMS.

None of the injuries that required transport to the hospital were considered to be life-threatening.  The Patrol says two of the adults and two of the children were not wearing seat belts.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office today (Sunday), released a report on arrests that took place from Oct. 7th through Nov. 9th. Most recently:

On Saturday (10/9), 32-year-old Keegan Ray Elkins, of Shenandoah, was booked into the Page County Jail for Domestic Abuse.

On Friday, 47-year-old Joshua Jorge Colwell, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Possession of a controlled substance and poss. of drug paraphernalia. And, 46-year-old Bryan Cody Buick, of Red Oak, was arrested for Contempt of Court.

On Nov. 1st, Page County deputies booked into the jail 52-year-old Merlin Glen Lininger, of Clarinda, to serve time.

And, on Oct. 28th, 50-year-old Misty Dawn Nolan-Myre, of Shenandoah, was arrested for OWI.

You can read about the other arrests here: 10-06-2024–11-09-2024

(Anita, Iowa) –  The CAM School District’s Board of Education is set to hold their regular monthly meeting beginning at 6:30-p.m. Monday, Nov. 11th, in the CAM High School Media Center. Among the items on their agenda, is discussion with regard to last week’s (unofficial) election results. Voters Tuesday, rejected a $22.5 million bond issue for construction of an addition converting the Anita facility into a K-12 building. The vote was 305 no votes, or 74.39% or 105 yes votes, or 25.61%. The results will become officials after they have been canvassed by the Cass County Board of Supervisors.

Following election discussion, the CAM School Board will discuss 2024 enrollment and the next steps, with regard to the district’s facilities. In other business, the Board will act on approving:

• Board Policy Revisions
• Mid-year graduates
• and a 2026 school bus lease agreement.

Board members will then present their regular reports, prior to adjourning for the evening.

IOWA CITY, Iowa [KGAN-TV] – Nearly 47 years ago, two NASA spacecrafts were bound for one of the grandest journeys across our solar system to fly by and learn about our outer gas giants. They launched within a special planetary window, which occurs only once every 176 years. It allows these spacecraft to use the gravitational pull of each planet it flies by to alter its trajectory, allowing them to arrive at the next planet on its path with minimal use of fuel.

The Voyager spacecrafts paved the way for our understanding of our solar system, but it’s now over 15 billion miles away from Earth. It takes light and radio signals about 23 hours to reach it one way, and it is still changing our understanding of the cosmos. The instruments still onboard and operational were built, and are still operated by, the University of Iowa’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. One of them is the Plasma Wave Subsystem, which measures subtle waves within plasma fields around planets and in space.

The instrument has been pivotal in some of our most incredible discoveries in space, including the data set confirming when Voyager entered the interstellar medium beyond our solar system in 2012. It was also instrumental in detecting lightning on another planet for the first time back in the early 80s. Lightning sends off a wide array of electromagnetic waves. Due to the different speeds at which each of these waves travels, it creates an odd, descending whistling tone.

Dr. Bill Kurth, a research scientist at the University of Iowa and a co-investigator of the Voyager Plasma Wave, was part of the initial development of the instrument nearly half a century ago, and continues to monitor data sent back from the aging spacecraft to this day.Of the nearly 10 instruments on board, only four remain. The University of Iowa’s instrument still furthers our understanding of our place in the stars is one of them still in operation.

It’s still uncertain how much longer the voyager probes have left, but predictions show they may make it into the early 2030s. However, they will still be drifting through the vastness of space, likely outliving our own star, the sun, well after they shut down.

You and find more information about the University of Iowa’s involvement in the Voyager missions here or their involvement in a multitude of flagship NASA missions here.