The bird flu has hit one more time in the state, in Wright County. The last case was reported a week ago. While the outbreak has spiked the price of eggs and roasting turkeys, the ag department says it’s caused a dip in chicken prices, as countries restrict their poultry imports.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Jim Webb feels out Iowa support
Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb made several appearances in central Iowa the past few days, meeting with various voter groups and potential donors. The likely presidential contender for the Democrats first made a speech at the Urbandale Democrats’ Flag Day celebration on Sunday evening. He talked about his view of American veterans and the military,…… MORE
Torch Afternoon News 6-16: Ernst wants direct military aid to Kurds, Webb talks foreign relations, Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers still above flood level
Senator Joni Ernst wants the president to give direct aid to the Kurds in northern Iraq as they fight off ISIS. Ernst said this is an issue valuable to both sides of the aisle, and would give the president the option to work with the Iraqi government to equip the Kursdish Peshmerga. Ernst’s amendment, however, failed…… MORE
Trump declares candidacy
Donald Trump has officially declared his candidacy for president. He’ll be at Sherman Hoyt Place tonight at 6 PM. He touted the economy and jobs in his official announcement today.… MORE
TORCH MORNING NEWS YOU CAN USE:
It could be July 3rd before the state budget is put to bed. Governor Branstad made it clear, he’s not rushing into signing the spending plan approved by the legislature. The governor says his deadline is July 6th. Governor Branstad doesn’t think the elimination of the Iowa Straw Poll will hurt the state’s influence on…… MORE
Congressional delegation wants EPA to visit on RFS
Iowa’s Congressional delegation is pushing the EPA to host a public hearing in Iowa on the proposed Renewable Fuel Standard. The state produced nearly 3-point-8 billion gallons of ethanol and 230 million gallons of biodiesel, and the delegation would like the EPA to take notice.… MORE
Bird flu worst animal health emergency ever
The bird flu outbreak in Iowa ranks as the state’s worst animal health emergency, according to Iowa’s Ag Secretary. Bill Northey says it could cost federal and state agencies up to 300-million dollars for the cleanup, on top of the sizable losses for poultry producers.… MORE
Straw poll not impacting campaign train
The Iowa straw poll cancellation hasn’t slowed down the train of presidential hopefuls coming to the state; Jim Webb is in Des Moines today, Jeb Bush will be in Pella tomorrow, and Donald Trump is expected on June 27th. Trump could be announcing his candidacy today.… MORE
High school football playoffs cut in half
Not so many playoffs for Iowa high school football next fall. The state high school athletic association’s board of control reduced it from 32 to 16 teams for all football classes. They say they’re concerned about the safety of kids playing more than one game during a week. For this fall, the schedules stay as-is.… MORE
Torch Afternoon News 6-15: Ted Cruz coming to Iowa this week, Homemakers Furniture building again, Trails and roads closed due to flooding
Homemakers Furniture is building a new massive warehouse facility near its store in Urbandale. The furniture store says the new 120-thousand-square-foot project is meant to beef up its customer service sector…by allowing customers to get their merchandise quicker. This is the 6th major renovation for Homemakers since it opened its Urbandale store in 1985. More…… MORE
