(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says more than 26 hundred state employees have transitioned to a different state agency after her state government reorganization plan took effect July 1st. The number of state agencies has been cut from 37 down to 16. Over 500 open positions in state government have been eliminated. Reynolds says the workforce may shrink more as state employees resign or retire.

“We’re going to continue to look at ways that we can be lean and mean and just really provide a one-stop shop for Iowans,” Reynolds says. Reynolds hired a consulting firm to examine how other states operated, examine agencies within the executive branch of Iowa’s state government and come up with a realignment plan to present to the legislature. The governor says that was critical because her small staff didn’t have the capacity to do an enterprise wide assessment.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says an appeal will be filed as soon as possible to challenge a judge’s injunction that has blocked enforcement of a ban on most abortions in Iowa. “It’s just a matter of time, but we’re working with the AG’s office on the details,” Reynolds told reporters this afternoon, “so hopefully that will be filed yet this week.” Reynolds signed a bill into law last Friday that immediately banned most abortions at or near the sixth week of a pregnancy, when cardiac activity is first detected.

A district court judge issued a temporary injunction to block enforcement as a lawsuit challenging the policy makes its way through the court system. “For three days we were saving babies and then the temporary injunction was filed,” Reynolds says. “I think the right to life is the most important right we have and without it we have nothing.” The bill that passed the legislature a week ago is nearly identical to a 2018 law that was ruled unconstitutional by the Iowa Supreme Court.

Five years later, Reynolds has appointed five of the seven justices on the state’s highest court. That court ruled in June of last year that the Iowa constitution does not guarantee a right to an abortion, a week before the U-S Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. Reynolds says last month, the Iowa Supreme Court got it wrong when it failed on a tie vote to let the 2018 Fetal Heartbeat Act go into effect and that’s why G-O-P lawmakers approved a nearly identical bill last week in a special legislative session.

“And I think the bill we passed is constitutional,” Reynolds said, “especially with the changes that we’ve seen.” House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says Reynolds and Republican lawmakers have stopped listening to the strong majority of Iowans who do not support their abortion ban.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowan has found a hidden treasure in Utah. Chelsea Gotta of Pella went to Utah three times before solving the riddles in a poem and finding the 25-thousand dollar prize. The annual Utah Scavenger Hunt was first held in 2020. This year’s clues led Gotta to find the treasure box near the mountain hiking trail in a Bountiful, Utah.

Bountiful is about 12 miles north of Salt Lake City. The box was hidden for 51 days before Gotta found it. Gotta told K-T-V-X in Salt Lake City she plans to sponsor a treasure hunt in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – The Alzheimer’s Association is releasing its first-ever nationwide report, offering a county-by-county breakdown of the prevalence of that form of dementia, including in all 99 Iowa counties. According to the report, the average Alzheimer’s prevalence rate in Iowans age 65 and older is 11%.

Brianne Fitzgerald, a senior director with the association’s Iowa chapter, says two rural counties topped the state’s list: “Our highest two counties in Iowa were Monona in western Iowa at 12.6%, and Ringgold in southern Iowa 12.9%.” By comparison, the nation’s highest incidence of Alzheimer’s is nearly four points higher at 16.6% with a three-way tie between Miami-Dade County, Florida; Baltimore City, Maryland; and Bronx County, New York.

None of Iowa’s 99 counties made the national top 20, but the news from the report wasn’t all good.

“Iowa is definitely a dementia desert, meaning, we don’t have enough persons that are working in the field as far as gerontologists are concerned to continue to help our aging population,” Fitzgerald says. “We are concerned about taking care of our elderly as we move forward.”

The report shows what appears to be a higher prevalence for Alzheimer’s in Iowa’s northwestern counties, with lower rates in eastern Iowa. Fitzgerald says they’ll be studying this map carefully.

“For one thing, it’s nice to see this map and say, ‘Okay, well, in our work with public health and other community partners we need to make sure we’re concentrating for sure in these Iowa counties that are of a higher rate,’” Fitzgerald says, “but we need to understand the why behind it and that guides us a little bit more.”

Researchers found the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s in the east and southeastern regions of the U.S. There are varied levels of Alzheimer’s spread across Iowa, but Fitzgerald says there are theories about why there appears to be a higher prevalence in northwestern Iowa.

“We do know that with this report, a combination of some specific demographic characteristics could explain some of the higher prevalence in some of these counties,” she says, “including the older average age and then possibly higher percentages of black and Hispanic residents.”

Here are the Alzheimer’s prevalence rates for the seven Iowa counties with the highest number of residents age 65 and older:

· Polk (68,200) – 10.5%
· Linn (38,000) – 10.8%
· Scott (29,800) – 10.9%
· Black Hawk (22,900) – 11.1%
· Johnson (19,700) – 10.1%
· Dubuque (18,200) – 11.1%
· Pottawattamie (17,200) – 10.5%

For Iowans who want to learn more, she directs people to the website, alz.org. “We have so many ways for people to get involved, learn more information,” Fitzgerald says. “We have a 24/7 helpline for people who really want to learn more about the disease and chat with somebody, maybe about their concerns or concerns of a loved one, and that’s 1-800-272-3900.”

It’s estimated there are 66,000 Iowans living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, and another 98,000 Iowans are their caregivers.

(Radio Iowa) – A state board has voted to extend tax breaks to a company planning to hire 65 more people once its Red Oak facility has expanded. Parker Hannifin is a Fortune 250 company that makes hydraulic equipment for aerospace and industrial uses. The company plans to spend two-and-a-half million dollars to expand its plant in Red Oak. The Iowa Economic Development Authority’s board has approved tax incentives to offset all or part of that investment. In June, the Southwestern Community College Board of Directors approved using nearly 600-thousand dollars worth of bond money to finance job training for the company’s 65 new employees.

Family-owned Osmundson Manufacturing in Perry is getting state tax breaks for a 19-million dollar expansion. The facility makes blades for agricultural equipment and the company plans to hire 17 more employees once the expansion is done. The Iowa Economic Development Authority board also extended tax breaks for remodeling a building in Waterloo that will become home for a garment business. Dignity Apparel uses fabrics made in the U.S. and marketed under the Image Pointe brand. The four-and-a-half million dollars project includes the purchase of equipment and software. The company says it will hire seven employees to work at the facility.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors were asked Tuesday morning, to get on with the business of writing and passing a hazardous pipeline ordinance. Jan Norris, a West Township resident, implored the Board to act, said the urgency to do so is because of next month’s Iowa Utilities Board meeting with Summit Carbon Solutions.

The proposed 706-mile long pipeline passes through 30 counties, including the western third of Montgomery County. In June, a representative for the pipeline told the Supervisors about 75% of the easements needed had been secured, or about 13.4-miles, and $4.6-million in easement payments had been issued.

Jan Norris said if the Board is set against passing an ordinance, whether their opinion is based on legal advice or not – they should communicate their intentions to the public.

Maggie McQuown, a 4th generation resident of Garfield Township, living on her family farm. She also serves on the Montgomery County Board of Adjustment. She said while the individual Board members are entitled to their opinion on the carbon pipeline, but it is more so important to do “everything in [their] power to prepare Montgomery County for the CO2 pipeline, for safety of the residents.

She told the Board “Don’t be bullied,” by the threat of a lawsuit from Summit Carbon Solutions, should the County enact an ordinance.

She said the ordinance guidelines can be adjusted to allow for variances to be granted, but a “life-threatening incident” can’t be undone. The Board thanked both women for their input, but because the matter was not on their agenda, no action was taken at this time.

OMAHA, NEBRASKA – July 18, 2023 – While cropland continued to gain value in the first half of 2023, Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) reports signs that the real estate market is stabilizing. FCSAmerica, a financial cooperative, appraises 63 benchmark farms twice a year to monitor trends in real estate in its four-state territory of Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. FCSAmerica’s July 2023 Benchmark Farmland Report was released today.

The chart below reflects the average change in value for multiple land types: dryland and irrigated cropland farms, crop-pasture farms and pasture-ranch operations. The number of benchmark farms appraised in each state is indicated in parentheses.

Benchmark values in the first half of 2023 remained strong in markets where the availability of land was limited and were steadier in areas with a consistent supply. Higher quality cropland also supported higher values, while average to below-average ground saw smaller increases. This is indicative of a more stable market.

Values on pasture and ranchland were supported by high demand and limited supply. Since July 2022, South Dakota has seen pasture values rise 12.2%, much of the increase happening in the past six months. Wyoming values are up 15.5% year-over-year. Nebraska pasture, by comparison, is down slightly.

For all agricultural land types, values remain at record highs. The steepest gains occurred in the last half of 2020 through 2021. The market has remained resilient in the past year despite successive interest rate hikes and drought in much of the region.

“The other driver in real estate is farm profitability and the overall financial health of agriculture, which has been extremely strong,” said Tim Koch, executive vice president of business development for FCSAmerica. “Profitability and optimism in agriculture have more than offset the negative pressures created by the increased interest rates.”

Profit margins continue to tighten because of higher input costs and lower commodity prices. Producers generally are planning for 2023 profits near break-even levels. This could result in a flattening of land values, with some areas possibly seeing a slight decline, Koch said.

“There is lots of liquidity on farm balance sheets and overall leverage is down significantly,” he said. “So even if profit margins, on average, return to break-even levels, the overall financial strength of producers will lead them to stay in the real estate market. We still could see instances of aggressive bidding for the right farm in the right location.”

Below are state-by-state trends in benchmark farmland values for the first half of 2023:

Iowa Values for 15 of the state’s 21 benchmark farms increased by less than 5%, and four declined slightly. The highest increase was 9.1%, the greatest decline, 6.3%. The overall year-over-year gain of 4.0% compares to increases of 37% and 12.8% in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Nebraska Seven of the state’s 18 benchmark farms increased in value by at least 5%, with two experiencing double-digit hikes, including a northeast Nebraska farm with an 18.3% gain. Nine farms saw little to no change and two declined in value. The year-over-year increase of 8.4% statewide compares to gains of 22.1% and 14.3% in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

(Iowa DNR) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), today (Tuesday), said they are investigating an apparent drowning on July 14 on the Mississippi River near Buffalo Shores.

Two men were boating from the Buffalo Shores Campground to the shoreline near Beach Pub Bar in Buffalo where they intended to register for a fishing tournament. As they approached shore, Michael Eskridge, 48 of Davenport, was preparing the anchor line in the bow of the boat when he lost his balance and fell overboard.

Iowa DNR and the Buffalo Fire Department located and recovered Eskridge’s body at 8:15 p.m.

Eskridge’s body was located and recovered at 8:15 PM by the Iowa DNR and the Buffalo Fire Department. The Buffalo Police Department, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Park Rangers, Muscatine Fire Department and Montpelier Fire Department were also dispatched and assisted in the recovery.

CRESTON, Iowa – July 18, 2023 – The Iowa DOT’s Creston Construction Office says if you plan on driving along U.S. 59 south of Shenandoah in the coming weeks, you need to be aware of a road construction project that may slow down your trip.

Starting on Monday, July 24, weather permitting, construction crews will be working on asphalt paving and grading work at the bridge over Fisher Creek, 1.2 miles south of Iowa 2 near Shenandoah. The roadway will be reduced to one lane with a lane-width restriction of 12-feet. You will be directed through the work zone with temporary traffic lights.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety report that on July 13th, Troopers and Officers from multiple agencies joined law enforcement partners across the country, as part of the ongoing “Highway 20 Speed Enforcement Project.” The Project, started by the Iowa State Patrol, has grown into a nationwide effort among state police, state highway patrol and local police agencies, to promote traffic safety and reduce crashes across the 12 state that U.S. Highway 20 runs through.

U-S 20 spans nearly the length of the country, from east-to-west, running from Newport, OR to Boston, MA. It was designated as the longest highway in the country in 1989, at 3,365 miles. As of 2020, various projects have slightly shortened its length. The Highway 20 Project is a bimonthly collaborative effort, taking place on a select day with a two-hour initiative in the morning and again in the evening. During the July 13 initiative, 93 officers across the country made 691 contacts with the motoring public. Of those, 389 resulted in citations, 295 warnings, and seven motorists were assisted.

In Iowa, U-S 20 covers 333 miles. Over the course of the four projects in 2023, multiple officers from over 40 agencies have issued 1,965 citations, 1,275 warnings, and assisted 76 motorists. Lieutenant Brian Beenen, District 9 Commander, Cedar Falls, says “With the goal of improving safety and reducing crashes on all roadways, the Iowa State Patrol is thankful for the partnerships that have been made to make this project successful. This coast-to-coast initiative involves over 40 law enforcement agencies across the country. We look forward to continued collaboration to make our roadways safe.”

The public is encouraged to call 911 in Iowa or 911, to report drug activity and dangerous or impaired drivers.