(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who plan to do some back-to-school shopping today (Friday) and tomorrow will be able to stock up on new duds at a discount as it’s the state’s annual Tax-Free Holiday. John Fuller, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Revenue, says the tax holiday always falls on the first weekend in August. “There are some rules around this,” Fuller says, “and basically Iowans will not be charged sales tax when they purchase clothing or footwear that’s less than $100.”

He offers some examples of what is — and isn’t — included in the two-day holiday. “If you want to buy maybe school shoes for your children, and they’re less than $100, you would not pay — in most parts of the state — the 7% sales tax,” Fuller says. “It does not include things like jewelry, sunglasses, things like that, but clothing and footwear, typically clothing that you would wear every day.”

Iowa’s first tax-free weekend was held in August of 2000. Fuller says the holiday helps Iowa’s economy and its businesses. “They benefit by about $5-million not paying sales taxes for those two days, so it’s significant,” Fuller says. “It goes up a little bit each year and I think it’ll be popular again this year just because inflation is creeping up and whenever you can save some money, that’s a good thing.”

The Tax-Free weekend started at 12:01 this morning and runs through 11:59 P-M Saturday. Learn more at https://tax.iowa.gov/iowas-annual-sales-tax-holiday.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University professor’s research is part of a large, federally funded project to improve the quality of sweet corn. Alan Myers is a professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology at Iowa State. His research is focused on how carbohydrates are stored in sweet corn kernels. “What I look at directly is the synthesis part,” Myers says, “the growth of the kernel from when it’s first fertilized from pollen and egg into making the mature kernel that we chomp down on when we bite down on an ear of corn.”

Field corn that’s fed to livestock or converted into ethanol has starch granules that make the kernels grainy and really hard. “Those things don’t exist or there are a lot fewer of them in sweet corn varieties,” Myers says. “…That gives it the taste and mouth texture that people like to eat when they eat good, fresh sweet corn.” The carbohydrates Myers is studying give sweet corn kernels that soft and creamy texture.

“And when people bite into it, it tastes good,” Myers says. The I-S-U laboratory that Myers leads and another lab in Ames that’s focused on speeding up development of hybrid varieties are splitting 800-thousand dollars in federal funding for corn-related research over the next four years. It’s part of a project involving researchers in other parts of the country with the goals of boosting the sugar content and improving the shelf life of sweet corn.

The project is being coordinated by the University of Florida. About 20 percent of the sweet corn grown in the U.S. comes from Florida — making it the top sweet corn producing state.

(Johnston, Iowa) – The Iowa Army National Guard is set to conduct a comprehensive domestic operation training exercise at Camp Dodge from August 7th through the 10th. Officials say the exercise aims to simulate real-world events, including flooding, a derecho, and hazmat concerns, to enhance the readiness and coordination of our forces during emergency response situations.

The exercise will be conducted in collaboration with multiple Iowa county emergency management teams, fostering interagency cooperation and strengthening our collective ability to respond effectively to crises.

During the training exercise, Iowa Army National Guard units will showcase their ability to swiftly respond to a range of emergency scenarios. The simulated events will challenge participants to effectively manage and mitigate the impacts of flooding, a derecho, and hazmat incidents. By replicating these real-world challenges, officials say the Iowa National Guard can assess their readiness, identify areas for improvement, and refine emergency response protocols.

The exercise will include the participation of several Iowa county emergency management teams, private entities such as Mid-American Energy which will allow for a comprehensive and integrated response effort. This collaborative approach will facilitate effective communication, coordination, and decision-making among multiple agencies, ensuring a unified response to emergencies.

The training exercise will be evaluated by personnel from Army Northern Command. Their expertise and guidance will provide valuable insights to further enhance our emergency response capabilities and strengthen partnerships with federal agencies.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congreswoman Ashley Hinson says it’s critical that the U.S. support Taiwan with military hardware as China threatens the independently-governed island. Taiwan produces 60% of the world’s supply of computer chips, while about 14% are made in the United States.

“It’ll take a long time to rehome many of those things here to the United States,” Hinson said early this afternoon, “so it is critically important that we protect Taiwan and our interests there.”

Hinson, a Republican from Marion, made her comments during a foreign policy forum in Cedar Rapids. Hinson is a member of the House Select Committee on China and the committee is hosting a field hearing in Dysart later today about China’s theft of agricultural technology.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, on left, hosts Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher and Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson at The Bastion Institute event today in Cedar Rapids.

“This is a huge threat and I think we’ve kind of been asleep at the wheel for decades in how we’ve handled China,” Hinsaon said at The Bastion Institute forum. “We’ve allowed them into the World Trade Organization. They continue steal our intellectual property…down to our seeds.”

Hinson cites the 2013 arrest of seven Chinese nationals accused of digging up seeds from Iowa farms and sending them back to China. One of the men, caught digging into an Iowa corn field in 2011, pleaded guilty to stealing seeds produced by Monsanto, Dupont Pioneer and LG Seeds.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest Drought Monitor report shows a little deterioration in the conditions in the state in the last week. D-N-R hydrologist Tim Hall says that doesn’t reflect the most recent storms. “The rain that came in southern Iowa over the last two days came after the cutoff for the Drought Monitor,” he says. The monitor shows a large part of eastern Iowa has moved from moderate to severe drought. Hall says the rains we’ve had recently will help.

“Over the last month things have remained relatively stable across the state,” he says. “We ended up behind normal for rainfall in July, although we did get more rain in July than we got in June, so that’s good.” Hall says rainfall in mid July did impact the level of drought, but we haven’t seen consistent enough rain yet to get rid of all the concern. “We’re sort of still on the edge of drought that could become much more significant but it hasn’t gotten appreciably worse,” Hall says. He says the recent rains helped with the much needed soil moisture.

“The other thing that’s working in our favor is that in about another month or so, we’ll get through the peak demand time of the year. So the demand for water will start to drop as we move from August into September. And that certainly helps to preserve whatever waters in the system,” according to Hall. The weather outlook has indicated we could see more rain in August, which would also help the drought situation.

(Radio Iowa) – The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is smaller this year, primarily because the Mississippi River basin is so dry, the waterway is moving less water and carrying fewer nutrients from states like Iowa. Nutrient pollution, in the form of nitrogen and phosphorous, is the main cause of low oxygen levels that threaten marine life in the Gulf.

In Iowa, those nutrients commonly come from excess farm fertilizer that washes into waterways. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says federal infrastructure funding will help states scale up conservation efforts. Long-term studies show the rate of surplus fertilizer applied to the land has slowed in recent years.

This summer’s dead zone covers just over three-thousand square miles. That’s among the smallest it’s measured since 1985, but over a five-year average, the hypoxic zone is still more than twice as large as the goal set by river states and federal regulators.

(Bedford, Iowa) – A jury in Taylor County today (Thursday) convicted a Kellerton man on five felony counts stemming from a November 20, 2022 arson fire in Bedford. Online court records show 69-year old Ellis Earl Houk was found guilty of charges that include: 1st Degree Arson (Class B Felony); Attempted Murder (Class B Felony); Willful Injury -Causing Serious Injury (Class C Felony); Burglary in the 1st Degree (Class B Felony), and Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree (Class C Felony). His trial began on July 26th.

He faces up to 25-years in prison on each of the Class B Felonies, and at least 10-years on the Class C Felonies, plus a fine of up to $13,660. Sentencing was set for Sept. 19th.

According to the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, a fire broke out at 1871 Orange Ave. in Bedford. A female resident of the home was able to escape, but suffered serious injuries. She was treated by Taylor County EMS before being flown to a burn center.

Houk – who was 68 at the time of the incident – was arrested a few days later in Texas and extradited to Iowa.

(UPDATED) – Atlantic, IA – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Friday, announced that Cass Health was awarded a rural hospital “Center of Excellence” designation. As part of that designation, grant funding to support and improve healthcare delivery in rural Iowa will provide $250,000 in funding each year for three years, totaling $750,000.

Centers of excellence increase access to multi-disciplinary specialty care and are devoted to tackling major health needs and disparities confronting rural Iowans. Cass Health plans to use the grant to focus on fetal and maternal health services in southwest Iowa. According to the Governor’s office, the awarded funds will help regional and local health systems build and enhance systems to ensure rural Iowans have the same access to specialized care as those living in metro areas.

Over the last twenty years in Iowa, there has been a major decline in the number of hospitals that provide labor and delivery services, most often in rural areas. The Cass Health Centers of Excellence program aims to improve rural maternal health services in southwest Iowa. Cass Health Chief Executive Officer Brett Altman said “Over the last three years, Cass Health has developed collaborative partnerships with Montgomery County Hospital in Red Oak, Iowa, and CHI Corning Hospital in Corning, Iowa, to continue to provide maternal health services in Montgomery County and Adams County. Cass Health has also collaborated with Adair County Health System in Greenfield, Iowa, to initiate a maternal health outreach clinic in Adair County.”

CCHS, Atlantic, IA

This regional partnership will provide women in these communities with maternal health services, including prenatal and postnatal care, that they would not have access to otherwise. Sustaining and growing OB outreach clinics in this rural region aim to reduce transportation and financial resource barriers. This will increase routine access to prenatal and postnatal care. “Cass Health is fortunate to be in a position where we can grow as a regional leader in obstetrics care, notably because of the outstanding team of physicians and nurses here and because of our partnerships with healthcare organizations in our region,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Kolton Hewlett.

As counties around Cass have ceased deliveries, Cass Health has increased deliveries as women and families travel to Atlantic for healthcare services. In 2022, Cass Health delivered 144 babies from 34 unique zip codes, representing fifteen counties across three states. Hewlett said “Over the next three years, Cass Health will use this grant funding to continue OB outreach services in Adair County, Adams County, and Montgomery County. We have also established an OB Navigator position which will be instrumental in expanding access to care. This role will navigate expecting parents through the health system, help coordinate care, and remove any barriers the patient may encounter by identifying critical resources.”

Iowa was recently ranked second in the nation among all states for the best health systems based on cost, access, and outcomes.  The other awardees are: 

Mahaska Health : Mahaska Health’s Centers of Excellence will offer services in the fourteen-county region of Jefferson, Appanoose, Davis, Iowa, Jasper, Keokuk, Lucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington. This project aims to improve access to high quality, specialty health care by creating regional hubs of medical expertise. Regional alliances exist in maternal care, obstetrics, and general surgery. This project will build upon these partnerships and expand them to cardiology and oncology. 

Van Buren County Hospital : Van Buren County Hospital’s Centers of Excellence will offer services in Van Buren, Davis, Jefferson and Lee counties. Local partners came together to form the Southeast Iowa Complex Care Network, which will focus on the needs of geriatric patients and will offer an innovative system of collaboration and managed care that will guide patients with complex care needs to all available resources, while simplifying access to services and delivering improved health outcomes. 

Each awardee will receive up to $250,000 per year for three years. Contracts will be established with each awardee later this month to begin this work. 

Hardin County, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa DCI Thursday, said officers in Ackley shot at a man during an incident that occurred at around 4-a.m., Thursday. After the Hardin County 9-1-1 center received a call about a person having a mental crisis in Ackley, a Hardin County Deputy and an Eldora Police Officer responded to the scene.

When law enforcement made contact with 22-year-old Cristian Alejandro Larios, of Ackley, he was brandishing a knife. A taser was deployed when Larios refused to cooperate, became combative, and assaulted law enforcement with the knife. Two officers then discharged their service weapons as Larios retreated into the basement of a home. The man was not struck by the discharged weapons.

Shortly thereafter, he was taken into custody. Larios was transported to the Hardin County Jail and charged with attempted murder. Authorities have not yet released the names of the officers involved in the shooting.

In addition to the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office and Ackley Police, Troopers with the Iowa State Patrol assisted at the scene.