Expect to shell out more for your gas this weekend…and maybe a dime more the week after that. State analysts say an explosion at a BP refinery in Indiana has pushed up the price at the pump in Iowa by 15 cents overnight. They expect next month, however, that prices will start falling and continue to fall till the new year.
Polk County sheriff’s deputies will be keeping a close eye on traffic around the state fairgrounds tonight. They want to make sure no one’s drinking and driving and endangering the public. They recommend designated drivers for those who want to enjoy imbibing while at the fair.
Des Moines police are looking for a couple they think are responsible for a trio of late night cab robberies in the area. The male in all three cases was described as in his mid 20s, and made threats with a knife to the driver’s throat.
Sprint car racer Kevin Swindell is undergoing treatment and tests at Des Moines’ Mercy Hospital after his car flipped at the Knoxville Nationals. The car hit an outside wall and landed on its wheels at the World of Outlaws event yesterday.
The Ankeny Family YMCA Road Race is happening tomorrow. It begins at the Y on Ankeny Boulevard, starting at 8 AM, with 8K, 5K and one mile runs.
A George Washington impersonator kicked off the Iowa State Fair’s Register Soapbox speeches yesterday at the opening of the fair. Ron Carnegie played the very late president, and stressed his nonpartisan bent, also stressing the need for Iowans to be active and informed voters.
Iowa got a 3-million dollar grant from the feds to help up to 650 laid-off Deere and Company workers retrain for other jobs. Iowa Workforce Development is opening a transition center on Tuesday at Hawkeye Community College.
A small number of Deere employees stationed in China were among the injured when a pair of explosions rocked an industrial port. The city there had warned companies about making safety checks on their chemicals prior to the blasts.
Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are all expected to make appearances this weekend at the state fair. Trump will arrive by helicopter just outside the grounds and will field questions from reporters. He’ll also be visiting the butter cow.
CSPAN is bringing its presidential campaign bus tour to Ames today. Visitors can hop on and take a look at footage so far from the 2016 campaign. The bus rolls into the Iowa State Fair on Monday.
