Home News Thursday News, March 24

Thursday News, March 24

Twin brothers from Northwest Iowa were featured in a new national t-v show last night. Alex and Derek Koops of Sioux Center competed on “Domino Masters” on Fox. Four teams get 16 hours to complete a domino build that is based on a common theme each team must try to depict.

 

Alex Koops says he and his twin have been setting up and knocking over dominoes since they were ten-years-old, but they upped their game after seeing an episode of “America’s Got Talent” and watching a contestant build contraptions with random items, like popsickle sticks and dominoes.

The twins started a YouTube channel called Daks Dominoes and it now has 200-thousand subscribers and 40 million total views. that caught the attention of the show’s producers. Fox flew the twins to Los Angeles last summer to film the show.

 

The set was built in an aircraft hangar to accommodate the four 26 square-foot raised platforms where each team creates their build. There’s also a platform for the judges.

The brothers say there were at least a million dominoes in every imaginable color in a back room, plus woodworking tools and other materials for their creations.

 

Domino Masters airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox. the twins won last night’s episode.

 

The Iowa Department of Agriculture has issued an order cancelling all live bird exhibitions at county fairs and other gatherings of birds due to the outbreak of avian influenza.The order also prohibits live birds from being sold or transferred at livestock auction markets, swap meets and exotic sales.The Department’s order begins immediately and is effective for a minimum of 30 days, and until 30 days has passed without a confirmation of a new infection of bird flu in domestic poultry in Iowa.Iowa currently has more than six million birds impacted by HPAI across five commercial and backyard poultry flocks.If producers suspect signs of illness in their flocks, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. Possible cases should also be reported to the Iowa Department of Agriculture at (515) 281-5305.

>>Legislature Votes to Reduce Unemployment Benefits

(Des Moines, IA) –The Iowa House and Senate have voted to reduce the maximum number of weeks you can get unemployment benefits from 26 weeks down to 16 weeks. Senate Republicans favor an additional step — a one-week delay in delivery of the first unemployment check for a laid-off worker. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, says Iowa would join at least 39 other states that have a one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits. Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, says the state needs to attract more residents rather than come up with more punitive policies.

 

>>Winnebago Reports Second Quarter Record Revenues

(Forest City, IA) — Winnebago Industries saw second quarter revenues rise by almost 39 percent. The manufacturer of R-V’s and other outdoor equipment has factories in Forest City, Lake Mills, Charles City, and Waverly. The company matched the record of one-point-two billion dollars set in the first quarter of the fiscal year. Winnebago C-E-O Michael Happe (HAPPY) says consumer demand for the company’s products continues to be strong — with  market share gains across all segments.

 

>>Morningside University Buying Farmland for Hands-On Learning

(Sioux City, IA) — Morningside University is buying more than 70 acres of farmland in Sioux City from Woodbury County that will be used to expand agricultural opportunities for their students. Tom Paulsen heads the agricultural and food studies department at Morningside and says hands-on learning is vital for agricultural careers. Lessons like crop-scouting or hybrid analysis will move out of the classroom and onto the farm. Paulsen says the land will give students the opportunity to learn everything from budgeting to hybrid selection. The farm sits just five miles down the road from the university.