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Indians Lose Regular Season Finale at Indianola

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians volleyball team fell in their final game of the regular season on Tuesday night at #12 Indianola in 3 sets.

Indianola won the consecutive sets 25-12, 25-10, and 25-14. They entered Tuesday night having won 10 of their previous 11 matches and continued to roll against Oskaloosa, jumping out to sizable leads in each set early on and never looking back. The match improved Indianola’s record to 22-14 on the season, while Oskaloosa fell to 4-25, continuing their wins drought in conference play and extending their losing streak to 11 matches.

Oskaloosa will travel to Cedar Rapids Xavier next Tuesday (10/21) for their first round playoff game. Coverage will be live on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com starting at 6:45pm.

Supreme Court rejects Alex Jones’ appeal of $1.4 billion defamation judgment in Sandy Hook shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and left in place the $1.4 billion judgment against him over his description of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as a hoax staged by crisis actors.

The Infowars host had argued that a judge was wrong to find him liable for defamation and infliction of emotional distress without holding a trial on the merits of allegations lodged by relatives of victims of the shooting, which killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut.

The justices did not comment on their order, which they issued without even asking the families of the Sandy Hook victims to respond to Jones’ appeal. An FBI agent who responded to the shooting also sued.

A lawyer who represents Sandy Hook families said the Supreme Court had properly rejected Jones’ “latest desperate attempt to avoid accountability for the harm he has caused.”

“We look forward to enforcing the jury’s historic verdict and making Jones and Infowars pay for what they have done,” lawyer Christopher Mattei said in a statement.

A lawyer representing Jones in the case didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. During his daily show on Tuesday, Jones said his lawyers believed his case was “cut and dry,” while he had predicted the high court wouldn’t take up his appeal.

“I said no, they will not do it because of politics,” Jones said.

Jones mocked the idea that he has enough money to pay the judgement, saying his studio equipment, including five-year-old cameras, was only worth about $304,000.

“It’s all about torturing me. It’s all about harassing me. It’s about harassing my family. It’s about getting me off the air,” said Jones, who urged his listeners to buy merchandise to keep show running.

Jones filed for bankruptcy in late 2022, and his lawyers told the justices that the “plaintiffs have no possible hope of collecting” the entire judgment.

He is separately appealing a $49 million judgment in a similar defamation lawsuit in Texas after he failed to turn over documents sought by the parents of another Sandy Hook victim.

In the Connecticut case, the judge issued a rare default ruling against Jones and his company in late 2021 because of what she called Jones’ repeated failure to abide by court rulings and to turn over certain evidence to the Sandy Hook families. The judge convened a jury to determine how much Jones would owe.

The following year, the jury agreed on a $964 million verdict and the judge later tacked on another $473 million in punitive damages against Jones and Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company, which is based in Austin, Texas.

In November, the satirical news outlet The Onion was named the winning bidder in an auction to liquidate Infowars’ assets to help pay the defamation judgments. But the bankruptcy judge threw out the auction results, citing problems with the process and The Onion’s bid.

The attempt to sell off Infowars’ assets has moved to a Texas state court in Austin. Jones is now appealing a recent order from the court that appointed a receiver to liquidate the assets. Some of Jones’ personal property is also being sold off as part of the bankruptcy case.

Iowa’s pheasant season is finally here

DES MOINES — The phone calls began as soon as the annual pheasant survey hit the internet. Hunters from around the state and across the Midwest wanted to know “Where’s the best place to hunt?” “What do you expect hunting pressure to be?” When you’re the one coordinating the survey and the numbers come in at the highest level in a generation, that’s to be expected.

“I expect our hunter numbers to be similar to 2023 when we had nearly 84,000 resident and nonresident pheasant hunters,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “If we hit 90,000, that would be the highest in years.”

Based on the expected hunter participation, Bogenschutz estimates that Iowa could see between 600,000 and 700,000 roosters bagged this fall. If more hunters show up? That number to hit 750,000. Iowa’s pheasant season opens October 25.

“Crop harvest will likely be 70-80 percent, which is similar to last year and if that’s the case, we could have a tremendous start to the season,” he said.

Excitement in the hunting community is due to the jump in pheasant numbers, thanks to a string of mild winters and cooperative springs. The statewide average of 28 birds per route is the highest since 2005. Regionally, the northwest region was the highest since 2005; northeast region was the highest since 1998; west central similar to last year; east central highest sense 2007; south central highest since 2017; and southeast, highest since 2020.

“Last year was a decent year for pheasant hunting. 2023 was a good year for pheasant hunting. This year could be excellent,” he said.

While much of the focus will be on northwest Iowa, don’t overlook other regions just because its not included in the highest densities on the map, he said.

There are pockets of good bird numbers in each region, but good numbers is relative, he said. For example, in the southwest region, the average count was eight birds per route, which is double from 2024. “Within that region, there are some areas with more birds than others. It comes down to managing expectations,” he said.

The Iowa DNR has resources available to hunters online at www.iowadnr.gov/pheasant, including a hunting atlas identifying all the public lands open to hunting, information on private lands enrolled in a habitat improvement program that allows public access (IHAP), the August roadside survey, and a link to the 100th anniversary of pheasant hunting in Iowa page, that includes a link to the Pheasants Forever online store and more.

With all the buzz surrounding the 2025 pheasant season, Bogenschutz said it would be a great time for hunters who haven’t pursued ring-necks in a while to come back to Iowa’s prairies this fall.

“Some parts of the state will be fantastic; others not as good, but if hunters do some scouting and know how to identify good habitat, they should have success,” he said.

With the expected uptick in hunters, Bogenschutz said part of the season preparation should include a hunting plan. The hunting plan outlines how the hunt will unfold – keeping other hunters in sight while walking in line through the fields, review hunter’s zone of fire, wear more than the minimum amount of blaze orange and keep an eye on the dogs in heavy cover.

“The hunting plan gets everyone on the same page, with a goal of having a fun, safe, successful hunt,” he said.

A Century of Pheasant Hunting

The Iowa DNR and Pheasants Forever are celebrating 100 years of pheasant hunting in the Hawkeye State. The first season was held Oct. 20-22, 1925, when 13 counties in north central Iowa were opened to pheasant hunting. Hunters were allowed a three-rooster limit, for a half-day of hunting. An estimated 75,000 hunters participated.

Hunters can commemorate the 100th anniversary by purchasing a hard card featuring Iowa Pheasants Forever Print of the Year. Pheasants Forever is offering commemorative apparel featuring both the 100 Years of Pheasant Hunting graphic and PF logo through an online, pop-up store, for a limited time.

Pheasant season

Oct. 25 – Jan. 10, 2026

Youth only pheasant season – Iowa residents only, age 15 or younger

Oct. 18-19

Cover Crop and Water Quality Field Day to be held near Oskaloosa November 4

AMES, Iowa—Iowa Learning Farms will host a cover crop and water quality field day near Oskaloosa on Tuesday, November 4 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Drost Farms. The no-cost event is open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal.

This field day aims to equip attendees with best management practices for establishing and managing cover crops. Cover crops offer many benefits to farmers and landowners, including reduced soil erosion, weed suppression potential, reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads entering water bodies, and increased organic matter in the soil.

Jackson and Amanda Drost are multi-generation farmers located in Mahaska County. While renting his first acres in 2002, Jackson has been involved on the farm as early as he can remember, noting that his dad would take him and the diaper bag with him to do field work and chores. Jackson is now passing down that love of farming to their sons, Richard and Andy, who have started their own popcorn business supplying the local Little League and selling to neighbors, friends, and family.

The Drosts raise corn, soybeans, and alfalfa along with an Angus cow-calf herd. Starting around 2010, the Drosts flew on their first acres of rye cover crop to graze with their cow-calf herd. Those initial acres have increased in recent years, and while using primarily rye and oats, they have begun incorporating other species like turnips and camelina. Additionally, they utilize buffer strips, contour farming, sediment basins, terraces, waterways, and are in the process of implementing a saturated buffer through EQIP.

In addition to the Drosts, the field day will feature Mark Licht, ISU Extension cropping systems specialist, sharing best management practices for cover crops during the field tour of nearby cover crops, weather permitting. The Iowa Learning Farms will present their Conservation Station On The Edge trailer and Liz Ripley, Iowa Learning Farms conservation and cover crop outreach specialist, will discuss a smart agricultural drainage project led by ISU researchers. Ryan Wolf with Iowa Missouri Seed, LLC will also be on hand to address cover crop questions.

The field day will be held at the Drost Farms located at 2215 212th St, Oskaloosa, IA 52577. The no-cost event and open to farmers and landowners, though we require reservations to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu by October 28.  Attendees will be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey.

Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. This event is planned in partnership with U.S. National Science Foundation award 2125484.  For more information about Iowa Learning Farms, visit www.iowalearningfarms.org.

Pekin Board of Directors Accepts Gift of 270 Acres of Farmland from Late Community Member

PEKIN — The Pekin Board of Directors announced a tremendous gift received by the district: 270 acres of farmland bequeathed by the late Roland L. McCreery. A longtime neighbor and steward of the land surrounding the old Navy Runway, Mr. McCreery generously left the property to the district in his will, ensuring his legacy will continue to enrich the lives of Pekin students for generations to come.

In a statement released to the media, the district stated, “This extraordinary gift will have a lasting impact on the district’s educational programs, particularly the FFA (Future Farmers of America) program and the Scholarship Program available to all graduating seniors. In tribute to Mr. McCreery’s generosity and lifelong connection to the community, the district will establish the Roland L. McCreery Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually during the May Awards Assembly.”

The Pekin Board of Directors officially accepted the gift at its October 13th board meeting.

Government shutdown could be the longest ever, House Speaker Johnson warns

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Monday the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history, saying he “won’t negotiate” with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen.

Standing alone at the Capitol on the 13th day of the shutdown, the speaker said he was unaware of the details of the thousands of federal workers being fired by the Trump administration. It’s a highly unusual mass layoff widely seen as way to seize on the shutdown to reduce the scope of government. Vice President JD Vance has warned of “painful” cuts ahead, even as employee unions sue.

“We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history,” Johnson of Louisiana said.

With no endgame in sight, the shutdown is expected to roll on for the unforeseeable future. The closure has halted routine government operations, shuttered Smithsonian museums and other landmark cultural institutions and left airports scrambling with flight disruptions, all injecting more uncertainty into an already precarious economy.

The House is out of legislative session, with Johnson refusing to recall lawmakers back to Washington, while the Senate, closed Monday for the federal holiday, will return to work Tuesday. But senators are stuck in a cul-de-sac of failed votes as Democrats refuse to relent on their health care demands.

Johnson thanked President Donald Trump for ensuring military personnel are paid this week, which removed one main pressure point that may have pushed the parties to the negotiating table. The Coast Guard is also receiving pay, a senior administration official confirmed Monday. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss plans that have yet to be formally rolled out.

At its core, the shutdown is a debate over health care policy — particularly the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are expiring for millions of Americans who rely on government aid to purchase their own health insurance policies on the Obamacare exchanges. Democrats demand the subsidies be extended, but Republicans argue the issue can be dealt with later.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said with Republicans having essentially shut down the chamber now for a fourth week, no real negotiations are underway. They’re “nowhere to be found,” he said on MSNBC.

With Congress and the White House stalemated, some are eyeing the end of the month as the next potential deadline to reopen government.

Open enrollment begins Nov. 1 for the health program at issue, and Americans will face the prospect of skyrocketing insurance premiums. The Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that monthly costs would double if Congress fails to renew the subsidy payments that expire Dec. 31.

At the end of October, government workers on monthly pay schedules, including thousands of House aides, will go without paychecks.

A persistent issue

The health care debate has dogged Congress ever since the Affordable Care Act became law under then-President Barack Obama in 2010.

The country went through a 16-day government shutdown during the Obama presidency when Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2013.

Trump tried to “repeal and replace” the law, commonly known as Obamacare, during his first term, in 2017, with a Republican majority in the House and Senate. That effort failed when then-Sen. John McCain memorably voted thumbs-down on the plan.

With 24 million now enrolled in Obamacare, a record, Johnson said Monday that Republicans are unlikely to go that route again, noting he still has “PTSD” from that botched moment.

“Can we completely repeal and replace Obamacare? Many of us are skeptical about that now because the roots are so deep,” Johnson said.

The Republican speaker insists his party has been willing to discuss the health care issue with Democrats this fall, before the subsidies expire at the end of the year. But first, he said, Democrats have to agree to reopen the government.

The longest shutdown, during Trump’s first term over his demands for funds to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall, ended in 2019 after 35 days.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is exercising vast leeway both to fire workers — drawing complaints from fellow Republicans and lawsuits from employee unions — and to determine who is paid.

That means not only military troops but other Trump administration priorities don’t necessarily have to go without pay, thanks to the various other funding sources as well as the billions made available in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is now law.

The Pentagon said over the weekend it was able to tap $8 billion in unused research and development funds to pay the military personnel. They had risked missed paychecks on Wednesday. But the Education Department is among those being hard hit, disrupting special education, after-school programs and others.

“The Administration also could decide to use mandatory funding provided in the 2025 reconciliation act or other sources of mandatory funding to continue activities financed by those direct appropriations at various agencies,” according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO had cited the departments of Defense, Treasury and Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget as among those that received specific funds under the law.

“Some of the funds in DoD’s direct appropriation under the 2025 reconciliation act could be used to pay active-duty personnel during a shutdown, thus reducing the number of excepted workers who would receive delayed compensation,” CBO wrote in a letter responding to questions raised by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

Naig pegs pace of Iowa’s 2025 harvest as near normal

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

The corn and soybean harvest in Iowa is well underway, but since there’s a federal government shutdown, the USDA’s weekly report on Iowa crops wasn’t issued yesterday (Monday), or last week.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says he has a pretty good impression of the pace of the harvest after driving through the countryside, visiting with farmers, and spending several days helping with the harvest on his family farm near Cylinder.  “Boy, if it’s fit, folks are really hitting it hard,” Naig said, “and I think we’re really taking a big chunk out of that soybean and corn harvest both.”

Naig indicated there appears to be variability in yields, however, as southern rust has appeared in parts of the state. “You’re hearing about some pretty dramatic yield reductions,” Naig said. “There are some areas of the state that were too wet. I’m hearing about some yield impact because of that as well and then I talk to folks that say it’s the best crop they’ve ever had.”

Naig is hearing soybean yields are strong. “Maybe the crop isn’t quite as good as we all thought it was going to be maybe in that mid-July timeframe, but we have a solid crop,” Naig said, “and, in fact, you have a lot of folks talking about: ‘Where are we going to store this crop?’”

Iowa farmers typically have about two-thirds of soybeans and one-third of corn harvested by mid-October.

Farmers worry the prices for corn and soybeans are being affected because buyers don’t have the weekly USDA information about harvest progress and conditions. Naig said it also means the October payments farmers get for enrolling land in the Conservation Reserve Program aren’t going out. “In this tight economy if you’re waiting for a payment of some kind and you just can’t flat out access it because of a government shut down that’s wrong,” Naig said, “and it’s bringing instability…where we need certainty this time of year.”

With Farm Service Agency offices closed, farmers cannot submit the paperwork for operating loans that some might need to buy livestock, farm equipment, fuel or fertilizer. The loans may also be used to cover family living expenses.

Ottumwa’s Trick or Treat Night Set for October 31

OTTUMWA — The Ottumwa Police Department has announced that Trick or Treat Night is set for 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 31, 2025. If a Trick-or-Treater and/or Homeowner is feeling ill please do not participate.      

Parents are encouraged to dress their children in reflective clothing and consider non-toxic makeup and decorative hats as safer alternatives to masks, which can limit or block eyesight. Parents should also plan and review with their children the route and neighborhoods to go to and agree on a specific time when children must return home. A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds. 

Homeowners should take extra effort to eliminate tripping hazards on their porch and walkway. Rather than utilizing candles or other real flames, homeowners should consider using battery powered jack-o’-lantern lights. If a person chooses to use real candles, then pumpkins should be placed well away from trick-or-treaters and the person should make sure paper or cloth decorations won’t be blown into the flame.

Trick-or-treaters are reminded that they should never eat any treats until they are thoroughly checked by an adult. Additionally, they should be sure their parents know where they are going, only go to homes with a porch light on, remain on well-lit streets, always use the sidewalk, and obey all traffic and pedestrian regulations. Trick-or-treaters should never assume the right of way on streets as motorists may have trouble seeing them.     

Motorists are asked to drive slow and watch closely for children running in the street.

Knoxville Man Faces Criminal Mischief Charge for Breaking Window at Residence

KNOXVILLE – A Knoxville man was arrested over the weekend following an incident in which he allegedly got into an altercation with someone and broke a window at their residence.

According to court records, the Knoxville Police Department received a report of a broken window at a residence in the 1200 block of Gebhardt Street on Saturday, October 11. Officers arrived and spoke with the person who lived at the residence, who told police that 41-year-old Zachary Jones had gotten into a verbal argument with her and left before police arrived. She later told police that Jones had broken the window as he was leaving.

On Sunday, officers located and questioned Jones, who allegedly admitted to attempting to throw a ring in a box at the door of the apartment but missed the door, striking the window and breaking it. Court documents state that it was a double-pane window and that only the exterior pane was broken. Repair costs are estimated to be $750-1500.

Jones was arrested on Sunday and charged with 3rd degree criminal mischief (an aggravated misdemeanor). He was later released after posting a $2,000 surety bond. His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for October 21.

Indians Blanked on Senior Night by Dutch

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians hosted the #6 Pella Dutch on Friday night for their final home game of the season, celebrating the 13 senior players on their roster in the process. Unfortunately for the Indians, the game was decided relatively early, but the contributions of the senior class were nevertheless honored by those in attendance.

The Dutch came into the game with one of the best defenses in the state, while the Indians’ offense had been reeling with only 14 points scored in their previous 3 games. The meeting of those two units went about as expected, based on the matchup on paper: Oskaloosa managed only 51 yards of offense and failed to get on the scoreboard. Junior quarterback Tyler Edgar was moved to wide receiver during the first half, allowing sophomore Coleton Fawcett to receive some playing time; neither player was able to find their rhythm against a stout defense, as they combined to go 6/12 with 27 passing yards and 2 interceptions (1 from each player). On the ground, the Indians’ struggles continued, as they had 24 total rushing yards on 31 total rushing attempts (0.8 YPC).

Defensively, Oskaloosa was able to produce some nice moments. The highlight of the night came from junior linebacker Trace Rupprecht, who made a shoestring catch to intercept Pella QB Michael Manning late in the 2nd quarter and ran the ball back 57 yards, ultimately getting pushed out of bounds inside the Pella 10 yard line. The Indians would then run the clock down in an attempt to kick a field goal before halftime, which missed wide left from 32 yards out.

For the Dutch, their offense was able to mostly avoid any mistakes that could have given the Indians life in the game. Manning finished the game 12/17 with 135 passing yards and 3 total touchdowns. Senior RB Emmanuel Diers ran the ball 12 times for 67 yards and a score. The Dutch brought the score to 35-0 in the 3rd quarter with a 5-yard TD pass from Manning to junior wideout Logan Van Den Broek, prompting a running clock for the rest of the game, and Pella was able to sit on that lead until the end. The final score was 35-0, improving Pella’s record to 6-1 on the season while Oskaloosa dropped to 0-7.

Oskaloosa will travel to Marion on Friday (10/17) in search of their first win of the season. That game will be broadcast live on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com beginning at 7pm.

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