QCA.news - Quad Cities news and view from both sides of the river

Insurance bill combining homeowners and auto regulation passes House, awaits Senate action

A bill that would give the Illinois Department of Insurance authority to review and approve rates for both homeowners and automobile coverage is advancing in the General Assembly.

MidAmerican proposed Illinois rate hikes could raise bills by about $24 a month by 2028

The request now heads to state regulators, where consumer advocates are expected to challenge the increase.

Silvis woman who helped boyfriend steal guns sentenced to federal prison

A Silvis woman who helped her boyfriend steal 15 guns from a house in Waterloo, Iowa, was sentenced on March 9 to more than three years in federal prison. Jena Lea Wells, 30, received the prison term after a Sept. 19, 2025, guilty plea to possession of stolen firearms, according to a news release. Information [...]

Judge says government's Anthropic ban looks like punishment

Tech company Anthropic, the maker of the Claude AI system, is suing the Trump administration over the government labeling it a "supply chain risk."

An air traffic controller was juggling extra roles during the LaGuardia plane crash

The National Transportation Safety Board said it has concerns about air traffic controllers who work the midnight shift taking on extra work in an airspace as busy as LaGuardia's.

QC man looks to bring back the spark of the historic Moline Orpheum Theater

It's the 1950s in Moline. A long line draws down the sidewalk of Fourth Street. About 600 people eagerly waiting their turn to find their seat in the Moline Orpheum Theater on a Friday night to see the latest hot movie release from Hollywood. Felix Vallejo says many people in the neighborhood now known as [...]

North 11th Street in Clinton closed temporarily

North 11th Street in Clinton is closed between 12th Avenue North and 11th Avenue North to allow crews to perform necessary patch work, a news release says. The closure will remain in place through Wednesday morning. Drivers are asked to use alternate routes and exercise caution when traveling near the work zone. For questions or [...]

Slim chance for strong t'storms Thursday in Quad Cities

After some quiet weather (since the blizzard,) we're looking at a chance for some t'storms Thursday. A few of the storms could be strong SE of the Quad Cities. The biggest risk would be large hail. The front that delivers this chance for storms also works to drop the temperature for Friday. We'll go from [...]

Utility vehicle believed to be cause of home fire

Dubuque County Sheriff’s officials believe a utility vehicle caused a house fire Tuesday afternoon.

Resentencing set for perpetrator convicted in 2005 killing of East Moline teen

One of the people convicted in the 2005 murder of 16-year-old Adrianne Reynolds will return to Rock Island County court this summer for resentencing.

Illinois bill could help regulate homeowner and car insurance

A bill in Illinois that would give more authority to regulate homeowner and car insurance is advancing. Senate Bill 1486 passed the House last week. It needs a vote in the Senate before being sent to Gov. JB Pritzker. The call for regulating homeowners insurance rates came last summer after State Farm Insurance announced a [...]

Proposed MidAmerican rate increase faces pushback in Illinois

Residents in Illinois could soon see higher utility bills as MidAmerican Energy Company proposes a rate increase.

Longtime QC political strategist, community leader dies at 91

A Quad Cities community leader known as a political strategist and a public-policy advocate has passed away, according to her obituary on the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home website. She was born Feb. 7, 1935 and died March 17, 2026, at the age of 91, her obituary says. A celebration of life will be held from 3-6 [...]

St. Ambrose University to welcome influential cardinal as keynote speaker for conference

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is the former Master of the Dominican Order and was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2024.

Moline High teachers hosting feminine hygiene products for students in need

From now through March 27, you can donate pads, tampons, new bras and underwear to help not only students at Moline HS, but also the Third Place QC nonprofit.

SPARK program offers full tuition, job security at Hammond-Henry Hospital

Qualifying students can receive full tuition assistance, paid clinical hours and four years of guaranteed employment at the Geneseo hospital. Here's how to apply.

Moline Public Library opens seed library

You don't even need a library card to receive seeds! The library has growing instructions on its website.

New Mexico jury says Meta harms children's mental health and safety, violating state law

The jury agreed that Meta engaged in "unconscionable" trade practices that unfairly took advantage of the vulnerabilities of and inexperience of children. Jurors found there were thousands of violations, each counting separately toward a penalty of $375 million.

Death Notice: Brian Zimpleman

A funeral service for Brian Zimpleman, 79, of Osage Beach, Mo., formerly of Eldridge, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 27, at Middle Amana Church, Amana. Visitation will be Thursday, March 26, from 4-7 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home, Marengo. Mr. Zimpleman died Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Osage Beach. Memorials may be made to the family in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be made at www.powellfuneralhomes.com. An obituary will appear in the April 1 edition of The NSP. 

Partial closure on Highway 20 in Jo Daviess County to start April 13

The closure is between the west limits of Stockton and Logemann roads and will begin April 24.

Hammond-Henry Hospital launches new program to support future healthcare workers

The SPARK program will offer full tuition assistance to qualified students, as well as paid clinical hours and a four-year employment commitment at Hammond-Henry.

West Liberty Elementary School receives $50,000 ‘Cash for Classrooms Grant’ to complete inclusive playground

The project is expected to be completed by November 2026.

Davenport Schools discuss demolition of 2 100 year old buildings

The Davenport School Board has a decision to make as two red brick buildings at the intersection of Brady Street and East 36th Street

Teachers at Moline High School organize feminine hygiene drive

Donations to the feminine hygiene drive will be accepted through March 27.

Man shot in Rock Island; one suspect arrested, second remains at large

A 46-year-old man was shot in Rock Island on Saturday, March 21. One suspect has been arrested, while a second suspect remains at large, police said.

Quad City International Airport holds donation drive for TSA agents

About 500 TSA agents have walked off the job since the start of the partial government shutdown, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Iowa absentee ballots now available

A written application for an absentee ballot must be sent to your county auditor's office if you'd like to receive one.

Donation drive being held to support Quad Cities TSA workers

Donations will be accepted Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Grow a garden with the Davenport Public Library

Mary, Mary, quite contrary - how does your garden grow? Even if you don't have a 'green thumb,' the Davenport Public Library has all the resources to help! Tessa Wallace joined Our Quad Cities News to talk about what's 'growing' on at the Davenport Public Library. For more information, click here.

Davenport man charged after stabbing during Sunday altercation

A Davenport man is accused of stabbing another person during an altercation. The victim’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Quad City Symphony Orchestra presents Violins of Hope

The Quad City Symphony Orchestra is bringing musical history to life in schools across the QCA. Brian Baxter joined Our Quad Cities News to talk about the orchestra's partnership with Violins of Hope. For more information, click here.

Hearing set for Fisher’s self-filed motions in Trudy Appleby case

The motions will be heard at 10 a.m. on April 17.

3 men arrested after Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigation into theft at township building

Three men have been arrested and charged after the Lee County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation into a theft report.

Death Notice: Joyce Lund Mears

A graveside funeral service for Joyce Lund Mears will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 11, at Salem Lutheran Cemetery in Princeton. Following the graveside ceremony, a celebration of life luncheon will be held at Three 33 in Princeton from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Ms. Lund Mears died Nov. 11, 2025. Online condolences may be made at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com. A full obituary will appear in the April 1 edition of The NSP. 

Scott County proposed budget would raise rural tax levy rate 15 cents, keep urban rate flat

The county will hold a public hearing on the proposed tax levy Thursday, March 26, at 5:45 p.m.

This is why Iowa candidate gets another day to prove he should be on the ballot

A state panel will not allow three Iowa candidates to appear on the ballot, agreed to allow another candidate to appear on the ballot, and decided to delay its decision regarding gubernatorial candidate, Eddie Andrews.

Tuesday’s adoptable pet: Meet Mama’s Boy

Nicholson said Mama’s Boy is goofy, loves treats and is super friendly.

Man arrested after shooting investigation in rural Henderson County

The investigation remains ongoing and additional charges may be pending.

Saddle Up for Summer: American Classics Await in Lincoln

  (Feature Impact) Each June, hundreds of baseball players travel the “Road to Omaha” to play on college baseball’s championship stage. That sport’s pilgrimage pales in comparison to the number of athletes headed slightly west of there a few weeks later.    More than 1,700 student athletes – more than any high school championship in America – will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete in the National High School Finals Rodeo July 19-25.   For many contestants, the world’s largest rodeo is their last stop before they turn pro.   “The caliber of these young athletes is beyond what most people can even imagine,” said Kendra Ronnau, Lancaster County Agricultural Society Board president. “The All-Around Cowboy and All-Around Cowgirl from last year will likely be back as seniors defending their titles. It’s also highly probable we’ll see the 2025 Trap Shooting Champion, who didn’t shoot one perfect round; he shot two.”   The event delivers seven days of excitement at the Sandhills Global Event Center (SGEC) complex with rodeo competition in all the traditional events, including bull riding, barrel racing, team roping and more. Those who love patriotic pageantry can also see the largest gathering of rodeo queens in the world compete for one crown. Plus, the region’s largest Western trade show is open for shoppers to explore throughout the event – no ticket required for trade show entry.   Ron Bohaty, SGEC managing director, said there’s truly something for everyone in Lincoln.   “The facilities for our athletes and fans, a central location and a city full of surprises makes Lincoln an ideal host for this event,” he said. “It’s a big city with small city charm so everyone feels right at home.”   Lincoln’s easy interstate access and more than 5,000 hotel rooms, nearby camping and more than 900 restaurants make it an affordable and accessible destination. Consider these additional entertainment options that make it a perfect location for a summer vacation.   Historic Downtown Anchored by the towering Nebraska capitol building, downtown Lincoln and its popular Historic Haymarket District offer a lively yet relaxed ambiance with plenty of restaurants and shops to entice visitors.   University of Nebraska Fan favorites at Nebraska’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Nebraska, include the Larsen Tractor Test & Power Museum, Memorial Stadium, Botanical Garden and Arboretum, Sheldon Art Museum and the Dairy Store, offering locally sourced, handmade ice cream created by students.   Miles of Trails The Lincoln area makes exercising by yourself or with travel companions easy with more than 185 miles of trails, including a 2.6-mile bridle path in Pioneers Park.   Must-See Museums Among the internationally acclaimed museums in Nebraska’s capital city are the International Quilt Museum, with the largest quilt collection in the world, and the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed, voted “Best Motor Racing Museum in the Country” by “Newsweek” readers.   Start planning your summer trip to Lincoln by visiting nhsfrlincoln.org.

Cuba sends doctors on medical missions. The U.S. isn't a fan

It's a major source of revenue for the island. And it's controversial. Now countries are sending Cuban doctors home in response to pressure from the Trump administration.

1 arrested, 1 wanted, 1 injured after Saturday Rock Island shooting, police say

Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Rock Island Police Department at 309-732-2677.

Quad Cities International Airport hosting donation drive for local TSA agents working without pay

QCIA said it currently has 48 uniformed TSA officers and six managers/support staff working without pay.

North Scott FFA students drive tractors to school for National Ag Day

The “Drive Your Tractor to School” event is designed to teach younger students about farming and agriculture.

Look for eggs at Bethany + Bridgview Easter Egg Hunt

Quad City families can celebrate spring at Bethany + Bridgeview’s QC Easter Egg Hunt on March 29th from 1 – 3 p.m. at Modern Woodmen Park, 209 S. Gaines Street in Davenport. Gates and the Kid Zone open at 12:30 p.m. Click here to register or contact Christina McNamara, Director of Development and Communication at [...]

Sabbath: “Long Live Ozzy,” April 3

A full-throttle tribute to the music, madness, and legacy that defined heavy metal, Long Live Ozzy lands at East Moline venue The Rust Belt on April 3, with tribute band Sabbath delivering bone-crushing riffs and haunting as they lovingly re-create the sound, spirit, and stage presence that made Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne legendary.

Davenport School Board considers adding preschool to the JB Young Center

To hold preschool classes at the JB Young Center, the Davenport School District estimates the facility would need $5.8 million in renovations.

Kelly Moran, April 4

Hailed by A Closer Listen as "an incredibly versatile performer whose music straddles the categories of ambient, electronic and modern composition," lauded pianist Kelly Moran of Warp Records headlines an April 4 concert at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox, this special event supported by the Illinois Arts Council and featuring an additional set by lauded guest musician Randall Hall.

Senate confirms Trump's pick for new role of fraud enforcement at Justice Department

The confirmation comes just days after the White House announced details of its own task force to pursue fraud in government programs.

Ballyhoo!, April 8

Reggae-rock and punk musicians from Aberdeen, Maryland, who have opened for the likes of 311, Dirty Heads, Tribal Seeds, and Slightly Stoopid, the touring talents of Ballyhoo! headline an April 8 concert at Rock Island's RIBCO, their most recent album Shellshock boasting the participation of fellow reggae-rock artists The Elovaters, HIRIE, Iya Terra, Kyle Smith and Tropidelic, and their home-state friends of Bumpin Uglies.

CJ Parker Album-Release Show, April 3

A beloved area native who plays keyboard with local band Fair Warning and sings with 10 of Soul, 24-year-old music phenomenon CJ Parker headlines an April 3 concert at Rock Island's RIBCO in support of his forthcoming album MOVE, the night also boasting a live recording session and performance by rising Illinois singer/songwriter Charlotte Blu.

The Go Rounds, April 7

Recipients of WYCE Jammy Awards for Best Alternative Album (whatever you may be) and the band that's "Most Fun to Watch," the Michigan-based indie/psych-rock band The Go Rounds headline an April 7 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Paste raving that the musicians "are bringing a head-clearing common sense to the sometimes senseless head-banging of rock ‘n’ roll. Or maybe they’re here to exterminate cynicism."

Spring Craft Show returns to QCCA Expo Center with 125 vendors

The event will feature handmade items, seasonal décor, gifts and specialty products from artisans and small businesses across the region.

One arrested, one wanted after Rock Island shooting Saturday afternoon

Rock Island police found a 46-year-old man shot in the abdomen on Saturday, March 21.

12-day closure planned for U.S. 20 in Jo Daviess County

A 12-day closure of U.S. 20 near Stockton begins April 13 for culvert work, with a posted detour in place through April 24.

“Killers of Kill Tony,” April 3

With the scheduled lineup boasting the talents of David Lucas, Hans Kim, Timmy No Brakes, and Martin Philips, one of the world's most popular live podcasts becomes a live touring sensation in Killers of Kill Tony, its April 3 stop at Davenport's Adler Theatre treating audiences to a night with comedians who have graced the Kill Tony stage their with wit, humor, and unique comedic styles and characters.

The Israeli military wants several more weeks to fight Iran war, officials say

The Israeli military estimates it would need several more weeks of fighting to complete its war goals in Iran, at a time when President Trump says the U.S. is negotiating an end to the war.

Fire reported near Thomson prison

Developing.

Mary Mack, April 3

With Jake Kroeger of The Comedy Bureau calling her album Pig Woman "especially mischievous and fun" with a "down-to-earth, Midwestern zeitgeist," touring comedian Mary Mack, on April 3, brings her signature standup set back to the Tomfoolery on Tremond series at Davenport's Renwick Mansion, the artist known for her work in television, on radio, and in comedy albums, including her most recent recording Perm Day.

One wanted in connection with weekend Rock Island shooting

Police in Rock Island have made one arrest and are looking for another suspect in a shooting over the weekend. A news release from the Rock Island Police Department said officer responded to the 1600 block of 12th Street on March 21 at about 2:06 p.m. after receiving reports of shots fired. Officers found a [...]

Man shot in Rock Island; one suspect arrested, second remains at large

A 46-year-old man was shot in Rock Island on Saturday, March 21. One suspect has been arrested, while a second suspect remains at large, police said.

“Robert Ridgway: Illinois' Bird Man,” April 9

His research having transformed the field of ornithology, leading to the evolution of bird-watching from a hobby to scientific discipline, noted "Bird Man' Robert Ridgway will be celebrated in an April 9 program at the Rock Island Public Library's Downtown Branch, with renowned storyteller and author Brian “Fox” Ellis presenting a first-person impression of the Illinois legend and the story of his lifelong work at the Smithsonian Institution.

“Breadcrumbs,” April 9 through 12

Hailed by Broadway World as "an endearing and humanly sound story that we didn't realize we needed more than ever," playwright Jennifer Haley's Breadcrumbs enjoys an April 9 through 12 run at Augustana College's Honkamp Myhre Black Box Theatre.

“Palimpsest” and “The Edge of Light,” April 3 through May 30

Two gifted, thought-provoking Midwestern artists will showcase their most recent works in a pair of April 3 through May 30 exhibits at Dubuque's Voices Studios venue, with stunning examples of the power of photography on view in Randall Richmond's Palimpsest in the Voices Gallery and Amy May Laskye's The Edge of Light in the Joan Mulgrew Gallery.

Her mother murdered her father in an infamous case. Now, she's telling her own story

Lucille Miller was convicted of killing her husband in 1965. Now her daughter Debra reflects on her own traumatic childhood and its lingering effects in The Most Wonderful Terrible Person.

Three arrested in Dixon diesel theft

Three people have been arrested in Lee County after deputies said they removed diesel fuel from the Nelson Township Building in Dixon to use in a gasoline-powered truck and tried to hide the evidence. A news release from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office says deputies investigated a theft at the township building. An investigation determined [...]

Historic Hewitt family tree removed from TPC Deere Run

The tree planted on Friendship Farm's green was named in honor of the William A. and Patricia Hewitt family.

North Scott Press — March 25, 2026

Just a few bushels more

\With the arrival of spring, there will soon be a flurry of outdoor activity. But animals aren’t the only lumbering beasts awakening. Fire up the tractors and put last week’s snowfall firmly in the rearview. It’s planting season. While their equipment may have been resting, growers have hardly been sitting on their hands all winter. Agriculture is still a full-time job, even after the crop has been harvested and delivered. The hours may be nominally shorter, but there’s still maintenance and Farm Bureau meetings, economic outlook meetings and seminars to attend. And growers have got to take some time to meet with their team: a myriad of folks selling seed, equipment, chemicals and more. It’s all in pursuit of the big goal: How can I get just a few more bushels than last year? That comes down to the right source, right rate, right time and right place. In other words, agronomy. Agronomy is the science of soil management and crop production. It’s about growing crops efficiently, sustainably and profitably, while protecting the soil and the environment. It integrates everything from pest control to soil health to seed hybridization. And Shane Dierickx and Corbin Suiter could spend all day talking about it. Suiter is an agronomist/applicator at Liqui-Grow in Eldridge. He got his start interning with the company while he was a student at North Scott High School and Muscatine Community College, where he earned a degree in agricultural business. A member of the North Scott FFA, Suiter received his American Degree last fall. And it was in FFA that he first became interested in agriculture sales. That’s how he met Dierickx and eventually stepped into Dierickx’s place at Liqui-Grow. Dierickx is also a North Scott alum, and graduated from Iowa State University in 2020, also with a degree in ag business. He said he’s at least a fourth-generation farmer and now works with his dad Pat on the family farm, Pride of the Wapsi, in rural Long Grove. He said he learned a lot from his dad, whose career in ag started during the farm crisis of the 1980s. As Pat worked through the difficulty of trying to find a place in farming, he also went to work in sales, starting for what would become FS in Eldridge. Throughout his career he also worked for Garst, Bayer and finally AMVAC. After Pat retired from AMVAC in October, Shane took over his sales territory. But before that, Dierickx worked for Liqui-Grow. About four years ago, North Scott FFA instructor Emily Kruse asked him to come in and help prepare students for an ag sales competition. Dierickx agreed and had the students present their sales pitches to him so he could provide feedback. Suiter was the last to present. “He did a phenomenal job,” said Dierickx. “I couldn’t hardly say no. Honestly, he was so good. I literally said, word for word, I don’t want to have to sell against you, so I want you to come work for Liqui-Grow.” Suiter started at Liqui-Grow the summer after high school and continued during the two-year program at Muscatine Community College, which has built-in opportunities for internships. Following his internships, Suiter was hired as an applicator and now is shifting into an ag sales job. After Dierickx left for AMVAC, Suiter took on about half of his accounts. How agronomists help growers Suiter said agronomy can help growers increase yields and use tools like fertilizer and water more efficiently, as well as manage pests and diseases. All of this helps maintain soil health and protect the land. Dierickx said helping growers be good stewards of the land is one of the most important factors of agronomy. “It’s really the science of producing plants – whether that plant is corn, beans, cotton. Or if it’s pumpkins or sunflowers, peppers, tomatoes, you name it. So, while we do that, we have to make sure that we put the nutrients back into the soil that we’re taking out.” There’s even a historical component to agronomy – consider the Dust Bowl of the 1920s. The drought at the time was compounded by poor farming practices, where the ground was overworked and overfarmed, and the soil wasn’t properly taken care of. Farming practices changed dramatically in the wake of the Dust Bowl, and growers are now more forward-thinking. And that’s something that Suiter keeps in mind. “Another big thing is just protecting the land for future generations, too. Because, a lot of farmers, as they get older, in 10 or 20 years, they won’t be doing this anymore. Someone has to take over that farm. Keeping the soil in good health is something that, for a lot of farmers, is very important to them.” Dierickx said that’s one of many lessons he’s learned from his dad over the years. “He always instilled in me that being a good steward of the land is wanting to make sure that there’s land to farm if I have kids or grandkids and they want to farm.” Suiter is working with a customer in the Princeton area. While his children aren’t so interested in farming, he has a grandson that has become interested in agriculture as a potential career. “We have to make sure that there’s land to farm, so that if Carter wants to farm, he can,” said Dierickx. But as growers consider their land, they also have to balance being a good steward with profitability for their farm. “We could go out and recommend 10,000 treatments, and they could grow 1,000 bushel corn or 500 bushel beans, but if they’re only making 10 cents per acre because of all those treatments, it just doesn’t end up panning out unless they are an astronomically large farmer,” said Dierickx. “And even then, not so much.” “A big thing is balancing those outputs with inputs,” said Suiter. “I think success in my job is very much correlated to the farmer’s success. If I’m out here pushing all these fufu juices and everything else and making them spend a lot more money on things that maybe aren’t going to help increase their yield, then they’re not going to be able to make a profit. “Seeing the farmer succeed means that I’m doing my job well.” Working on goals The winter months can be just as important as crop season for growers. Economic impact summits give an outlook on the potential global marketplace over the next 12 months. This can also help determine what crops get planted. Growers also spend a lot of time looking at their yields from the recently ended harvest and determining what methods may have worked better than others. Suiter said he often finds himself having sit-down meetings with many of his customers. “There’s always a conversation had after harvest, going over everything – what worked, what didn’t work, what do we need to do next year? That’s kind of the big overview conversation, and then during those winter months, it’s where you talk about, ‘Hey, this is kind of new. Are you interested in trying it?’” Dierickx said the winter months are also about building relationships. “You get to hear about the family; you get to hear about their kids or their grandkids. Because, what’s the average age of a farmer anymore? Sixty something? So, you get that opportunity to build the relationship with these guys and learn – ‘Hey, I was shooting for 210. We got 208, really close to the goal. But that two extra bushels could have gotten me the opportunity to spend a little more time with my kids.’ And then you get to understand, why is the yield goal 210.” “That’s one of the best parts of doing what we do,” agreed Suiter. “We get to meet all of these people and it’s just all of these relationships that you get to build and grow throughout the years. It’s not always just about selling things. It’s about building that relationship, learning about people, and developing friendships and relationships through it all.” Taking the time to build relationships pays off during the busy days when the crop is in the field. “It’s a lot of teamwork, too,” said Dierickx. “When these guys go into busy season, it’s Execute Mode only. You have to have the trust built between you and your customer, you and your applicator, you and your manager, any other kind of co-workers. And if they haven’t properly used that time in the winter to build this relationship and that trust, things can get tough. It does get tough. Because you’re working for, honestly, 54 days straight. No rain in the forecast, there’s always work to be done.” “Working 17-plus hours a day. It gets really tiring,” added Suiter. He described the Eldridge Liqui-Grow location as “kind of a family. Everybody looks out for each other; everybody helps each other out. If I have a breakdown, then I know when I get back, the guys are going to be waiting there with all the tools out, ready to help fix it. It’s not every man for himself. It’s one big team. “And that’s something that I tell growers, too. Yes, I’m the face that you’re going to see when somebody comes out and talks. But when you’re working with me, or you’re working with another salesman, you have an entire team behind us that’s looking out for you as well. It’s definitely them family kind of feeling that I get in the relationships with my co-workers and everything. And it makes me excited to go back to work every day, because I know that we’re going to have fun together. We’re going to make the most of it.  Yeah, it sucks and we’re all going to get tired, but we’re all going to look out for each other and help each other out.” New technology advances One technology that ag manufacturers have been working on is the seed tube. “The seed tube delivers the seed from the planter box down to the furrow, which is the V cut into the ground, where the seed goes before it gets covered up,” explained Dierickx. He said a factor that manufacturers like Deere, Kinze and Case are all trying to work on is how to get the corn planted so the pointed part of the seed (the tip cap) goes in facing down.    “That’s what’s going to give the quickest emergence, and the best opportunity for your coleoptile to go up and your radicle to go down,” said Dierickx. “Because your radicle becomes your roots, and your coleoptile becomes your actual plants and leaves, specifically for corn. And they’ve found that if you can get that to happen, it’ll emerge from the ground 24 hours faster than if you got it planted upside down. “Where do the next 10 bushels come from? That’s the question. How do you take this ground from 200 bushel ground to 210, without costing yourself the equivalent of 12 bushels.” Crop mapping is also a technology that has been emerging within the last five years. While there are several companies exploring the technology, Suiter has been specifically working with John Deere equipment. He and a grower go out into a field on a side-by-side and record boundaries and waterways. That information is sent to John Deere Ops Center from their computer, and a map is created. The data from the map is then input and sent to sprayer rigs using Exact Apply, which is individual nozzle control. “There’s 71 nozzles on a sprayer,” said Dierickx. “Say you’re driving through a waterway, and the waterway is at an angle and you’re driving into it square. It’ll shut off the nozzles individually as you get into the waterway, and as soon as you get out of the waterway, it’ll turn them back on.” Nozzle technology has also improved significantly over the years. Dierickx said it used to be that the nozzles on the entire boom had to be turned off. But gradually, more precision has been added. “A lot of what these machines are capable of doing when they get into these mapped fields is, they no longer have to outline waterways,” said Suiter. “If you have Roundup or something and you spray it through those waterways, you’re going to kill it and you’re going to make the farmer pretty mad. Before Exact Apply, and the machines that aren’t equipped, you’re driving around these waterways and outlining them, which is less efficient. “Then, when you’re going around the waterways, you have to run over a little bit of crop going around it – which, the farmer understands that’s what has to be done – but now you can reduce running over crop with just being able to go straight through waterways, because it’ll shut off automatically.” “It decreases your overspray,” said Dierickx. “It also decreases your time in the field, which ends up decreasing the amount of diesel burned, which decreases your emissions. There’s a lot of good things. Because I can confidently tell you, no one wants to use more of anything if they don’t have to, because it becomes more expensive.” Suiter said Liqui-Grow is also working on technology to maximize fertilizer efficiency, by promoting uniform application of chemicals. “Putting the fertilizer where the crop needs it, not just blanket, throwing it all out onto the field. Really trying to put a concentrated band of fertilizer where the crop needs it.” That system is Exact Strip, which also uses GPS to exactly locate where chemicals need to be sprayed. John Deere also has a system called See and Spray, which uses artificial intelligence to help distinguish weeds from plants. Dierickx said there’s also a greater push for environmental protection to help preserve vital ecosystems. “These retailers and these growers are listening. They are doing those things. Especially around here, split applying nitrogen. Nitrogen can come in a lot of forms, but it all ends up in the nitrate form, which is what gets in the water system. Split applying it helps a tremendous amount … not only does it help keep it from going in the water, it’s better for the plant. “These guys are trying to be good stewards of the land, not just because the government says so. Because it ends up returning better money for them and because they want to see this world continue to grow.” Getting back in the field With last week’s snow melting away, growers were aiming to start getting back in the fields this week – Suiter estimated March 23. Dierickx said the snow might have actually helped get some additional subsoil moisture back into the ground. With the wet ground and the soil starting to warm back up, “We want to get out there, put our spring fertilizer on and get geared up to put our pre-emerge chemical on,” said Suiter. Once the crop goes in the ground, a strict timeline starts to emerge with the plants. Certain chemicals can’t be sprayed once the crop starts growing or reaches a certain height. While the optimal soil temperature for corn and soybeans is between 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit at two inches deep, they can germinate at a minimum of 50 degrees, if the soil has been that temperature for at least three days. Crops can be planted in colder soil, but they can go into what Dierickx described as a “hibernation mode” and won’t germinate until the soil warms up adequately. “The longer a plant stays in the ground, its yield can go down,” he said. “The faster you can get it up and out of the ground and evenly emerged.” Youth in agriculture As younger ag professionals, Dierickx and Suiter have also gotten a first-hand view of some of the challenges faced by the industry. But that’s not a bad thing, they say. “You get quickly exposed to real world challenges that farmers face, and you get to find solutions to them,” said Suiter. “The culture tends to be collaborative … so even as somebody new, or somebody young, you get to learn from experienced agronomists, all over, at different locations. You get to pick their brains, and you get to bring your perspectives to the table as well.” He said there are some generational differences with growers now. “If I go out and talk to a grower who’s 65 or 70 years old, we’re going to have a different conversation than when I talk to a new farmer who’s maybe in their 30s. There’s that generational gap. People from different generations expect different things.” He and Dierickx pointed to the emergence of agricultural influencers on social media. “A 70-year-old farmer isn’t going to be influenced by TikTok videos or YouTube videos,” said Suiter. “Liqui-Grow puts out their L.E.A.D. Academy videos, and maybe somebody who is in their 30s is going to be more receptive to that. It just kind of goes into the way that you’re going to work with your growers and understanding that there’s going to be generational gaps and what they tend to prefer when it comes to their farming practices or the way to reach out to them and how to work with them is a little bit different.” Dierickx said there’s also a lot to learn about the ag industry, and there’s a certain amount of pressure knowing that farming is an expensive endeavor. “As inputs go up, you’re dealing with hundreds of thousands of dollars for one person …  as inputs continue to go up, millions of dollars for one person. And the amount of stress that can go with that, because if you make a wrong decision – you spray your bean treatment too late, you kill the whole field. That could be $100,000 for one field. So, there’s a lot of pressure to get it right every single time. There are just so many things you have to keep track of, and you’re going 1,000 miles per hour.” Suiter said that’s what’s helpful about working in a collaborative environment, especially where he can rely on other agronomists and ag professionals. “Nobody wants to see you sink or fail. Everybody wants to watch you succeed as well. And so, they’re going to do what they can to help.” “You can’t understate the community aspect, the family aspect of people that just want to watch you succeed,” said Dierickx. “It can be pretty nerve-racking when you’re working with a fourth or fifth generation farmer and you make a mistake that could bankrupt them. Especially in the next three years – I don’t think it’s going to get any easier in the next three years. But the fact that you have people that want to see you succeed is a silver lining in the cloud.” Dierickx and Suiter said now is a great time for a young person to consider going into agriculture. Suiter said there are tremendous learning opportunities in all facets of the industry. “All of these older people that are farming, at some point, they’re going to retire, and we’re going to need a new flood of young agronomists, young farmers to take over and be educated and knowledgeable about farming practices, and have an understanding of how to use new technologies that are coming in. There’s that incentive of just so much to be able to learn – whether it’s how to run a sprayer or how to run a planter or a combine, or learn the basics of the chemistries of the chemicals or fertilizers and what it takes to grow a good crop.” Dierickx pointed out the opportunities at the Regional Innovation Center in Eldridge, including the rapidly expanding diesel mechanics program through Eastern Iowa Community College. Between new farming equipment and the trucks to haul grain and chemicals, diesel mechanics is another opportunity for young agricultural professionals. Then there are new opportunities for applicators, drivers and other, lesser-known facets of agriculture. Suiter said he sees agriculture going towards a more precise, sustainable and data-driven future. “Growers are increasingly looking to maximize efficiency while minimizing environmental impact.” That means integrating new technologies, such as precision nutrient management and soil health monitoring. There is also growing interest in plant nutrition, and tailoring specific crop needs to local conditions. “Whether that’s soil types or nutrient removal rates for specific crops. The products and fertilizers, like the ones we develop at Liqui-Grow, allow farmers to respond to crop stress by putting on uniform fertilizer and bands, or using our new technology, Exact Strip, to optimize yields and improve overall plant health.” Looking ahead, Suiter said he also sees a blend of innovative plant nutrition solutions, advanced digital tools and sustainable practices leading the way in agriculture. “Ultimately, it’s about feeding a growing world efficiently, while protecting the resources that agriculture depends on, like soil, water and the environment.” “I feel like every new year, there’s a new thing where you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s part of agriculture? Join the club,’” said Dierickx. “Because I think back in the day … my grandfather grew up in the 1920s. He grew up hooking up plows, a two-bottom plow, to horses. And he got to watch John Deere come out with tractors. The original combine was a pull-behind on an open cab tractor for one, maybe two rows. And then you get to watch Kinze out in Williamsburg come out with their brand of planters … there’s so many different parts. There’s R&D, there’s agricultural engineering, agricultural business, agricultural studies, there’s so, so many things. “It’s all about getting the next 10 bushels, or the next one pound a day rate of gain, or the next more efficient engine, or the strongest 135-foot boom on a sprayer. It is a really, really cool time.”  

King's Harvest Ministries needs bottled water donations

Temperatures may be slowly starting to rise, but King’s Harvest Ministries is addressing the critical need for bottled water now. A post on the King’s Harvest Ministries’ Facebook page says the group needs donations of bottled water to help care for the many people they serve each day. Water is crucial for maintaining wellness and [...]

Watch out for tractors this planting season

As farmers prepare to go back into the fields, they’ll be driving their equipment again, too. That means tractors on roadways. And that means drivers should be mindful and careful of traffic. “There have been lots of times, and times in this community, where things have happened. They are very unfortunate, and we’ve lost really good people,” said Shane Dierickx. “So, as we go into this warmer time period, there’s going to be a lot of people that are going to want to be on the road because they want to ride motorcycles, they want to ride four-wheelers, they want to get out and walk.” “Road safety is so important, when you’re going to have tractors, planters, sprayers, all out on the road,” said Corbin Suiter. “Just leave an extra five minutes early or something like that, because, at the end of the day, we just all want to get back to our families as well.” “Every day there’s a beautiful sunrise; let’s make sure we see the next one, because you’re going to be sharing the road no matter what,” said Dierickx. “Whether that’s with motorcycles and four-wheelers – because they’re already hard to see – but you’re going to be sharing with planters, tillage tools, sprayers, you’re going to be sharing whether it’s a tender truck or a semi truck that could be hauling grain or a fertilizer or chemical. Just keep your eyes open.” He said accidents frequently happen when drivers become frustrated and rush to get around farm equipment. Suiter said that it is often difficult for machine operators to see other traffic, because there are many blind spots on the equipment. “God forbid, you could run the sprayer off the road, or, God forbid, you go around, and you don’t see a car coming and you have a head-on collision. I’ve almost seen that numerous times.” “Whether it’s grown or made, pretty much everything came from a plant or an animal. So, we just need to make sure that we’re taking the time to have the reverence these big machines deserve,” said Dierickx.       

Congress loses a flying perk as DHS shutdown continues

Delta Airlines is temporarily suspending specialty services to member of Congress due to resource constraints from the ongoing shutdown of DHS.

Wilton builds for the future

Olivia Sippy, agriculture education teacher at Wilton High School, doesn’t have a classroom. “I’m mobile,” Sippy explained on a recent visit. Her old classroom has been cordoned off as Wilton undertakes an ambitious, $4 million expansion of its agriculture and industrial technology building. Sippy said that new facilities—a lab, classroom, and dedicated agricultural mechanics workshop—will give the give students “hands-on opportunities, on campus, on site.” Any given semester, Wilton’s agriculture education program enrolls a quarter of the 7–12 student body in classes that range from animal nutrition to tractor mechanics.  Since Wilton transitioned to tight, 40-minute class periods, Sippy said the program has struggled to bring students to the learning farm south of town. And as interest in ag mechanics has grown, the program has fought for space with industrial technology classes. The new facility will solve both problems, giving students the space they need to work with animals and large machines right on campus. “I just think it's going to give our teachers, and ultimately, the students, more opportunities to do things they currently can't do in the facilities that exist,” Superintendent Joe Burnett said. Sippy said they should be in the building by the start of the next school year. Project managers told the Wilton School Board earlier this month that the project was on schedule and on budget. A walk through the design Architect David Dobson began designing the expansion that year. That process began with “listening to the space needs of the staff,” he said. “Really, they know the best use of space to promote teaching and learning,” Dobson said. From the outset, the project would expand the existing agriculture and industrial technology building and connect it with the school. In the final design, a new agriculture laboratory, classroom, and storage spaces abut a corridor that runs from the Wilton cafeteria to the existing classrooms. A left turn at the end of that corridor leads to an entirely new agriculture mechanics shop, complete with eight welding booths. Dobson said that bringing all of the school facilities under one roof was a “secure approach to teaching and learning.” Sippy said that while school security hadn’t motivated the project, it was a consideration throughout the design process. Dobson said the design was practical and cost-effective, meeting staff and students’ needs without becoming a costly “Cadillac.” The laboratory, just across from the school cafeteria, will include a ramp, overhead door and animal wash station to allow students to work on animal handling on campus. Lab work can be carried out on six stainless steel tables. “Bringing animals in will help so much, because in our classes, we talk about animals so much, but we never really get the opportunity to bring them in,” Wilton senior Myli Geigle said. And you will not have to be in the room to participate in its activities. A large viewing window will give younger students, especially Wilton’s elementary schoolers, a chance to safely observe animals and older students. A dedicated prep space separates the lab from the new agriculture classroom which leads, by vestibule, to the existing greenhouse. It will keep plants and supplies safe from transport through cold weather, Sippy explained. The largest room of the expansion is the mechanics workshop, with doors large enough to bring in a combine head, and dedicated space for smaller tractors and other equipment.  In addition to classrooms, laboratory and workshops, the expansion adds private offices for Sippy and mechanics teacher Gabe Boorn as well as men’s and women’s restrooms.  Opportunities for students The project is designed to improve opportunities for students, and they are excited about it. Wilton junior and FFA officer Clara Schneider shows animals and loves to work with plants in the school greenhouse. She said the new lab space will allow her to “do more with growing seeds,” “doing things with a germinator,” and genetically modifying plants. “That's something Clara really wants to do,” Sippy added. “She wants to learn how to genetically modify or breed some plants of her own.” The new laboratory will make that possible. Not with more technology, but with more space. “Being able to have some dedicated lab space, where she can kind of put her stuff… we just don't have any room for that right now,” Sippy said. With the new building, Wilton’s agriculture program will be able to offer a supervised agricultural experience class. Sippy described it as an independent research project where advanced students get to “choose their own adventure.” “That is something that every ag kid is supposed to have. It's giving them an opportunity to put the knowledge into practice,” she said. More space will be key for students involved in mechanics, too. Boorn has “two tractors that have been donated,” Sippy explained, and “he wants to take a couple of kids and build those tractors up, restore them from the ground up.” “We have an eight row planter that our kids, with his instruction, have completely revamped, fixed,” she added—proof of instructional concept. But the old space could not handle a tractor. Freshman Gage Maurer comes from a Wilton farming family. He said that the new mechanics space would prepare him for a return home. “My end goal is to come back to the family farm,” he said. “I need to know what I’m doing somewhat for mechanics… being able to have the bigger ag space, we can work on bigger machinery, and know more of what's going on, like in the engine, and how to troubleshoot some of that stuff.” The mechanics space will also open up new room for the school’s industrial technology program, which shares its shop with the agriculture education. Although senior Geigle will never take class in the new building, said she is excited to stop in for a visit or two next year. “I'll be gone next year when the building is finally in place, but I'm really excited. A lot of us seniors, when we graduate, we're still very involved, whether we're showing animals or we're just coming every now and then to help,” she said. Funding the space Superintendent Joe Burnett said that when planning for the project began in 2024, Wilton approached the local Herb Townsend Foundation, begun by a late Wilton farmer. Dwight Glenny is Townsend’s nephew and chair of the foundation. Townsend “loved the town of Wilton and the people in it,” Glenny said. “He loved kids. He just wanted to do things that were good for kids and good for the community.” An expansion of Wilton’s ag program fit the foundation’s mission, and it agreed to pay for a $4 million expansion. “We’re pretty excited about it,” Glenny said. “Back in the 70s, when I was an ag student and an ag teacher—the ag programs have changed a huge amount since then.” “It isn’t just Wilton, it’s the whole state. FFA is growing,” he said. Equipping the next generation Burnett said the project’s goal was “to get kids excited about agriculture.” “Being in Iowa, we want to promote that as much as we can. We need young people going into the agricultural fields,” he said. “In today's world, we understand that there are a lot of pathways to success, and a four year, four year liberal arts degree is not the only pathway,” Burnett said. “We want to give kids opportunities to sample vocational offerings, so they can make a better decision on a career choice post–high school.” Sippy said the agriculture program, like a sprout in springtime, was always ready to grow. “I think that we can always grow. That's not necessarily adding classes ... It's just enhancing what we have,” Sippy said.

Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll highlights rising concerns about soil compaction

Farm equipment such as tractors, combines, grain carts and self-propelled sprayers have become larger and heavier in recent years, and concern about soil compaction and its impacts on crop yields has increased apace. The 2025 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, conducted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, surveyed 945 farmers and found that they are increasingly concerned about soil compaction and that their views on management approaches are changing over time. To  examine  evolving  farmer perspectives on soil compaction, the 2025 Farm Poll survey included questions previously used in the 2013 Farm Poll, allowing researchers to compare responses over time. In terms of concerns, 80% of respondents agreed that they are concerned about the impact of soil compaction on the land they farm, up from 70% in 2013. Similarly, 81% agreed that they are concerned about the impact of heavy agricultural machinery on soil health, an increase from 75% in 2013. “Farms are getting larger while fieldwork windows are shrinking due to changing weather patterns, and equipment is getting bigger and heavier in order to plant and harvest faster,” said J. Arbuckle, director of the Farm Poll, professor and extension sociologist at Iowa State. “The results suggest that these changes are leading to increased worries about soil compaction and its impacts on yields.” There are many ways that farmers can manage soil compaction, and some are more effective than others. The survey repeated several items from the 2013 survey and added new ones to reflect recent developments in compaction management. Among  the  repeated  items, consideration of soil moisture when planning fieldwork garnered the most agreement at 92%, nearly identical to the 91% found in 2013. Similarly, agreement that wheel traffic control is an effective means of compaction management was 65% in both years. “There were also some important changes in perspectives,” said Mehari Tekeste, associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State. “Agreement that use of no-till, which can improve soil structure and help mitigate compaction, is an effective compaction management practice increased from 57% to 63%.” The two new items included in the 2025 survey asked farmers about the use of cover cops and machinery with tracks rather than wheels as compaction management strategies. “Substantial majorities of farmers agreed that use of machines with tracks and planting of cover crops can help reduce soil compaction,” said Tekeste. “That said, for both items, 38% indicated uncertainty, which points to opportunities for additional outreach regarding these strategies.” “The finding that 56% of farmers agreed that cover crops can reduce soil compaction is important given that, in addition to compaction management, cover crops can also improve soil fertility and water quality by keeping nutrients in place,” Arbuckle added. “As farmers prepare for the 2026 planting season, it’s important that they consider compaction management strategies to maintain potential productivity,” said Tekeste. Farmers can review the ISU Extension and Outreach publication, “Understanding and Managing Soil Compaction,” to help with fieldwork planning. For more information, contact Arbuckle at arbuckle@iastate.edu. About the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll Conducted annually since 1982, the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll gathers insights from farmers statewide to inform research, extension programs and policy decisions. This report and previous reports are available through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Reflecting on a childhood back home on the farm

In 2009, my parents bought the Massachusetts dairy farm where I grew up. Leased one, really, for 30 years, and bought the five acres which held a farmhouse, barn, and field where they planted an orchard. Growing up, the farm seemed endless. Every road, trail, barn, field and garden had a name, most of which were inherited from previous owners. Wandering through them, my brother and I were adventurers rediscovering some lost territory. And it had been lost, shuttered in the 1980s when dairy farms died throughout the northeast. The previous owners had ridden horses. My brother and I had no neighbors our age, so there was a spareness to our days. We did not understand that our parents had overthrown their lives and entered the fight for an extinct way of living with the world. The earliest farm memories I have consist of logging, my cleanshaven father and a crew of men trimming trees that had been left to rot or to creep at the edges of the field. Big piles of dirt sat across the farm throughout my childhood, evidence of the fight to remake the landscape. My brother and I slid down barefoot and increasingly toothless; I can still taste the dirt. I remember my mother scraping it out from underneath my black nails. The fact that my father tracked mud or manure into our house sparked bitter fights. He was asked to do his laundry in the barn, with the farmhands. The farm taught us lessons. They were cruel ones which ended in death: a duck frozen, a chicken left headless by a racoon, piglets crushed, cows lamed, bulls shot for an ornery turn in old age, an ancient elm finally dying to Dutch Elm’s Disease. Death became ordinary. My mother worried that I saw too much of it. When I was 10 we had a barn fire, the product of an overheated dishwasher and a failed breaker. It was hot enough to melt the steel frame of our creamery. It made the sky glow orange at three in the morning, and it lit a field of police and firemen who stood watching, waiting for it to cool. Nobody knows the difference between trying to change the world and keeping still within it. Everything that you make must be kept; the enemy is time and chance. The farm had to turn over in death and sweat, and laugh at the notion of victory. Robert Frost wrote of the abandoned homestead, “a belilaced cellar hole, / Now slowly closing like a dent in dough.” Nature is beautiful, flexible, and remorseless. The world will wake you up from every dream. * * * Surrounding the farm were three- and four-acre properties, most of them summer homes with yards tastefully wooded. In the 1980s, the farm had been put into a trust that required lessees to keep it in agricultural use, at least by cutting hay and upkeeping the barns. So it became undevelopable and stuck in time. This was a part of both the magic and the futility of the place. For these summer homes, the farm provided an excellent view and an impression of place. Often as not the impression was hostile to real farming: the ugliest battle my parents ever fought was with a neighbor over a greenhouse they built, which obscured a multimillion-dollar view. Farming is a struggle against mindless forces of nature, an immediate and necessary reality. It does not make time for impressions. Farmers acquire a taste for the real world, like a taste for gin or dark chocolate. Bitterness the only worthwhile flavor. Farming remains the heart of American culture because it so well symbolizes the randomness and tragedy of real life. Sometimes I worry that farming will suffer an extraordinary fate: death to the idea of itself. Preservation always holds that risk. Perhaps I am a kind of fossil, the child of preserved land and stubborn parents. Frost again, at the beginning of the poem: “Back out of all this now too much for us / Back in a time made simply by the loss / Of detail”. But we cannot languish in simplicity. What could be more joyous than living! Frost insists. “This was no playhouse but a house in earnest.”  

War in Middle East causes further stress on U.S. farmers

Corn farmers in the U.S. are bracing for even higher fertilizer prices as conflict in the Middle East impacts the globally traded commodity, according to leaders with the National Corn Growers Association. Corn farmers are approaching a fourth year of negative yields, due to low corn prices and high input costs, including fertilizers. The growers association renewed its call on Congress to legalize year-round, nationwide E-15, a higher blend of ethanol fuel, and for the removal of duties on fertilizers from Morocco. Lesly McNitt, vice president of public policy for National Corn Growers Association, said there is not enough domestically produced fertilizer to meet demand, which means imported fertilizer is vital to farmers. McNitt, speaking during a press conference Wednesday, said duties on phosphate from Morocco and Russia that were put in place in 2020, have “kept phosphate prices high” and caused “availability issues and lack of competitive options for farmers.” A study from the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University found that the countervailing duties increased the cost of phosphorus by about $6.9 billion for the 2021 to 2025 growing seasons. “Now the conflict in the Middle East has further complicated access to critical fertilizers,” McNitt said, noting the U.S. typically imports about 40% of phosphate products from Saudi Arabia. “When these fertilizers can’t be transported through the Strait of Hormuz, there are real implications for availability and price, and there is a global market impact,” McNitt said. Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, an approximately 30-mile-wide channel that connects major Middle Eastern oil, natural gas and fertilizer producers to the Arabian Sea, in response to joint attacks on the country from the U.S. and Israel. The Fertilizer Institute said in a news release that closure of the strait could impact ammonia, urea, sulfur, phosphates and natural gas markets. “Supply disruptions in one part of the world can ripple across the trade routes and affect availability and price in other regions,” The Fertilizer Institute said. “While the United States is both a fertilizer producer and importer, those same global supply dynamics play a role in determining input costs for American farmers.” McNitt said the duties imposed on countries like Morocco further restrict farmers’ abilities to search for other options. National Corn Growers Association sent a letter, along with other national and state farm groups, including Iowa Corn Growers Association and Iowa Soybean Association, to domestic fertilizer producers Mosaic and J.R. Simplot, urging them to withdraw their support of countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizers from Morocco. The duties were imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce following a petition from Mosaic. Other fertilizers like nitrogen—which corn farmers on the call said is the fertilizer that is most difficult to go without—have greater domestic production, but are still part of the global fertilizer market. McNitt said the nature of the market means that “a shock anywhere, impacts prices everywhere.” Matt Frostic, first vice president with NCGA and a Michigan farmer, said the cost of nitrogen fertilizer coming into U.S. ports currently would raise his production cost by about $90 per acre. U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated 2025 corn production had crop production costs at around $890 per acre, and the department projects the average cost of production for corn farmers in 2026 will be $917 per acre. Frostic said that while farmers have the option to lock in fertilizer rates earlier in the season and prepay for some of those inputs, those decisions are often difficult to make, especially coming off several hard years. “Many farmers didn’t necessarily lock in some of those prices, or they didn’t have the finances to do so,” Frostic said. “… There will tend to be a lot of producers out there that have not locked in that price, so we’re going to be a victim to the high cost of fertilizer.” Blocked passage in the Strait of Hormuz is also responsible for the global jump in fuel prices. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had year round, nationwide, E-15 right now?” McNitt said during the call with reporters. According to the association, the higher blend of ethanol fuel saves consumers between 10 cents and 30 cents per gallon at the pump. National and state agricultural organizations have urged Congress to allow for the year-round sale of the fuel across the nation, but the measure has not been passed, despite bipartisan support and calls for the legislation from President Donald Trump. McNitt said that while the association hopes that a “permanent fix” is coming from Congress, the association is also calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to issue summertime E-15 waivers that allow the fuel to be sold throughout the summer in states that have not enacted their own year-round sales laws. Iowa and California have year-round E-15 laws. Mark Mueller, the president of Iowa Corn Growers Association, said the state association will continue to be “extremely outspoken” about the need for the passage of year-round E-15 and legislation that looks at consolidation in the fertilizer industry. “We have come close to achieving wins on both issues, but we call on Congress for action to officially get them across the finish line,” Mueller said in a news release. “Iowa corn farmers need and deserve the stability that comes with these wins—we cannot afford to slip back into the 1980s.”

Young auctioneers are-ready-to-go-like-never-before

Whether it be on stage behind the microphone or behind the scenes making sure all items, bids, and payments are accounted for, a live auction requires plenty of people to keep it running smoothly and successfully. When it comes to filling these roles, Donovan Yoder of Eastern Iowa Auctions has been more than willing in recent years to give local FFA students and other members of the younger generations to give these jobs a shot, learning what skills they require and exploring what it means to be part of the auctioneering community. “As it goes now, (the next generation) is getting into it younger and younger. I started just going to auctions and enjoying them growing up as a kid, so I got into it early,” Donovan said. Events such as the Iowa Auctioneering Association’s FFA bid calling competition, which recently declared West Liberty student Miles McConnaha as its 2026 Rookie Bid Calling Champion, have also helped drive up interest in auctioneering for students, Donovan added, giving more exposure to the different parts of the auctioneering industry and allowing students to try these parts of it sooner than ever before. “They can try it out earlier than when I was growing up,” he said. “It was a bit harder to get into it; There were more sales around, but unless you had some experience, it was hard for somebody to kind of give you a shot to get going.” Although the students he works with are still learning how to work at an auction, Donovan says he’s happy to support them as they explore the different roles. For bid calling especially, he views it as a valuable experience for both him and the students he’s giving the opportunity to. “I think it’s great seeing the younger guys get up there,” Donovan said. “You take them with you to go to auctions, and us experienced guys have seen enough mic time that the people know us and know what we’re doing, but there’s a little bit of added excitement when you put one of those younger guys up there.” With these young auctioneers still being so new, Donovan knows they can sometimes stumble a bit when they’re first trying it out. Still, he wants to encourage them, even though he knows there will still be the occasional mistake. “It’s not perfectly consistent all the time, but nobody really cares just for the fact that the kids are getting out there and giving it a shot, exposing themselves to being in front of that many people at that amount of time.” Donovan says he also appreciates these students at least giving it a shot and being willing to take a risk in front of a large crowd of people. “I mean, really it’s just kind of a generalized, large comparison to a public speaking event, and it’s something they can show off their talent a little bit with.” Meeting the new generation For Grady Claussen and his brother, Sawyer Claussen, auctioneering was always part of their family. “My dad’s an auctioneer, so we’ve been around it our whole lives,” Grady said. “When he started working with Donovan, Donovan asked us to help. So, we started helping.” In the years since, Grady has learned how to handle the team’s skid loader, loading up goods after they’ve been auctioned, as well as how to call bids. “I’m big on working behind the scenes. I like the money aspect of it—I just think the books are really interesting—but I really enjoy calling bids too.” While he doesn’t see himself becoming a professional auctioneer in the future, Grady said he is still interested in helping behind the scenes at auctions, handling the goods coming in and deciding what goods go into each the sale. In this aspect, he would be using much of what he’s already learned about how much goes into putting on an auction. “You’re spending a lot more time gathering your goods and figuring (the value) and talking on the phone and to people about the goods than you ever are selling them,” Grady said. “We had a lot of help from Donovan, and he still is very helpful. He kind of helps guide us on what to do, telling us what needs to be done in a learning aspect.” “(The Claussen brothers) are absolute excellent ring men, and they’re with me all the time setting up sales,” Donovan said. Someone who has also gained an interest in the financial side of auctioneering is Donovan’s own son, Blake Yoder. While he was also familiar with the industry at a young age, Brady said what drew him into it himself was all the action and energy that came with running an auction. “I just really love doing stuff like that,” he said. Since first starting behind the scenes at local auctions about five years ago, Blake has learned to be a ring man and helps with other aspects such as driving the company’s truck and helping keep track of all previous bids prior to the sale. “All three of those boys are pretty well at every one of my sales, doing everything that an auction needs to make it go,” Donovan said. Blake has also enjoyed the community he’s found within auctioneering, saying, “I love how all the farmers all come out to our meeting spot, just having them all there and showing us in the younger generation what they did as kids too.” Reflecting on their experiences within the industry, both Blake and Grady believe it’s important for members of the younger generations to continue playing a part in keeping auctioneering alive, regardless of what that part may end up being. “I think it’s pretty important that we’re kind of adding to the numbers and trying to get (auctioneering opportunities) out to all the younger kids,” Blake said. “I think auctions are a very important aspect of selling stuff. They can be very enjoyable for people to go to, and you can get more money for your goods if you have an auction than just pricing them to a person,” Grady said. To any other students who may be curious about the industry, Grady added, “Just reach out to the people that are doing it because they’re definitely willing to help you learn if you want to learn.” A new point of view Just as every person on an auctioneering team has a part to play, each person also has their own perspective. For his youngest team members, Donovan feels they’re bringing in a new point of view as well as some different styles of how to perform different tasks and jobs within the auctioneering industry. One of the biggest pieces of know-how the younger generation is bringing to live auctions is their knowledge of the Internet and various social media sites such as TikTok. “They bring in some of that, whether it’s on the marketing aspect or how to get the word out or broadcast what you’re doing at the time that you’re doing it, getting it out to more people. They’re bringing a lot of that stuff in,” Donovan said. In general, Donovan feels the new generation is also bringing a new sense of energy and excitement into the industry. “Some of us would’ve been doing (auctions) for a long time, it’s kind of the same old same old and we go through the motions when we do it,” he said. “But when you see those younger guys get up there with sweaty palms and a little bit of cracking in the voice, it brings a little more of a personal level for the people that are there to watch the auction. There’s that little bit of magic in it, when somebody’s first off doing it, I guess.” Looking to the future, Donovan says he hopes the younger generation continues realizing the importance of live auctions. “An auction is pretty much the original bluebook of any type of item that you’re trying to sell, and for them to see that, it gives you a true value on something.” He also wants more of the younger generation to see just how entertaining and fun an auction can be. “I’d sure hate to see a live auction die off,” Donoban continued. “A lot of stuff is going to online only,  and it takes the personal relationships and the personal contacts out. For us personally, we still offer online bidding, but all of our sales are live in-person. You get to physically interact and shake hands with people, you get to have a real life conversations at the auction site, and there’s something to that that this newer online style just can’t get you.” While he still encourages the younger generation to use the modern tools at their disposal, Donovan also wants them to appreciate the contacts they make in-person on a day-to-day basis through being in the live auctioneering industry, making sure never to forget the value of those connections. “We can buy something online or get it on Facebook Marketplace or any of those types of deals, but it’s still the personal contact and the relationships that you make that make our business what it is and keeps us in business,” he said. As for those who are in FFA or who have an interest in the industry, Donovan wants them to at least give auctioneering a shot. “Whether they’ve never been behind the mic before or have never bid called, just give it a shot if you have any inkling on wanting to do it. There’s a lot of good local auctioneers that are more than willing.” Understanding the fear and bashfulness that can come from bid calling for the first time, he also wants students to know the auctioneering community is behind them all the way. “All the local auctioneers around here that I know will do anything that they can to help that new generation get started. We’ll put them behind a mic, we’ll put them to work, and we’ll see what we can do to get them at least involved in the industry – and if you love it and your passion for it continues to grow, then great! Proceed in it, and if you give a shot and really don’t like it, then you’re not out anything.” Donovan and the rest of his Eastern Iowa Auctions team will be at the Muscatine County Fairgrounds on March 28 for its Spring Consignment Sale at the Muscatine County Fairgrounds, with the Claussen Boys, Blake, and McConnaha all expected to be there doing their part.

Deere combine in Sweet 16 for ‘Coolest Thing Made in Illinois’

With nearly 80,000 votes cast, the field of contenders competing in the seventh annual “Makers Madness” contest has been narrowed to the Top 16. The competition celebrates the work of manufacturers across Illinois, a long time backbone of the state’s economy. Manufacturing is the largest contributor of any industry to the state’s Gross Domestic Product, [...]

More than just honey

While most apiarists start beekeeping as a hobby, the practice could offer some family farms a diversified stream of revenue. Jars of sticky, sweet local honey are the obvious way to profit from honeybees, but State Apiarist Andrew Joseph said beekeepers can also profit by selling bees, or by moving their bees during the winter season to agricultural areas that need the pollinating work of the bees. “With some years of experience and a little finger crossing … it doesn’t take much to take that hobby … and at least turn it into something that’s got some wind behind its sails, that pays for itself, and in a good year, might help out with some of your other bills,” Joseph said. Joseph spoke to a group of farmers Thursday in a webinar hosted by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation about diversifying the family farm. Zach Brummer, the farmer education program manager with the Farm Bureau, said beekeeping has “manageable” start-up costs and only requires a small amount of land, which makes it an attractive option for farmers and landowners looking to diversify their operations. “Given the current challenges in the ag economy, farmers have shown a growing interest in practical, value-added agriculture opportunities to diversify income, and beekeeping provides a very intriguing opportunity to explore,” Brummer said in a news release about the webinar. Joseph, in addition to leading the apiary program at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, keeps about 300 hives around the Des Moines area. This he said is above the hobby level, but is “nowhere near commercial beekeeping level” where beekeepers will have several thousand hives. At this scale, Joseph gets the rewarding tasks of harvesting honey in the late summer, but is also able to migrate his hives to local orchards and as far west as California to help pollinate various food crops. Iowa does not require a registration of all of the hives and beekeepers in the state, but Joseph said his “best guess” is that there are around 4,500 beekeepers in the state. Of those, Joseph said maybe two dozen are commercial beekeepers that have a thousand or more colonies. Joseph said it’s “very common” for larger and midsized beekeepers like himself, to keep their bees in Iowa during honey season and then truck them to places like California during the cold season to facilitate the pollination that is necessary to grow many food crops. “The more we change the environment, the bigger scale we operate our – specifically agriculture – on, the more reliant we become on honeybees as pollinators,” Joseph said. He said an almond tree farm in California, for example, blooms around Valentine’s Day and has a pollination window across the whole farm during mid-February. “If we were going to rely on wild pollinators to get that job done, it simply wouldn’t,” he said. “Those trees are nearly 100% dependent on a beekeeper to bring in about two hives per acre, drop those down there in the middle of winter, hit that pollination window, do what bees do, and then get them back out of there before they have to come in with their sprays and treatments, fungicides, insecticides, things like that, to protect their crop.” Almonds are just one example of crops that are pollinated by visiting honeybee hives. Even local orchards can benefit from a load of honeybees during their flowering season. Honeybee regulations are “very minimal” in Iowa, Joseph said. Most rules have to deal with protecting bee health. Notably, Iowa implemented the “bee law” in 1979 to help protect honeybees from pesticides that are toxic to the insects. This law has been updated several times since, but in essence, allows beekeepers of any size to register their hives in an online platform that then informs commercial pesticide applicators of nearby hives. Commercial applicators in those areas then have to apply pesticides that are labeled as toxic to honeybees during certain times of days when honeybees are typically in their hives rather than flitting about collecting pollen. “This isn’t perfect, you know, you can shoot holes in this bee rule, but it’s existed for a long time, and I’m one, certainly, that feels like it helps,” Joseph said. “It helps bridge that gap of communication between the beekeeper that’s trying to protect their bees and their neighbors.” Small batch honey, sold directly to consumers in one pound jars, will profit beekeepers between $8-$9 per pound of honey, according to Joseph. On average, he said Iowa beekeepers get about 60 pounds of surplus, or removable, honey per hive in a season. But honey is not the only product from the hive. Producers can also sell the beeswax for a small profit, or can split up their hives and sell them to other beekeepers. Joseph said a “nuc” or nucleus colony that has an established colony and accepted queen, can sell for around $200 apiece. “Once you get good at wintering your bees, it’s not difficult to make up for any losses that you’ve had, and then still have excess bees to either increase your numbers or sell,” Joseph said. And, beekeepers can also get paid at varying rates per hive, for bringing their hives to areas that need pollinating. Getting started The biggest cost to beekeeping is buying the multilayer hives, which Joseph said typically cost between $400 and $500. It’s better to double that cost as most beekeepers, Joseph included, will recommend newbies start with two hives. He said beekeeping is “all about learning the way that things should look” and having two hives allows beekeepers to compare and contrast what looks right and what’s wrong in a hive. Plus, he said elements from one hive can be taken over to the other hive to help repair certain issues. New beekeepers will then need to find some bees to put in their hive, including the all important queen bee that is vital for a functioning hive. Several bills have been introduced in the Iowa Legislature to remove the sales tax on honeybees – which would bring them in line with other livestock in the state – but the measures have not made it to the governor’s desk. Then, beekeepers will want to make sure they have certain tools, like a smoker, hive tool and some protective gear to avoid getting stung by the buzzing pollinators. While this might be some people’s biggest concern with getting into beekeeping, Joseph said that protective gear becomes more minimal as beekeepers learn to move in tandem with their bees. “Beekeeping is, I think, a more pleasant experience as you learn how to work those bees calmly, with well intended, fluid movements that aren’t setting them off,” Joseph said. “You know what you can and can’t do, and you can work with them instead of hiding from them.” Joseph also recommended joining the Iowa Honey Producers Association, or other local beekeeping groups because much of beekeeping, he said, is tied to the local area. “Oftentimes, it is not just you on an island, it’s you surrounded by beekeepers wherever you are here in Iowa,” Joseph said.

Lancer archery stays on target

In archery, consistency is the name of the game. North Scott's squad is as reliable as they come in Iowa. And heading into this year's state tournament, the team is aiming high. Regularly ranking in the upper echelon of schools around the state, this year is no different for the Lancers. Out of 56 high school teams in the state, “We are going in ranked 15th,” Lancer archery coach Troy Bendickson said. “We’ve gone in as high as top 10 a few times. The highest we’ve ever finished was seventh. So, we’re not far off. Most of our years, we’re right in that 14-17 range, so we are pretty consistent.” Of the approximately 90 archers on North Scott’s roster, 35 are heading to Des Moines this Friday, Saturday and Sunday to shoot at state, located at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The program, which is in its ninth year, closed its 2026 regular season surging. At North Scott’s penultimate meet of the season, the Lancer February Bullseye Tournament on Feb. 28 in The Pit, the team shot its first team score over 3,300 since 2024. That tournament was significant for another reason — the school’s record score for an individual came crashing down. North Scott has been led all season by juniors Aaron Raleigh and Anthony Vatnsdal. Raleigh tied the school record of 293 (out of a possible 300) at the Central DeWitt Bullseye Tournament, the team’s second tournament of the season, on Jan. 17. Then, late last month, Vatnsdal posted a 294 to set the new peak performance, surpassing the mark set by Raleigh and, before him, Dylan Orcutt. Raleigh and Vatnsdal are two of the best archers to come through the Lancer archery program. “Their form is excellent. Their gripping is good. And they don’t get flustered,” Bendickson said. “The key to being an archer is nothing can bother you. You can’t get caught up in it. Everybody is capable, even them, but they are able to negate that and handle the mental side of things. They deal with a bad arrow, they deal with a bad round, they do not get caught up in it.” With nearly 1,000 Iowa high school boys recording at least one score this season, Vatnsdal’s 294 score is tied for the fourth-best individual tournament score. Raleigh, and his 293 score, is tied for eighth-best. As individuals, Vatnsdal has won three tournaments this season, and Raleigh has won two. The archers have combined for 10 top-three finishes in the past two months. What has helped North Scott boost its standing toward the end of the season is its female scores. At an archery tournament, teams create a roster of 24 archers who are eligible to contribute to the team score. Of those 24, 12 archers have their scores counted: the top four boys, the top four girls, and then the next four highest scores regardless, of gender. “Early on, on the female side, we weren’t getting the scores that supported our team score. That has drastically changed over the last three or four weeks,” Bendickson said. “We’ve had several girls really improve and find their groove. Now, we are scoring five or six girls.” At the Lancer February Bullseye Tournament, the top three girls’ scores all had personal records: Zoe Schwien at 280, Vivian Oshann at 278, and Anna Heiting at 269. “The teams that are going to be at the very top are those that consistently have both girls and boys leading the team,” Bendickson said. “Early on in the career of our team, it was the girls who led it, and for quite a while. It switched over to the boys for the last many years.” Now, North Scott heads to state for a three-day archery extravaganza. The tournament itself operates much like a regular-season meet. All archers get the same number of arrows and opportunities to rack up a score. The difference comes in the size and the magnitude of the event, which is exponentially larger than a traditional meet. “Normally, when we shoot in the gym, there are 40 or 45 people shooting with you. At the state meet, there will be 150 people per line,” Bendickson said. “It’s a really massive building. You have a lot more people watching. A lot more people shooting. (The Department of Natural Resources) runs it, so you literally have DNR officers walking around, and they are armed and in uniform. “It’s over three days. We get kind of spread out, and we shoot at several times throughout the weekend. It is, as it should be, a bigger environment… There are a lot of people watching, but they are all watching the one kid that they’re there for. That’s it. They can’t see what people are scoring. Just relax and shoot.” North Scott has ambitions of qualifying archers for Nationals. Raleigh and Vatnsdal are squarely in contention, so much so that the team made a point for them to shoot in second-to-last flight on Sunday afternoon. “They need to be physically available in case there is a shoot-off. Dylan (Orcutt) had to make a shoot-off one year to go to Nationals,” Bendickson said. Along with Raleigh and Vatnsdal, one of Bendickson’s sons, Oliver, is highly ranked in the junior high division. Oliver is ranked 17th among the junior high boys with a season-best score of 287. The top 10 shooters in each classification qualify for Nationals. Troy says that if Oliver can shoot close to his high score at state, it will put him in the conversation. No matter how the tournament goes, it is more than just about hitting targets. Bendickson said, “The weekend is honoring a year of hard work and a year of good scores. It’s a fun environment; I love it.”   Practice makes perfect North Scott’s archery team typically shoots three times per week — twice during practices on Tuesday and Thursday and once at a weekend tournament. The team draws significant numbers from the surrounding high school, junior high and homeschool communities. In the team’s first year, 2017, there were 26 kids on the roster. This year, it is around 90, with a peak participation number of 115 in years past. “We love watching the kids come in and enjoy being together,” Bendickson said. “We do all of our training and mechanical form work, and then it’s hands off and we watch. They socialize and enjoy themselves. The experience is always really good. The kids always come out in lots of numbers, so we’re always proud of that.” The archers feel that warm environment too. “It’s a very well-structured program,” Raleigh said. “They do a fantastic job. Troy, you know all these coaches. It makes it feel like family. It’s a very inviting atmosphere. Having friends here is nice. The coaches allow you to joke around and mess around with your friends.” As a club sport run through the high school, kids can get out what they put into the sport, no matter their skill level or desire to shoot. “If you want to take it competitively, you can. Or you can just shoot to shoot,” Vatnsdal said. “It’s not something you have to go all-in with. You’re only here twice a week, and you don’t have to do tournaments. It’s more considered a hobby rather than anything else.” The Lancer archery program, which is run in conjunction with Heart Shot Ministry, works with archers of all skill levels. The coaching staff has seen it all, and they have their improvement process refined. “Early on, it’s all mechanics,” Bendickson said. “We start with bands, red tubing, rubber bands basically. We break the mechanics down into 11 steps, just to give them something to be thinking through the whole time. Early on, we want them to think through every one of those steps. As you progress, you want them to stop thinking about that and do it instinctively. You have to set those patterns. “We spend those first many days on trying to instill habits. You don’t even talk about aiming. You can’t worry about aiming if you can’t repeat the process.” Once the fundamentals are solid, the sport becomes almost entirely mental. “The only thing that an archer can be concerned about is the arrow that’s on their bow. That’s it,” Bendickson said. “Whether they shoot a 10 or a zero, you have to quickly forget about it. You can’t get too high or too low. “We also encourage them to not score their arrows as they go. The elite archers can’t help it. They’re shooting almost perfect scores every time, so you can just subtract from 300 very easily and know right where you stand. Other kids will look back at their parents and tell them the score. We really do our best to say that’s not what we want, because then you’re getting caught up in results.” By the end of the season, it’s all about maintaining consistency and keeping the good habits built up throughout the year. And it isn’t all about arrows. Sometimes, it truly is about the friends you made along the way. “Archery is such a wonderful sport because it’s you versus you. Everyone wants you to succeed, even the other team,” Raleigh said. “You meet fantastic people on the line every day. Just going to all the different places with our time, it’s nice to meet all these different coaches and people. It’s a wonderful opportunity for socialization.” Raleigh and Vatnsdal have been shooting since seventh grade, finding the program through Heart Shot. Both are soccer players as well, so they spend lots of time with Bendickson throughout the middle-to-late parts of the school year. They say Bendickson, who has led the archery program since its inception in 2017, is a big part of the reason for its success. “Me personally, it’s just his attitude. He cares,” Raleigh said. “He consistently shows up. He just has the commitment and drive, and you can feel it. It makes you want to match his level and participate because he shows his passion.” Bendickson’s favorite part of the job, he says, is watching archers break through their own barriers on the line. “Watching kids persevere, and sometimes they have to persevere for several seasons. We’ve had many do it,” he said. “When they finally start getting the scores they want, that’s really, as a coach, what you really love to see.” As the team looks toward completing its ninth season and soon enter its tenth, changes are in the air. North Scott archery is moving out of its home in a renovated building on the Cornerstone Baptist Church property in Eldridge. Bendickson says he’s having good conversations with other locations, and he has a goal of keeping the program in town. “There will be a Lancer archery program next year, and we’re looking forward to announcing where that will be,” Bendickson said. What the program will always be looking for are more shooters. There are many ways to get involved, whether through Heart Shot, North Scott, or just as a recreational activity. “I found archery interesting as a sixth-grader. So, I went to their summer camp,” Vatnsdal said. “It’s a very diverse sport. You don’t have to be fit, you don’t have to be tall, you don’t have to be anybody.” When asked what his sales pitch would be for interested prospective archers, Raleigh added, “I feel like I wouldn’t say anything — I’d go out there and show them. “I’m going to be honest; I’ve never found the appeal of watching archery. It’s hard to get into if you’re just watching. But if you’re actually shooting, and you get your first ever 10, or your first ever 50, the high is just wonderful.”

With tax rate flat, Princeton works to reign in budget

Princeton will tighten spending, pull from reserves, and forego savings to balance its annual budget after Mayor Travis Volrath and the council promised not to raise the city tax levy. The city council also plans to take out a one-day loan so that it can spend general obligation (GO) debt reserves on short-term street improvements first discussed at a February work session. A push to increase property taxes by nearly 50% last spring, to fund the reconstruction of River Drive, led to public backlash and a promise from the mayor and council to keep the levy flat. Among spending cuts, the city will pare its annual contribution to the fire department operating budget down to $6,741. The city will still cover $25,973 in department insurance costs, and Mayor Travis Volrath promised to fundraise reserve money that would go towards the department’s next vehicle purchase. Rural benefit fire district no. 14 will contribute the bulk of the department’s operating budget, approximately $73,000. Trimming the budget Princeton City Council has looked to trim costs across departments in recent budget meetings.  A $50,000 sum initially budgeted for community center improvements has dropped to $6,000. The original sum would have provided the match funds for a cost-sharing grant requested from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). City Clerk Kisa Tweed said the city could not afford to reserve that money before the grant had been awarded. “We don't know if we're doing to get the grant yet, so we're not going to budget to spend it,” she said. The council could pass a spending amendment later, she suggested. Police Chief Freddy Almanza will draw $30,000 from the salvage fund to pay wages for officer Brian Carstens, who has returned to the force full time. Department expenses have risen over 40% year-to-year. The salvage fund has collected revenue form the city’s salvage title inspection program, Tweed said. Years of savings will cover this year’s expenses, but the council would have to find a new revenue source to meet the department’s new budget, she confirmed. Vehicle reserves for public works, police and fire will receive no new funding. In previous years, they have received an annual $5,000 contribution. The fire department requested a $25,000 contribution as it looks to replace its main fire engine in the next five years. Volrath said the city could not commit that sum. “I just don't think we can afford to do it, whether it's right, wrong or different,” he said. “We just can’t.” Councilman Kevin Kernan said other city projects had to take precedence. “There are a lot of roads in town that need to be fixed too,” he said. “That's my concern… We can save for trucks, but if we don't keep the roads where the trucks can get to the places that are on fire, we have a problem.” Other council members suggested a reserve sum below the $25,000 requested, but Kernan insisted the money was better spent elsewhere. “The city’s always going to have the fire departments back, in my mind,” he said. “I just don't think setting $20,000 aside right now is feasible.” Other council members agreed to drop reserve contributions to zero. “I'm not for cutting the budget for public safety that much, in my opinion, but I also know we have other projects,” Councilman Brandon Forristall said. “And this isn't like we're cutting the budget. We're just cutting future expenses for new trucks.” “I agree with Kevin that we have so much other stuff that needs attention,” Councilwoman Lori Maher said. Debt will pay for streets Tweed told the council Thursday, March 19, that they could finance short-term improvements to River Drive and Lost Grove Road out of GO reserves raised last year in anticipation of major street reconstruction. City law firm Dorsey and Whitney confirmed that a one-day loan, borrowed and immediately paid with reserve funds, was legal practice, she said. That will give Princeton access to approximately $210,000 to complete road work. Tweed recommended the council spend no more than $180,000. Early estimates had put that number significantly lower, at approximately $84,000. That figure scraped together road use reserves, capital improvement rollover, and the $60,000 the city budgets for regular road maintenance. Princeton Public Works Director Chris Rindler had said that committing that money to improvements on River Drive or Lost Grove Road would break the city’s regular five-year road maintenance cycle for residential streets. But a quick debt spend would allow regular maintenance to proceed.  L. L. Pelling quoted the city $108,115.40 for a complete tar-and-chip resurfacing of River Drive. Rock shoulder estimates for Long Grove Road came in at $25,652.50 and $34,660. City Planning and Zoning Board member Wyatt Klavon recommended that the city pursue that work in-house. Maher presented those estimates Thursday, March 12. Neither includes engineering work that would be required to make them eligible for debt spending. Volrath suggested that the city use GO debt reserves to fund tar-and-chip work on only River Drive, and take the results to voters next year. “We've already levied the taxes, done the hard part,” he said. “So now, if we can get some stuff done with it before next year, when it's time to levy taxes, then we can tell people—look at what we did with that money.” Volrath said he planned to meet with the county to see whether they could borrow equipment to complete in-house work on Lost Grove Road without dipping into debt reserves.    Fire department concerns The city decision to pull back funding from the fire department has drawn pushback from Chief Josh Luckritz and other members of the department. Luckritz said that over 70% of department calls are within the city, leaving rural taxpayers to subsidize city services. “That’s going to really look bad to the County taxpayers,” he told the council March 12. But the council has raised mirrored concerns about the fire department and its spending habits. The city assumed control of the department’s bank account this year, after audits regularly noted that the department failed to bring out-of-budget purchases before the council. The department also used $60,000 in reserve funds, rather than a surplus in its operating budget, to purchase a brush truck chassis last year. That left $67,654 unspent—over half of the department’s $122,000 operating budget—when the city assumed its accounts last July. The city council agreed March 12 to commit that money, as well as some additional reserves, to paying off a $73,000 loan taken out on the brush truck. The decision will save approximately $7,300 owed in the coming years, the council estimated.  The 2026–27 fire department operating budget breaks down into $34,696 for building expenses; $28,600 for equipment; $7,400 for life-saving supplies and operations; $6,175 for training and memberships; and $12,600 for vehicle expenses. That includes a $4,000 sum for new station computers and $6,500 for new turnout gear. Costs increase The budget crunch is driven in part by fixed costs rising against a flat tax levy. Insurance is among those costs. Budgeted spending on worker’s comp insurance at the fire department will rise from $1,900 this fiscal year to $5,000 in the next. Property insurance at the fire station will rise from $13,790 to $20,973. The city’s garbage contract will also rise, from $73,928 to $82,890. Library expenses will rise over $2,500, to $40,909.

Push for power plant returns

Representatives with Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) will return to Scott County April 6 to present details of a proposed rural power plant in a public hearing before the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC). In February, Scott County supervisors rejected CIPCO’s request for an ordinance that would have opened land zoned for agricultural preservation east of Maysville to construction of the $400 million natural gas plant proposed. But the IUC could choose to override local zoning in its specifications for the generating permit CIPCO has filed to obtain. CIPCO Vice President of Communications Kerry Koonce said the hearing before the IUC is a required part of the permitting process for any energy generating asset. It has proceeded independently of supervisors’ decision, she said. However, the IUC could issue its permit with or without a need finding that would exempt the proposed plant from local zoning. CIPCO could not request such a finding, Koonce clarified. The Concerned Citizens of Scott County, a group of project neighbors opposed to the plant, will meet Wednesday, April 1, at 6 p.m. at the Eldridge branch of the Scott County Library to discuss the IUC and current legislative bills that could potentially overturn local zoning decision. Bills in the Iowa House (HF 2580) and Senate (SF 2447) would standardize zoning language for renewable energy project permitting across the state, independent of county rules.    All local residents are invited to attend both meetings. 

Fire turns attention to Rivercrest Estates

A March 3 fire at Rivercrest Estates, Princeton’s mobile home park, consumed one of 16 vacant trailers tagged uninhabitable by city police and the Scott County Health Department. Police Chief Freddy Almanza and the health department have since tagged two additional trailers uninhabitable, he said. That means 18 of 42 lots are uninhabitable. Princeton began tagging trailers in an effort to trespass squatters staying in the park. The tags also allow the city of Princeton to bill park owner Mary Diercks for the cost of their removal, if she does not make repairs. Residents of the park and city council members regularly accuse Diercks of mismanagement of the property. Almanza said she had promised to remove the burned trailer but its remains still stood last week. Mayor Travis Volrath said the city planned to use low and moderate income support funds provided by the state to remove or board up uninhabitable trailers at the park. Princeton firefighters responded to calls at the park at 12:30 a.m. March 3, during a countywide burn ban, Fire Chief Josh Luckritz said. It “started out as an outside fire and spread to the trailer,” Luckritz reported. “We had the county investigators out, but they couldn’t determine the exact cause,” he added. LeClaire and McCausland Fire Departments both responded to calls for mutual aid. Luckritz said that low water pressure from park hydrants forced the department to rely on tanker trucks. Leaking water mains throughout the park have drawn ire from residents since the summer of 2024, when they made repairs to underground mains at their own expense. The city passed ordinances last year that would allow them to fine Diercks for leaks that burden city pumps. Luckritz reported no injuries from the March 3 fire, and no damage other than the trailer. Almanza reported that Diercks said the burned trailer would be removed; it has not been.

Banners, advertising to go up at city parks

Advertisement banners can go up on outfield fences at Wescott and Victory Park this summer, Walcott City Council decided last week. Councilman Kirk Koberg, who asked the council to table the matter last month, said Walcott Athletics reported that funds would benefit Wescott Softball. He moved to approve the advertisements. The council also granted Walcott Women permission to host food trucks along S. Main Street during the town easter egg hunt this Sunday, March 29. Kelly Tree Farm submitted the only bid for landscaping and maintenance at Welcome Park and Prairie View Park, at $4,912.60. The council accepted the bid. The city will sell its 2013 Ford Explorer, used by the building inspector, and 2019 Dodge Durango, used by the police department, as replacements arrive. The council approved a recommendation from Public Works Director Paul Stagg to post the Explorer on GovDeals now, and post the Durango when a replacement squad car arrives in the coming weeks.     

Presentation on cancer study April 2 in Davenport

Iowa House District 97 State Rep. Ken Croken will host a presentation of the latest findings of the University of Iowa School of Public Health cancer research project.  The event will be held on Thursday, April 2, starting at 6:30 p.m.in the community room of the Scott Community College Urban Campus, located at 101 West Third Street in downtown Davenport.  The project progress report will be presented by Dr. Mary Charlton, Professor of Epidemiology at the UI School of Public Health. According to Croken, every Iowan will be interested to hear the information learned so far by the University School of Public Health research team since it has been widely reported that Iowa has one of the highest cancer incidence rates in the nation.  “Major cancers impacting Iowa include breast, lung and prostate,” Croken noted. “The current cancer rates are disturbing and the lack of legislative action by the Iowa General Assembly is truly disheartening,” he added.  Croken reported that bills he and others have introduced to address the state’s growing cancer crisis have gone unattended.  “I am still hopeful that a significant tobacco tax increase I proposed will receive bicameral consideration before the scheduled end of session next month.  Based on the experience in other states, such tax increases have been effective in curbing smoking, the leading cause of lung cancer.  Failure to act in the face of this health emergency is inexcusable.”  

Farmers and rural community members can access free mental health resources

Farmers and those living in rural parts of the country are affected by mental health issues, and statistically, die by suicide at higher rates than other segments of the population. The volatile nature of farming, as well as a lack of mental health care available in rural communities and a stigma around asking for help contribute to the high rates of farmer mental health crises. That’s why the nonprofit organization Rural Minds said it launched a free, farmer mental health resilience program. The program, which is available online, links to resources and information about mental health, and also provides farmers with access to a free, hour-long course from Cornell University. The course, which was designed for veterinary students, veterinarians and agribusiness professionals, provides an overview of mental health challenges in rural America and gives the virtual attendees “practical support strategies and resources.” Farmers are getting ready to plant after several years of low commodity prices, trade uncertainty and high input costs for things like fertilizer, which could be increasing even more due to the war in the Middle East. Jeff Winton, the founder and chairman of Rural Minds, said farmers face “a tremendous amount of uncertainty” even in “the best of years.” “When these ongoing pressures are elevated by high input costs, trade volatility and worries about labor and immigration, stress levels can spiral out of control,” Winton said in a news release about the program. The mental health resilience program, which is supported by the biochemistry company VM Agritech, links farmers and their families to crisis services, like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and also helps them to understand, identify and start conversations around mental health issues. The website provides easy-to-digest fact sheets about topics like the warning signs of suicide, common mental health conditions and guidance on starting “non-judgmental” conversations with someone who might be struggling. Rural Minds launched the program ahead of National Ag Day, March 24, which also coincides with “Iowa Ag Week” from March 23-30. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the week is a “great opportunity to celebrate the farm families and agricultural leaders who are helping keep Iowa and America strong.” The agricultural appreciation week this year is also part of Iowa’s observance of the 250th anniversary of the country. “Early Americans fought to defend our freedom and liberty, and for the last 250 years farmers have helped sustain that republic by producing the food, fuel, and fiber that keep our nation strong,” Naig said in a news release. “Here in Iowa, agriculture continues that proud tradition every single day.”

Democrat Nikhil Wagle begins campaign for Senate District 47

Democratic candidate for Iowa Senate District 47 told voters at his campaign launch March 14 that he is running to end a decade of one-party state rule. He said that when he hands out flyers, people can’t figure out his party affiliation. “Good. Ask me your questions,” he responds. Senate District 47 stretches from Eldridge through Bettendorf, and east to LeClaire. Republican Scott Webster of Bettendorf was first elected to the seat in 2022. Wagle is a Bettendorf ophthalmologist and longtime veteran of the Pleasant Valley School Board. He is the only Democratic candidate for the seat and described himself as a moderate. Wagle said that Republicans in control of the State House, Senate, and governor’s office “will pass anything they want because they don’t have to deal with their constituents.” “We are not electing people who are putting Iowans first,” he said. Bills or amendments proposed by a Democrat never receive a hearing in the House or Senate, he added Wagle cited funding and support for education as a lead priority if he were elected to the senate. He said 13 years on the Pleasant Valley school board, watching state supplemental aid (SSA) funding diminish, he had seen too much “deterioration.” But “if I’m going to complain, and I don’t want to be a part of the solution, then I have no reason to complain,” Wagle said. He said criticism of higher education from state Republicans amount to a fear that younger generations would reject their control over state government. “They’re just afraid that if people learn to critically think… they will lean one way or another,” he said. “Not to the party in charge.” Wagle also mentioned support for controlling deficit spending, protecting affordable healthcare, and defending reproductive rights. He said that conversations with medical professionals like himself should be “between me, you, your family and your faith.” He added that there was “not one healthcare worker in the State Senate.” Wagle characterized the District 47 Senate race as one of the state’s most competitive, in which more than $1 million could be spent. “We can flip this seat. We can do it,” he said.

Civil Service Commission upheld county firing now headed to court

The Scott County Civil Service Commission, a government oversight committee, upheld Sheriff Tim Lane’s decision to fire a deputy sheriff now suing the county for wrongful termination. Commission Administrator Marty Guinn provided The North Scott Press with the commission’s 2024 ruling earlier this month. The commission determined that a monthslong investigation by former sergeant Joshua Wall into Department of Corrections officer Jennifer McAndrew Lane, spouse of the sheriff, violated established procedure. Wall “did not follow well established procedure that was clearly known to him regarding reporting his investigation,” the decision reports. “He failed to take proper steps to notify virtually anyone in the Sheriff's Department, or the County Attorney's Office, the Attorney General's Office, or the Department of Criminal Investigations” about his concerns, the decision states. “If he truly believed a crime had been committed, he really told no one, at least for many months,” it concludes. According to a petition filed last month in Scott County court, Wall brought his concerns to the attention of Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer, then a state senator, in March 2024. In June 2023, he had addressed concerns to the county human resources department. The Civil Service Commission determined that the “secretive nature” of Wall’s activity leading up to March 2024, “so far afield from standard and required procedure… show him unsuitable to remain employed within the Sheriff's office.” Wall has alleged that his termination violated Iowa whistleblower protection statutes. Concerns Wall referred to Cournoyer were eventually turned over to Scott County Attorney Kelly Cunningham. Wall alleges that Cunningham, Lane, and Scott County ignored his concerns and instead begun a counterinvestigation which recommended his termination. Lane and Wall have not responded to request for comment. Cunningham would not comment on pending litigation but referred The NSP to the Civil Service Commission’s decision.

What survived the second legislative funnel?

Following the second “funnel” deadline of the Iowa legislative session, lawmakers often aim to shift their focus from policy to budgeting. But as lawmakers hit week 10 of the 2026 session, it appears agreements have not been reached on some of the top priorities laid out by Republicans at the beginning of session — primarily, eminent domain and property taxes. Friday marked the second major deadline of the session, when most bills must be passed by one chamber and approved by a committee in the other chamber to stay eligible for consideration. There are many caveats to this rule — legislation involving spending, taxes or government oversight are not subject to the funnel. Chamber leadership can also designate bills that have not made it through the committee process required as “unfinished business,” saving the measure from the funnel cutoff – and can also bring back “dead” legislation as leadership-sponsored legislation. Some “dead” bills may be added as amendments to surviving bills in future debate. Though there are still many avenues for state lawmakers to continue working on policy, the Legislature is just over a month away from the scheduled end date of April 21, when per diem expenses end for state lawmakers. Before they can end the session, the Legislature must approve and send budget bills funding the state government to Gov. Kim Reynolds. The March Revenue Estimating Conference has given legislators a framework to start crafting appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2027, but no budget plans have yet been released in either chamber. “We’ll start to work through those, you know, in the next couple of weeks, identify those targets, and then start the process of … winding this show up,” Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh said Thursday. The Legislature typically adjourns after a budget is sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds. But House Minority Leader Brian Meyer told reporters “there seems to be a lot of work to be done” before that will happen. “We’ve got property taxes, which I don’t think they’re close on. You’ve got eminent domain — I know they’re not close on,” Meyer said. “And then you have a budget. We don’t even have targets down for the budgets yet. So I think at some point, something has to give, and they have to start working together to get this done.” Top GOP priorities remain unresolved Republican leaders in both the House and Senate brought up both property taxes and eminent domain as top priorities to tackle in 2026. The House moved early in the session to pass House File 2104, a bill that proposed directly banning the use of eminent domain in carbon capture pipeline projects. But that bill was amended during Senate committee and replaced with language from Klimesh’s proposal, Senate File 2067. His bill would still allow for hazardous liquid pipeline operators to use eminent domain, but only after proving it had “diligently exhausted” possibilities to seek willing landowner easements within a widened corridor. The last public discussion on the bill was during the Jan. 28 committee meeting. Klimesh said he understood some landowners and advocates believed the Senate was “not moving” on the bill – but he said he and other Republican leaders have been working in private meetings to discuss how to move forward on the issue. “I meet weekly with stakeholders on both sides of the issue, just to be clear, right?” Klimesh said. “And those conversations are looking at the Senate’s proposal, you know, with the conversation at the House proposal they sent over … which was more clearly defined, obviously.” These conversations are about how to improve the Senate proposal, he said, and to “find middle ground” with Iowans on both sides of the issue. “I want folks to realize that, you know, the conversations are ongoing on a difficult issue, and we’re moving in the right direction,” Klimesh said. “I really feel that way.” House Speaker Pat Grassley said Thursday “my hope and expectation was we were going to get a bill over here from the Senate, so we can kind of see where we each are at” on eminent domain — something that has not happened. “At this point, it looks like we’re kind of in a stalemate from that standpoint,” Grassley said. “What I would ultimately say is, as far as House Republicans’ perspective, we still feel that the conversation is not done this legislative session.” Grassley said the House GOP caucus feels “strongly we need to have a further discussion than what we’ve already had this session.” “We have passed multiple different opportunities out of the House over the last several years with the willingness to try to find a level of solution,” Grassley said. “We would love for there to be something that comes back to us — for at least to work off of. But at the same time, just because a bill doesn’t come back from the Senate, I don’t think that we should also just throw up our hands and say, ‘Well, I guess the issue is dead for the year.’” Finding ways to lower property taxes was also brought up as a top goal by both legislative leaders and Reynolds heading into 2026. All three parties have released their plans on property taxes, and legislators have received public feedback on each of the proposals through subcommittee meetings. In a House Ways and Means Committee meeting Wednesday, lawmakers advanced House Study Bill 596, the House proposal with planned amendments to add portions from the governor’s proposal. Both the House GOP and Reynolds’ plans include a 2% revenue cap with some exceptions. The House bill, as passed, incorporates certain portions of the governor’s proposal, like creating a $10 million fund of one-time money for local governments to finance consolidation efforts and shared service agreements, and would create a state-sponsored tax-deductible savings account similar to the state’s Iowa 529 Plan for first-time homeowners. The measure still preserves some parts of House Republicans’ original bill, such as creating an exemption of 10% of the taxable value of a property or a maximum $25,000 exemption — whichever amount is less — for all residential properties, instead of cutting property taxes for seniors specifically. Senate Republicans have put forward Senate File 2472, a bill that takes a substantially different approach when compared to the governor and House Republicans’ bills. This bill proposes eliminating the state’s “rollback” system for calculating property tax, reversing certain 2013 property tax cuts for multiresidential buildings like apartments, and eliminating property taxes altogether for Iowa homeowners older than 60. The bill also seeks to provide local governments access to new revenue streams by seeking voter approval to raise the local option sales tax and indexing the state’s gas tax to inflation. The Senate Ways and Means Committee advanced the Senate bill March 11 with bipartisan support. Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, the committee chair, thanked members of the committee for their work on the bill, saying it showed “there is a high desire to overhaul this entire system on a bipartisan basis.” Dawson has repeatedly said that a “simple” bill will not meaningfully lower property tax costs for Iowans. “It should not go unnoticed in this building, that there’s a larger appetite than ‘simple’ and kicking the can down the road to the next year,” Dawson said. “So I thank you all for being part of the process and hopefully getting to a better solution.” Rep. Carter Nordman, R-Dallas Center, the House Ways and Means Committee chair, told reporters Wednesday “obviously, the two bills are very different” between the House and Senate. “Some philosophy differences there, too,” Nordman said. “So all we can do is continue to have those conversations and see if we can get on the same page.” While lawmakers were moving numerous policy proposals through committee meetings in the week leading up to the funnel deadline, the Iowa House passed a tax bill Thursday which faces its own deadline from the federal government. The House passed House File 2739 Thursday, retroactively raising the premium tax rate for health maintenance organizations from 0.925% to 3.5% from Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2026 to make up for a shortfall in Iowa Medicaid funding. Republicans said the tax increase was necessary to draw down certain federal funds made available through President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans’ 2025 tax and spending law. Reynolds said the state has a March 31 federal deadline to make the change.   Though there are still several high-profile issues on the table, the funnel has narrowed the field for bills lawmakers will consider for the rest of session. Here is a rundown on the bills that remain on the table following the second funnel deadline and which bills did not make the cut. What survived Agriculture Emissions lawsuits: House File 2527 would limit the ability to sue farmers for greenhouse gas emissions that have had an “alleged actual or potential effect” on the climate. Supporters of the bill, which advanced from the House, said it protects farmers from “frivolous” lawsuits. The bill and its companion, Senate File 2427, were placed on unfinished business. Grain indemnity: House File 2596 makes a small adjustment to the state program that helps farmers get paid when their grain buyers fold. The program was revamped in 2025, but HF 2596 corrects a section of the language that required small grain dealers to undergo audits, even if they didn’t allow for credit-sale contracts. The bill passed from the House floor Feb. 26 and later advanced from the Senate Agriculture Committee. Iowa Farm Act: A comprehensive ag policy from Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig was introduced in both chambers, though the Senate’s version of the bill, most recently numbered as Senate File 2465, has advanced from an appropriations committee. The bill calls for increased biosecurity, expansions to the Choose Iowa program and various tax relief measures for farmers. Raw milk and farm-to-table events: House File 2444 would allow raw milk to be sold at on-farm stores, allow cottage foods to be sold in grocery stores and create a special permit for farm-to-table events. The bill is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee, making it safe from the funnel deadline. Right to repair: House File 2709 would require manufacturers to sell the mechanisms required to repair agricultural equipment to farmers or independent repair shops. The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee Shellfish: A bill would create an individual category for shellfish in Iowa’s animal feeding operation code. House File 2534 advanced from the House and has been placed on unfinished business with its companion, Senate File 2337. Education Antisemitism at schools: House File 2544 would require the Iowa Board of Education to publish an annual antisemitism report. The report would have to identify “each complaint or incident of antisemitism,” using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, at regents universities, community colleges and public school districts. The measure was put on the unfinished business calendar in the Senate. Board of Educational Examiners citizenship checks: As passed by the Senate, Senate File 2218 would direct the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners to have education professionals seeking new and renewing licenses to provide information about their legal U.S. work authorization, and to submit proof of their eligibility every five years to remain licensed. This measure was introduced after the immigration arrest of former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts. The House amended the bill to include other provisions that were implemented via an executive order from Reynolds on citizenship status verification for other professional licensing and public jobs, which was discussed previously as a separate measure, Senate File 2412. The language added to the BOEE bill would require the state government and state licensing boards to use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database and E-Verify system to verify citizenship and legal status of people seeking state government jobs or professional and occupational licenses. Cardiac emergency response: Senate File 2390, which is funnel-exempt because it involves funding, would establish a pilot competitive grant program through the Iowa Department of Education for school districts to develop cardiac emergency response plans focused on athletic events and physical education. Charter schools: Senate File 2425 and House File 2699 propose adding costs for the teacher salary supplement cost per pupil to payments for charter schools, in addition to making other funding changes related to charter schools including a Senate proposal to add charter school teachers to the Iowa Public Employee Retirement System. It also would require public school districts’ athletic and other extracurricular activities to be available to charter school students who live within the district’s boundaries. The governor’s proposal on charter schools which also includes much of the similar language, Senate File 2406, was placed on unfinished business. Because the measures involve funding components, they are not subject to the funnel deadline. Civics education: Bills to expand civics education in public higher education have passed out of chamber committees and were placed on unfinished business. House File 2361, passed by the House, and Senate File 2232, approved by the Senate Education Committee, would require state universities to include three-credit-hour courses in U.S. history and government in general education standards, with centers for civic education at each institution responsible for designating courses. Classroom removal: Senate File 2428 would require school attendance centers to form review committees to determine whether a student removed from the classroom should be returned to it, with the ability to override teacher consent if a student’s disruptive behavior was nonviolent. Students removed from the classroom would be placed with the principal or other designated person, and teacher consent would be required to return the student to the classroom if the incident that led to the removal was violent. The bill unanimously passed through Senate debate and saw approval by the House Education Committee just before the funnel deadline March 19. Credit transfers, performance-based funding: House File 2547 passed the House and was recommended for amendment and passage by the Iowa Senate Education Committee. It would expand credit transfers for career and technical education, change career academy rules and establish a fund for students taking summer community college credit courses in areas relating to high-demand jobs. An amendment approved by the House added language from House File 2243, which would require the Iowa Board of Regents to study potential implementation of a performance-based funding model, to the legislation. Education reporting: Senate File 2407, and its House companion bill House File 2725, would consolidate reports on online learning, achievement gaps and other topics into an “annual condition of education report” and change other reporting requirements for Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa College Student Aid Commission. Both bills passed through the Senate and House education committees, respectively, and Senate File 2407 was placed on the calendar as unfinished business. Endowment tax: House File 2240, as amended by the Iowa House Higher Education Committee, would impose a tax on university endowments holding more than $500 million, at a rate equaling the highest corporate income tax rate, identified in the bill as currently 7.1%. Institutions that would be impacted by the bill if it is signed into law include Grinnell College, Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. After passage by the higher education committee, the legislation was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. Free speech: Senate File 2300 and its companion House File 2336, ban schools from penalizing students or discriminating against them for expressing viewpoints through religious, political or ideological speech where “similarly situated students” are not punished. The measure passed the House and was placed on the “unfinished business” calendar in the Senate. During House debate, Democrats said the measure was duplicative of students’ rights already guaranteed by the First Amendment, and would add new legal liabilities alongside increased costs through training and compliance requirements. General education review: House File 2487, attached to Senate File 2303 and placed on the Senate calendar as unfinished business, would require the Iowa Board of Regents to review all general education requirements and core curricula at state universities for diversity, equity and inclusion or critical race theory-related content. The board “in its discretion” would then direct institutions to eliminate courses or course requirements, the bill stated. Senate File 2303 was approved by the Iowa Senate Education Committee Feb. 12. H-1B visas: House File 2513 would prohibit public universities from entering employment contracts with federal H-1B visaholders who are citizens of China or other “federally designated foreign adversaries,” the bill stated, including Syria, Russia, Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela. Having passed the House, the legislation saw support from an Iowa Senate subcommittee and the chamber’s workforce committee March 11, and has been placed on the Senate debate calendar. Law student loan repayment: House File 2331, passed by the Iowa House Higher Education Committee Feb. 4 and approved by an Appropriations subcommittee in the chamber, would establish a loan repayment program for University of Iowa College of Law graduates who practice in the state. Eligible graduates would receive up to $10,000 per year for six years, not to exceed the total balance of their loans. Priority would be given to graduates practicing in rural areas of the state. A previous version of the legislation would have placed an 80% residency requirement in the college of law, but was amended to its current form by the higher education committee. Pediatric cancer research: House File 2310 would provide a standing appropriation of either $1 per Iowa resident or $3 million to the Iowa Board of Regents for pediatric cancer research at the University of Iowa. Having passed unanimously in subcommittee and the Iowa House Higher Education Committee, the bill has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee. Presidential searches: House File 2245, passed out of the Iowa House March 12, would require the Iowa Board of Regents to use a presidential search committee when selecting a new university president. The legislation would also keep candidates’ identities confidential unless a written agreement is made. The bill was met with approval by the Iowa Senate Education Committee, with Senate File 2359 attached to it and both placed on the calendar as unfinished business. Social studies: House File 2244 and Senate File 2413, are companion bills requiring seventh and eighth grade students to receive instruction on U.S. government for at least one-half of a semester. The measure was passed by the House and placed on unfinished business in the Senate. Tuition guarantee: Senate File 2227 and House File 2362 would require universities to keep resident undergraduate tuition at the same level as the amount they paid in their first year of attendance, with certain exceptions, starting in 2027. The Iowa Senate moved both bills to unfinished business ahead of the second funnel of the legislative session. Health care Abortion medication: House File 2563 attempts to limit abortion medications like mifepristone coming from outside providers through telehealth and mail-order medication options by requiring these medications be administered or prescribed in person. Doctors dispensing these drugs would also be required to share information with patients about the possibility of reversing “the intended effects of a chemical abortion,” though medical professionals and advocates said this information was not scientifically accurate. Klimesh told reporters Thursday conversations are continuing on the proposal, but that he did not know if lawmakers are close enough to a consensus on the measure to advance restrictions through amendments or other means. In the House, the bill was referred to the Appropriations Committee Thursday, keeping it alive through the second funnel deadline. Conversion therapy: House File 2557 would create exemptions within the state’s definitions of “child abuse” and “child endangerment” related to a parent or guardian choosing not to affirm their child’s gender identity if it differs from their sex assigned at birth, saying these cannot be considered during foster parent licensing, adoption or custody proceedings. These exceptions involve a parent’s “intent to raise, guide or instruct a child in a manner consistent with the child’s sex,” stating actions like refusing to call a child by a name or pronouns that differ from their legal sex, or not consenting to a child receiving gender-affirming medical care, could not be considered endangerment or abuse. However, Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates said they were concerned with the language in the bill stating “seeking and consenting to a mental health service for a child for the purpose of helping the child live a life consistent with the child’s sex” could not be considered abuse or endangerment. Speakers at subcommittee meetings on the bill said this would allow the disavowed practice of “conversion therapy” – treatments seeking to change a person’s gender or sexual orientation – to be exempt from the state’s oversight of child abuse. Governor’s ‘MAHA’ bill: House File 2676 was proposed by Reynolds to codify restrictions on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligible food items, make ivermectin accessible over the counter and prohibit food dyes in school meals. The bill passed from the House with several amendments, including one to limit screen time in elementary schools, another asking to waive school lunch nutrition guidelines to instead include more regional foods like beef, pork and dairy and another that sets extracurricular requirements in schools. The bill was attached to Senate File 2367 and placed on unfinished business. HPV vaccine: Under current Iowa law, parental consent is required for vaccinating minors in almost all cases. But there’s an exception in Iowa law, letting minors consent to vaccines without their parent’s permission for vaccinations related to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or infections. Senate File 304 proposes repealing this exception, meaning minors would need parental approval to receive the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and the hepatitis B vaccine. Kratom: House File 2133 would designate kratom products – a substance currently legal for sale and possession in Iowa which produces a stimulant effect at low doses, and acts as a sedative at high doses – as a Schedule I hallucinogenic substance. People found in possession of kratom would be subject to a serious misdemeanor charge for their first offense, an aggravated misdemeanor for their second and a Class D felony charge for subsequent offenses. The bill passed the House and was placed on the unfinished business calendar in the Senate. Psilocybin: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee amended and passed House File 978 Thursday, a bill that would allow for the legal, medical use of psilocybin in clinical environments with psychiatric support that have been approved by the state. Products with psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in “magic mushrooms,” and operators providing treatment involving psilocybin, would be regulated by the state through the Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board, which would be expanded to include four members with expertise in psilocybin treatment. The program created through this legislation would be limited to individuals seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, but the board could seek legislative approval for using psilocybin in treatment for other mental health issues as more research becomes available. Subacute mental health care: Passed unanimously by the House, House File 2543 proposes several changes that were brought up as suggestions during a January Subacute Mental Health Care Services Interim Study Committee to improve Iowa’s treatment options, coverage and availability for subacute mental health care – programs for people who require in-person, intensive mental health care, but do not need to be kept in emergency hospitalization. The bill is on the unfinished business calendar in the Senate. The measure strikes a current provision in Iowa law limiting subacute mental health care to a period of 10 days – unless a longer stay is approved by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services – and bans preauthorization requirements for being admitted to a subacute mental health care facility for 15 days of treatment. It also restricts Managed Care Organizations’ (MCOs) review of “medical necessity” of this treatment to once per month, as well as preventing MCOs from requiring the discharge of patients from a subacute program without approval from a mental health professional supervising their treatment. Tobacco tax: Several measures aimed at raising excise taxes on tobacco and other nicotine products have failed to advance this session, being removed from the governor’s “MAHA” bill as it moved through the House and Senate Study Bill 3145 failing to advance through the Senate Health and Human Services Committee earlier this session. However, some lawmakers are hoping to revive the conversation before the end of session. Rep. Brett Barker, R-Nevada, introduced House File 2406 in February – a bill raising taxes on cigarettes by $1.50, as well as other nicotine and vape products – which is not subject to the funnel deadline. At a news conference on a study showing support from voters for raising the tax, he said he hoped the measure would come back up as lawmakers look for ways to address Medicaid funding shortfalls. State government Affirmative action: House File 2711 removes several affirmative action requirements for state and educational institutions, including the Iowa departments of Education and Administration, judicial branch, Board of Regents, community colleges and local school districts. The bill also makes changes to a police oversight law passed with bipartisan support in 2020, removing  racial and cultural awareness training requirements at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy and annual bias prevention training for law enforcement agencies. The House amended the bill when passing it to add back training requirements for deescalation techniques, and to remove certain references to policies involving citizenship.The Senate Judiciary Committee amended the bill further on March 19, striking the police provisions and leaving only the elimination of references to affirmative action in the law. Budget shutdowns, governor’s powers: Many Democratic lawmakers already had concerns about House File 2694, a bill passed by the Iowa House that restricts governor’s abilities during disasters, including the ability of governors to restrict private businesses’ operations during public health disasters or to order changes to election laws and regulations without legislative approval. The measure also prevents a governor from ordering places of worship to close during disaster emergency situations, in addition to regulating conduct within private residences or requiring vaccines. But Senate Democrats on the State Government Committee further criticized the measure when it was brought before the committee with an amendment Wednesday that added language from Senate File 2388 to the bill. The additional language states that in years where the Legislature fails to pass or present a budget before the beginning of the next fiscal year – July 1 – the state will provide a continuing appropriation based on funding levels from the previous year. This measure would prevent state government shutdowns. While Republicans supporting the bill said the proposal is meant to prevent shutdowns similar to those happening in Washington, D.C., Democrats said the measure would give an avenue for Republican majorities in the Legislature to avoid negotiating with a potential future Democratic governor. The bill, as amended, passed 10-8. Some Republicans have also expressed concerns about the proposal potentially preventing lawmakers from being able to use budget negotiations to bring issues to the floor, as an eminent domain bill was brought to Senate vote in 2025. Commercial volumes: Senate File 2294 proposes restricting the volume of commercial advertisements on video streaming services, saying these ads cannot be transmitted  “at an audio volume louder than the audio volume of the video programming or video content the advertisement accompanies” to Iowa consumers. The measure was referred to the Senate Ways and Means committee, keeping it eligible for debate through the funnel. CDL English tests: Senate File 2426 would require applicants for Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) to meet English proficiency standards, assessed using a computer-based exam, which only needs to be passed once. Trucking and bus companies would be prohibited from employing or contracting the services of a driver who does not meet language proficiency standards. The bill passed the Senate and was placed on the unfinished business calendar in the House. Child care assistance: Iowa’s Child Care Assistance (CCA) program has been available to parents of child care workers outside of existing income restrictions through a state pilot program since 2023 – but House File 2514 would make this program permanent. It passed the House in February and is eligible for Senate debate. Language codifying the pilot program has also moved forward as a part of other child care legislation. Driver’s license citizenship checks: Senate File 2187 is one of several measures that would require state entities to use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to verify people’s citizenship status. The Iowa Department of Transportation would be required to check the citizenship status through SAVE of each person applying for or renewing a driver’s license or nonoperator’s identification card who does not provide proof of citizenship, and the DOT could not issue IDs to people whose citizenship or immigration status cannot be verified. Democrats spoke in opposition to requiring the use of SAVE in this process, as there have been instances where SAVE erroneously listed some individuals as noncitizens. Early Childhood Iowa: House File 2712 and Senate File 2462 are companion bills making changes to the Early Childhood Iowa system and funding. The measure, which has been significantly changed from initial proposals, would move funding through the existing ECI “School Ready Fund” for family support services and parent education programs to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services in order to draw down federal money, according to HHS officials. Other ECI funding streams would remain as-is. The measure is not subject to the funnel deadline, because it involves appropriations. E-Verify, SAVE: While some components of Reynolds’ executive order requiring state agencies use the SAVE database and E-Verify system to verify citizenship and work eligibility of state job and licensee applicants moved forward as an amendment to another bill, House File 2608 and Senate File 2412 also survived the funnel deadline by being placed on the unfinished business calendar. In addition to the federal verification requirements, the bill proposed by the governor would also make other changes related to law enforcement for immigrants. Local identification cards: House File 2296 would ban local governments from issuing community ID cards – specifically impacting the Johnson County community ID program. The measure would still authorize counties to issue forms of identification like driver’s licenses, nonoperator’s identification cards and identification devices for persons with disabilities, and local governments could still use employee IDs. Local ordinance cost analysis: Senate File 2434 would ban departments, offices or other subunits of a county or city government from making internal policies or rules without approval through an ordinance passed by the county board or city council respectively. The measure would also require ordinances adopted by these local government bodies to include a cost analysis, accessible via the government entity’s official website. The measure initially included language striking a current requirement in Iowa law for public notices to be published in newspapers, allow these notices to be posted on the government entity’s official website, and a “statewide public notice internet site.” This change was removed from the bill as it passed the Senate, but similar language remains alive in an appropriations bill. NFL stadiums: Senate File 2373 would offer Major Economic Growth Attraction (MEGA) program incentives – typically aimed at bringing projects with $1 billion in capital investment to Iowa – to projects building a professional sports stadium by a National Football League franchise in Iowa. The bill was brought up as the Chicago Bears are considering building a new stadium, potentially outside of Illinois. The last action on the bill was in February, but it remains eligible for discussion as a Ways and Means bill in the Senate. Radon mitigation: House File 2297, which has passed the House and is eligible for debate in the Senate, would require new single- and two-family residences to be constructed with passive radon mitigation systems. Lawmakers introduced the bill as an effort to help reduce the prevalence of lung cancer in the state since radon exposure is the second leading cause of the disease. Rulesmaking approval: Agencies within a future state administration would have to seek legislative approval for major administrative rule changes under House File 2717 and Senate File 2395, which were placed on the unfinished business calendar. This proposal – one of several Democrats say are the majority party’s attempts to restrict a potential future Democratic governor – would also reduce gubernatorial appointees’ terms from six to four years. Labor and the workforce Skilled workforce training: House File 2466 would increase funding for the 84E Apprenticeship Act, which goes toward state Registered Apprenticeship programs, from $3 million to $4.5 million. It would also create a “career training physical expansion program fund” to fund new facilities at community colleges, as well as in private sector programs, for in-person training in high demand fields, though the funding amount for this component was not specified. The bill also makes changes on who can provide apprenticeship training for intermediate sponsors – defined as “entity that provides apprenticeship training to multiple employers and serves as the sponsor of the apprentices” – stating they would not be penalized for partner employers’ actions, and would be eligible for Iowa Workforce Development aid. Additionally, it would encourage school districts to expand pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs at high schools. The legislation saw passage with amendment from the Iowa House Higher Education Committee Feb. 11 and was referred to Appropriations, where a subcommittee has recommended passage. Justice and public safety Age verification: House File 864 would require online entities containing obscene materials to implement “reasonable” methods to verify users’ ages, such as checking government-issued ID and financial documents. The bill, which the House passed in 2025, remains eligible for debate in the Senate following February approval from the Senate Technology committee. A similar measure brought forward this session, House File 2606, advanced through the committee process in the House but did not receive floor debate. Bail restrictions: House lawmakers substituted language from Senate File 2399 – a bill passed by the Senate unanimously setting pretrial bond amounts for Class A and forcible felonies – with the language from House File 2505, one the proposals included in House Republicans’ “tough on crime” package. Sent back to the Senate, the measure states a judge could not set bail lower than the uniform bond schedule without written justification for people arrested for certain crimes, like possession of a firearm as a felon or a forcible felony. It would also require judges who deviate from uniform bond schedules in other instances to provide written justification for setting lower bails. “Promise to appear” releases, allowing a person to be released from custody without going to jail after an arrest, would be banned if a person is charged with a simple or serious misdemeanor related to violence or drugs. The bill also allows the bond schedule to be adjusted for inflation. Judicial safety: Senate File 2280, placed on the House unfinished business calendar, is one of the measures proposed by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird at the beginning of the 2026 legislative session. State lawmakers, judicial officers, the Attorney General, deputy attorneys general and assistant attorneys general would be eligible through the bill for a professional permit allowing them to carry firearms while anywhere in the state, including on school grounds. The bill would also raise the penalty for threatening a judicial officer or their immediate family members from a misdemeanor to a class C felony.  

Dance Marathon this Saturday

North Scott students will host  their annual Dance Marathon in The Pit Saturday, March 28. They will be raising money in conjunction with the University of Iowa Dance Marathon and Children’s Miracle Network to support families fighting pediatric cancer. The students’ goal is to raise $12,000. The event will take place Saturday from 6–10 p.m. In addition to dancing, there will also be food and family activities. Local families affected by pediatric cancer will be honored throughout. Tickets for the Dance Marathon are $15 for adults and $10 for students and must be purchased on Bound: www.gobound.com/ia/schools/northscotteldridge/tickets. Direct donations may also be made at events.dancemarathon.com/NSDanceMarathon2026/donate.  

Food safety training set for May 7

The North Central Region Center for Food Safety Modernization Act Training will host an Environmental Monitoring Course on May 7 in Des Moines. Food safety and quality professionals, including quality assurance managers, coordinators, sanitation leaders, auditors and technical staff, along with consultants advising food businesses, are invited to attend. Environmental monitoring is used as a verification process to ensure the effective use of sanitation control measures in a food processing operation when an environmental hazard, such as Salmonella or Listeria, is reasonably likely to be present. The course will provide tools to comply with regulatory requirements for implementing effective sanitation practices. Participants will gain practical, decision-focused skills to design and strengthen Environmental Monitoring Program systems that effectively control environmental pathogen risks. The course will be held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Downtown Des Moines. Participants must be present for the entire eight-hour course to earn the certificate. Byron Chaves, associate extension specialist and professor at Rutgers University, will lead the course. The registration fee is $20 per person and includes lunch and light snacks. Participants must register online before April 22 to attend. The North Central Region Center for FSMA Training, Extension and Technical Assistance at Iowa State University partners with regional universities, food safety centers and national produce safety alliances to support the infrastructure of the national food safety program by communicating and coordinating information within the North Central Region related to the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule and Preventive Control Rule. For more information, contact Ellen Johnsen at johnsene@iastate.edu. This work is supported by the Food Safety Outreach Program (grant no. 2024-70020-42954) from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

View the Eldridge Police report from the March 25 NSP!

MONDAY, MARCH 9 7:51 a.m. — A juvenile was cited for person under 21 using a tobacco/vapor product – 2nd offense, following an incident in the 200 block of South 1st Street. 11:48 a.m. — Andrew Zickert, 37, of Davenport, was arrested for compulsory education violation (truancy), following an incident in the 200 block of South 1st Street. 1:16 p.m. — Christina Martin, 39, of Davenport, was arrested for domestic abuse assault – injury or mental illness – 1st offense, following a report of a domestic disturbance in the 200 block of West LeClaire Road. 5:43 p.m. — Courtney Thomburg, 36, of Eldridge, was cited for operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop near South 1st Street and East Blackhawk Trail. 6:12 p.m. — Paul Guzewicz, 62, of Davenport, was cited for operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop near South 1st Street and Trails Road. 11:52 p.m. — Complaint of a suspicious vehicle in the 200 block of North 6th Avenue. Handled by officer. TUESDAY, MARCH 10 12:53 a.m. — Complaint of a reckless driver near East 55th and Brady streets. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 1:43 a.m. — Complaint of a suspicious subject in the 700 block of North 1st Street. Handled by officer. 4:01 a.m. — Assisted another agency with a report of a single vehicle accident near 240th Street and 145th Avenue. 7:50 a.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 500 block of North 3rd Avenue. 10:06 a.m. — Report taken for fraudulent activity in the 200 block of West Price Street. 1:28 p.m. — Complaint of a reckless driver near South 5th Street and West LeClaire Road. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 1:36 p.m. — Complaint of a domestic disturbance in the 3200 block of South 16th Avenue. Handled by officer. 1:59 p.m. — Performed a welfare check in the 200 block of South Park View Drive. Handled by officer. 6:10 p.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 200 block of East Franklin Street. 6:16 p.m. — Terrell Hodrick, 26, of Clinton, was arrested for driving under suspension and cited for no insurance, following a traffic stop in the 100 block of West Slopertown Road. 10:52 p.m. — Complaint of a fire alarm going off in the 1100 block of Cypress Point Court. The call was turned over to the fire department. Handled by officer. 11:26 p.m. — Complaint of a suspicious vehicle in the 100 block of South Scott Park Road. Handled by officer. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 12:50 a.m. — Floyd Home, 36, of Muscatine, was arrested for driving under suspension, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. 2:16 a.m. — Complaint of a reckless driver on Highway 61. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 2:50 p.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 400 block of East Franklin Street. 4:21 p.m. — Report of a carbon monoxide alarm going off in the 400 block of North 3rd Avenue. Handled by officer. 9:27 p.m. — Complaint of a disabled vehicle on Highway 61. Handled by officer. THURSDAY, MARCH 12 12:20 a.m. — Assisted another agency with an incident in the 500 block of West Prairie Vista Drive. 7:48 p.m. — Report taken for an accident between two vehicles near West Donahue and North 7th streets. 11:18 a.m. — Assisted another agency with a report of a two-vehicle accident near 270th Street and Scott Park Road. 4:59 p.m. — Complaint of unwanted juveniles in a business in the 600 block of East LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. 10:23 p.m. — Brian Maiden, 38, of Rock Island, was cited for no driver’s license, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. 10:40 p.m. — Complaint of a disabled vehicle on Highway 61. Handled by officer. FRIDAY, MARCH 13 1:43 a.m. — Report of an alarm sounding in the 900 block of Trails Road. Keyholder contacted. Handled by officer. 5:37 a.m. — Complaint of a pole leaning over the roadway near South Buttermilk Road and West Spring Street. The call was turned over to the public works department. Handled by officer. 10:35 p.m. — Rose Winters, 33, of Davenport, was cited for no driver’s license, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. 11:15 p.m. — Assisted another agency with a traffic stop near East Blackhawk Trail and South 1st Street. SATURDAY, MARCH 14 4:55 a.m. — Report of a noise complaint in the 500 block of West Valley Drive. Handled by officer. 10:39 a.m. — Report of an alarm sounding in the 1100 block of East Iowa Street. Keyholder contacted. Handled by officer. 11:50 a.m. — Report of an alarm sounding in the 100 block of North 16th Avenue. Keyholder contacted. Handled by officer. 5:13 p.m. — Jamie Peterman, 38, of Eldridge, was cited for operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop near South Scott Park Road and East Blackhawk Trail. 5:31 p.m. — Complaint of juveniles causing a disturbance in the 100 block of South 3rd Avenue. Handled by officer. 5:54 p.m. — Christopher Madison, 25, of Bettendorf, was cited for operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop in the 2000 block of Slopertown Road. 6:09 p.m. — Franshawn Washington, 37, of Eldridge, was cited for no driver’s license, following a traffic stop in the 2000 block of Slopertown Road. 6:49 p.m. — Lucas Casel, 29, of Davenport, was arrested for driving under suspension and cited for operating a non-registered vehicle and no insurance, following a traffic stop in the 2000 block of Slopertown Road. 7:08 p.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 400 block of South 14th Avenue. 8:17 p.m. — Charles Holliday, 44, of Eldridge, was cited for operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop near South 1st Street and West Lincoln Road. 9:39 p.m. — Louis Claeys, 79, of Eldridge, was arrested for OWI – 1st offense, interference with official acts and no driver’s license, following a traffic stop near North Scott Park and East LeClaire roads. 10:00 p.m. — Complaint of a disabled vehicle on Highway 61. Handled by officer. SUNDAY, MARCH 15 2:01 a.m. — Complaint of a suspicious vehicle in the 200 block of South 1st Street. Handled by officer. 2:02 a.m. — Assisted another agency with a traffic stop near West 53rd Street and Northwest Boulevard. 2:06 p.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 400 block of East Franklin Street. 3:17 p.m. — Complaint of a subject in the 100 block of West Scott Street being harassed. Handled by officer. 4:41 p.m. — Report of a noise complaint in the 800 block of West Donahue Street. Handled by officer. 8:41 p.m. — Report of a noise complaint in the 800 block of West Donahue Street. Handled by officer. MONDAY, MARCH 16 5:54 a.m. — Complaint of a vehicle in a ditch near South Hillandale and Slopertown roads. The vehicle was flagged. Handled by officer. 6:06 a.m. — Complaint of a vehicle in a ditch in the 700 block of West Slopertown Road. The vehicle was flagged. Handled by officer. 6:16 a.m. — Complaint of a vehicle in a ditch in the 2000 block of Slopertown Road. The vehicle was flagged. Handled by officer. 7:28 a.m. — Complaint of a vehicle in a ditch on Highway 61. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 8:35 a.m. — Complaint of a vehicle in a ditch in the 300 block of West Slopertown Road. The vehicle was flagged. Handled by officer. 8:54 a.m. — Complaint of a vehicle in a ditch on Highway 61. The vehicle was flagged. Handled by officer. 9:02 a.m. — Complaint of a vehicle in a ditch on Highway 61. The vehicle was flagged. Handled by officer. 10:15 a.m. — Assisted another agency with a hit-and-run accident near North Division Street and Research Parkway. 10:41 a.m. — Assisted another agency with a report of a single vehicle accident in the 17400 block of 267th Street. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 4:19 p.m. — Report of a parking complaint in the 100 block of Fairway Circle. A tow sticker was applied to the vehicle. Handled by officer. 4:33 p.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 900 block of West Sheridan Drive. 5:06 p.m. — Provided traffic control while a vehicle in a ditch was towed out in the 3300 block of South Buttermilk Road. Handled by officer. 5:09 p.m. — Complaint of a two-vehicle accident near West Donahue Street and North Buttermilk Road. Handled by officer. 6:40 p.m. — Complaint of multiple vehicles in a ditch in the 8000 block of North Division Street. Handled by officer. 6:53 p.m. — Complaint of a vehicle in a ditch in the 900 block of West Slopertown Road. The vehicle was flagged. Handled by officer. 7:34 p.m. — Report of an alarm sounding in the 600 block of East LeClaire Road. Keyholder contacted. Handled by officer. 11:51 p.m. — Provided traffic control while a vehicle in a ditch near South 1st Street and East Blackhawk Trail was towed out. Handled by officer. TUESDAY, MARCH 17 7:44 a.m. — Report of an alarm sounding in the 400 block of Linden Lane. Keyholder contacted. Handled by officer. 10:00 a.m. — Complaint of damage to a vehicle due to debris in the roadway on Highway 61. Handled by officer. 4:01 p.m. — Complaint of a vehicle blocking the roadway on Highway 61. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 4:17 p.m. — Complaint of a suspicious subject in the 800 block of South 7th Street Court. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 8:45 p.m. — Complaint of juveniles playing ding-dong-ditch in the 100 block of South 27th Avenue. Handled by officer. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 9:22 a.m. — Complaint of juveniles running in hallways in the 700 block of West Donahue Street. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 9:33 a.m. — Complaint of juveniles causing a disturbance in the 700 block of West Donahue Street. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 10:23 a.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 500 block of West Davenport Street. 11:22 a.m. — Report taken for a burglary in the 400 block of North 5th Place. 4:10 p.m. — Report taken for hit-and-run damage to a vehicle parked in the 100 block of South 3rd Avenue. 5:01 p.m. — Report taken for vandalism to property in the 800 block of West Donahue Street. 6:15 p.m. — Assisted another agency with a traffic stop on Highway 61. 10:59 p.m. — Complaint of subjects tapping on windows in the 200 block of South 8th Street. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 11:00 p.m. — Complaint of subjects tapping on windows in the 400 block of North 8th Street. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 11:18 p.m. — Complaint of subjects tapping on windows in the 1700 block of South 5th Street. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. THURSDAY, MARCH 19 1:12 a.m. — Complaint of subjects tapping on windows in the 800 block of West Pinehurst Drive. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 5:23 p.m. — Report taken for vandalism to property in the 700 block of West Price Street. 8:04 p.m. — Report of an alarm sounding in the 200 block of South 16th Avenue. Keyholder contacted. Handled by officer. 11:31 p.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 500 block of West Valley Drive. FRIDAY, MARCH 20 1:07 a.m. — Complaint of damage to property in the 400 block of Dammann Drive. Handled by officer. 2:45 a.m. — Complaint of a subject in the 500 block of South 1st Street being harassed. Handled by officer. 6:21 a.m. — Complaint of a disabled vehicle on Highway 61. The vehicle was flagged. Handled by officer. 10:33 p.m. — Complaint of a reckless driver on Highway 61. Handled by officer. 1:21 p.m. — Complaint of dogs running loose in the 600 block of West Davenport Street. The owner retrieved the animals. Handled by officer. 7:00 p.m. — Provided traffic control while a vehicle in a ditch near South 1st Street and Trails Road was being towed out. Handled by officer. 8:59 p.m. — Complaint of a suspicious vehicle in the 500 block of South 5th Street. Handled by officer. SATURDAY, MARCH 21 11:32 a.m. — Assisted another agency with a report of a runaway in the 400 block of South 14th Avenue. Handled by officer. 5:11 p.m. — Complaint of a dog left in a vehicle in the 400 block of South 14th Avenue. Handled by officer. 5:13 p.m. — Darbie Schell, 44, of Davenport, was cited for no insurance and no driver’s license, following a traffic stop near Slopertown Road and South 1st Street. 6:50 p.m. — Da’Lante Fitts, 27, of Bettendorf, was arrested for driving under suspension and cited for no insurance and operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop near South Buttermilk and Slopertown roads. 8:34 p.m. — Assisted a resident in the 200 block of East Franklin Street. Handled by officer. 11:36 p.m. — Tyler Schoenhard, 35, of Clinton, was cited for no insurance and operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. SUNDAY, MARCH 22 12:34 a.m. — Complaint of a domestic disturbance in the 100 block of West Sheridan Drive. Handled by officer. 7:38 a.m. — Report of an alarm sounding in the 100 block of South 3rd Avenue. Keyholder contacted. Handled by officer. 1:31 p.m. — Complaint of a reckless driver on Highway 61. Handled by officer. 1:41 p.m. — Complaint of a subject walking on Highway 61. Handled by officer. 4:52 p.m. — Complaint of a reckless driver on Highway 61. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 6:22 p.m. — Assisted with child custody exchange in the 300 block of North 3rd Street. Handled by officer. 7:16 p.m. — Complaint of a loud noise in the 800 block of West Donahue Street. Handled by officer. 

View the Scott County Sheriff's report from the March 25 NSP!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 5:20 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 200 block of Main Street, Buffalo. THURSDAY, MARCH 12 11:47 p.m. — William Holley, 32, Davenport, was charged with failure to appear on a warrant, following a report of a disturbance in the 21400 block of Scott Park Road, Davenport. FRIDAY, MARCH 13 3:02 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage near South Concord Street and West River Drive. 9:32 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a missing person in the 1100 block of Fenno Drive. 10:43 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 13800 block of 118th Avenue. 2:08 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an assault in the 600 block of Belmont Road. 2:47 p.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint in the 3500 block of Wisconsin Street. 4:28 p.m. — Deputies responded to a drug complaint in the 600 block of Belmont Road. 4:39 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft on Park View Drive, Park View. The property was returned. 5:09 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 3700 block of West Locust Street. 6:36 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance near Utica Ridge Road and 230th Street. 7:26 p.m. — Logan Riley Michelle Hocker, 25, Davenport, was cited for driving while barred (habitual offender), following a traffic stop near East 53rd Street and Amesbury Drive, Davenport. 7:59 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 3600 block of East 53rd Street. 8:07 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a juvenile problem in the 11900 block of 110th Avenue. 9:00 p.m. — Robin Louann Buntjer, 56, Clinton, was arrested on an outstanding interstate warrant and charged with a controlled substance violation and a drug tax stamp violation, following an incident in the 7200 block of Northwest Boulevard, Davenport. 9:17 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 900 block of Pius Lane. 11:15 p.m. — Tori Ranae Reed, 32, Port Byron, Ill., was cited for driving while barred (habitual offender), following a traffic stop near East Blackhawk Trail and South 1st Street, Eldridge. SATURDAY, MARCH 14 12:04 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 3000 block of West 71st Street. 1:56 a.m. — Jada Mone Jones, 19, Rock Island, was charged with OWI – 1st offense, possession of tobacco/vapor/cigarettes under the legal age and supplying alcohol to a person underage, following a traffic stop near North Division and West 67th streets, Davenport. 3:04 a.m. — Jasmine Michelle Sanford, 35, Davenport, was arrested on an outstanding intrastate warrant, following a traffic stop in the 2900 block of East 53rd Street, Davenport. 4:10 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 13800 block of 118th Avenue. 5:08 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident in the 11000 block of 110th Avenue. A vehicle driven by Erick Jesus Cardozo, 23, Kerens, Texas, was southbound on 110th Avenue. Cardozo reportedly told deputies he briefly fell asleep while driving. The vehicle left the roadway and rolled into a ditch. 8:34 a.m. — Deputies responded to a vandalism complaint in the 10500 block of 160th Street. 9:27 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance on Park View Drive. 10:22 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury. 12:39 p.m. — Randy Allen Schneck, 47, LeClaire, was charged with 3rd degree criminal mischief and cited for driving while license denied, suspended, cancelled or revoked, following an incident in the 24400 block of Valley Drive, Pleasant Valley. 1:05 p.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check in the 700 block of West Iowa 80 Road. 1:42 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 700 block of West Iowa 80 Road, Walcott. The complainant reported that diesel fuel had been siphoned from his truck while it was parked in the lot at the Iowa 80 Truckstop. 2:02 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem. 5:37 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance near West 65th Street and North Hazelwood Avenue. 8:01 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 900 block of West Kimberly Road. 8:34 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 3600 block of East 53rd Street. 9:25 p.m. — Nolan Lee Givens, 30, Davenport, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, following a traffic stop in the 3100 block of Rockingham Road, Davenport. SUNDAY, MARCH 15 12:54 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 5200 block of Northwest Boulevard. 1:14 a.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 3800 block of Hobson Avenue. 1:41 a.m. — Charles Michael Seaman, 18, Davenport, was charged with OWI – 1st offense, possession of tobacco/cigarettes/vapor product under the legal age – 1st offense, and possession/purchase of alcohol under the legal age, following a traffic stop near West 53rd and North Pine streets, Davenport. 2:22 a.m. — Avayonica Yvonna Johnson, 20, Davenport, was cited for OWI – 1st offense, following a traffic stop near West 53rd Street and Northwest Boulevard, Davenport. 3:07 a.m. — Roman Christopher Marquardt, 21, Blue Grass, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (not marijuana) – 2nd offense, OWI – 1st offense and possession of drug paraphernalia, and cited for improper use of lanes, following a traffic stop near East 38th and Brady streets, Davenport. 3:58 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 3700 block of West Locust Street. 5:40 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 8200 block of Northwest Boulevard. 6:47 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury. 6:52 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury. 6:57 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident near mile marker 285 on Interstate 80 West. A vehicle driven by Azamat Adylov, 29, Racine, Wis., lost control due to slushy road conditions. The vehicle went into the median, where it struck a cable barrier. 7:16 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage. 8:28 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 400 block of West Iowa 80 Road. 8:37 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with hit-and-run damage near mile marker 282 on Interstate 80 West. A vehicle driven by an unknown driver was westbound on Interstate 80. The driver reportedly lost control and the vehicle fishtailed. The trailer on the back of the vehicle struck a vehicle driven by Rhett Pederson, 26, Minot, N.D. Pederson’s vehicle left the roadway and went into a ditch. The other vehicle did not stop at the scene. 11:42 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 1100 block of Walnut Street. MONDAY, MARCH 16 12:02 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage. 10:41 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury in the 17400 block of 267th Street. 10:51 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury. 1:10 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a two-vehicle accident near 200th Street and 110th Avenue. A snowplow operated by Bridget Ann Hillyer, 53, Eldridge, was westbound on 200th Street. A tow truck was parked on the side of the road, and Hillyer attempted to maneuver around the tow truck. Due to snowy road conditions, the snowplow lost traction and struck the tow truck. 1:34 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage near 257th Street and 270th Avenue. 2:51 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage. 3:44 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem. 5:03 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 100 block of Manor Drive. 8:44 p.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check near Northwest Boulevard and 210th Street. 8:47 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident in the 24800 block of Scott Park Road. A vehicle driven by Robert Jermaine Johnson, 42, Davenport, was southbound on Scott Park Road. Johnson reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which went into a ditch. Johnson was cited for failure to maintain control and failure to provide proof of insurance. 8:47 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a juvenile problem in the 200 block of 2nd Avenue. 10:50 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury near 89th Avenue and 200th Street. 11:56 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 6200 block of Crow Creek Road. TUESDAY, MARCH 17 3:24 a.m. — Kiara Lanae Culberson, 20, Davenport, was cited for driving while license denied or revoked, driving with suspended/denied/revoked license or registration and violation of financial liability coverage, following a traffic stop near Shamrock Drive and Eastern Avenue, Davenport. 3:07 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem near East Grove Road and South 1st Street. 4:04 p.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check. 4:59 p.m. — Deputies responded to a fraud complaint in the 500 block of South Woodlawn Road. 7:14 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 23300 block of 277th Avenue. 8:44 p.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint on Valley View Drive. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 3:26 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 100 block of West 65th Street. 5:23 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 700 block of West Iowa 80 Road. 9:33 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 700 block of West Donahue Street. 10:42 a.m. — Deputies responded to a fireworks complaint in the 5300 block of 306th Street. 5:04 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 200 block of South Park View Drive. 8:47 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury near Highway 61 and Zachary Avenue. THURSDAY, MARCH 19 12:45 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 29000 block of Scott Park Road. 12:48 a.m. — Cody Allen Svetlick, 21, East Moline, was cited for possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) – 1st offense and possession of drug paraphernalia, following an incident in the 2300 block of West River Drive, Davenport. 3:34 a.m. — Richard Lee Johnson, 46, Davenport, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) – 1st offense and cited for operation without certificate of title, following a traffic stop near West Central Park Avenue and Hickory Grove Road. 10:37 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance on Silverstone Drive. 12:11 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 27200 block of Scott Park Road. 2:26 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 400 block of West James Street. 3:17 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 600 block of North Highway 67. 6:10 p.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check in the 3900 block of State Street. 6:24 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an assault in the 1100 block of State Street. 7:39 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem. 9:20 p.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check in the 1400 block of South Nevada Avenue. 11:06 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 300 block of Chestnut Street. FRIDAY, MARCH 20 12:31 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 7300 block of Volquardsen Avenue. 1:33 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage. 2:30 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 400 block of South Dittmer Street. 9:14 a.m. — Deputies responded to a fraud complaint on Hillcrest Court.

Dixon Cemetery cleanup April 1

The Dixon Cemetery Company will hold its biannual cleanup on April 1 starting at 9 a.m. All flowers and decorations will be removed.

Schweers to celebrate 80th birthdays with open house

Jay and Janice Schweer of Davenport will celebrate their 80th birthdays on April 4. Friends and relatives are invited to an open house at the Hickory Creek Event Center, 3504 Hickory Grove Road, Davenport, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. No gifts, please. Your presence is the perfect gift. 

Obituary: Franklin ‘Hap’ Anderson

Franklin Dennis “Hap” Anderson, 89, of Nixa, Mo., passed away peacefully on Friday, March 20, 2026, surrounded by family. He was born on Sunday, Nov. 29, 1936, in Chestnut Ridge, Mo., to Edgar and Emma (Cupp) Anderson.  Hap was united in marriage to the love of his life, Betty Hopper, on Sept. 6, 1956. His passion for concrete began with his contribution of work in the construction of the Table Rock Dam. That passion led to the creation of The Anderson Companies in 1965, in Bettendorf, growing to 250 employees. Growth continued with additional companies in Bloomington and East Moline, Ill., Anderson Commercial Concrete, H.A.P. Excavating, Hapson and Commercial Concrete. Hap was a founding member of the Concrete Foundation Association. That success led to his devotion to his communities, serving on the boards of Bettendorf Bank, Northwest Bank and the Rotary Club. He and Betty shared a love for golf, where they were members at Crow Valley and Highland Springs Country Clubs. Hap loved the Lord; rarely missing time spent with his Ridgecrest Baptist Church family and Faith Family Group. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and 11 siblings.  Hap is survived by a sister, Mary Lou Howe of Springfield Mo., daughters Cindy (Andy) Slusarski of Eldridge, and Jennifer (Michael) Knight of Lathrop, Mo., son Dennis (Tricia) Anderson of Nixa, nine grandchildren; Luke Jansen, Mitch Jansen, Bobby (Amber) Knight, Jessica (Nick) Schulz, Nicholas (Mandi) Knight, Conner Anderson, Caleb (Zeda) Anderson, Haylen McKnelly, Hap Anderson, 10 great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews. A visitation will be held from 9-10 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, at the Klingner-Cope Family Funeral Home at Rivermonte, 4500 S. Lone Pine Ave., Springfield, MO 65804, with funeral services to follow at 10 a.m. Memorial donations may be made in his name to the Ridgecrest Baptist Church or the Alzheimer’s Association. Online condolences can be made at www.klingnerfuneralhome.com.   Custom obituary

Obituary: Rhea Sherman

Rhea Marie Sherman, 101, of Eldridge, formerly of Donahue, passed away peacefully at her home on Feb. 27, 2026, with her loving family by her side. Per Rhea’s wishes, a private graveside service was held at Allens Grove Cemetery in Donahue. Born on Aug. 26, 1924, outside of Buffalo, Rhea was the oldest child of Chris and Mary Willroth. She graduated from Buffalo High School in 1942, where she was the captain of the girls’ basketball team. She was united in marriage to Grant Sherman on Sept. 30, 1950, in San Diego, Calif., where Grant was stationed serving in the Navy. They enjoyed riding motorcycles, bowling and raising their family together for over 46 years, until his passing in 1997. Rhea retired from Deere & Company after many years of work in the Administrative Legal department. Rhea was a lifelong Iowa Hawkeye basketball fan. She also enjoyed sewing, quilting and attending the sporting events of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was a devoted member of the Donahue American Legion — Post 532 and an integral part of the Ladies Auxiliary.  Her survivors include her children, Gwendolyn (Don) Henzen, Connie (Clyde) Tobey, and Mike Sherman, all of Eldridge; grandchildren, Jennifer (Scott) Hoffmann, Alissa (Terry) Haase, Tony Welp, all of Eldridge, and Clint (Sarah) Henzen of Dixon; great-grandchildren, Erica Henzen, Ava Haase, Grant Haase, and Corrine Henzen. Rhea is preceded in death by her parents, Chris and Mary; husband Grant; brother Eugene Willroth and sister Irene Scherer.   Custom obituary

Scott County voters can request absentee ballots for June election

Scott County Auditor Kerri Tompkins says voters can now submit requests for absentee ballots by mail for the June 2 Primary Election. Iowa law allows county auditors to accept absentee ballot requests no more than 70 days before an election. “Please plan ahead if you know you will not be able to vote in-person on [...]

As first team all-state, Josiah Harrington makes Lancer history

North Scott junior forward Josiah Harrington earned a spot on the Class 4A all-state boys’ basketball first team by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association last week. Harrington is the eighth different Lancer to be named all-state since 2015, and he is the first since Ty Anderson in 2020 to make the first team. This marks the 21st time in school history a Lancer has been all-state. Eight of them have been first team selections. Harrington joins Anderson, Corvon Seales, Cortez Seales, Marlon Stewart and Shaun Logan as Lancer first team honorees. Harrington was the only player from the Mississippi Athletic Conference to be named all-state. Jaidyn Coon, a Storm Lake senior and Creighton commit, was named Iowa Mr. Basketball by the IPSWA. Domination from the start From opening night, Harrington cast his die. He dropped what would remain a season-high and career-high 45 points in the Lancers’ season-opening win at Iowa City Liberty. He did not slow down. Harrington scored 42 points against Linn-Mar on Jan. 3 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse, and 38 points at home against Clinton on Jan. 27. Overall, Harrington scored at least 30 points in a game seven times this season. He had nine double-doubles, and a pair of 15 rebound games against Davenport North on Dec. 19 and Davenport Assumption on Feb. 6. On a per game basis, Harrington scored 24.8 points, grabbed 8.5 rebounds, dished out 1.6 assists, stole 1.8 passes and blocked 0.9 shots. Across the entire state, Harrington ranked seventh in points per game. In just Class 4A, he was second behind Sioux City West freshman Roman Henry (26.4 PPG). In Class 4A, Harrington ranked eighth in rebounds per game, fourth in field goals made per game (8.6), and first in free throws made per game (6.0). This is Harrington's second all-state nod. He was named to the third team in 2025 as a sophomore. If he continues similar success into 2027, he could become the third Lancer to be a three-time all-state player, potentially joining Brandon Voss (2010-2012) and Cortez Seales (2013-2015). Additionally, Harrington is primed to break Cortez Seales’ record as North Scott’s all-time leading scorer early next winter. Seales scored 1,392 points in his four-year career. Harrington, after just three seasons, is already at 1,295 points. Iowa Print Sports Writers Association All-State Teams Class 4A First Team Colin Rice, Waukee Northwest; Will Gerdes, Cedar Falls; Jaydon Kimbrough, Cedar Falls; Landon Davis, Waukee Northwest; Tevin Schultz, Dubuque Senior; Josiah Harrington, North Scott; Evan Jacobson, Waukee; Amario Aguirre, Ankeny; Charlie Crane, West Des Moines Valley; Noah Martens, West Des Moines Valley. Class 4A Second Team Tyler Hilton, Linn-Mar; Charlie King, Des Moines Roosevelt; Jake Pargeon, Urbandale; Jerimiah Washpan, Iowa City Liberty; Nicare Cavil, Johnston; Tillman Papcun, Norwalk; Alfred Kolee, West Des Moines Valley; Tino Daye Jr., Johnston; Max Roach, Waukee; Jasani Campbell, Ankeny. Class 4A Third Team Jai White, Waukee; Quentin Teeter, Urbandale; Chase Perrin, Dallas Center-Grimes; Will Wehr, Cedar Rapids Prairie; Will Thomas, Ames; George Blake, Indianola; Roman Henry, Sioux City West; Cayden Larson, Cedar Rapids Prairie; Landon Hanson, Waukee; Isaiah Oliver, Waukee Northwest. 2025-26 IPSWA Mr. Basketball Jaidyn Coon, Storm Lake (3A)

Spring sports kick off at home this week

The indoor events were the appetizers. It’s time for the main course. North Scott’s spring sports season begins in earnest this week at home with a pair of track and field meets. The Lancer boys got into the starting blocks with their Early Bird home meet on Tuesday, while the girls got their feet wet in Clinton. The two squads will affix their spikes again on Thursday, with the girls hosting the Lady Lancer Relays. The boys’ team will head down to Pleasant Valley High School for an eight-school meet. North Scott’s girls’ soccer team will start their season with a few home matches. First, on Saturday, is a scrimmage against Central DeWitt. Then, a budding Class 2A rivalry renews with the Independence Mustangs coming to town on April 3. The Lancers and Mustangs have played in the last two regional finals. North Scott won in penalty kicks in 2024, and Independence won in overtime in 2025. The boys’ soccer team will start its nonconference slate a few days earlier with a home meeting against Dubuque Senior on March 31. The Lancer boys’ tennis team will hit their first serves in a home dual against Muscatine on April 7. There is no girls’ tennis spring season in 2026, as the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union completed its first fall season last October. It will be a while longer before the girls’ golf team tees it up for the first time. North Scott’s season-opening meet, a Mississippi Athletic Conference triangular at Duck Creek Golf Course, is not until April 13.

Learn more about cottage food laws April 9

Individuals interested in starting or expanding a home-based food business are invited to attend a Cottage Food Law Presentation on Thursday, April 9, at the Scott County Extension Office. The event will provide participants with a clear understanding of Iowa’s Cottage Food Law, including what foods can be produced at home, labeling requirements, food safety considerations, and steps to legally sell products under the law. To better meet individual needs, one-on-one business consultations will be available from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., allowing attendees to ask specific questions about their food products or business ideas. Penny Brown Huber, Food Business Specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will then provide a whole-group presentation from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., offering a comprehensive overview of Cottage Food Law requirements and best practices for compliance and success. This event is ideal for home bakers, food entrepreneurs, farmers market vendors, and anyone curious about selling homemade food products legally in Iowa. For more information, or to register, contact the Scott County Extension Office. • Phone: (563) 359-7577 • Email: sculver@iastate.edu