Farmers Are Ahead Of Schedule With Spring Field Work
(Le Mars) — Spring field work is running ahead of schedule, according to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach agronomist Paul Kassel. Kassel is based at Spencer,
says due to the mild autumn and winter, many farmers in his region were able to get a lot of the field preparation done last fall.
Temperatures reached the 80’s during the weekend, and is forecast to be in the 80’s again today (Monday) and Kassel says soil temperatures have also followed the air temperatures trend.
Many areas of northwest Iowa are listed as being in some form of a drought, but Kassel says it may still be too early to be concerned about the short moisture levels. He says conditions could still show signs of improvement.
Rain is being predicted for many areas of Iowa beginning later evening and continuing through Thursday. Kassel says that rain will no doubt help the situation.
Kassel says the window for planting corn is normally from April 15th until May 15th. He says some studies indicate a possibility of higher yields when corn is planted early. However, he says farmers should wait to plant their corn until after April 11th when crop insurance coverage begins.
Sioux City Fire Department Displays “Donate Life” Flag
(Sioux City) — The Sioux City Fire Department is now flying a “Donate Life” flag at one of its stations. Iowa Donor Network donation services coordinator John Jorgensen says it’s hoped the flag will inspire more people to become organ donors.
Paramedic Liz Ford helped get the flag for Station 4. Her husband died in an accident and was an organ donor.
Ford says having a conversation about becoming an organ donor is important.
Jorgensen says there are more than 108-thousand Americans currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, and 600 of them live in Iowa.
A record 103 Iowans donated organs in 2020.
Clive Man Charged With Kidnapping, Sexually Abusing Incapacitated Woman
(Clive, IA) — Prosecutors say a man from Clive is charged with kidnapping and sexually abusing an incapacitated woman. The woman tells investigators she woke up with her pants pulled down in the basement of a West Des Moines business after a night out at a bar. Derek Alshouse is accused of taking the
victim from one place to another while she was impaired last winter.
Alshouse owns the business where the woman woke up. He told police he took her there after she was kicked out of a bar. Police say he told them that he and the woman “hooked up,” but she told officers she would never have done that.
Woman Found Dead In Linn County Ditch
(Marion, IA) — A Linn County woman is dead after a fire in a ditch burned out of control Sunday afternoon. The sheriff’s office received a 9-1-1 call at 3:14 p-m about a fire in a ditch that was out of control. The victim had apparently been tending the fire. When deputies arrived, they found her on the ground, engulfed in the flames. She died before she could be taken to a
hospital. The woman’s name hasn’t been released.
10 Days After Fatal Attacks At Anamosa State Pen, 3 More Correctional Officers Were Attacked
(Anamosa, IA) — The union representing Iowa’s correctional officers reports there have been three more attacks following the fatal attacks last month at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. A union official says he’s worried about copycat attacks. Union Local 61 President Danny Homan says the three attacks happened over an eight-day period and the injuries weren’t fatal. He sent a letter to Iowa Senate Minority Leader citing inadequate staffing at state prisons and how that increases the danger for people working there.
Homan is asking for more funding, pointing out there are 234 vacant positions in the prison system, including 14 at Anamosa – where corrections officer Robert McFarland and nurse Lorena Schulte were beaten to death March 23rd.
