Broadband will be expanding in rural Iowa, courtesy of federal funding for CenturyLink. The tech firm is getting 500 million dollars a year for six years to extend the internet to well over a million rural homes and businesses in 33 states.… MORE
Category Archives: News Items
Tulane provost courts UI post
Another finalist for the next president of the University of Iowa post is on campus today. Michael Bernstein will meet with faculty and staff…as well as be part of a public forum with the community. He’s currently the provost of Tulane University.… MORE
Torch Morning News you can use 8-27:
Farmers are relieved by Monsanto’s decision to nix its plans to buy Syngenta. The deal would have meant the hybrid seed and herbicide maker would have controlled 45 percent of the global seed market, leaving Johnston-based Pioneer in a distant second place. USDA says farm income will be down for this year. The department estimates…… MORE
Iowa on alert for wildfowl with flu
Iowa will join a national effort to keep an eye on wild waterfowl for bird flu symptoms. Migrating birds are blamed for the outbreak that wiped out flocks at 70 poultry operations in the state. DNR is asking hunters to report any birds that look sickly or worse, and the areas where they’re found.… MORE
Torch Morning News you can use 8-26:
Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton will be in Ankeny today, talking about jobs and manufacturing. Clinton will appear at DMACC, close to the Deere and Company campus, as the company heads into contract talks with its union. Deere has seen a decline in farm equipment sales over the past year as crop prices declined. A federal…… MORE
Iowa workers value stability
When it comes to what Des Moines workers value most, it all boils down to job stability…that’s the upshot of a poll through an interactive art exhibit at the Iowa State Fair. The exhibit was from Workshift, a national good jobs campaign aimed at setting a new people-driven standard for good jobs.… MORE
Deere negotiates with UAW on new contract
Deere and Company has begun contract talks with the UAW on a new six-year labor agreement. The current contract expires at the end of next month. The talks come at a time when the company is seeing declining sales in its farm equipment because of the drop in crop prices.… MORE
Torch Morning News you can use 8-25:
Pavement created from soybeans? ISU dedicates a new pilot plant facility tomorrow to produce bio-polymers from soybean oil.The facility helps companies that want to eventually replace petroleum-based polymers in their asphalt paving products with bio-renewable polymers. The 5-million dollar facility took 18 months to design and construct. Des Moines will save nearly 4 million dollars…… MORE
Record-breaking year for state fair
The Iowa State Fair hit a record attendance rate this year. The fair this year drew in more than a million-117-thousand people, breaking the 2008 record of a million-80-thousand. Great weather, visiting politicians, high-profile music acts and the change in the school start date are all credited for the increase.… MORE
Torch Morning News you can use 8-24:
School has begun for dozens of central Iowa school districts, now that the state fair has ended. Marshalltown schools open tomorrow, Des Moines and Ankeny schools will be back in session on Wednesday, and Boone will return to class on Thursday. Iowa’s public schools may soon get a new computerized testing program. The state’s board…… MORE
