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Want to tune in for the first GOP presidential debate? Here’s how to watch

Posted on by Sam Parsons

MILWAUKEE (AP) — It’s almost time for the first debate among Republicans competing for their party’s 2024 presidential nomination.

Here’s all of the information on how to watch:

TUNING IN

The two-hour debate will start at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It’s being moderated by Fox News Channel hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

Unlike some previous presidential debates, which have been simulcast across a number of major networks and cable channels, the first forum is airing exclusively on Fox News and the Fox Business Network as well as on Fox’s website and other streaming and digital platforms.

In lieu of the network’s YouTube channel, the Republican National Committee has partnered with Rumble — a video sharing platform popular with some conservatives — to livestream the debate. Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said earlier this year this was a decision aimed toward “getting away from Big Tech.”

Another debate partner is the Young America’s Foundation, a Wisconsin-based outfit headed up by former Gov. Scott Walker that bills itself as “the principal outreach organization of the Conservative Movement.”

WHERE IS IT?

Candidates will be on stage at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, the biggest city in Wisconsin, a battleground state that will also play host to the Republican National Convention next year.

Wisconsin has proven its mettle as a swing state in recent balloting. Four of the past six presidential elections have been decided by less than a percentage point there, with Donald Trump winning narrowly in 2016 before losing by a similar margin in 2020.

WHO WILL BE THERE?

The RNC confirmed late Monday which candidates will be on the Milwaukee debate stage. The party set a number of markers that candidates needed to meet to qualify, including achieving benchmarks in polling and donor numbers, as well as signing a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee.

Those expected to be on the stage are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Former President Donald Trump, the early GOP front-runner, long ago satisfied the polling and donor requirements but has said for months that he saw little upside in joining his rivals on stage, given his commanding lead in the race.

Trump, who has also said that he would not sign the pledge, said over the weekend on his social media platform that he’d be skipping the Milwaukee debate, and he has floated counterprogramming alternatives, including possibly showing up at the last minute, attending but sitting in the audience and offering live commentary on his Truth Social site, calling into different networks to draw viewers from the debate, or holding a rally instead.

2023 Iowa State Fair second in overall attendance

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Dar Danielson (Radio Iowa)

Numbers released from the Iowa State Fair show this year had the second-best attendance ever in its 169 years.

This year finished with 1,133,958 people going through the gates as there was good weather right up until the heat wave hit in the last couple of days.

The attendance record of 1,170,000 was set in 2019. The first Sunday of this year’s Fair on August 13th set an attendance record for that day of nearly 115,000.

Country star Eric Church’s performance at the grandstand that Sunday night helped out –with near concert record of more than 17,000.

Groundbreaking Set for Oskaloosa Entertainment & Sports Complex

Posted on by Sam Parsons

LENA — The media and public are invited to a groundbreaking event for a new entertainment and sports complex in Oskaloosa, Iowa, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, August 23.

Trio Entertainment Venue, a project from EVOLVE Hospitality, will include a three-screen movie theater, restaurant/bar, indoor tennis (2) and pickleball (4) courts, and golf simulators, is slated to open in late-fall 2024 south of the city’s Fairfield Inn, which is also managed by EVOLVE Hospitality.

“We’re excited to have the community’s support for this project,” said EVOLVE Hospitality President Matt Jacobs. “Trio will provide jobs, a high-quality entertainment center and varied sports recreation for community members. We take pride in developing and managing properties that bring value to the community.”

Jacobs and Oskaloosa Mayor David Krutzfeldt will speak at the groundbreaking.

Trio Entertainment Venue, located across from The Fairfield Inn & Suites on Coal Mine Loop in Oskaloosa, will include a bar and grill casual dining restaurant with a sports-focused atmosphere and indoor/outdoor seating options for up to 200.

With more than 45 years in the hospitality industry, EVOLVE Hospitality leadership encompasses all the traditional functions of that industry to offer property development, third-party management and general consulting on projects ranging from hotels and restaurants to convenience stores and senior living facilities. Learn more about the company at evolvehosp.com.

Iowa Sen. Adrian Dickey Countersues Daughter in Car Lien Case

Posted on by Sam Parsons

FAIRFIELD – A state lawmaker who was sued by his daughter over claims of fraud in connection with a car lien and title is counter suing for defamation.

State Senator Adrian Dickey was sued by his daughter, Korynn Dickey, in July for allegedly forging her signature on car lien and car title application forms without her knowledge or consent. Last week, according to the website Bleeding Heartland, Dickey’s attorney submitted an amended answer to the lawsuit, seeking $120,000 in damages for alleged false “written and spoken statements” that “are injurious to [Dickey’s] reputation.”

In the original court filings, Korynn Dickey alleged that the car was given to her with “no strings attached” in 2020. The vehicle was totaled in May 2023, at which point it was discovered that Senator Dickey had placed a security lien on it after completing the title in Iowa.

Senator Dickey has denied the allegations that he forged his daughter’s signature without her permission, arguing in court filings that Korynn “acquiesced or consented/gave her permission” for her father to sign her name.

A District Court hearing has been scheduled for September 18 to consider arguments over where the case should be tried.

Ron Cephas Jones, ‘This Is Us’ actor who won 2 Emmys, dies at 66

Posted on by Sam Parsons

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ron Cephas Jones, a veteran stage actor who won two Emmy Awards for his role as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the NBC television drama series “This Is Us,” has died at age 66, a representative said Saturday.

Jones’ manager, Dan Spilo, said in an emailed statement the actor died “due to a long-standing pulmonary issue.”

“Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” Spilo said.

Jones had a double lung transplant in 2020 because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and spent nearly two months in a Los Angeles hospital.

On “This Is Us,” Jones played William “Shakespeare” Hill, a biological father whose life is renewed through his relationship with the family of his son Randall Pearson, played by Sterling K. Brown.

“One of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us,” Brown said in an Instagram post after Jones’ death. “The world is a little less bright. Brother, you are loved. And you will be missed.”

Jones played a more central role in the series’ early seasons, but appeared in some form in all six seasons of the show, which included time-jumping narratives offering recurring opportunities for its actors even after their characters’ deaths.

Jones won Emmys for best guest actor in a drama series in 2018 and 2020 and was nominated for two more.

“Ron was the best of the best — on screen, on stage, and in real life,” “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “My God: what an actor. I don’t think I ever changed a single take of his in a cut because everything he did was perfect.”

Jones spent most of his career in the theater before and after “This Is Us,” returning to Broadway even after his transplant forced him to learn to breathe and walk again.

“My whole life has been the stage,” Jones said in a late 2021 interview with the The New York Times, in which he revealed he had quietly been suffering from respiratory problems since about the time he began on “This Is Us.”

“The idea of not performing again seemed worse to me than death,” Jones said.

He was nominated for a Tony Award and won a 2022 Drama Desk Award for the Broadway role as a truck-stop cook in playwright Lynn Nottage’s “Clyde’s.”

A native of Paterson, New Jersey, Jones graduated from nearby Ramapo College, where he had intended to study jazz but switched to theater during his sophomore year. He spent the late 1970s and early 1980s traveling the country, working as a bus driver in Southern California for several years.

In the mid 1980s he moved to New York, where his career got a jumpstart when he began hanging out and collaborating at the Nuyorican Poets Café, a vital creative hub for poetry, hip-hop and the performing arts.

A breakout role came in 1994, when he landed the lead in playwright Cheryl West’s drama, “Holiday Heart.”

He would spend the ensuing decades constantly in the theater, often in Off Broadway plays in New York, including a title turn as Shakespeare’s “Richard III” at The Public Theater, and in roles with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.

Jones also had TV guest stints on “Mr. Robot,” “Luke Cage” and “Lisey’s Story.”

His film appearances included 2006’s “Half Nelson” with Ryan Gosling and 2019’s “Dolemite Is My Name” with Eddie Murphy.

He is survived by his daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones.

Frenzy to hire new Iowa teachers is lessening this year

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)

As many Iowa schools start classes this week, the state’s teacher shortage may be lessening, according to a source at the University of Iowa’s College of Education. Professor Mark McDermott, the UI’s Associate Dean for Teacher Education, says he’ll frequently hear from K-12 principals and administrators who are scrambling to fill positions, even days before classes begin, but the demand is lessening.

“They seem to be feeling like they might be in a slightly better position this year,” McDermott says. “We have not gotten as many calls, I don’t think I’ve received as many emails as I did last year, so I do think there’s probably some positive movement.” Iowa has more than half a million students enrolled in some 1,300 schools in more than 320 districts. Administrators routinely contact McDermott as fall approaches, checking to see if any recent graduates are available to fill teaching jobs.

“Each district has their own unique situation with their own unique needs,” McDermott says, “and so I do think that there are still some districts where they’re still looking for positions and still trying to fill, not only teaching positions, but para-positions and things like that.” The role of the UI’s College of Education, McDermott says, is to work in partnership with the state’s K-12 schools, helping to support them.

“What we’re trying to do is create teachers from our program, train teachers in our program, develop teachers in our program, that are going to be the kind of teachers that have the skills, have the knowledge, have the dispositions that are going to allow them to, not just get licensed, but remain in the field and remain in education for long periods of time,” he says. Looking ahead, McDermott says he’s optimistic about the current crop of candidates who are just starting their journey toward becoming exceptional teachers.

“We have a lot of very committed students. We have a lot of people who come to the university who, teaching is a career choice but it’s also really a passion and a vocation for them,” McDermott says. “It’s great to see that we have students who are very committed to being that next generation of teachers and are working really hard at it.” While science teachers and those with special education training are often in high demand, he says the needs this year are individual to each district and there are few defined trends.

Excessive Heat Warning Remains in Effect until Wednesday Night

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OSKALOOSA — An excessive heat warning went into effect on Sunday for much of the southern half of Iowa and remains in effect through 9pm on Wednesday (8/23).

The National Weather Service indicates that heat index values over the next few days will peak between 105 and 115. Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities. The long duration of the heat can be particularly hard on the very young, the elderly and those with medical conditions.

The NWS says you should take precautions, particularly those vulnerable to the heat. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.

Man Dies in Accident Near Sigourney

Posted on by Sam Parsons

SIGOURNEY – A 2 vehicle crash on Friday night resulted in the death of a Sigourney man.

The Iowa State Patrol reports that at around 10pm on Friday night, 31-year-old Samuel Dereus of Prairie City was driving westbound on Highway 92 near 285th street in a Chevrolet pickup truck when the vehicle crossed the centerline and hit a Chevrolet pickup truck driven by 74-year-old Franklin Morris of Sigourney in a head-on collision. When responders arrived, Morris was pronounced dead at the scene and Dereus was flown to the University of Iowa by Aircare.

The accident remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol, who was assisted on the scene by the Keokuk County Sheriff’s Office, the Sigourney Fire Department, the Keota Fire Department, Keokuk County EMS, and University of Iowa Aircare.

Trump cancels press conference on election fraud claims, citing attorneys’ advice

Posted on by Sam Parsons

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump now says he won’t be holding a news conference next week to unveil what he claims is new “evidence” of fraud in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election — even though no fraud has ever been substantiated — citing the advice of lawyers as he prepares to face trial in two criminal cases that stem from his election lies.

No compelling evidence of the wide-scale fraud Trump alleges has emerged in the two-and-a-half years since the election in Georgia or elsewhere, despite Trump’s baseless claims. Republican officials in the state have long said he lost fairly and three recounts there confirmed President Joe Biden’s win.

“Rather than releasing the Report on the Rigged & Stolen Georgia 2020 Presidential Election on Monday, my lawyers would prefer putting this, I believe, Irrefutable & Overwhelming evidence of Election Fraud & Irregularities in formal Legal Filings as we fight to dismiss this disgraceful Indictment,” Trump wrote on his social media site Thursday in announcing his reversal.

Trump had announced that he would be holding the event hours after a Georgia grand jury voted to charge him and others late Monday in what they allege was a sweeping conspiracy to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election and stop the peaceful transition of power.

He had said he would use the “major News Conference” at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club Monday morning to release what he claimed was an “almost complete” report that would exonerate him.

Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence that the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.

In Georgia, the state at the center of his latest indictment, three recounts were conducted after the election — each of which confirmed his loss to Biden.

Advisers have long urged the former president to spend less time airing his grievances about the 2020 election as he runs for reelection and more time focused on his plans for the future. While such rhetoric animates his loyal base, it alienates more moderate and independent voters and is also often criticized in interviews by longtime Trump supporters, who say they feel it’s time to move on.

But the cases against him have dramatically raised the stakes. The federal judge overseeing the election conspiracy case brought against Trump in Washington last week warned him that there are limits to what he can publicly say about evidence in the investigation as he campaigns for a second term in the White House.

The judge said that the more “inflammatory” statements are made about the case, the greater her urgency will be to move quickly to trial to prevent witness intimidation or jury pool contamination.

“I will take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the integrity of the case,” she said.

Still, Trump has made clear that he sees the cases brought against him in Georgia and Washington as an opportunity to try to relitigate his false claims.

Trump’s renewed attacks on the integrity of Georgia’s vote this week drew swift criticism from state’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, whom Trump had tried to lobby as part of his efforts to overturn his loss in the battleground state.

“The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen. For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward – under oath – and prove anything in a court of law,” Kemp wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump had tried to pressure to unilaterally overturn the results of the election and who is now challenging Trump for the Republican nomination, echoed that message.

“The Georgia election was not stolen and I had no right to overturn the election on January 6th,” he said this week.

Trump, the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted, is also facing criminal charges in Florida over his handling of classified documents and his alleged efforts to obstruct the investigation, as well as in New York in connection to hush money payments made to women during his 2016 campaign.

Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Unchanged in July

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 2.7 percent in July but remains down from 2.8 percent one year ago. The state’s labor force added 2,700 new workers in July, increasing Iowa’s labor force participation rate to 68.8 percent. That is up from 68.2 percent a year ago and equals the participation rate in March 2020.

Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 3.5 percent in July from 3.6 percent the month before.

The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,694,300 last month. The July figure is 1,300 higher than June and 22,900 higher than one year ago. The number of unemployed Iowans increased to 47,700 in July from 46,300 in June.

“Iowa’s labor force participation increased for the fifth straight month, although we do see signs that some businesses are being cautious with hiring amid prolonged national economic uncertainty,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Over 65,000 job opportunities still exist in our state, and Iowa Workforce Development stands ready to help connect Iowans to these great opportunities. We can also help employers who are looking for workers by connecting them with valuable tools and resources that will help them develop their talent pipelines.”

Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Employment

Iowa’s businesses are up 14,400 jobs relative to last year. In July, Iowa businesses shed 5,300 jobs, lowering total nonfarm employment to 1,585,400. Following a June downward revision, this loss is now the third consecutive monthly drop in payroll with monthly losses being evident in both service and goods producing industries. Professional and business services has pared jobs for four consecutive months and, along with leisure and hospitality, led all other sectors in jobs shed this month. Private industry employers are responsible for most of the increase (+11,700), although government entities advanced by 300 this month and now rest up 2,700 jobs over the past twelve months.

Accommodations and food services shed the most jobs in July (-2,000). Much of the loss was due to restaurants reigning in employment this month. The loss follows a smaller decline of 700 jobs in June. Arts and entertainment also shed jobs in July (-300), snapping a string of gains over the prior three months. Administrative support and waste management pared 1,200 jobs in July and fueled a decline of 2,000 jobs for professional and business services. Professional, scientific, and technical services shed 700 jobs this month and has shed 2,800 since March. Trade, transportation, and utilities lost 900 jobs and is now down 1,400 jobs over the past three months. Both transportation and warehousing along with retail have been a drag on employment recently. Conversely, job gains were small in magnitude in July and included education and health care (+400) and information (+200).

Compared to last year, total nonfarm employment has gained 14,400 jobs. Of those gains, education and health care has gained 10,100 jobs with a slight majority stemming from health care and social assistance. Leisure and hospitality industries are up 3,900 jobs and has been lifted by arts and entertainment (+2,500). Smaller increases occurred in manufacturing (+1,700) and construction (+1,300). Job losses have been heaviest in professional and business services (-6,400) with administrative support and waste management fueling much of the decline.

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