Mary Hartnett

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Corn growers and ethanol producers are concerned about the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed fix for ethanol demand.  The ethanol industry wants the federal government to account for dozens of ethanol exemption waivers it issued to small refineries.

Iowa’s Republican elected officials say they are confident the President is on their side, though the EPA  proposal disappointed many. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley says intends to submit comments asking that the legally required number of gallons be met.

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Corn growers and ethanol producers are concerned about the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed fix for ethanol demand.  The comment period is still open. The ethanol industry wants the federal government to account for dozens of ethanol exemption waivers it issued to small refineries.

Iowa’s Republican elected officials to say they are confident the President is on their side, though the EPA  proposal disappointed many. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley says intends to submit comments asking that the legally required number of gallons be met.

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Minnesota and the Dakotas have seen snow and rain in recent weeks that have hampered an already difficult harvest. But much of the Corn Belt has somewhat recovered from heavy rains in the spring and summer, with experts predicting good yields from what did get planted.  

Steve Nicholson, a grains and oilseeds analyst with Rabobank in St. Louis, says that even though many farmers are still struggling, he believes the markets would be a lot more unsettled if a total disaster was looming.

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Sioux City Animal Control confirmed they are investigating a dog bite that may have involved a pit bull, according to the Sioux City Journal.

The news comes on the heels of the Sioux City Council's 4-1 vote on Monday of moving forward a motion that would repeal a controversial, decades-long ban on pit bulls.

Police assisted animal control Wednesday afternoon as they confiscated a dog they believed bit a person in the arm and hand last week. The person was treated at a local hospital.

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A hearing with the Iowa State Medical Board and a Sioux City Plastic Surgeon has been postponed. A hearing before the board is being rescheduled at the request of Dr. Smith. A new date hasn’t been set yet.

The Iowa State Medical Board says Dr. Adam Smith failed to provide appropriate care to 17 patients from December 2014 to September of 2017. 

Dr. Smith told Siouxland Public Media News after the medical board action in July, he expected to be vindicated.

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Ethanol advocates are frustrated with a proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency that they say goes against a promise made by the White House.

Earlier this month President Donald Trump said he had reached a deal to restore demand for ethanol that is lost when the EPA grants waivers to small oil refineries. But biofuels producers say the official EPA proposal would only cover about half of the industry’s annual losses. 

Iowa biofuels groups are calling on President Donald Trump to step in to resolve a dispute with the Environmental Protection Agency.

This week, the EPA released a proposal to make up for lost demand from waivers allowing small oil refineries to use less ethanol and biodiesel. But the plan only covers about half of the industry’s annual losses.  Ethanol producers like Plymouth Energy in Merrill were shut down for weeks at a time this year because of the effect of biofuels waivers to oil refineries.  

A trio of Iowa officials is criticizing the Democratic National Committee for instituting polling and fundraising thresholds to participate in the presidential debates.  They say the thresholds are artificial and they are winnowing the field of candidates and usurping the job of Iowa caucus-goers.

In a conference call with reporters today, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Iowa DNC member Jan Bauer said most Iowans are not tuning in to the Democratic presidential debates and have not yet made up their minds.

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Iowa gamblers are getting the hang of legalized sports betting since it started in mid-August.

Data from the state Racing and Gaming Commission indicates Iowans placed $47.1 million in bets during the first six weeks since the state authorized it. Of that total, $21.6 million in bets were made through casinos and $25.46 million were made online.