(Radio Iowa) – Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear are both talking about a Reynolds campaign ad that briefly features a Missouri congresswoman. Reynolds recited part of the ad script to the crowd at her fundraiser this past weekend. “When you’re watching the news and you see what’s happening, you have to wonder: Has the rest of the country lost its mind?” Reynolds asked.

Twenty-four hours later, DeJear talked about the ad at an Iowa Democratic Party fundraiser. “When I first saw the ad, I’ll be honest — I was like: ‘Oh! She’s got a real cute look alike for me,’” DeJear said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “I lean in and realize it’s a congresswoman from another state, a congresswoman who on that specific issue in that ad, we have a difference of opinion.”

The woman in the ad is Cori Bush of St. Louis, a Black Lives Matter activist who has called for defunding the police. Reynolds did not mention DeJear’s name during her speech this weekend. “She won’t stand with law enforcement when it matters,” Reynolds said, after referring to DeJear as “my opponent.”

DeJear has said she opposes calls to defund the police. DeJear urged Democrats who have opposing views on the concept to unite behind all Democratic candidates. “We are not going to allow anybody to divide us, despite the differences of opinion,” DeJear said late Sunday afternoon at the Iowa Democratic Party’s fundraiser.

There are 36 days left in the 2022 campaign.

(Radio Iowa) – As dry conditions persist, particularly in northwest Iowa, many city water systems have asked customers to voluntarily conserve water. Todd Uhl, the public works director in Sheldon, says there’s no emergency yet, but things are going slowly in the wrong direction and mandatory water restrictions may be on the horizon. “As this drought continues, if we don’t get a good recharge this fall, winter, next spring — we will be on mandatory restrictions next spring for sure,” Uhl says. “I’m not saying we wouldn’t switch to them sometime this winter, but obviously restrictions going into this time of year don’t mean as much as they do in times when outside watering is more of a thing.”

There’s plenty of water in both of Sheldon’s deep wells, but Uhl says the quality of water in those deep wells have lower quality water. The community’s supply of high quality water comes from a series of shallow wells along the Floyd River and northwest of Sheldon and Uhl says the water levels in THOSE wells are dropping. “The static level, which is the level of the amount of water in the well when the pumps aren’t running, we’re seeing those levels decline. They’v been declining slowly this whole summer — not to the level where we’ve slammed on the panic button yet, but it’s going to be a concern if we don’t get recharge this winter or next spring, Sheldon will be on mandatory restrictions next summer,” Uhl says. “We will not be able to sustain another year of this.”

If the water situation doesn’t improve, Uhl describes what “mandatory restrictions” would look like. “No use of water for non-essential purposes, so basically you can use water for human consumption and that’s it,” Uhl says, “There’ll be no lawn watering. They’ll be no garden watering. There’ll be no flower garden watering. There’ll be no washing of cars. We’ll try not to limit the use of car washes and stuff that are doing it for a living, but we’re going to have to have people cut back.”

But the VOLUNTARY restrictions are what are in place in Sheldon today. The Lewis & Clark Regional Water System is due to connect in Sheldon by 2024 or, perhaps, at the end of 2023 and Uhl says that would also help the situation.

Red Oak, Iowa — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, today (Monday), announced that Senator Chuck Grassley and Governor Kim Reynolds will be joining Ernst for this year’s Roast and Ride. Grassley and Reynolds will join Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Rep. Ashley Hinson, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Rep. Randy Feenstra, and State Sen. Zach Nunn at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on October 22nd for the special day of activities.

You can buy tickets for Joni’s 2022 Ruck, Roast, and Ride HERE. For more information, visit RoastandRide.com.

Ernst says “Our lineup for Roast and Ride wouldn’t be complete without our fearless leaders Senator Chuck Grassley and Governor Kim Reynolds. This is a perfect opportunity for Iowans to come out and support all of our strong, Conservative candidates, and hear from Arkansas’s next governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. From the morning Ruck march to the motorcycle Ride, and of course our annual Hog Roast, it will be a full day of fun on October 22. Come join us as we get fired up for the Red Wave coming in November!”

Sen. Joni Ernst on a “Roast and Ride.” (2016 file photo from Radio Iowa)

Grassley says “Senator Ernst is a fierce advocate for our state and a tireless fighter for our way of life. While the Biden administration fuels the fires of inflation with reckless spending and allows lawlessness at our southern border, it’s more important than ever for Joni and me to keep fighting for Iowa together in the U.S. Senate. I look forward to meeting with Iowans at her annual Roast & Ride and keeping up grassroots momentum ahead of the November 8 election to get our country back on the right track.”

And, Governor Reynolds says “I am excited to join Senator Grassley and Sarah Huckabee Sanders at Joni’s Roast and Ride. Joni’s not only a good friend, but she cares so deeply about Iowa, our families, farmers, and small businesses. As Iowa Republicans push our commonsense message across the state, this event will be a great opportunity to rally supporters ahead of the midterm elections.”

JONI ERNST’S RUCK ROAST AND RIDE 

Ruck March | 7:30-8:30 AM 

Iowa State Fairgrounds – 3000 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317

Motorcycle Ride | 10:30-11:15 AM 

Note: Rider Check-In will take place at 9:30 AM 

Big Barn Harley Davidson – 81 NW Pl, Des Moines, IA 50313

Roast | 11:00 – 1:30 PM 

Iowa State Fairgrounds – 3000 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317

About Roast and Ride:

Joni held her first Roast and Ride in 2015. Over the years, the event has featured some of the biggest names in Iowa and national politics, including President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Ambassador Nikki Haley, Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Lindsey Graham, Governor Terry Branstad, and many others.

October 3, 2022 (MARION, IA) – Shop Iowa, a statewide e-commerce marketplace initiative of the Iowa Economic Development Authority with the support of the Iowa Small Business Development Center, has announced ‘Shop Iowa Day’, a day dedicated to promoting and offering incentives for shopping at Iowa small businesses across the state on the platform. Shop Iowa is managed by Member Marketplace Inc., an Iowa small business with employees in Marion, Iowa City and Des Moines.

On Shop Iowa Day, Wed. October 12, the Shop Iowa marketplace will offer site-wide discounts from apparel to wall decor and everything in between. By supporting Iowa small businesses on this day and shopping sooner for the holidays, shoppers can enjoy:

• A chance to win a $500 Shop Iowa shopping spree grand prize, or one of four additional Shop Iowa gift cards. No purchase necessary.
• 1-day markdowns from small businesses across the state.
• $5 Shop Iowa gift card for every $25 gift card purchased.
• Free shipping specials by select business and local pickup where available.

“We recognize the importance of giving small businesses the visibility and support they need to succeed, which is why we created Shop Iowa,” said Debi Durham, executive director of Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa Finance Authority. “The online platform has positively impacted small businesses in all 99 counties across Iowa, and we look forward to building on that success with the first-annual Shop Iowa Day.”

Promotions will run until 11:59 P.M. on October 12, and early deals will also start the night before at 6 P.M. for Shop Iowa email and text list subscribers. Sign up for text alerts to get all the promotions as they happen on Shop Iowa Day and unlock 20 percent off an order: shopiowa.com/shopiowaday

Launched in August 2020, Shop Iowa is a convenient way to buy products from small businesses from across the State of Iowa with one checkout and have items arrive at your door. Now serving businesses in all 99 counties, the marketplace serves as an additional revenue stream for businesses already familiar with e-commerce, but also provides an opportunity to help businesses step into selling online for the first time with the support of the Member Marketplace team.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved three more fines at their meeting last week for the illegal use of credit cards by sports betting operations. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko says they are all part of one case involving the company processing the payments for the sports betting companies.  “In these particular cases, they involve some prepaid cards, a complicated type of transaction where customers either unknowingly or willingly circumvented the credit card rules. And so we do think though, I should mention, that this is an isolated incident,” Ohorilko says.

Bet M-G-M and Elite Hospitality were each fined 60-thousand dollars, while S-C-E Partners was fined 20-thousand. Two other casinos were fined at the Commission’s August meeting in the same case. Ohorilko says this is something that is rare. He says credit card violations are really not something they have experienced with the casino industry, though there have been a few. Ohorilko says it is tougher to have something like this happen for traditional betting at a casino. “In the casino environment, there are a number of physical controls that are in place,” he says, “and so you know, you cannot use a credit card you cannot put a credit card into a slot machine and so so the only way to use a credit card in a physical casino would be to get some sort of cash advance.”

Ohorilko says getting that credit card cash advance would take a lapse in oversight by casino employees. Representatives from the three sports gambling operations appeared at the meeting and said they are taking steps to correct the problem. Ohorilko says the large fines send the message that this is not acceptable. “Two years ago the law was changed in Iowa that called out the use of credit cards for wagering on any type of sports wagering and gambling games, and so it is something that is very important to the policymakers in this state and it’s something that we really don’t want to see,” Ohorilko says.

He says the companies all addressed the situation promptly and they have done some follow-up audits that have not found any issues.

(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. Secretary of Labor says he’s been briefed about the long-running strike at a Burlington factory that makes farm equipment and Marty Walsh says he’s willing to help in any way he can. “Sometimes both companies and unions reach out to me,” Walsh says. “That’s probably the best scenario when that happens because what I try to do is go and mediate the situation.”

On May 1st, United Auto Workers went on strike at the C-N-I plant in Burlington where Case I-H and New Holland equipment is made. The union represents about 430 workers at the plant.Walsh is a former construction worker and union member who served two years as head of the Greater Boston Building and Construction Trades Council for two years. He was part of the team at the White House that helped broker the deal to avert a nationwide railroad strike last month.

“But there’s been cases that I’ve worked into, nurses strikes around the country, that both sides have asked me to come in and try to resolve it and what I try to do with both sides is get them to talk at the table and stay at the table,” Walsh says. “I mean, you can’t solve a strike if one side’s not sitting down and talking to you.”

Walsh is meeting with Iowa labor leaders this (Monday) morning to discuss federal tax breaks available for so-called green energy projects like large solar arrays, wind power storage and carbon capture pipelines.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports two people were arrested on separate OWI charges, Sunday. 57-year-old Jeffrey Daniels, of Glenwood, and 57-year-old Mark Priester, of Lincoln, NE., were each charged with OWI/1st offense. Their bonds were set at $1,000, each. Priester was arrested after the 2015 Mazda 6 he was driving, struck a legally parked, unoccupied 2019 Dodge Durango pickup.

The accident happened at around 1:47-a.m. Sunday, in the area of N. Walnut and Sharp Streets, in Glenwood. Authorities say the Mazda was backing up from a parking spot, when it struck the front of the pickup. The left rear of the Mazda and left front of the pickup, sustained damage. Damage from the incident amounted to $4,000.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund (SWIHTF) have announced that Sherri Clark, the Executive Director of Nishna Productions, Inc. has joined its board of directors. The SWIHTF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the housing options for low to moderate income individuals in the Southwest Iowa counties of Harrison, Shelby, Cass, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont and Page. Over the past 5 years the trust fund has rehabilitated over 120 homes, assisted more than 100 homebuyers secure $8 million in home mortgages, and demolished 18 dilapidated houses that were beyond repair. The SWIHTF is administered by the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) in Atlantic.

Housing trust fund board chairman, Red Oak City Administrator Brad Wright said, “I’ve known Sherri a long time and she brings years of non-profit management experience to the housing trust fund board team. The organization she leads, Nishna Productions, Inc., is an outstanding provider of services to our disabled residents and she understands how fundamental the need for affordable housing is for everyone.” 

In addition to Wright and Clark, the SWIHTF board members are Kelly Mahlberg with West Central Community Action, Renee Riedel with Cornerstone Bank, Trent Svendsen with Midstates Bank, Debbie Waterbury with Atlantic HomeRealty, Stephanie Bowden with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, and Dr. Mike Wells, Superintendent of Schools in Hamburg and Essex. The trust fund is funded by grants from the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa West Foundation, as well as the generous support of the boards of supervisors of the counties it serves.

(Clive, Iowa) – The Iowa Pork Producers Association has announced the five finalists for Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin. The announcement serves as the organization’s kick-off of October, “ National Pork Month.” The finalists are:

Massena — Main Street Bar & Grill
Corydon — Ludlow’s Steakhouse
Olaf — St. Olaf Tavern
Van Meter — 5th Quarter Bar & Grill
Waukon — Lid’s Bar & Grill

(Click on the image to enlarge the map)

Qualifying pork tenderloins must be hand-breaded or battered. In addition, the Iowa restaurant serving them needs to be open year-round and offer the sandwich as a regular menu item. Food trucks, concession stands, seasonal eateries, and catering businesses are not eligible. IPPA will announce the first- and second-place winners later this month, dubbed #Porktober22 on social media channels as part of the month-long celebration of pig farmers and the great product they produce. The annual quest to find the state’s juiciest, most flavorful tenderloin sandwich starts with public input. Each spring, tenderloin fans have about two months to nominate their favorites. This year IPPA received 4,812 votes for 449 establishments.

Judging of the top 40 took place this summer. That list included the five restaurants with the most nominations in each of IPPA’s eight districts, which “helps ensure statewide representation,” according to Kelsey Sutter, IPPA’s marketing and programs director. IPPA members and industry affiliates anonymously visited those locations and scored the tenderloins based on pork taste and quality; physical characteristics; and presentation. From there, IPPA’s restaurant and foodservice committee reviewed those 40 evaluations and selected the five contenders to advance to the next round. That same committee appointed a panel of three judges to travel to each of the finalists to determine the first- and second-place winners.

The winning restaurant will receive $500, a plaque, a banner to display, and statewide publicity that will drive new business. The runner-up is awarded $250 and a plaque from IPPA.

(Radio Iowa) – Some farmers in northwest and north-central Iowa are finding their crops damaged from last week’s cold snap. Angie Rieck Hinz, a field agronomist with the Iowa State University Extension, says the frost had the greatest effect on soybean fields. “There are some later-planted soybeans that were impacted by that frost because we did get cold enough those mornings that we were below 32 in some places,” Rieck Hinz says, “so usually we think a killing frost is about 28 degrees for soybeans.” Some pockets of the state did dip into the upper 20s at least two mornings, and a number of fields got nipped. Most farmers will still be able to save the majority of their crops. “It’s just going to take a little bit longer for them to dry down, so harvest is usually delayed a little bit,” she says. “We want them at a certain moisture and it’s going to take a little bit longer after they’ve been frosted to get to that point.”

The color on the soybeans is a key factor after a frost. “We’re always concerned about handling those frost-damaged beans or putting them into the commercial market because if the beans weren’t mature and they were still a little green, it’s pretty easy to get docked at the co-op for those green soybeans,” Rieck Hinz says. “We would advise never to put those green beans or greenish beans directly into the market.” She says aerating the soybeans may bring about a color change so they’re more of a mature tan. Most of Iowa’s corn crop is mature and ready — or close to ready — for harvest, so frost damage to the corn was minimal. “We, in some cases, were at full maturity or at black layer, but there were some fields that were still in that really late dent stage, so we can anticipate some minor yield loss there.”

High temperatures for the next several days are expected in the 70s with lows in the 50s, ideal harvest weather, with more cold moving in Thursday and Friday.