A Fort Dodge mother charged with first-degree murder in the death of her infant daughter has followed the baby’s father and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Brooke Bickford reports.

Taylor Blaha pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of her infant daughter last November. Following the plea, Blaha requested that she be sentenced immediately, and she was sentenced to 50 years in prison. She must serve 70 percent of that sentence. Blaha’s plea follows a plea deal that the baby’s father, Brandon Thoma  made last month. He will be sentenced on September 1st for child endangerment causing injury or death and the abuse of a corpse.

There are about 800 U-P-S employees in Iowa and they have until August 22nd to vote on the contract the company and the Teamsters union negotiated. The deal would give all U-P-S full and part-time employees in the country a raise and guarantee a wage rate of at least 21 dollars an hour. James Bartlett is a Teamsters union steward. He delivers packages for U-P-S in Milford and Okoboji and is a “yes” vote for the contract. He says most of the people in rural shops like his are in favor of the contract, while some part-timers in larger cities want to hold out for higher wage increases.

Part-time U-P-S employee Adam Spencer has worked at the company’s facility in Hiawatha for nearly two decades. He’s a “yes” vote on the contract, but he’s heard the concerns that part-timers need a bigger raise

Teamsters leadership has recommended the deal. The company has called the five-year contract offer a win-win-win for the union, employees and the company.

(DES MOINES, IA) – Today, the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board approved an award to 3M Company. The company, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, plans to upgrade its existing facility in Ames.

3M designs, manufactures and distributes a broad range of products within four main business groups: safety and industrial, transportation and electronics, healthcare, and consumer. The company’s Ames location manufactures a variety of abrasives products in the industrial, automotive repair and consumer markets. 3M plans to upgrade the Ames facility with additional equipment to expand capabilities and capacity.

The board awarded the company state tax benefits through the High Quality Jobs program. The project represents a nearly $13.6 capital investment by 3M and is also projected to create 25 jobs incented at a qualifying wage threshold of $30.07 per hour.

DES MOINES – Iowa’s Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg has been elected Chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA).  NLGA is the professional association supporting lieutenant governors in all 50 states and the U.S. territories.  The mission of NLGA is to assist these leaders, and the states and territories themselves, to be as effective and as efficient as possible for constituents.    

“Adam Gregg is a strong advocate for rural Iowa and rural America, and serving as chair of the NLGA will present opportunities for him to further amplify the issues effecting rural communities nationwide,” Governor Reynolds stated.  

“I’m honored to be chosen by my colleagues from across the country to lead the National Lieutenant Governors Association,” said Lt. Governor Gregg. “We will continue to be a leading resource for innovative policy solutions at the state level.” 

“NLGA thrives under leaders that are willing to participate, share, and learn with their peer seconds-in-command from across the country,” said NLGA Director Julia Brossart.  “Lt. Governor Gregg’s peers find him to be an engaged leader willing to share ideas, from rural prosperity to emergency medical services.” 

Lt. Governor Gregg was nominated and approved by the NLGA membership and begins service immediately.  He will serve as Chair of the NLGA until the Summer of 2024. 

The association meets three times a year and is responsible for charting a course of issues and experiences to be available to the nation’s second-highest state officeholders, while working to address issues of mutual concern to all states and territories.     

Lt. Governor Gregg has served in the role of lieutenant governor since May of 2017.  He leads the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative, he led the Feeding Iowans Task Force in 2020, and he is a past Chair of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association. 

Governor Kim Reynolds previously served as Chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association from 2015-16. 

The National Weather Service forecast is calling for hot and humid air to flow into Iowa this weekend and it could stick around through the middle of next week. The conditions might be uncomfortable for humans and animals and they could potentially pose a problem for corn producers as well. Farmer Dave Rossman from Hartley, in northwest Iowa, says this year has been a mixed bag that started out cold and dry.

Recent rains helped, and usually corn thrives with heat and humidity, but Rossman worries about the heat and wind.

Breezy conditions could offset the humidity.

The most recent U-S-D-A crop report shows both corn and soybeans rated 58-percent, good to excellent, with one-third falling into the fair category. Rossman says his soybeans do have early signs of disease.

Some schools and colleges are trying to ban students from using artificial intelligence in their coursework, but a University of Iowa instructor is encouraging her students to embrace A-I in all of her writing classes. Professor Pamela Bourjaily, in the U-I’s Tippie College of Business, says she thinks it’s a smart move to “share the classroom” with Chat-G-P-T as a teaching tool.

Bourjaily says she’s teaching students that they’re responsible for the output they get from the A-I and how it’s important that they check for content and bias. She notes, it’s not necessarily less work to use A-I.

When Chat-G-P-T first appeared last fall, Bourjaily says she could quickly spot if a student had used the ‘bot versus writing something original themselves. Now, however, that’s changed.

She says one of her goals is to teach students to organize information and to be able to communicate that information fluently.

When Chat-G-P-T is used to produce documents like letters of recommendation, she says it can strip out the personal aspects. Instead, Bourjaily says collaboration and using A-I as a tool makes sure the humanity is kept in the writing.

It would be a big shot heard ’round the political world and it’s clear G-O-P candidates are gunning for it. That’s the endorsement of Governor Kim Reynolds.

Vivek Ramaswamy is among the 12 presidential candidates appearing with Iowa’s most popular Republican at this year’s Iowa State Fair.

Tim Scott took an audience survey when he sat down for his Fair Side Chat with Reynolds. “How many of y’all love Kim Reynolds?” Scott asked, the crowd cheered and Reynolds laughed before he calculated: “It’s 100%” Reynolds has said she is neutral in the 2024 presidential race — so all the candidates will feel welcome to campaign for the Iowa Caucuses. Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann says he doubts any one endorsement would secure an Iowa Caucus victory for a candidate. “But she could certainly shine a light of interest on a candidate,” Kaufmann says. “I think she is the only person in Iowa would who would have that effect.” Austin Harris, a state representative from Moulton, used for work for the Republican Party of Iowa and was the party’s political director in 2019. Harris, who is backing Nikki Haley, says an endorsement from Reynolds would be a game changer.

Steve Scheffler, the leader of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, is also the Iowa Republican Party’s National Committeeman. He says Reynolds is probably the only politician in Iowa who could move the needle a couple of points for a candidate.

A Des Moines Register Iowa Poll conducted in March found Reynolds had an 86 percent approval rating among Iowa Republicans.

With classes starting next week for hundreds of thousands of Iowa students, many school districts statewide are facing a common problem — a lack of school bus drivers. In northwest Iowa, Le Mars Community Schools Superintendent Steven Webner says they’ve tried to prepare for the inevitable.

Webner says this bus driver shortage was anticipated so they’ve tried to get ahead of the problem.

Bigger buses carrying more kids means longer rides both in the morning and the afternoon, and more time behind the wheel for the scarce number of drivers.

An online report shows a wide range of school bus driver salaries in Iowa, with some making as little as 16-thousand-500 dollars a year, while others may be bringing in up to 41-thousand.

The Iowa Barn Foundation will hold their annual All-State Barn Tour on September 16th and 17th with 72 historic barns across the state open for touring inside and out. Many of the owners and family members will be on hand to share the stories behind their barns, which served as the central hub of activity on the farm. The Iowa countryside will be one expansive museum with barns located across the state. The self-guided tour is free and open to the public.

The Iowa Barn Foundation is especially excited to have a record eight round barns on the tour this year, which are the most unique and rare type of barns built in the state. Out of the approximately 200,000 barns built in Iowa, only 250 were round (including octagonal and multi-sided) representing just 0.13% of all barns built. Only 74 of Iowa’s round barns remain standing today, and many in various states of disrepair. Each of the 8 restored round barns on the tour are unique works of art, and visitors will leave with a great appreciation of the craftsmanship that went into their construction.

Why were round barns built? The largest surge in Iowa round barn construction came in 1910-1920 after they were promoted by universities, including Iowa State, for dairy operations. The circular interior layout was pitched as more efficient for the farmer to work in a circular pattern, accentuated by a central silo. Material efficiency in construction and greater structural stability were also key advantages cited. The enthusiasm for these barns was short-lived. Many of the efficiency claims were largely overstated and offset by more complicated and expensive construction methods. Construction largely ended as the 1920s came to a close.

The 1883 Secrest Octagonal Barn in Johnson County received an Award of Distinction in 2023, and it is joining the fall tour for the first time. The three-story bank barn is like no other barn in the world featuring an 8-sided bell-shaped roof topped with a cupola 72 feet above the ground. All eight of the round barns offer a glimpse into a unique period of agriculture history in our state. Don’t forget about the 64 other historic barns to visit as well, each with their own story to tell.

Full tour details can be found online at https://iowabarnfoundation.org/barn-tour/2023-fall

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports no injuries occurred during a single vehicle accident on Thursday evening. At 8:02 p.m. Deputies responded to an accident on High and Dry Road. It was determined that a 2011 Chevy Equinox driven by 19-year-old Ella Jean Hoffman of Creston was traveling southbound on High & Dry Road when she swerved to miss a deer standing in the roadway and went into the ditch on the west side. All airbags deployed but Hoffman reported no injuries. The vehicle was disabled and privately arranged to be towed from the scene.