As many as 60,000 cyclists are on today’s leg of RAGBRAI from Ames to Des Moines, which would be the largest-ever day on the bike ride. Today is also one of the hottest days of the year so far.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory is posted for Iowa’s southern half and western Iowa through 8 p.m.. Forecasters say the heat index may reach 105 degrees. Hans House, an emergency medicine professor at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, says people who are most vulnerable to heat stroke are the very young, the very old, and those on certain medications.
The experts say to skip strenuous outdoor activities and if you have to be outside, drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks in the shade. That won’t be an option for most RAGBRAI riders as they head for Iowa’s largest city.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is on her first RAGBRAI this week.
Reynolds joined her brothers Troy and Doug Strawn as well as her nephews and a few other friends on her first RAGBRAI Wednesday morning. They tell the Des Moines Register they hope to ride the whole day from Ames past the Capitol in Des Moines.
Iowa and ten other Midwestern states are conducting a speed awareness campaign today.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau chief says Iowa has seen a 25 percent increase in speeding-related deaths on the roadways.
There’s speculation the lack of traffic and open roads during the pandemic led to increased highway speeds.
Some Dickinson county residents are asking local officials to pass a moratorium on wind turbine construction in unincorporated areas of Dickinson County, according to Radio Iowa. They spoke at Tuesday’s meeting of the County Board of Supervisors.
A large crowd gathered for the Supervisors meeting this week. The chairman of the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors says the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission is currently reviewing the request.
The Sioux City Bandits have withdrawn from the Champions Indoor Football League, the Sioux City Journal reports.
Two other CIF teams -- the Omaha Beef and Topeka Tropics -- also are leaving, saying they intend to form a new league with the Bandits and some other yet-to-be-named teams.
In a joint statement, the Bandits, Beef and Tropics added that expansion franchises in Colorado and Texas that signed letters of intent have elected not to join the CIF.
The University of Northern Iowa and the Iowa High School Athletic Association say they will continue their partnership that will keep the state high school football playoffs in the UNI-Dome through the 2027 season.
Since the opening of the UNI-Dome in 1976, an average of over 25,000 spectators have come to Cedar Falls over a two-week period in November for the IHSAA’s semifinal and championship games, ranging from the eight-player division to the large Class 5A schools.
