Record-breaking heat is possible in many Iowa cities today as forecasters say high temperatures may hit the mid-to-upper 904s on this next-to-last day of summer.
The National Weather Service says the heat wave will be short-lived, with temperatures falling by about 30 degrees tomorrow.
The first day of fall is Thursday, and the arrival of cooler weather should be right on schedule. On Friday, some northern Iowa cities may not even see a high of 60.
As for today’s heat, many Iowa communities could see high temps never before seen on this date, including Sioux City, where the record high for September 20th is 94 degrees, set in 2005.
The City of North Sioux City is putting a halt on a proposed canal near McCook Lake due in part to missed meetings by the man who wants to build it.
Siouxland News CBS 14/FOX 44 reports the city is also working with South Dakota's Congressional delegation to rescind a permit already granted by the Army Corps of Engineers over a possible incorrect process.
The Sioux City Council approved the first reading of a proposal that increases rates for city parking ramps and meters and overtime parking and fines. The proposal will get two more readings before a final vote.
The council yesterday also voted against replacing 2,300 more seats at Lewis & Clark Park. The estimated cost was almost $434,000.
A delegation from Taiwan signed trade agreements valued at about 2-point-6 billion dollars at the Iowa Capitol today. Taiwanese Trade reps signed letters of intent to buy about 2 billion dollars’ worth of U.S. soybeans and 600-million dollars’ worth of corn and co-products by the end of 2024.
Taiwan is Iowa’s twelfth largest trading partner. State officials say Iowa exports to Taiwan have been increasing over the past several years.
A northwest Iowa woman has been offered a plea agreement in a case involving the deaths of over a thousand pigs at two hog confinements in Sac County in June.
Radio Iowa reports that 34-year-old Elana Laber of Early was responsible for the care of the pigs.
Kimberley Strope-Boggus was fired from Franken’s campaign in February. She says Franken kissed her without her permission in March after offering her a new campaign job. Strope-Boggus filed a police report about the alleged incident a month later. Prosecutors declined to file charges.
Franken has denied the allegations in the report and accused Republicans of targeting him because he’s in a critical U.S. Senate race.
South Dakota teachers and school administrators are voicing opposition to Gov. Kristi Noem’s proposed standards for social studies in public schools because it mostly left them out of the process of writing the standards.
The state’s Board of Education Standards has kicked off a series of public hearings before deciding whether to adopt the Republican governor's proposed standards. They would remake the state’s standards for history and civics by relying heavily on material from Hillsdale College, a private, conservative institution in Michigan.
Conservatives and some parents who spoke at the Board of Education Standards hearing in Aberdeen on Monday defended the proposal as a robust effort to address a lack of knowledge of American civics.
Gov. Kristi Noem is no longer the featured speaker at a Maryland Republican Party event scheduled for Thursday.
KellyAnne Conway, the former senior counselor to former President Donald Trump, will speak at the annual dinner for Maryland GOP members instead.
Noem recently underwent surgery for a back injury. Because of that, she will not travel to Maryland for the event and is instead sending her regards through a video message, her communication director Ian Fury said. She was also slated to appear at a few other events on the east coast but will be unable to go.
The Clay County Fair reports a blue-ribbon year with attendance up almost 20 percent from last year. Almost 326,000 people attended the event called “The World’s Greatest County Fair” in Spencer for the event from September 10th to the 18th. Close to $3 million was spent on food, drinks, and carnival rides. That broke a record set last year.
News release from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds:
Taiwanese Delegation signs agreements to purchase U.S. corn and soybeans valued at more than $2.6B
DES MOINES -- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today hosted members of the Taiwan Agricultural Trade Goodwill Mission. The delegation’s primary purpose for visiting Iowa was to sign letters of intent for the purchase of corn and soybeans.
“Today’s letters of intent represent the next stage of Iowa’s longstanding, bilateral friendship with Taiwan,” said Gov. Reynolds. “They’re also powerful proof of Iowa farmers’ global reputation for high-quality agricultural production – and the enormous benefits that flow to our economy as a result. I’m deeply grateful to Taiwan for committing to Iowa, and I can’t wait to see where this relationship goes in the future.”
At the signing ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol, Governor Reynolds welcomed the delegation and noted the long-term trade relations between Taiwan and the U.S. The letters indicate Taiwan’s intent to purchase between 96 million and 107 million bushels of U.S. soybeans and 59 million bushels of corn between 2023 and 2024. The agreements are estimated to be worth USD$2.6 billion.
“Because of our rich natural resources and our productive farmers, Iowans are extremely proud to help provide safe, abundant, and nutritious food for consumers all over the globe,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “Our longstanding friendship and our growing trading partnership with Taiwan are positives for Iowa’s economy and farmers and we sincerely appreciate their letter of intent to purchase more corn and soybeans.”
The IEDA’s International Trade Office leads multiple trade missions throughout the year to destinations worldwide, including Taiwan. These trade missions are aimed at expanding existing and emerging markets for Iowa products and identifying foreign-direct investment opportunities in the state.
Taiwan is Iowa’s 12th largest trading partner, with exports estimated at $305 million in manufactured and value-added goods in 2021. In the first half of 2022 alone, Iowa exports to Taiwan have increased 4% compared to last year.
The Taiwan Agricultural Trade Goodwill Mission delegation’s itinerary also includes visits with elected officials, ag producers and commodity groups, and university representatives during their stay in the U.S.