(Radio Iowa) – If you’ve been curious enough to taste Iowa-fried cicadas, you’ll have your chance this weekend. Ginny Mitchell, education program coordinator at the Iowa State University Insect Zoo, says one popular element of the annual “Bug Village” event is edible insects. Mitchell collected hundreds of the 13- and 17-year cicadas this spring which she plans to air-fry, sprinkle with seasoning, and serve to visitors to the Ames campus on Saturday.

Are insects “meat”? The issue of eating insects is subject of debate among vegetarians. Those who refuse to eat meat because of environmental reasons see the very small impact raising and eating insects has on the planet, so they may choose to consider insects as -not- meat, while other more strict vegans disagree. Whatever you call it, Mitchell says making a meal of insects can be extremely healthy.

While many of us may be hesitant to put an air-fried cicada in our mouths, no matter what sauce is on top, others are more adventurous. Mitchell has been studying — and eating — all sorts of insects for years and she plans to plate up a variety of cicada delicacies during the weekend event.

This spring, two broods of cicadas emerged in eastern Iowa (and across the Midwest) that had been slumbering underground 13 and 17 years. That simultaneous emergence only happens once every 220 years, so Mitchell took a four-day road trip to bag up hundreds of specimens of the six-legged creatures.

Others were using cicadas in tomato sauce over pasta, or even as a pizza topping. In addition to the edible insects at Saturday’s event in Ames, there will be a Bug Costume Contest and more than 150 species of living arthropods on display, with many available for hands-on inspection.

More info. at https://www.ent.iastate.edu/insectzoo/

(Radio Iowa)- A new state law to address chronic absenteeism requires notifying parents by certified letter if a student misses school for eight days in a semester. After additional absences, there must be an in-person meeting with a parent or guardian. Anne Discher, executive director of Common Good Iowa, says the most recent data shows absenteeism is remarkably widespread in Iowa schools.

Advocates of the new law say regular attendance at school is a habit that will carry over into adulthood — and much of what happens in a classroom cannot be learned through make-up work. According to a national group called Attendance Works, one in four Iowa students were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year. Discher says that means they missed 10 percent or more of school days, for any reason.

Discher is hoping more recent data could show improvement, but she says some students just haven’t reconnected with school after the pandemic.

For younger students, like kindergartners, Discher says figuring out what’s happening with the parents is key.

Discher has a child in a Des Moines high school and she says before school started the family of every incoming ninth grader was offered an in-home visit from someone on the school’s staff.

Under Iowa law, if a student misses 20 percent of school days in a semester, a meeting of the student, a parent or guardian and the county attorney will be scheduled.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa delegates to the Democratic National Convention cast their votes in a ceremonial roll call last (Tuesday) night. Party officials announced earlier this month that the Iowa delegation was unanimously supporting Harris as their party’s presidential nominee, but the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party’s Arab American Caucus voted present last night. All the other Iowa delegates supported the Harris-Walz ticket. Each state chose an upbeat dance tune for their time in the spotlight. Rita Hart, the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, made the announcement as “Celebrate” by Kool and the Gang played.

Obama won Iowa in the 2008 and 2012 General Elections. Donald Trump carried the state in 2016 and 2020. Polls this year in Iowa have consistently shown Trump leading Joe Biden by a significant margin. Brian Jackson, a delegate from Solon, says having Harris at the top of the ticket could make a big difference.

Election Day is November 5th.

RHODES, Iowa — A teen from Marshall County died Tuesday afternoon, when the ATV he was driving collided with a pickup truck. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened southwest of Rhodes, at around 2:30-p.m.

An initial investigation determined 17-year-old Kehgun Borton, of Rhodes, was riding a 2006 Polaris 500 ATV westbound on 320th Street, when he crossed the center of the road. The ATV collided with an eastbound 2016 Chevy pickup driven by 41-year-old Jeremy Gukert, of Rhodes.

Borton was transported from the scene to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. Multiple agencies assisted at the crash site. The accident remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa  — Sixteen Iowa State Fair vendors have donated 6,000 pounds of surplus food to Food Bank of Iowa at the close of this year’s fair. (That’s half of last year’s 12,000 pounds, but not surprising given the fair attracted an all-time record number of visitors this year: 1,182,682.)

Food rescued is in addition to thousands of pounds of food donated by fairgoers on Sunday, Aug. 18. That will be sorted and weighed in the coming days. Emily Shearer, Food Bank of Iowa’s senior manager of food acquisition and advocacy said “With some vendors selling out of their most popular menu items by the last day of the fair, it only makes sense there would be fewer leftovers this year. We are grateful to these generous fair vendors who want to prevent waste as well as share food with neighbors facing hunger. We’re also thankful for our volunteers who helped pick up food today and collected donations from fairgoers at all the gates.”

Food Bank of Iowa has been collecting food that goes unsold at the Iowa State Fair since 2018. Among the food picked up by FBOI staff and volunteers Aug. 19, the majority was delivered immediately to metro partners Hope Ministries and Catholic Charities. 791 pounds of bulk Barksdale chocolate chip cookies (baked) will be frozen and repackaged at Food Bank of Iowa this week and placed on inventory for quick distribution across the 55 counties FBOI serves. In addition to cookies, other food items donated included:

• Fresh produce including peppers, limes, lettuce, tomatoes and onions
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Milk
• Cheese
• Assorted bread (pita, buns)
• Pulled pork

The USDA estimates up to 40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted every year. According to Feeding America, that equates to more than $473 billion in food thrown away every year. Food Bank of Iowa annually diverts more than 8.3 million pounds of food from the landfill.

Food Bank of Iowa photo

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Thanks to these Iowa State Fair vendors for allowing Food Bank of Iowa to rescue safe, wholesome food for Iowans facing food insecurity:

• Midwest Dairy
• Iowa Sheep Industry Association
• Iowa Pork Producers Association
• Jalapeno Pete’s
• West Des Moines United Methodist Church
• Biscuit Bar
• Veggie Table
• Stockman’s Inn
• JR’s SouthPork Ranch
• The Depot
• Iowa State Fair
• Versova
• Smith’s
• Fair Fare LLC
• Iowa State Fair General Store
• Brafford