WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (July 11, 2024) — Building on the momentum of what has become one of the most popular and unique weekends in motorsports, officials with Hy-Vee and INDYCAR, Thursday, announced an extension of their partnership for the annual NTT INDYCAR SERIES event at Iowa Speedway. Under the new multi-year agreement, Hy-Vee – the Iowa-based and employee-owned supermarket chain – will continue as the title sponsor of Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend.

Hy-Vee’s ongoing commitment to motorsports has been demonstrated through its support of the annual INDYCAR event weekend held at Iowa Speedway, which is the longest-standing race held at the 7/8 of a mile oval track located in Newton, Iowa. INDYCAR first began competing at Iowa Speedway in 2007 and this weekend represents the 20th and 21st NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at the venue. The 2024 Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend will be hosted July 12-14, featuring the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart (Saturday at 8 pm ET on NBC and Peacock) and the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade (Sunday at 12 pm ET on NBC and Peacock).

Since 2022, Hy-Vee has served as the host and entitlement partner for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader weekend at Iowa Speedway. Attracting capacity crowds with a combination of world-class racing at the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet” and premier live music acts for an entertainment-filled fan experience, has helped transform the INDYCAR weekend into one of the biggest annual events in Iowa. The continued collaboration marks a significant milestone in Hy-Vee’s partnership with INDYCAR, which originally began in 2020 when the popular grocery chain first joined forces with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as a team sponsor in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Driven by the partnership with Hy-Vee, INDYCAR returned to Iowa Speedway in 2022 after not competing at the venue during the 2021 season. Since its inception, Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend has become a highlight on the INDYCAR calendar. With a record-breaking estimated crowd of approximately 85,000 spectators over three days, last year’s Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend marked the highest attendance ever recorded for an INDYCAR event at Iowa Speedway. Celebrating its third year as one of the most popular annual events in racing, this weekend’s three-day festival is on track to once again draw capacity crowds to Iowa Speedway.

Image from hyveeindycarweekend.com

Beyond its support of the INDYCAR event at Iowa Speedway, the industry-leading grocery brand is also the title sponsor of two NTT INDYCAR SERIES 250-mile races that will be hosted at the Milwaukee Mile August 30-September 1 – the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Weekend. The 2024 Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend will officially get underway today (Friday, July 12), with the return of Free Family Friday. All fans will once again enjoy free gate admission to Iowa Speedway on the opening day of the three-day weekend festival.

In addition to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on Saturday and Sunday, along with the INDY NXT by Firestone race at Iowa Speedway (Saturday at 2 pm ET on Peacock), Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend will once again feature a stellar concert lineup rivaling even the most prestigious music festivals. Country music sensations Luke Combs and Eric Church will both perform on the Hy-Vee Stage on Saturday, with country superstar Kelsea Ballerini and award-winning artist Post Malone each hosting post-race concerts on Sunday. All concerts are included with Saturday and Sunday Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend tickets as each artist will perform on the trackside Hy-Vee Stage, in front of the main grandstands at Iowa Speedway.

(To learn more about the event, visit hyveeindycarweekend.com or register for event updates.)

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University researchers say a sugar molecule they’ve found in the mammary glands of cattle is the so-called receptor that transmits highly pathogenic avian influenza. Professor Todd Bell, in I-S-U’s veterinary pathology lab, says their study could lead to measures that prevent the spread of bird flu, which has infected more than a dozen large herds of dairy cattle in northwest Iowa in recent weeks. “Our team across the street in the vet diagnostic lab kind of figured out the ‘what’ which is we have influenza in the mammary tissue of dairy cattle,” Bell says, “and now here in pathology, we’re trying to understand the ‘why’ and look at mammary tissue to understand why this virus is getting in.”

Researchers in Ames are working under the hypothesis that milking machines may be involved in spreading the virus from cow to cow.  “There’s multiple different routes that influenza can infect different species, but we want to look at that as a potential route,” Bell says. “What we’re trying to do is not only understand maybe how externally the virus is getting to the mammary gland, but more specifically, we’re trying to understand how and why this virus can infect mammary tissue, which prior to this, had been unreported in mammary glands of cattle.”

If they can track the transmission of the virus to milking machines, Bell notes one possible solution to stop the spread is quite elementary. “If a virus is present on milking machines and then is getting into mammary tissue as you attach those milking machines,” Bell says, “one way to potentially stop that would be to disinfect or clean those milking machines prior to milking.” Milk sold in grocery stores and by other retailers is pasteurized, and the F-D-A and dairy industry are stressing that there’s no threat to the milk supply because the pasteurization process neutralizes viruses. Bell agrees. “Everything that we’ve seen so far from a research perspective does say that,” Bell says, “that pasteurized milk is very safe, that heating to that extent renders the virus inactive.”

Bird flu isn’t usually deadly for cows, but it’s often fatal for birds. Since the start of the outbreak, the U-S-D-A says more than 97-million birds have been affected, while commercial poultry flocks where the virus is found are typically euthanized. The study was published in the July edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s peer-reviewed journal. Thirteen of its 14 co-authors are from I-S-U, including researchers and faculty from across the College of Veterinary Medicine.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Natural Resources Commission gave final approval Thursday to antlerless deer quotas that include a drop in the number of does that can be taken in western Iowa. The D-N-R held hearings on the issue and commissioner K.R. Buck of Denison says there was support for the cutback at the hearing he attended. “I think there was 35 or 36 at our meeting. I think if everybody was asked to raise their hand they were willing to give up a doe season through the paid season and archery for two years,” he says. “They see the devastation that our deer population has taken in western Iowa.”

Buck says the lack of deer in the area is concerning. “Our deer population last two years has been wiped out. I mean it’s amazing,” Buck says. The D-N-R’s Tyler Harms oversees the state deer populations and told the commission one of the reasons for the big drop in western Iowa’s deer herd is overhunting. “It’s very obvious that overharvest over an extended period of time from really the mid 2000s to the early 2010s contributed to the population decline,” he says. Harms says disease outbreaks in the deer herd are also an issue. -H-D outbreaks in western Iowa starting in 2012,” Harms says. “Since then there’s been at least five severe outbreaks statewide, which certainly hasn’t helped the situation over in that part of the state.”

The antlerless deer licenses will be cut from 200 to 0 in Cass County, from 250 to 0 in Harrison, Monona, and Pottawattamie counties, from 150 to 0 in Page County, from 200 to 150 in Montgomery County. Some western Iowa counties, including Woodbury and Worth, already had no antlerless deer tags available.

The D-N-R has some new meetings about deer management underway now which they say will help shape how they manage the deer population in western Iowa through the next five years.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Department reports a woman was taken into custody Thursday night, on an Assault charge. Officers arrested 27-year-old Destiny Jill Anderson, of Red Oak, at around 9:20-p.m. in the 100 block of W. Elm Street, on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. Anderson was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond.

STRAWBERRY POINT, Iowa (KCRG) – At approximately 8:45 pm, Thursday, the Strawberry Point Fire Department in eastern Iowa, ceased to exist. In a message on their Facebook page, the department said the unanimous decision was influenced by a lack of support from the city council and the mayor.

The department says that they have not made the decision lightly, and that they have contacted surrounding agencies to provide coverage during this time as part of their 28E agreement.

The message posted by the Strawberry Point F.D. is as follows:

“It’s with a heavy heart that the Strawberry Point Fire Department has voluntarily made the unanimous decision to turn our pagers in effective immediately. Our decision has been influenced by the continued lack of support from the city council and mayor. This has had a devastating effect on member recruitment, retention, day-to-day operations and morale.This decision has not been made lightly as many of us have friends and family who live, work and visit the City of Strawberry Point and we genuinely care about all of our citizens. Certain members of City Council have placed our department under tremendous strain, and it is imperative that the lack of support, failure to communicate and personal bias be addressed promptly. The safety of our citizens and the effectiveness of our emergency response team depend on it. We are contacting our 28E agreement surrounding agencies to provide coverage during this time.”

(Radio Iowa) – Two of the Iowa Democrats running for congress are calling on President Biden to end his bid for reelection. Christina Bohannan of Iowa City is the Democrat running against Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Bohannan says it’s time for Biden to pass the torch to a new generation of leadership. Sarah Corkery of Cedar Falls is the Democrat runninng against Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson. Corkery says now is the time for Biden to pass the torch to Vice President Harris. State Auditor Rob Sand — the only Democrat elected to state office — and Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart have not responded this week to Radio Iowa messages seeking comment about Biden’s candidacy.

Ryan Melton of Nevada, the Democrat running against Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra, issued a statement on social media last wek. Melton said it’s fair to question whether Biden or Trump are fit to serve a second term. Radio Iowa also has reached out to several Iowans who’ll be delegates at next month’s Democratic National Convention. Only one responded, noting by party rules he is a committed Biden delegate. One Democrat serving in the state legislature has called on Biden to end his campaign.

Christina Bohannan of Iowa City, the Democratic nominee in Iowa’s first congressional district, pictures as she delivered her nominating petitions for the June 2024 Primary. (RI file photo)

Representative Austin Baeth of Des Moines posted a statement on social media on Monday, saying Biden did follow through on his Build Back Better agenda, but Baeth said to ensure the durability of his handiwork, Biden must pass the wrench to the next generation.

(Radio Iowa) – The chairman of the Iowa Republican Party is scheduled to deliver the speech that officially nominates Donald Trump for president. Jeff Kaufmann says it will be an honor to speak Monday afternoon at the G-O-P’s national convention. “There’s an energy in the room when you’ve got that many people gathered together for one cause,” Kaufmann said. Party officials believe this is the first time an Iowan has nominated the G-O-P’s presidential candidate.

Kaufmann’s son ran Trump’s 2024 Iowa Caucus campaign. The elder Kaufmann says his mission at next week’s convention will be to secure Iowa’s spot at the beginning of the 2028 presidential race. “Anything that we do to get Donald Trump elected at this point is going to be helpful for us keeping first in the nation status because unlike Joe Biden, I believe he’s going to ask us to the first in the nation state again,” Kaufmann said, “and unlike the Iowa Democratic Party, I will fight and not take, ‘No,’ for an answer.”

David Barker, a member of the Iowa G-O-P’s governing board, says by giving Kaufmann Monday’s speaking slot, the Trump campaign is acknowledging the role Kaufmann and the Iowa G-O-P had in managing the 2024 Iowa Caucuses. “We ran the Caucuses in a very neutral and even handed way so that the voters could decide,” Barker says, “and the way it ended up was they decided on him.” Trump finished with just over half of the Caucus Night votes — and nearly 30 points ahead of his closest challenger.

Republican Party of Iowa chairman Jeff Kaufmann on the “Iowa Press” during a recent appearance on the program. (Iowa PBS photo)

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird was the only statewide elected official who endorsed Trump before the Caucuses and she is scheduled to speak at the party’s national convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday night. The evening’s theme is “Make America Safe Again” and Bird, in a written statement, says the last three and a half years have made it clear Trump’s leadership is desperately needed back in the White House.

At the Republican Party’s National Convention in 2016, the Trump campaign scheduled Iowa Senator Joni Ernst for a prime time appearance on the convention’s opening night. However, people who took the stage before Ernst spoke so long that Ernst’s started speaking well past 11 p.m. — as most convention delegates were leaving the arena.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Late-night TV icons with Iowa ties will be immortalized in butter at next month’s Iowa State Fair. Johnny Carson, who was born in Corning, and Des Moines native Steve Higgins will be in the Agriculture Building’s cooler next to the wildly popular butter cow and another special guest — “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon. State Fair butter sculptor Sarah Pratt and her team will also make a butter version of the sky glider to celebrate its 50th year.

Fallon, known for his on-air impressions, will get his own impression in butter at the 2024 Iowa State Fair. Fallon will be sculpted alongside the Tonight Show’s announcer, producer and Des Moines, Iowa, native Steve Higgins in celebration of 10 years with Jimmy Fallon as the host of the show.

Another Iowa native will also be featured in butter – longtime Tonight Show host Johnny Carson. Johnny Carson lived in Corning, Avoca and Red Oak as a child. Carson took over the Tonight Show in 1962 for a run that lasted three decades.

The butter cow, along with butter versions of Higgins, Carson and Fallon, will be featured alongside an iconic sky glider chair as the main Sky Glider celebrates 50 years in 2024. All of the sculptures will be on display in the John Deere Agriculture Building 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., during the Fair, August 8-18.

The butter cow has been an annual attraction at the State Fair since 1911. Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines was named the fair’s fifth butter sculptor in 2006 after 15 years as an apprentice to Duffy Lyon. Companion sculptures of the butter cow have been a tradition since at least 1996 when Grant Wood’s famous “American Gothic” painting was immortalized. Last year’s fair featured iconic Iowa athletes Jack Trice, Kurt Warner and Caitlin Clark.

The 2024 Iowa State Fair annual parade kicks things off Aug. 7 in downtown Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest Drought Monitor report for Iowa is dramatically different than it was one year ago. One year ago 100 percent of Iowa was either in drought or abnormally dry conditions. The latest Drought Monitor map shows just Scott County and a small part of Clinton County now show abnormally dry conditions. That amounts to less than one percent of the state.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan says the last time Iowa had no abnormally dry areas was in early May of 2020. The state has been free of actual drought conditions since late May of this year – which stopped four-years of drought conditions.