EXTREME COLD THROUGH TUESDAY
Below zero temperatures are forecast for the next two days, with wind chills will forecast at dangerously low levels.
A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect until noon today. The high temperaure today will be -2, with wind chills to -23. Tonight, an Extreme Cold Warning will remain in effect from 9 pm this evening to noon Tuesday. .
The low temperature tonight is forecast at -20, with wind chills at -33. Tuesday is forecast for a high at -1, and wind chills to -35.
The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
Remember to dress in layers including a hat, face mask, and gloves if you must go outside.
Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves.
FLOYD VALLEY HEALTHCARE NAMED A TOP 100 CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL
Floyd Valley Healthcare announced it has been named among the 2025 Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. Chartis’ annual Top 100 award program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®.
Dustin Wright, Floyd Valley Healthcare CEO says Iowa has the second highest number of Critical Access Hospitals at 82. There are 1,371 across the nation. Wright credits the Floyd Valley Teams for sustaining a high level of success.
The award reflects Floyd Valley’s growing market share and presence in northwest Iowa.
The Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals award program recognizes the very best performing hospitals, and provides a roadmap for those seeking to improve their financial and operational performance, while continuing to care for the communities they serve. This is the 15th year of the Critical Access Hospitals award program.
HOUSE COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER GEOENGINEERING
A bill that would outlaw what’s called geoengineering has passed to the full House Environmental Protection Committee.
Committee member Rep Tom Jeneary of Le Mars says the bill outlaws the use of technology to modify or reduce climate change.
This includes the release of chemicals into the atmosphere to affect climate change. Some lawmakers, including Rep Jeneary, are concerned that too little is known about these measures, and what impact they may have on the environment.
Republican Rep. Jeff Shipley of Birmingham has led the effort to pass this law.
Rep Jeneary says he and his colleagues behind this bill aren’t sure what these technologies seek to accompllish
Democratic Representative Ken Croken spoke against the proposal in the subcommittee.
Reps. Travis Sitzmann of Kingsley, Zach Dieken of Granville and Skyler Wheeler of Hull are co-sponsors of the bill.
HOUSE BILL WOULD SHORTEN MEDICAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS
A bill introduced in a House committee would shorten medical school programs in Iowa from four years to three. State Representative Tom Jeneary of Le Mars doesn’t like the idea.
Jeneary says the bill was introduced as a way to solve the shortage of physicians in rural Iowa.
Jeneary is a member of the Health and Human Services committee, in which the bill was introduced.
MAN FOUND IN DITCH NEAR SIOUX CENTER
Authorities are investigating the death of a person whose body was found Saturday in a rural ditch south of Sioux Center. The Sioux County Sheriffs Office were alerted 2:45 Saturday morning to the report of a male who was kicking the door of a residence in an attempt to gain entry. The man was not a resident of the home, and was described as wearing no pants or underwear. Deputies called to the area conducted a search, deploying a drone. They were unable to located the man. Seven hours later, a man fitting the same description was found in a ditch along Harrison Ave., four miles south of Sioux Center. He was taken to Sioux Center Health, where he was pronounced deceased. Foul play is not suspected and the man’s name is being withheld pending notification of family.
GRASSLEY SAYS FARM BILL IS #1 PRIORITY NOW THAT US AG SECRETARY IS CONFIRMED
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says now that Brooke Rollins has been confirmed by the U-S Senate to serve as the nation’s Secretary of Agriculture, developing a new Farm Bill can begin in earnest.
Rollins is now responsible for one of the largest agencies in the federal government, with a workforce of nearly 100-thousand and a budget of over 200-BILLION dollars. Some of that funding has been frozen by the Trump Administration, including 10 MILLION for Iowa farmers who did conservation work on agland that was financed, in part, by U-S-D-A programs. Grassley says the Trump Administration is reviewing all programs and expenditures in the federal government — and it’s too early to say that 10 MILLION dollars is on the chopping block.
The 10 MILLION dollars is for Iowa farmers participating in U-S-D-A programs aimed at reducing runoff and improving water quality and soil health. Another 86 MILLION dollars for U-S farmers under the Biden Administration’s climate smart initiative has been frozen as well.
IOWA HOUSE SALES, INVENTORY UP IN JANUARY
There was an uptick in Iowa home sales in January, plus a dramatic increase in the number of homes put up for sale. According to data from Iowa REALTORS, there was a four-point-eight percent increase in the number of home sales that closed last month compared to January of last year. The group’s president says that’s an indicator home buyers are accepting higher interest rates as normal. The median price for Iowa home sales in January was 220-thousand dollars — that’s up two-point-three percent from a year ago. The number of Iowa single family homes listed for sale in January grew by nearly 30 percent.
STATE FINES FOR SOME CHILD LABOR LAW VIOLATIONS HAVE BEEN REDUCED
The fine for businesses that violate Iowa’s child labor laws by having teens work too many hours or work too late at night has been lowered. The penalty had been 10-thousand dollars per violation, but — as of last Wednesday — it was to 25-hundred dollars for having a teenager work beyond the allowed time limits in state law. Mitchell Mahan (MAH-han), an attorney with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, says 10-thousand dollars is the maximum amount for any child labor violation, including a worksite fatality if the employee is under 18, so maybe 10-thousand dollars shouldn’t be the fine for working 10 minutes late. Peter Hird of the Iowa Federation of Labor says younger children have been found working night shifts in Iowa and this lower fine is a penalty break for bad actors.
