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One Week Remains to Submit Nominations for Mahaska Chamber’s Annual Civic Awards

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OSKALOOSA – There is one week left for Mahaska County residents to submit nominations for the Mahaska Chamber’s annual civic awards.

Do you know a business, organization, or individual who has gone above and beyond to make a positive impact in the community? You are invited to nominate someone who has made a difference through their leadership, dedication, service, or commitment to making Mahaska County a better place to live, work, and grow.

Award categories include:

Retail Business and Service Business of the Year (2 awards) – The most outstanding retail or service business in the Mahaska community during this past fiscal year must be in business for minimum of two years, demonstrate success, with evidence of commitment and contribution to the community. 

Industry of the Year – The most outstanding industry in the Mahaska community during the year will have a stable employment history, will have been in business for minimum of two years, showing evidence of commitment and contribution to the community and a commitment to sound management practices. 

Business Person of the Year – This individual will have demonstrated those qualities which have distinguished him/her in business: proven commitment and contribution to the community, a commitment to ethical business practices, recognized within their profession, a Mahaska County resident, a history of success in their business. 

Citizen of the Year – This individual will have demonstrated outstanding involvement in and support of his/her community over an extended period of time. 

Community Improvement Award – This commercial or industrial property will have made improvements which enhance the appearance and /or economic vitality of the Mahaska community through new development or through the redevelopment of an existing property. 

Educator of the Year – This individual from a Mahaska County school will display a true passion and devotion to the betterment of students. 

Student of the Year -This individual will be a graduating senior or college student from a school in Mahaska County who is well-rounded and displays exemplary leadership and service for the betterment of Mahaska County. 

Volunteer of the Year -This individual volunteers their time and goes above and beyond for the betterment of Mahaska County. 

Up & Comer – This young individual or new business owner will be recognized for their dedicated commitment, passion and high standard of excellence while leading the charge in Mahaska County. 

Chuck Russell Award – This person or project will be recognized for their dedicated commitment in preserving the rich heritage and history of Oskaloosa and Mahaska County. 

To make any nominations or if you have an innovative idea for a “special award” for exceptional achievement in a category not mentioned, you are encouraged to call 641-672-2591 or email ddegroot@mahaskachamber.org with “Mahaska Chamber Award” in the subject line to present the suggestion to the Chamber. Nominations must be received by Monday, November 2. 

Iowa Department of Education awards nearly $600,000 to 24 districts to support student attainment of industry-recognized credentials

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Education today awarded nearly $600,000 in competitive grants to 24 Iowa school districts through its Credentials to Careers grant. The grants support school districts in creating or expanding secondary career and technical education (CTE) programs aligned to student attainment of state-approved, industry-recognized credentials with labor market value.

“Since the Credentials to Careers grant program was created by the Department just three years ago, we’ve directed over $4 million in federal funds for state activities to support learners across 75 school districts as they earn portable, stackable industry-recognized credentials while in high school,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “Through the leadership of these school communities and prior awardees, Iowa is preparing students to succeed in high-skill, high-demand jobs here in Iowa, changing lives and strengthening local economies.”

The following 24 school districts have been awarded up to $50,000 for the 2026–27 academic year through this third round of grant funding:

  • Ankeny Community School District
  • Central Decatur Community School District
  • Clarke Community School District
  • Creston Community School District
  • Diagonal Community School District
  • English Valleys Community School District
  • Harlan Community School District
  • Iowa City Community School District
  • Iowa Valley Community School District
  • Le Mars Community School District
  • Lenox Community School District
  • Lisbon Community School District
  • Linn-Mar Community School District
  • Logan-Magnolia Community School District
  • Madrid Community School District
  • Moravia Community School District
  • Red Oak Community School District
  • Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School
  • Sidney Community School District
  • South Central Calhoun Community School District
  • South O’Brien Community School District
  • South Tama County Community School District
  • Urbandale Community School District
  • Waterloo Community School District

Industry-recognized credentials are certifications, credentials or licenses vetted by employers and endorsed by a nationally recognized trade association or organization in a particular industry. They help verify that students have acquired knowledge and skills valued by employers, improving their professional credibility and helping employers assess applicant preparedness. Industry-recognized credentials are available across many career pathways, including health sciences, information technology, construction, manufacturing, child development, culinary, business and more.

In determining awards, competitive district applicants demonstrated clear plans to align one or more new or existing CTE pathways with student attainment of industry-recognized credentials aligned to high-skill, high-wage and high-demand occupations. Districts must demonstrate how credential attainment will be sustainably integrated into existing CTE pathways to ensure long-term impact beyond the initial grant period. Priority consideration was given to school districts that have not previously received a Credentials to Careers grant.

Award amounts of up to $50,000 were determined by the expenditures outlined in each applicant’s budget proposal, all of which must be directly related to the attainment of a high-quality industry-recognized credential, ensuring a stronger connection between state investments, student preparation and Iowa’s workforce needs. Allowable costs could include student exam fees, instructional equipment, non-consumable instructional supplies, computer equipment and software, wired and wireless internet connections, installation costs, instructor training related to new equipment purchases, instructor training expenses required to offer the credential and curriculum enhancements.

Funds for the Credentials to Careers grant are provided through state activities set-aside of federal Perkins reserve funds under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, as amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. The goal of reserve funds is to support innovation and alignment of CTE programs with regional workforce needs.

For more information about the Credentials to Careers grant and how it is helping shape Iowa’s future workforce, visit the Iowa Department of Education website.

Knoxville Man Dies in Single Vehicle Accident on Highway T-17

Posted on by Sam Parsons

MARION COUNTY – A Knoxville man died in a single-vehicle accident on Highway T-17 in Marion County on Saturday night.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, the accident occurred shortly before midnight on Saturday, October 24, south of Pella. 29-year-old Alex Eugene Killoren was traveling westbound in a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado when his vehicle failed to negotiate the curve in the road. The Silverado entered the ditch and vaulted over a drainage ditch on the west side, pitching over and flipping at least once. 

The crash report states that Killoren was not wearing a seatbelt at the time, and he was ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to Pella Regional Health Center via ambulance, but later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.

The accident remains under investigation.

US Treasury proposes a rule to crack down on high-tech investments in China, other adversaries

Posted on by Sam Parsons

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department proposed a rule Thursday to crack down on American high-tech investments such as supercomputing and artificial intelligence in China, Russia, North Korea and other “countries of concern.”

The U.S. government has been working for years to deny China and other adversaries investments that could help them boost their military power.

That program began in 2023 when then-President Joe Biden signed an executive order putting restrictions on outbound U.S. investments in sectors such as semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence going into China. Treasury later established the Outbound Investment Security Program.

In December 2025, Congress passed a law that codified and expanded the program to target more technologies and more foreign countries, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Russia.

The inclusion of Russia in the proposed rule has come days after President Donald Trump waived sanctions on Russia following a diesel deal with President Vladimir Putin.

The rule announced Thursday would expand the restrictions to cover investments in hypersonic systems capable of traveling at five times the speed of sound, supercomputing, biotechnology and artificial intelligence, though Treasury used Trump’s favored term for AI, “superintelligence” or SI.

The proposed rule “sends an important signal to markets that Washington is tracking where U.S. capital is flowing and what capabilities it is helping build,” said Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The screening of outbound investments “recognizes that capital can accelerate military-relevant capabilities just as surely as technology transfer can,” Singleton said.

Jason Chipman, a former Justice Department lawyer who specializes in cybersecurity, investment rules and export controls as a partner at the law firm WilmerHale, said the new rule “will require more substantial compliance programs to manage risk.”

Treasury’s rule to implement the 2025 law — the Comprehensive Outbound Investment National Security Act — would only apply to investments that exceed $50,000 and would exclude many financial investments, including stock purchases.

Treasury will hear public comments on the proposal before issuing a final rule.

“It’s just the first step in a fairly long process to get to changes which presumably will be more enforcement-minded, to put more teeth behind the outbound investment program,” said former U.S. trade official Ryan Majerus, now a partner at King & Spalding law firm.

In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the U.S. should abide by the principles of a market economy and stop interfering in normal economic and trade cooperation between businesses.

Asked about Washington’s proposal to add biotechnology to the list, ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that “Overstretching the concept of national security, taking discriminatory measures against specific countries, and artificially restricting trade, economic and investment activities serve no one’s interests.”

She added that China will closely monitor relevant developments and take necessary measures to safeguard its interests.

Since Trump’s first term, the United States and China — the world’s two biggest economies — have been locked in an economic and tech rivalry. They’ve restricted the export of sensitive technology and critical products — such as China’s rare earth minerals and America’s advanced computer chips — to each other and slapped tariffs on each other’s products. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed last year to ease tensions while they engaged in talks, a temporary truce they last month extended into January.

But the sparring continues. In July, the Treasury Department issued a $200,000 fine against a U.S.-based company for failing to report to the department a $92,500 investment in a Chinese artificial intelligence and robotics company by one of its subsidiaries.

World Food Prize event packs nearly 1 million meals in an hour

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Brent Barnett (Radio Iowa)

A World Food Prize event in Des Moines this week has set a verified Guinness World Record.

Nearly one million hunger relief meals were packaged by over a thousand volunteers in just one hour. The effort is part of marking the 40th anniversary of the World Food Prize.

“Half of the meals will stay in the Midwest and in Iowa,” World Food Prize Foundation CEO Tom Vilsack said. “The other half will be distributed around the world to help families in need.”

Each meal containes rice, soy protein, dehydrated vegetables and essential vitamins and minerals. Volunteers worked along 60 assembly lines set up in the Iowa Events Center to fill bags with those ingredients. “People from all walks of life, every age, every political persuasion, every religion,” Vilsack said. “We were one single community with a single focus.”

Organizers say the nearly 990,864 meals produced would be enough to provide over 2000 chldren with nutritious food for an entire year. The previous Guinness Record for this kind of operation was just over half a million meals produced in an hour.

The World Food Prize event was sponsored by the Meals from the Heartland organization and Purdue University as well as corporate sponsors Cargill, Growth Energy, Holganix, NCMIC, Niman Ranch.

Ottumwa Man Arrested for Pointing Gun at Woman During Argument

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OTTUMWA – An Ottumwa man was arrested after allegedly pointing a firearm at a woman in the presence of their child while under a no-contact order.

According to court records, on Sunday, October 18, at around 4:50 AM, 21-year-old Alexander Cantu was engaged in a verbal altercation with the mother of his child at a residence on the 400 block of N Ash Street in Ottumwa. Authorities say that the woman had an active no-contact order against Cantu at the time of the incident.

Cantu is accused of brandishing a gun and pointing it at the woman during the altercation, and court documents state that their child was present while the altercation was taking place.

Cantu was arrested later that day. When he was searched after his arrest, officers reportedly found a THC vape in his possession. He now faces several charges stemming from this incident, including Assault Committed by a Person Against Whom a Protective Order is Issued (Class D felony), Child Endangerment (aggravated misdemeanor), Possession of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana, First Offense (serious misdemeanor), and Violation of No-Contact/Protective Order (simple misdemeanor).

Nomination Period Ends Today for Young Ambassadors Contest

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OSKALOOSA — The holiday season is just around the corner, and Oskaloosa Main Street is excited to bring back a beloved community tradition – the Main Street Young Ambassadors Contest! Once again, one young man and one young lady will be chosen to represent Oskaloosa as Young Ambassadors.

Children from three years old through kindergarten are invited to enter and be part of this special holiday tradition. It’s a wonderful opportunity for local families to celebrate their little ones while helping make the holiday season brighter throughout our community.

All contestants will be introduced, and the Young Ambassadors will be announced at a special ceremony on Monday, November 30, at 6:00 p.m. at the Penn Central Mall. The event will celebrate the contestants, their families, and the community.

To enter, parents or guardians should submit a photo of their child no larger than 3×5, a $5 registration fee, and the child’s name, birthdate, parent’s name, address, phone number, school, favorite activity, and what they want for Christmas. Entries should be submitted to Oskaloosa Main Street, 222 1st Ave. East, Oskaloosa, IA (2nd floor of Nicolet National Bank). Applications can also be found on the Mahaska Chamber website under Main Streets Holiday Events. https://www.mahaskachamber.org/page/main_street_holiday_events/

Entries must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 23.

Once registered, each contestant will have a secure voting canister placed at a participating local business. Families may request a preferred canister location but must first receive permission from that business. Voting begins Monday, November 2, and continues through the morning of Monday, November 30. The young man and young lady with the most money collected in their respective canisters will be named Oskaloosa’s Young Ambassadors.

Every contestant will have the opportunity to be part of Oskaloosa’s “Winter Wonderland: Let It Glow” Lighted Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 5, at 7:00 p.m.

Most importantly, this tradition gives our community a chance to come together and support local. Proceeds from the contest will benefit a local preschool and help with expenses for the Lighted Christmas Parade.

Local businesses interested in hosting a voting canister or families looking for more information are encouraged to contact Oskaloosa Main Street at 641-672-2591.

Meta ordered to pay New Mexico $25 billion for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook

Posted on by Sam Parsons

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A judge on Wednesday ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook, marking the biggest fine ever against the tech giant.

Facebook’s deception was intentional and executives consistently misled users about how the platform worked, state District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew wrote in his ruling.

“Facebook promised users that they (the users) controlled their data. This was false,” he said.

Jurors in September found Meta liable for over 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws for making misleading public statements about how it handled users’ personal data. The case was brought after political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica harvested Facebook data to generate targeted political ads during the 2016 election season.

The award will serve as a warning to tech companies that New Mexico will hold them accountable, state Attorney General Raúl Torrez said at a news conference.

“This judgment should be a signal, an unambiguous message, to Silicon Valley,” he said.

Meta said the ruling and Torrez’s office’s approach to enforcement “makes it all but impossible to do business in the state of New Mexico.”

“At its core, this lawsuit seeks to impose a tax on speech to enforce new rules for what people can say online. We are confident we will prevail on appeal,” C.J. Mahoney, the company’s chief legal officer, said in a statement.

The Menlo Park, California, company has a market value of $1.8 trillion and brought in more than $200 billion in revenue last year. Company shares traded 2% higher after Wednesday’s announcement, and it was scheduled to report its quarterly earnings later in the day.

New Mexico goes it alone

In August, Meta reached a settlement with nearly all states and territories — except New Mexico and Florida — to pay $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms.

The settlement ended a trial over teen social media addiction and resolved a pivotal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children’s mental health. The effort targeted features designed to grab young people’s attention.

New Mexico didn’t join the multistate settlement, choosing to go after the company on its own.

The director of a nonprofit that supports stronger policies toward corporations said $25 billion is “a drop in the bucket for Meta,” but demonstrates people want accountability.

“Right now, they are rolling out Muse, an AI assistant encouraging people to trust it with everything from their bank accounts to their medical information,” added Nidhi Hegde, executive director of the American Economic Liberties Project. “Which is why we need more enforcers with courage and laws with actual teeth to rein them in.”

At the trial, attorneys for the state cited a 2010 Washington Post op-ed in which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that the company didn’t sell user data.

“You have control over how your information is shared,” Zuckerberg said. “We do not and never will sell any of your information to anyone.”

New Mexico officials sought fines of $35 billion to $40 billion, arguing the company would only change if its stock price were impacted.

Meta’s lawyers, meanwhile, asserted that the state failed to prove the company made misleading statements and that content moderation actually harmed people in New Mexico. They wanted the company to pay $3.4 billion at most and said an award many times larger would be unconstitutional.

Although interest would accrue on the penalty during the appeal process, Meta could succeed in reducing the number of violations for which it is found liable.

The $25 billion award far exceeds a $5 billion fine the Federal Trade Commission levied against Facebook in 2019.

Peter Ormerod, an associate law professor at Villanova University, was surprised by the size of the New Mexico judgment because previous legal settlements over Cambridge Analytica were much lower.

“It comes out to about $12,000 per person in New Mexico,” he said. “It’s quite unlike anything else we’ve seen.”

Under the New Mexico Constitution, fines for violating consumer protection laws go toward education spending. It could take years for the state to get the money while the company appeals.

Company argues that the state failed to prove harm

The trial focused on accusations Facebook deceived users about a breach stemming from a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to Cambridge Analytica. The now-defunct firm’s clients included Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Attorneys for New Mexico argued that the state’s entire population was deceived, and that Facebook allowed misinformation or violent content to proliferate.

Meta’s lawyers argued the state failed to prove people were harmed by deceptive statements. Zuckerberg in a video deposition denied that Facebook profited off harmful content and said the company had to balance free speech with content moderation.

In a partial win for the company, jurors rejected assertions that Facebook made false claims about removing harmful content, including misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meta lawyers said it has changed policies since the lawsuit was filed in 2021 and catches and removes an estimated 99% of content violating its standards.

Weekly Fuel Report

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES — The price of regular unleaded gasoline fell 7 cents from last week’s price and is currently averaging $4.13 across Iowa according to AAA.

Crude Oil Summary

  • The price of global crude oil rose this week on the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) by $2.84 per barrel, and is currently priced at $97.80.
  • Brent crude oil rose by $3.56 and is currently priced at $109.24.
  • One year ago, WTI crude sold for $58.66 and Brent crude was $61.00.

Motor Fuels

  • As of Wednesday, the price of regular unleaded gasoline averaged $4.13 across Iowa according to AAA.
    • Prices fell 7 cents from last week’s price and are up $1.45 from a year ago.
    • The national average on Wednesday was $4.26, down 7 cents from last week’s price.
  • Retail diesel prices in Iowa rose 10 cents this week with a statewide average of $6.17.
    • One year ago, diesel prices averaged $3.41 in Iowa.
    • The current Iowa diesel price is 15 cents lower than the national average of $6.32.
  • The current Des Moines Terminal/Rack Prices are $3.07 for U87-E10, $3.59 for Unleaded 87 (clear), $5.11 for ULSD#2, $5.42 for ULSD#1, and $2.58 per gallon for E-70 prices.

Heating Fuels

  • Natural gas prices were down 36 cents at the Henry Hub reporting site and are currently priced at $2.83 MMbtu.
  • Propane prices averaged $1.71 per gallon in Iowa. Last year the price averaged $1.52 per gallon for propane.
  • Home heating oil prices had a statewide average of $5.79 per gallon. The price for heating oil last year averaged $2.96 per gallon.

Tips for saving energy on the road or at home are available at energy.gov and fueleconomy.gov.

Iowans Encouraged to Participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES – National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is on Saturday, and Iowans with unused or expired prescription drugs are encouraged to take part.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient, and anonymous way to dispose of unused or expired prescription medications, while raising awareness about the risks of opioid misuse and the dangers associated with other prescription drugs. 

Twice a year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) partners with local law enforcement agencies and pharmacies to collect leftover prescription and over-the-counter medication safely and responsibly. During the collection in April, Iowans turned in over 6,871 pounds of unneeded medicine. To date, Iowans have safely disposed of over 118 tons of unused medications at these events. 

Saturday’s events are 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at designated sites across Iowa. Locally, there will be collection sites at Mahaska Drug in Oskaloosa, the Pella Police Department, the Knoxville Walmart, the Grinnell Police Department, the Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fairfield Walmart.

The DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other forms of prescription drugs. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should be securely sealed in their original container. Syringes, sharps, or illicit drugs are not collected. As part of the National Prescription Drug Take Back program, the DEA also collects vaping devices and e-cigarettes with their batteries removed. 

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