WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence. That’s according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Trump says agents opened up a safe at his home and describes their work as an “unannounced raid” that he likened to “prosecutorial misconduct.” The FBI and Justice Department have not confirmed the search. It marks a dramatic and unprecedented escalation of law enforcement scrutiny of the former president.
Crops suffer as Iowa’s drought worsens
By Jared Strong (Iowa Capital Dispatch) — Drought conditions across southern Iowa have led to the state’s corn and soybeans recently being rated their poorest yet this year.
About 73% of the state’s corn crop is rated good or excellent, down from 76% a week ago, the USDA report said. About 71% of soybeans were rated the same, down from 73% last week.
Those declines were the result of abnormally warm weather: The state averaged about 5 degrees above normal last week, according to Justin Glisan, the state climatologist for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Rainfall was highly variable, with very little for central and southern Iowa. The percentage of Iowa in drought status nearly doubled in the U.S. Drought Monitor’s report late last week, from about 17% to about 31%. Much of that gain was attributable to southern Iowa, according to the report.
Lepper Named Recipient of Heart’s Nomination for A.O. Duer Award
Oskaloosa — Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Exercise Science) has an opportunity at national hardware after winning the A.O. Duer Award nomination from the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
Lepper’s award was announced at the Heart Summit recently. She becomes the second Statesmen in as many years to earn the Heart’s nomination for the A.O. Duer Award after Tanner Bedier (baseball) was rewarded in 2021.
The A.O. Duer Scholarship Award has been presented by the NAIA since 1967 to one male and one female junior student-athlete in any sport who have excelled in scholarship, character, and citizenship. A.O. Duer was a long-standing executive secretary for the NAIA.
Lepper has been a standout on the women’s volleyball team, earning three all-Heart honors thus far in her career. A second-team pick in 2021, she posted 230 kills (2.32 per set) on a .259 attack percentage. The now fifth-year senior also notched 83 blocks last fall.
A leader on WPU’s campus, Lepper owns a 3.81 Grade Point Average and has garnered three NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards and two Heart Scholar-Athlete laurels. She serves as President of the Campus Activities Board and Communications Coordinator for the Association of Student-Athletes, and is a member of the Kinesiology Club. For her efforts in the classroom, Lepper was named the 2022 Student of the Year by William Penn’s Division of Health and Life Sciences.
Lepper is an active servant as well, volunteering on numerous occasions throughout the Oskaloosa community.
Lepper will now be considered for the NAIA’s national award. The national winner will be announced in September as part of the NAIA’s National Awards Day. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship that their institution will used towards his/her’s tuition or other approved expenses.
Mahaska County Announces New Filing Period for Upcoming General Election
Mahaska County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, Jody Van Patten, announces that pursuant to a Federal Court Order, the filing period for candidates for Nonparty Political Organization (NPPO) and Non-Affiliated persons for the upcoming General Election, held on November 8, 2022, has changed.
Anyone interested in running as an NPPO or Non-Affiliated candidate in the General Election may pick up Nomination Papers and Affidavits of Candidacy in the Auditor’s Office, located at 106 South 1st St, in Oskaloosa, from 8:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/general/index.html
The first day for Non-Party candidates, Township Trustees and Township Clerks to file for the General Election is Monday, August 8th, with a filing deadline of 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31st. As a reminder, the last day to file for Soil & Water Commissioners, Ag-Extension and Hospital Trustees is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31st. If you have already filed papers to be on the General Election ballot, you do not need to refile.
County positions open are: Township Trustees, Township Clerks, Soil & Water Commissioners, Ag-Extension Council, and Hospital Trustees.
For more information and for the number of signatures required for each office, please contact the Auditor’s office at 641-673-7148.
Ottumwa School Board Hears Update on Free and Reduced Food Service Program
The Ottumwa School Board met on Monday and heard an update on the district’s free and reduced food service program. The district is set to offer both breakfast and lunch for students in need this coming school year, and the update had some encouraging news on the program’s sustainability.
Superintendent Mike McGrory said “it’s not hard to correlate” students’ nourishment and academic success, so it was important to sustain the program without it adversely affecting the district’s budget.
The full Ottumwa School Board meeting from August 8 can be viewed here. Their next regular meeting is scheduled for August 22.
Mahaska County to Conduct Public Test for Voter Equipment
The public test of Mahaska County’s voter equipment to be used in the September 13, 2022 City of Eddyville Special Election regarding Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc will commence at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17, 2022 in the Mahaska County Courthouse and will continue until completed. The public is invited to attend. For further information, please contact the county auditor’s office at 641-673-7148.
One year after Afghanistan, spy agencies pivot toward China
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence agencies are shifting more money and resources to China. They’re moving hundreds of officers to China-focused positions, including some who were previously working on terrorism. One year after ending the war in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden and top national security officials speak less about counterterrorism and more about the political, economic and military threats posed by China as well as Russia. In a recent closed-door meeting with leaders of the CIA’s counterterrorism center, the CIA’s No. 2 official made clear that fighting al-Qaida and other extremist groups will remain a priority but that there’s an increasing focus on China.
DNR to host public hearing Aug. 11 on Intended Use Plans for new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) general supplemental funds
DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa DNR has released Federal Fiscal Year 2022 BIL General Supplemental Fund Intended Use Plans (IUPs) for public review, and will be hosting a virtual hearing Aug. 11 to take comments. The IUPs are for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The IUPs outline projects and priorities for federal infrastructure dollars to fund water quality projects in Iowa. The plans can be reviewed at: https://www.iowasrf.com/
The public are invited to provide comments on the IUPs through a virtual public hearing Thursday, Aug. 11 at 10:00 a.m. Participants should use the following conference call-in information to participate. Comments will be recorded.
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 240-457-9376
PIN: 670 973 501#
Written comments also can be submitted through Thursday, Aug. 18 by email to: Water-infrastructure@dnr.iowa.
It is anticipated the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission will act on the IUPs at its Sept. 20, 2022 meeting. Intended Use Plans for BIL PFAS/Emerging Contaminants and Lead Service Line Replacement Funds are still forthcoming and will be published as separate documents at a later time.
City of Oskaloosa Commences Massive Road Project
The city of Oskaloosa announced that beginning today (8/8), work will begin to convert A Avenue/IA92 between Highway 432 and the east corporate limits and on Market Street between 2nd Avenue and 16th Avenue from four-lanes to three with a continuous left turn lane.
This work involves the removal and replacement of pavement markings, median construction at the railroad tracks on A Avenue West, installation of a new traffic signal at Market and C Avenue, and a small portion of sidewalk work. Construction will begin on A Avenue/IA 92 with outside lane closures across two intersections at a time progressing from west to east. The contractor will leave access to homes and businesses along the construction route at all times. The project is slated for a total of 60 working days.
The city says these improvements are based on a study through the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Improvement Program. This type of conversion is shown to improve safety and efficiency, minimize traffic delays and congestion, and allow for future planning.
More information on the project is available at https://www.oskaloosaiowa.org/…/TSIP-IA-92A-Ave-US-63Market… or by contacting Civil Engineering Technician Courtney Ryan, cryan@oskaloosaiowa.org, 641.676.5014. To learn more about three lane conversions, visit the Iowa DOT’s webpage at https://iowadot.gov/tra…/4-to-3-lane-conversion/3-lane-roads.
Alex Jones ordered to pay Sandy Hook parents more than $4M
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury has ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay more than $4 million in compensatory damages to the parents of a 6-year-old boy who was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre over Jones’ repeated public claims that the attack was a hoax. The jury’s decision Thursday marks the first time the Infowars host has been held financially liable for falsely claiming that the attack that killed 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut, was staged. It might not be the last such judgment against him, as a judge in Connecticut has already ruled against him in a similar lawsuit. The Texas jury must still decide how much to award in punitive damages.