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Iowa early News Headlines: Wed., July 25th 2018

News

July 25th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Many farmers are critical of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the damage done to commodity prices and markets, but say they are appreciative that he has offered to provide cash to help make up their losses. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday a $12 billion plan to borrow money from the U.S. Treasury to pay producers of commodities including soybeans, corn and wheat to compensate for losses due to trade disputes.

BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) — State and federal agents are investigating the disappearance of a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who has been missing for nearly a week in eastern Iowa. KCRG TV reports that Mollie Tibbetts was staying at her boyfriend’s home in Brooklyn last week. A neighbor reported seeing Tibbetts jogging Wednesday evening. She was reported missing Thursday. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation spokesman Mitch Mortvedt says the FBI is using computer forensics to pinpoint her location.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Donald Kaul, a longtime columnist for the Des Moines Register and a Pulitzer Prize finalist twice over, has died. He was 83. His son, Chris Kaul, tells the Register that his father died Sunday at his home in Washington, D.C., following a long battle with prostate cancer that spread to his skeleton. At his height, Kaul’s “Over the Coffee” column was syndicated in 150 newspapers.

PLEASANT HILL, Iowa (AP) — Iowa natural resources officials are investigating a fungicide spill and subsequent fish kill in a central Iowa creek. The state Department of Natural Resources says an estimated 180 gallons of fungicide spilled Monday when a 250-gallon container fell from a Landus Cooperative truck Monday afternoon at the intersection of state Highways 163 and 316. Some of it reached Camp Creek, where department staff found dead minnows and chubs downstream of the spill site.

Cyclones Draw Arizona In Maui Jim Maui Invitational

Sports

July 24th, 2018 by admin

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State will open the 2018 Maui Jim Maui Invitational against Pac-12 foe Arizona on Monday, Nov. 19 at 4 p.m. (HT)/8 p.m. (CT) on ESPNU, the tournament announced Tuesday.

The Cyclones will face either Gonzaga or Illinois in their second game of the tournament.

Iowa State and Arizona will meet for the seventh time in series history, with each team having won three times. This will be the first meeting between the teams since 1998.

Iowa State is making its second appearance in the tournament, while Arizona is playing in Maui for the seventh time. The Wildcats won the 2014 tournament in their last appearance.

Farmers prefer Trump do trade deals than hand them cash

Ag/Outdoor

July 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Many farmers remain critical of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the damage done to commodity prices and markets but were appreciative Tuesday that he offered to provide some cash to help offset their losses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $12 billion three-part plan that would borrow money from the U.S. Treasury to pay producers of soybeans, sorghum, corn, wheat, cotton, dairy, and hogs.

The USDA also will buy the surplus of commodities that would otherwise have been exported and distribute them to food banks and other nutrition programs. That will cover fruits, nuts, rice, legumes, beef, pork and milk. The third prong of the plan is to help farm groups develop new export markets.

The money comes from the Commodity Credit Corporation, a USDA agency founded in 1933. It has authority to borrow up to $30 billion from the Treasury at any one time to “stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices.” Farmers said they would rather have Trump settle the trade disputes with China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union and get free trade flowing again.

“A Band-Aid doesn’t cure an illness, but it might make it temporarily better,” said Dave Struthers who grows corn, soybeans and hay on a 1,100-acre Iowa farm near Collins, about 30 miles northeast of Des Moines. He also sells about 6,000 pigs a year.
Reaction from trade partners to Trump’s tariff policies have pushed soybean prices about 18 percent lower and corn and pork prices down 15 percent from the time Trump began discussing tariffs this spring.

China is the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans and one of the largest importers of U.S. pork. U.S. farmers are expected to grow 14.2 billion bushels of corn this year and 4.3 billion bushels of soybeans, down some from last year but still huge crops. There were 73.5 million pigs on farms as of June 1, the highest number on that date since records began in 1964.

Some farmers were more skeptical of the administration’s actions, believing the midterm elections in November had more to do with the announcement than concern for farmers. Some farmers expressed concern that few details have been released. The USDA said it planned to roll out some of those details around Labor Day and the program would begin to make payouts after the fall harvest.

2100th Street Closed in Shelby County

News

July 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency, Tuesday, said 2100th Street over Snake Creek, in the 1200 block of 2100th Street, is closed for the next six weeks or so, weather permitting, due to a bridge replacement project. The bridge is located between Greeley Township Sections 19 and 30, between Linden Road and Maple Road.

Emergency responders and residents in the area should plan to take alternate routes. If you have any questions, call the Shelby County Engineer’s Office at 712-755-5954.

Map of the affected area

BERNARD WILWERDING, 85, of Earling (Svcs. 07/28/2018)

Obituaries

July 24th, 2018 by admin

BERNARD WILWERDING, 85, of Earling died Monday, July 23rd at his home. Mass of Christian Burial for BERNARD WILWERDING will be held on Saturday, July 28th at 11:00am at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Earling. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.

Family will greet friends on Friday, July 27th from 5:00pm-8:00pm at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Earling with a Wake Service set to be held at 7:00pm that evening.

Burial in the St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Earling.

BERNARD WILWERDING is survived by:

Wife: Mary Wilwerding of Earling.

Daughters: Ann Herzinger of Omaha, NE. Sheila (Dan) Hoffman of Omaha, NE. Laura (Harvey) Graeve of The Woodlands, TX.

Sons: Jim (Gigi) Wilwerding of Des Moines. Paul (Desiri) Wilwerding of Portsmouth. Tony (Jennifer) Wilwerding of Omaha, NE.

Step Daughters: Anne (Brian) Teal of Omaha, NE. Angela (Dewight) Roe of Pleasant Hill. Andrea (Rob) Walters of Omaha, NE.

Step Son: Brad Blankenship of Los Angeles, CA.

Brother: Howard (Nancy) Wilwerding of Boca Raton, FL.

Sister: Janice (Wilwerding) Larrison of Defiance.

23 Grandchildren

3 Great-Grandchildren

USDA announces $12 billion aid package for tariff-damaged farmers

Ag/Outdoor

July 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — The Trump Administration is announcing direct payments to farmers who’ve taken a financial hit due to international trade disputes. The U-S-D-A also plans to buy dairy products, pork and other commodities like fruits and nuts for distribution to food banks. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue spoke with reporters this (Tuesday) afternoon by telephone.

“This, obviously, is a short-term solution that will give President Trump time to work on a long-term trade policy and deal to benefit agriculture as well all sectors of the American economy,” Perdue said. Perdue said up to 12 billion dollars is available for the effort and it does NOT require congressional approval. Rob Johannson is the chief economist in the U-S-D-A.

“This program is intended to off-set the trade damage that we’ve seen facing our farmers in a number of commodities,” Johanssen said. Direct payments will be made to dairy and pork producers as well as farmers who grow soybeans, sorghum, wheat and cotton. Greg Ibach is the U-S-D-A undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs.

“What this will do is provide some hope to farmers and ranchers that the president and the secretary do have their back,” Ibach said. U-S-D-A officials say more details about this plan, including how farmers are to be paid, will be released in the coming days.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican, says farmers need a long-term trade strategy, not a short term fix. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley calls the proposal “encouraging for the short-term,” but Grassley says farmers ultimately want access to markets rather than “government hand-outs.” Several other Republicans in the U.S. Senate have issued sharper critiques.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul says this is “welfare for farmers.” Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse says Trump’s tariffs have cut the legs out from under farmers and these federal payments amount to “golden crutches.” Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson says farmers want trade, not aid and he suggested the Trump Administration was steering the country’s free market economy toward a “Soviet-style” system where “commissars” decide how to sprinkle out benefits.

“Walk Cass County!” Maps now available

News

July 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

In early 2018, Healthy Cass County received one of six community grant awards from the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health. Healthy Cass County used these funds to develop an initiative titled “Walk Cass County.” The project is to encourage walking as a way to connect families and friends while gaining countless health benefits.

The grant helped Healthy Cass County develop, print and distribute walking maps with routes of varying lengths in each of the eight Cass County towns. Hotch Studios, located in Atlantic, designed a new Healthy Cass County logo and all eight maps for the group.

You can get any of the eight maps by:

Beth Olsen, Director of Public Health for Cass County and Healthy Cass County Coordinator, says “We have been making great strides here is Cass to improve our county health rankings and statistics. Walking is easy and best of all FREE. We hope these maps would engage community members and families by encouraging active lifestyles and togetherness by the simple act of walking.”

Like and follow the Healthy Cass County Facebook Page for more information on local health and wellness events or resources. If you would like to be part of Healthy Cass County, the group currently meets the second Monday of the month at noon. They invite Healthy Cass County partners around the table to discuss health and wellbeing initiates countywide. Call 712-243-7552, for monthly meeting locations. All are welcome to attend!

Multiple college hoops games set for Final Four stadium site

Sports

July 24th, 2018 by Jim Field

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota will play Oklahoma State on Nov. 30 at U.S. Bank Stadium, the site of this season’s NCAA Final Four.

The Gophers on Tuesday announced the first basketball game at the gigantic football stadium, which opened in 2016 for the Minnesota Vikings and hosted the Super Bowl less than six months ago.

The U.S. Bank Stadium Basketball Classic will include four contests over two days. St. Thomas meets Wisconsin-River Falls in a Division III game on Nov. 30. Then, on Dec. 1, North Dakota State faces Drake and South Dakota State plays Northern Iowa in a pair of matchups between Summit League and Missouri Valley conference teams.

Minnesota and Oklahoma State will also play in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2019. The Cowboys beat the Gophers in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 2015.

State Baseball Scoreboard 3A Quarterfinals Tuesday 07/24/2018

Sports

July 24th, 2018 by admin

3A Quarterfinals – Tuesday, July 24

Assumption, Davenport 5, Bondurant-Farrar 0

Bishop Heelan, Sioux City 3, Solon 2 (8 innings)

Waverly-Shell Rock 8, Carlisle 5

Harlan 5, Boone 4

3A Semi-finals Schedule for Friday, 7/27/18

11:00-a.m. Waverley-Shell Rock vs. Harlan

1:30-p.m. Davenport/Assumption vs. Sioux City/Bishop Heelan Catholic

FBI joins hunt for missing University of Iowa student

News

July 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) — State and federal agents are investigating the disappearance of a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who has been missing for nearly a week in eastern Iowa. KCRG TV reports that Mollie Tibbetts was staying at her boyfriend’s home in Brooklyn last week, watching his dogs while he was out of town for work. A neighbor reported seeing Tibbetts jogging Wednesday evening. She was reported missing Thursday.

Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations spokesman Mitch Mortvedt said Tuesday that FBI and state investigators are concentrating on areas around Brooklyn where Tibbetts has been in the past. He says volunteer searches have been called off. Mortvedt says the FBI also is using computer forensics, including Tibbetts’ online history and cellphone app usage, to help pinpoint where she might be.