SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a passing truck driver rescued four children from a house fire in Sioux City. Firefighters were dispatched to the home a little after 10:30 p.m. Thursday. Police say the truck driver saw smoke coming from the house. He stopped, broke a house window and then helped the children get out to safety. Police say he left the scene before he could be treated for a hand injury.
The fire cause is being investigated.

(Radio Iowa) — A new report finds rural states like Iowa are still far behind in getting high-speed internet to all corners, which impacts the rate of growth and success. Johnathan Hladlik, policy director with the Center For Rural Affairs, says 31-percent of rural households lack access to broadband internet. He says that means those communities and their residents will be at an economic disadvantage. “We know as agriculture changes, as manufacturing changes, consistently we see micro-entrepreneurs and small business creation as being a key element to employment and strong economies in rural areas,” Hladik says. “Frankly, today, having broadband and high-speed internet is essential to a successful business.”

The center’s report, called “Map to Prosperity,” found of the more than 25-million households that lack access to broadband internet, 19-million of them are in rural areas. Hladik says coverage maps being used to determine how many people are covered in rural communities need to be re-written. “From 2011 to 2015, there was funding for each and every state to identify where broadband access existed,” Hladik says. “You could go in and you could know which addresses had broadband and which addresses did not have broadband. That was federal money that has since dried up.”

States that use less-effective methods to monitor coverage are bringing about large over-estimations about who’s covered. Hladik says that’s unacceptable when considering how much broadband can contribute to a state’s economy. “Increasing broadband access by 10% translates to an estimated 1% increase in gross domestic product,” he says, “and it shows that 80 new jobs are created for every additional 1,000 broadband users within a state or within a community.”

The center is pushing for legislation that will ensure better coverage for rural communities. Broadband is defined by the F-C-C as internet connections capable of 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) for download and 3 Mbps for upload speeds. More on the web at www.crfa.org

(Radio Iowa) — The wet weather and delayed has created problems for livestock producers who want to apply manure to fields this fall. The D-N-R’s Ken Hessenius says the rainfall has also helped fill up manure storage areas and finding a way to draw them down hasn’t been easy. “We’ve been getting a few phone calls already stating facilities are getting full, the crops aren’t out and the ground is saturated and they are either anticipating problems or maybe already having some problems — so yeah, we’re eharing all kinds of things out there,” Hessenius says.  He says there’s one easy solution they can hope for. “One of my favorites is get down and pray for nice warm, dry weather,” Hessenius says, “and actually we’re getting some of that — so that’s gonna help.”

He says there are some other things that can be done to keep full lagoons from overflowing.”You can look at some manure transfer. Maybe transfer between pits on facilities if you have some storage. Maybe look for some alternative fields if the one you are planning to put manure on hasn’t had the crops removed. Those are just a few off the top of my head,” Hessenius says. He advises you to take a look at your options and do something before it becomes a crisis. “The last thing we want to do is see these pits running over and causing problems with a nearby stream or something like that,” he explains.

That can end up doing environmental damage and be costly for producers. Hessenius says there will be issues even if the weather allows crops to be cleared out of fields that are targeted for manure. “We’re going to have some compaction out there and compacted soil and wet soil is just a bad combination for being able to uptake manure — which is 99 percent water,” Hessenius says. “Even normal manure application rates may be a problem — especially if you have some of those higher rates from dairy or sow. There may be a necessity to put on a little less so we don’t get runoff.”

Hessenius says the D-N-R can help you figure out a solution for your individual operation. “The problem with sending out a blanket statement is it just doesn’t work for everyone. Every facility is unique, every facility may have different options. Probably the best thing to do is just give your local field office a quick call,” Hessenius says.

Hessenius says the dry days will hopefully stretch out awhile and help ease some of the problems.

(Radio Iowa) — Republican Congressman Steve King says if Mexico fails to stop a caravan of asylum seekers from Central America who’re headed north, then President Trump must follow through on his threat to send troops to seal the southern border and prevent their entry in the United States. “It’s one of those promises that has to be kept,” King says. “I think about when Ronald Reagan said to the air traffic controllers: ‘You have a chance to come back to work, but if you don’t, I’m going to fire you.’ And some said: ‘He doesn’t have the nerve to do that,’ but Ronald Reagan had to do that if he wanted to maintain his presidency and this is one of those kind of circumstances, too.”

Recent reports indicate the caravan, which started in Honduras, has swelled to a group of four-thousand making their way through Guatemala. King says President Trump must also carry out his threat to end U.S. aid to countries along the migration route if the caravan reaches the U.S. border. “That adds up to quite a bit of money,” King says. “I think (Trump) should say further that we’ll redirect those funds into building a wall.” King, who is seeking a ninth term in the U.S. House, has long advocated building a wall along the southern border — and he has strongly opposed legislation to provide a pathway to citizenship or some sort of legal residency status for immigrants who’ve entered the country illegally. This past week, King sparked controversy by commenting on Canadian politics. King tweeted his endorsement of Faith Goldy, who’s running for mayor of Toronto. “I support her because she won’t back up, she takes a stand and she holds it and she has been badly abused by the establishment in Toronto,” King says.

King’s tweet, calling Faith Goldy “pro-Western Civilization” has drawn more than a thousand critical comments describing Goldy as a white nationalist and citing her comment that Canada is undergoing a “white genocide.” King says Goldy is a legitimate, “pro rule of law” candidate whose advertising wasn’t aired and who was not invited to debate the other two candidates running for mayor of Toronto. King says that’s a violation of her freedom of speech. “She has been completely muzzled,” King says, “and when I see that happen, I know that freedom has been damaged dramatically.”

King’s Democratic opponent, J.D. Sholten, of Sioux City, says “once again, Steve King spends more time supporting far-right leaders in other countries than he does focusing on the needs of the people of our district.”

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hy-Vee has recalled six meat and potato products for possible salmonella and listeria contamination. The company says the potential danger was discovered when McCain Foods, a Hy-Vee supplier, announced it was recalling its caramelized mushrooms and fire-roasted tomatoes, which are ingredients used in the Hy-Vee products.
No illnesses have been reported.
The Hy-Vee products are:
— Hy-Vee Bacon Wrapped Cowgirl Chicken Grillers — 8 ounce each, UPC Code 023092600000
— Hy-Vee Fire Roasted Tomato, Spinach, Mozzarella Twice Baked Potato — 5 ounce each, UPC Code 023755400000
— Hy-Vee Cowgirl Chicken Griller Patty — 6 ounce each, UPC Code 023100200000
— Hy-Vee Gourmet Steakhouse Mushroom & Swiss Burger — 6 ounce each, UPC Code 023168400000
— Hy-Vee Ground Beef Sliders Mushroom & Swiss — 2 ounce each, UPC Code 023164300000
— Hy-Vee Ground Beef Sliders Mushroom & Swiss — 12 count, 30 ounces, UPC Code 023266600000
The products have a “best if used by” date of Oct. 22, 2018, or sooner.
The items can be returned to Hy-Vee stores for a full refund.

Officials with the Iowa National Guard have announced 19-year old Private 1st Class Matthew A. Cox, of Leon, died while swimming at a Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB) beach Tuesday, October 16th. Cox, a member of the 186th Military Police Company, Iowa Army National Guard based at Camp Dodge, Johnston, Iowa, was deployed to Cuba in support of Joint Task Force-Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) at the time of his death.

PFC. Matthew A. Cox

Cox and four other service members were swimming at Cable Beach when he was overpowered by the strong current. NSGB dispatched first responders to the scene to begin search and rescue operations using divers, boats and aircraft. The operation continued until the afternoon of October 17, when searchers recovered his body. The four service members with Cox at the time of his death were not injured.

The search and recovery operation was a joint effort involving members of all military services including the U.S. Coast Guard, fire, law enforcement, and medical first responders from NSGB, Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay, and JTF-GTMO. An investigation is underway into the incident.

Cox was born in Des Moines. He was active in the Civil Air Patrol, Des Moines Police Explores and enjoyed farming with his grandparents, Fred and Linda Cox, near Leon. Cox enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard on October 11, 2017 as a Military Police Soldier with the 186th MP Co. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

Cox is survived by his parents, Jason and Beth Cox, and brother, Mark Cox, all of Hartford, Iowa.
Funeral arrangements are pending.

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

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) — Deidre DeJear is Iowa’s newest political star _ even if she hasn’t yet won an election. Cory Booker recently made his inaugural trip to Iowa by headlining a fundraiser for DeJear. Bernie Sanders will stump with DeJear on Sunday. And Kamala Harris will make her Iowa debut Monday alongside DeJear. Even by Iowa standards, this is a lot of attention being paid to a 32-year-old African American who was not yet won her campaign for secretary of state.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials at Des Moines’ Blank Park Zoo say the attraction’s youngest giraffe, Lizzy, has died, just weeks before what would’ve been her second birthday. The Des Moines Register reports that the zoo made the announcement Thursday; Lizzy died Tuesday. Officials say initial results from a necropsy showed the giraffe had ‘internal abnormalities” and had also recently suffered from a minor gastrointestinal illness that may have contributed to her death.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey says farmland prices are expected to continue their decline in parts of 10 Plains and Western states. The latest Rural Mainstreet survey shows that on average, bank CEOs in the region estimated farmland prices declined by 4 percent over the past 12 months. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Judicial Branch has started tracking a legal deadline for judge appointments amid uncertainty over whether Gov. Kim Reynolds made two picks on time. The governor has 30 days to appoint a judge once the names of finalists have been submitted by a nominating commission. The liberal blog Bleeding Heartland reported last month that Reynolds informed Judge Jason Besler of his appointment after the deadline. Now questions are being raised about the timing of a second appointment.

(Radio Iowa) — Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to be in Des Moines tomorrow (Friday) afternoon to campaign for Republican David Young, the incumbent in Iowa’s third congressional district. Cindy Axne, of West Des Moines, Young’s Democratic opponent, says Young should use the occasion to lobby Pence.

“I think it’s an opportunity for David Young, candidate David Young, to step up and be a congressman and ask this administration to put a stop to these junk health care bills that they’re putting together,” Axne says. In July, Young wrote a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to register his opposition to so-called “skinny” health plans that will not cover individuals with pre-existing conditions.

Young said people with serious illnesses need access to affordable policies. Axne says Young needs to go further and pledge to vote for legislation that would overturn the Trump Administration’s extension of what she calls “junk plans” that deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

“I hope he stands up and does what’s right,” Axne says. “He’s said on the trail as a candidate that he supports coverage of pre-existing conditions and that would be a step to do it.” Axne and Young are in a tight race in Iowa’s third congressional district. Pence will be making his second campaign stop for Young tomorrow (Friday). President Trump publicly endorsed Young at a rally in Council Bluffs last week.

(Radio Iowa) — Scores in Iowa are slipping on an exam used to measure the readiness of students for college. About 68-percent of Iowa students in the graduating class of 2018 took the ACT last year and they averaged a composite score of 21.8 out of 36. That’s slightly better than the national average score of 20.8, but the data released by the Iowa City-based ACT organization shows scores in Iowa have now dropped three years in a row.

The percentage of Iowa students meeting math benchmarks has dropped from 48 to 44-percent since 2014. Just 45-percent of Iowa students who took the test last year are considered ready for college-level science, according to the ACT report. Thirty-percent of 2018 graduates in Iowa met all four ACT college readiness benchmarks.

A total of 24,208 Iowa students took the ACT last year. Twenty-six (26) of those students posted perfect scores.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey says farmland prices are expected to continue their decline in parts of 10 Plains and Western states. The latest Rural Mainstreet survey shows that on average, bank CEOs in the region estimated farmland prices declined by 4 percent over the past 12 months. They expect farmland prices to fall by another 3.2 percent over the next 12 months.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the survey also shows the farm sector is being weakened by negative impacts of tariffs and low agriculture commodity prices.

The overall economic index for the region increased slightly to 54.3 from 51.5 in September. That score still suggests growth because it is above 50, while any score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.