Iowa drivers could be paying two dollars a gallon for gas by next year…that’s the word from GasBuddy. A slowing economy in China and the easing of sanctions against Iran could mean a big increase in oil supplies, which lowers prices.
The drop in oil prices appears to be inspiring more investment in factories, according to Bloomberg economists…which could benefit Iowa’s manufacturing sector. Investment in plants increase 64 percent over the past four quarters.
Scratch tickets have boosted the sales for the state’s lottery over the past year. Lottery sales are 3-and-a-half percent higher than this time last year, setting a new record at 212 million dollars.
A District Court judge in Boone County is reviewing materials and testimony before deciding whether to grant an injunction allowing Dakota Access reps to survey a Boone man’s property. Laverne Johnson doesn’t want the company’s proposed pipeline on his farmland, and is concerned about surveyors disrupting or damaging his drainage lines.
Governor Branstad has more than 5-thousand signatures on his desk on a citizen petition calling for him to keep the remaining two mental hospitals open. State rep Jo Oldson says she’s frustrated with the governor refusing to save the Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda mental hospitals…and this petition reflects that.
Another disease has popped up for Midwest farmers to worry about. University of Illinois researchers say symptoms of sudden death syndrome in soybeans appeared at their research center. ISU’s extension service says SDS is one of the 4 top yield-robbing diseases in the U-S, and the fungus that causes it is in many soils in Iowa.
Iowa’s board of regents is creating a new post with a base salary 85-thousand dollars higher than when an executive director can receive by law. U-I administrator Mark Braun has been tapped to be the interim chief operating officer for the board, with an annual salary of 240-thousand dollars.
The University of Iowa’s interim president is hoping his term will be short and free of controversy. Jean Robillard takes over tomorrow as Sally Mason retires. Robillard’s the vice president for medical affairs at U-I, and is leading a search committee for the new president.
Nicki Gross has been named an assistant coach with the Iowa Energy. She’s the only female to fill that role in the NBA D-League. The Memphis Grizzlies are Iowa’s NBA affiliate.
Donald Trump plans to be at the Iowa State Fair in a couple of weeks. The GOP presidential candidate reportedly wants to offer free helicopter rides to kids…as in, the kids would get to ride on the Sikorsky helicopter he used in the opening credits of “Celebrity Apprentice.” The fair says he won’t be able to do it on the fairgrounds.
