Iowa’s farm industry is getting nervous about commodity prices remaining low this year…and farm lenders and ag economists say the outlook for agriculture could be more grim next year. Prices for corn have dropped 60 percent since 2012, but farmers are still paying rents that are 50 percent higher than seven years ago. A slight bump in prices last month may have kept some in the black.
USDA is helping farmers and rural companies pay for solar and other renewable energy projects to create jobs. USDA’s Lillian Salerno says their REAP grants also promote energy independence. The deadline for this round of grants is November 2nd.
The state of Iowa has been dismissed from a suit filed by Des Moines and two other cities over IDOT’s order to remove traffic cams from state highways. IDOT still remains in the suit. The judge also approved consolidating the suits into one case.
Traffic planners are trying to decide whether to use ramp meters to keep I-235 in Des Moines from clogging up and causing accidents. The busiest stretch of the interstate on the west side gets more than 127-thousand vehicles running across it daily.
Boone County is trying to dry out today after overnight flash flooding yesterday caused several street closures. The National Weather Service says Ames had more than 4-and-a-half inches of rain within four hours.
Emergency units did a drill over the weekend at Des Moines International Airport. Volunteers joined in a simulation of a plane crash, as search and rescue teams went to work and followed disaster protocol. The FAA requires all airports to do full-scale emergency drills every three years, so they’ll be prepared in the event of a real tragedy.
Ben Carson, Rick Perry and Bobby Jindahl stumped in Iowa over the weekend, in the wake of the Republican presidential debates. Carson says he saw a surge in his social media growth after his appearance on Thursday.
School officials across the state say keeping up-to-date textbooks and class materials in the school rooms has been a growing challenge as standards change and budgets tighten. Among the biggest challenge is the use of expensive laptops, tablets and computer programs as instructional tools.
Des Moines residents have some pretty good spending habits, according to the latest NerdWallet study…but not the best in the state. Sioux City ranked third nationally, Ottumwa ranked 13th, Cedar Rapids 16th, Waterloo 25th, and Des Moines 37th. That’s out of 265 cities across the country.
The Iowa State Fair opens this week, and artAbility is still looking for volunteers for its popular Carnival. The carnival features clever-artistic games that will require over 300 folks over 11 days to donate 4 hours of their day to help out a great cause. artAbility showcases the talents of those with disabilities.
