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Stay safe this harvest season

DES MOINES — As fall harvest starts across Iowa, the risk of wildfires in crop fields increases.  Parts of Iowa are seeing dry conditions with the risk of relative humidities dropping to dangerous levels for wildfires and ignition sources in the fields.  Ready to harvest standing crops contain very low moistures, creating fuels that are receptive to ignition and at risk of rapid rates of fire spread.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages farmers to get reacquainted with fire prevention practices to keep your farm ‘firewise.’ The following simple steps for a safer harvest can save time and money.

  • Properly prepare machinery to reduce the chance of a field fire from an overheated bearing (check the manufacturer’s recommendations). A spark from an improperly lubricated combine can instantaneously ignite dry plants and field debris.
    Check that all fire extinguishers carried on the machinery are fully charged with loose powder inside. If the powder is not loose, remove the extinguisher from its bracket then thump the canister with a rubber hammer until the powder moves when shaken.
    Make sure the size of the extinguisher is appropriate for the size of the machinery. You may need larger and/or additional extinguishers. Also make sure you have the correct extinguisher for the type of fire to be extinguished. There are two types of extinguishers, the powder extinguisher for electrical and petroleum-based fires and the water extinguisher for vegetative fires. You may need to carry both kinds of extinguishers.
  • Keep equipment clean. Check and remove combustible harvest debris from motors, exhausts, ledges and brackets several times a day. A portable gas-powered leaf blower is great for blowing debris from the various surfaces of the combine.
  • Service grain storage and drying equipment. Storage facilities are like your bank vault. Protect their contents by properly servicing all bearings, belts, motors and drags. Dryers frequently cause fires; have a qualified service technician perform the necessary maintenance before drying grain. Keep weeds mowed around the facilities to discourage a fire from spreading. All extinguishers should be handy, fully charged, and the proper size and type for the area.
  • Turn off interior lighting in overfilled bins. A grain fire will start if the grain surrounds the bulb. Turn off the light’s breaker to avoid accidentally turning the light on. This also applies to hay storage facilities.
  • Handle hay properly. Improper hay storage commonly causes or complicates farm fires. Preventative measures greatly reduce this risk.
    Planning proper hay storage is crucial. Store hay away from combustibles such as gasoline, fertilizers and pesticides, as well as open burning areas like burn barrels, brush piles and vegetative burning. Arrange round bales in groups of 10 or fewer and place at least 100 feet away from structures. Leave 30 feet of mowed grass, bare ground or rock between the bale groups, creating a solid fire break.
    Many hay fires occur by spontaneous combustion of moist hay, usually within six weeks after baling. Plan to bale hay at its driest stage and do not bale in the morning dew or too soon after a rain.
    Check stored hay frequently for hot hay or an internal hay fire. Be aware of a caramel or strong burning odor, a visible vapor or smoke, a strong musty smell, and/or hay that is hot when touched. If any of these occur, call the fire department immediately and do not move the hay. Moving it exposes overheated or smoldering hay to oxygen, speeding the fire.
  • When tilling in the fall, till a 30 foot break around building sites, remote bin sites and outside storage facilities to minimize fire spread, and around fields if there is excess fine fuels in the area. Remove weeds and other combustibles around structures and stored equipment.
  • If a fire occurs, remain calm, call 911 immediately. Provide clear, concise directions to your location. Many field and bin sites do not have 911 addresses, so be prepared to identify an intersection or landmark to direct responders.

To help control field fires until firefighters arrive, remain calm and act swiftly. Quickly disk a fire break approximately 15 feet wide around the fire. Be cautious when doing this as smoke will starve and stall a motor and will make hazards and bystanders difficult to see. To assist with a structural fire, make sure there are no flammable objects nearby and if the circuit panel is safely accessible, turn off the building’s electricity. If time allows, evacuate any livestock to a distant pasture. If possible, spray high-pressure water on any surrounding vegetation or structures, discouraging spreading embers. Do not take risks.

After using any equipment to fight a fire, check air filters, ledges, nooks and crannies for burning debris. For more detailed information, visit www.iowadnr.gov/fire.

Man Charged for Firing Weapon into Occupied Bar in Ottumwa

OTTUMWA – A Libertyville man is facing multiple felony charges after authorities say he fired a gun into a building in Ottumwa during an altercation.

According to court records, the incident took place shortly after midnight on Saturday when 43-year-old Joseph Benner allegedly got into an argument in a parking lot on the 600 block of Church Street. Police say Benner was carrying a firearm and fired multiple rounds into an occupied bar. Benner allegedly admitted to police later that night that he had fired the weapon in an attempt to scare patrons of the bar.

Court documents state that Benner displayed bloodshot, watery eyes, in addition to slurred speech and unsteady balance. He was also observed to have an alcoholic odor on his person. He consented to a preliminary breath test, which reportedly yielded a 0.151.

Authorities say Benner has a prior felony conviction from Illinois, where he was convicted of felony sexual assault, as well as sex offender registry violations.

Benner was ultimately arrested and charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon (class C felony), as well as dominion/control of a firearm by a felon (class D felony), reckless use of a firearm (aggravated misdemeanor), and possession or carrying of a dangerous weapon while under the influence (serious misdemeanor). He was transported to the Wapello County Jail, where he was later released after posting a $15,000 bond.

How Electronic Arts’ $55 billion go-private deal could impact the video game industry

NEW YORK (AP) — In what could become the largest-ever buyout funded by private equity, video game maker Electronic Arts has agreed to be acquired in a deal valued at $55 billion.

Beyond the potentially record-breaking price tag, the deal could bring wider shifts in the gaming world. Electronic Arts (EA) owns popular titles like Madden NFL, Battlefield and The Sims — and going private could potentially grant the company more freedom in developing and distributing future games. Still, what its future under new ownership could look like has yet to be seen.

The proposed buyout also marks the latest move from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF to invest in gaming. If the transaction gets the green light, PIF would join Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners, run by U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as EA’s new owners. The companies aim to close the all-cash acquisition by the first quarter of 2027.

Here’s what we know.

Why is EA an attractive takeover target?

The size of the video game market has attracted significant investment from large investors in recent years. And analysts note that Redwood City, California-based EA brand and lineup of titles make it a popular acquisition target.

The proposed acquisition also arrives as competition grows. One of EA’s biggest rivals, Activision Blizzard, was snapped up by technology powerhouse Microsoft for nearly $69 billion in 2023, for example, while the competition from mobile video game makers such as Epic Games has intensified.

PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity’s combined offer to acquire EA far exceeds the $32 billion price tag to take Texas utility TXU private in 2007, which had previously shattered records for leveraged buyouts. A leveraged buyout means a company is purchased largely using borrowed funds, and requires the acquired company to repay the debt taken on to finance the deal.

Could going private give EA more business advantages?

It’s possible that the deal could give EA more freedom in future development and distribution of its games.

By going private, EA will be able to retool operations without worrying about shareholder interest or other market scrutiny. As a result, EA could get “a little bit more breathing room to do what they do,” explains Joost van Dreunen, a longtime games industry researcher and adjunct assistant professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Theoretically, that could “result in more or better games,” adds Ben Schneider, a professor of practice in the Interactive Media and Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. But at the same time, he notes, “gamers are generally not enthralled with corporate owners influencing how game makers make their games, to say the least.”

EA has recently faced criticism for moves toward live-service gaming — which features a continuous stream of new content often aimed to keep players online longer — and other monetization efforts that have been seen as aggressive among some gamers.

Experts like van Dreunen, who is also CEO of market research firm Aldora, say a hope is that the extra capital from privatization might allow EA “to take this foot off the gas from aggressive microtransaction strategies.”

Still, time will tell. EA’s proposed buyers haven’t indicated any plans to part from those models. In Monday’s announcement, company executives just pointed broadly to coming growth.

“Looking ahead, we will continue to push the boundaries of entertainment, sports, and technology, unlocking new opportunities,” Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA, who will continue to stay in the top seat if the go-private deal goes through.

Meanwhile, some analysts are skeptical about whether a buyout is the best thing for EA right now — particularly ahead of its “Battlefield 6” launch slated for October 10.

“It is still unclear to us why EA would agree to be acquired right before a very promising BF6 launch,” TD Cowen analysts Doug Creutz and Mei Lun Quach wrote in a Monday note. The analysts had previously pointed to the positive responses “Battlefield 6″ received from players in its testing period — noting that expected revenue could push up EA’s share price even further.

Others have similarly argued that the proposed acquisition price — which divvies up to $210 per share — undervalues what EA has to offer. But Nick McKay of Freedom Capital Markets thinks an increase in share price is likely limited, given the success of EA’s sports offerings being baked into the price, and that the pricing makes sense.

Is a takeover expected to shut down more game studios and lead to layoffs?

After being taken private, formerly public companies often undergo extensive cost-cutting.

EA hasn’t indicated any expected cuts spanning from its proposed buyout at this time, although the company has gone through several layoff rounds recently. After jettisoning about 5% of its workforce in 2024, EA ended March with 14,500 employees and then laid off several hundred people in May.

Experts like Schneider also point to the sizeable debt financing the deal takes on: amounting to about $20 billion per Monday’s announcement. He notes that’s concerning news for video game developers, as it could result in more cuts.

“These changes in ownership are a very far distance from the people and studios who actually make games,” Schneider said. “Any direct impact will come in the form of what budgets are given to those studios and, downstream, which projects get cancelled or greenlit.”

EA has also already shuttered many game studios over the years. Just this past May, the company reportedly canceled the development of a video game based on Marvel’s “ Black Panther,” for example, as part of the closure of Cliffhanger Games.

Saudi’s PIF fund has many hands in the video game industry now. Why?

Among EA’s proposed buyers is Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF — which has increasingly upped its gaming investments. It already holds a 9.9% stake in EA, and is also a minority investor in fellow gaming giant Nintendo.

Van Dreunen explains that gaming in popular with younger audiences and the majority of people living in the country are under 30 years old (accounting for 63% of the population as of the kingdom’s 2022 census). That helps drive demand in a tech-forward industry that can also be “easily transported into a new location,” he adds.

Amanda Cote, an associate professor and director of the serious games certificate at Michigan State University, notes that the attempted EA acquisition is particularly in line with PIF’s recent moves in esports, with competitive gaming platforms like ESL FACEIT also among its portfolio today.

“EA’s game portfolio simultaneously aligns with Saudi Arabia’s expansions into sports, gaming, and esports,” Cote said, alluding to EA’s esports and sports properties like Madden Football and EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA).

At the same time, she also noted human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, have been highly critical of Saudi Arabia’s overall investments in sports and esports — with some accusing the nation of “sportswashing” to distract international attention. “This proposed deal is likely to face similar criticism,” Cote added.

Among the other notable names in the proposed buyout is Kushner.

The deal still needs shareholder and regulatory approval. Experts like van Dreunen expect there might be some regulatory pushback — perhaps not in the U.S., but from other consumer watchdogs globally.

Still, Baird Equity Research analysts noted Monday that the “connections to both the Saudi government and the Trump administration” may be “a strategic asset for EA in navigating any regulatory speed-bumps.”

Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“Combines are rolling all across Iowa,” said Secretary Naig. “The warm and dry weather is allowing farmers to make good progress on corn and soybean harvest. With the favorable weather expected to hold through next week, farmers should be able to continue making harvest headway, though conditions may be a bit dusty. As we get a little further into the start of October, outlooks are indicating a possible shift back to more chances of widespread rain.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Crop Report

Dry conditions allowed 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 28, 2025, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. The warm temperatures also quickly advanced crop maturity. Fieldwork included harvesting corn and soybeans.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 5 percent very short, 22 percent short, 65 percent adequate and 8 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition was 3 percent very short, 20 percent short, 70 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus.

Nearly all the corn was dented or beyond. Eighty percent of corn has matured, 4 days ahead of last year and 1 day ahead of the five-year average. The corn for grain harvest was 15 percent complete, 4 days ahead of last year and 3 days ahead of average. Moisture content of field corn being harvested for grain was 20 percent. Corn condition was rated 1 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 23 percent fair, 53 percent good and 18 percent excellent. Soybeans coloring was nearly complete at 95 percent. Eighty-three percent of soybeans were dropping leaves, 3 days ahead of last year and 2 days ahead of average. Soybean harvest was 17 percent complete, 3 days behind last year and the average.  Soybean condition rated 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 22 percent fair, 55 percent good and 18 percent excellent.

Pasture condition rated 53 percent good to excellent.

Area High School Student Dies in Washington County Hunting Accident

BRIGHTON, Iowa – A 17-year-old squirrel hunter has died from injuries sustained in an accidental shooting by another hunter in rural Brighton. The incident occurred Saturday at approximately 3 p.m.

Carson Ryan, 17, of Washington, was mistaken for a squirrel by a member of his hunting party and was struck in the back of the head. Ryan was transported to UI Health Care Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in collaboration with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the hunting incident in Washington County. The incident is currently under investigation.

Walk to End Alzheimer’s Raises Over $28,000 in Ottumwa

OTTUMWA — On Saturday, Sept. 20, nearly 300 South Central Iowa area residents participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa. Walkers helped raise over $28,000 so far to fund the care, support and research programs of the Alzheimer’s Association. Fundraising continues through the end of the year, so there is still time to donate at alz.org/walk.

This year’s Top Team is Mary’s Mission, led by Top Walk Robin Turner. They raised over $3,500 in memory of family members they’ve lost to the disease and now Robin’s sister who was diagnosed with the disease.

The other top teams and walkers are:

  • Team Karon Coffey Clan, led by Edward Coffey, raised over $2,000.
  • Team Kurt’s Memory Keepers, led by Abbie Scott, raised over $1,600 in honor of Kurt Rasmussen, Chief Culture Officer at The Rasmussen Group, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia in the spring of 2025.
  • Top Walker Amber Carroll, Team Captain for Edward Jones – Amber Carroll, raised $1,500.

All top teams and walkers can be found at alz.org/walk.

Over 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – a leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 11 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In Iowa, there are more than 62,000 people living with the disease and 80,000 caregivers.

Newton Man Arrested for Domestic Assault

NEWTON – A Newton man is facing several charges after police say he was involved in a domestic assault incident.

According to the Newton Police Department, on Sunday, September 28, at around 8:42am, officers spoke with a female regarding an investigation into a domestic assault involving a weapon. The investigation led officers to identify 44-year-old Tyree Lee Young as the suspected offender.

Young was located at 912 1st St. N. and arrested without incident with the assistance of the Newton Police Department SWAT team. A search warrant at Young’s residence led to the seizure of a firearm, ammunition, an illegal controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia.

Young was transported to the Jasper County Jail and charged with:

  • Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple Misdemeanor)
  • Possession of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana 1st Offense (Serious Misdemeanor) 
  • Harassment 1st Degree (Aggravated Misdemeanor)
  • Domestic Abuse Assault – 3rd or Subsequent Offense (Class D Felony)
  • Dominion/Control of Firearm/Offensive Weapon by Felon (Class D Felony)

Authorities say this was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat to the public. 

MLB will use robot umpires in 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Robot umpires are getting called up to the big leagues next season.

Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee on Tuesday approved use of the Automated Ball/Strike System in the major leagues in 2026.

Human plate umpires will still call balls and strikes, but teams can challenge two calls per game and get additional appeals in extra innings. Challenges must be made by a pitcher, catcher or batter — signaled by tapping their helmet or cap — and a team retains its challenge if successful. Reviews will be shown as digital graphics on outfield videoboards.

New York Yankees outfielder Austin Slater, one of four players on the competition committee, said three voted in favor after getting support from 22 of the 30 teams. All six management reps voted in favor.

“I think with any sort of technology, there’s not 100% certainty of the accurateness of the system,” Slater said. “I think the same can be said of umpires. So I think it’s just coming to grips with the impact that technology is going to have and whether or not we were willing to live with that error that was associated with the system, even if the error is very, very miniscule.”

Big league umpires call roughly 94% of pitches correctly, according to UmpScorecards.

Adding the robot umps is likely to cut down on ejections. MLB said 61.5% of ejections among players, managers and coaches last year were related to balls and strikes, as were 60.3% this season through Sunday. The figures include ejections for derogatory comments, throwing equipment while protesting calls and inappropriate conduct.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who leads the American League in ejections for the fifth straight year, called the adoption “inevitable.”

“Throughout the year, I’ve been a little not totally on board with it or exactly how it’s going to be implemented but it’s going to be here and hopefully that’s a good thing,” he said. “A lot of the things that Major League Baseball has done I think have been really successful in the changes they’ve made and hopefully this is another one of them.”

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said players will have to adjust.

“You can like it, dislike it, it doesn’t matter,” Vogt said as Cleveland prepared to open a critical three-game series with Detroit. “It’s coming. It’s going to change the game. It’s going to change the game forever.”

ABS, which utilizes Hawk-Eye cameras, has been tested in the minor leagues since 2019. The independent Atlantic League trialed the system at its 2019 All-Star Game and MLB installed the technology for that year’s Arizona Fall League of top prospects. The ABS was tried at eight of nine ballparks of the Low-A Southeast League in 2021, then moved up to Triple-A in 2022.

At Triple-A at the start of the 2023 season, half the games used the robots for ball/strike calls and half had a human making decisions subject to appeals by teams to the ABS.

MLB switched Triple-A to an all-challenge system on June 26, 2024, then used the challenge system this year at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teams for a total of 288 exhibition games. Teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges (617 of 1,182).

“I love it. I loved it in spring training,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Not all of the players, but most of the players, if you ask them, they really liked it too. I think it keeps everybody accountable. It keeps everybody on their toes.”

At Triple-A this season, the average challenges per game increased to 4.2 from 3.9 through Sunday and the success rate dropped to 49.5% from 50.6%. Defenses were successful in 53.7% of challenges this year and offenses in 45%.

In the first test at the big league All-Star Game, four of five challenges of plate umpire Dan Iassogna’s calls were successful in July.

Teams in Triple-A do not get additional challenges in extra innings. The proposal approved Tuesday included a provision granting teams one additional challenge each inning if they don’t have challenges remaining.

MLB has experimented with different shapes and interpretations of the strike zone with ABS, including versions that were three-dimensional. Currently, it calls strikes solely based on where the ball crosses the midpoint of the plate, 8.5 inches from the front and the back. The top of the strike zone is 53.5% of batter height and the bottom 27%.

“Throughout this process we have worked on deploying the system in a way that’s acceptable to players,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “The strong preference from players for the challenge format over using the technology to call every pitch was a key factor in determining the system we are announcing today.”

This will be MLB’s first major rule change since sweeping adjustments in 2024. Those included a pitch clock, larger bases, and restrictions on defensive shifts and pitcher disengagements such as pickoff attempts.

The challenge system introduces ABS without eliminating pitch framing, a subtle art where catchers use their body and glove to try making borderline pitches look like strikes. Framing has become a critical skill for big league catchers, and there was concern that full-blown ABS would make some strong defensive catchers obsolete.

“Unless you have a really good eye … only getting two (challenges), I think a lot of the borderline ones are going to stay the same,” Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka said. “So it keeps some of the human element in in the game.”

In addition to Slater, the other players on the competition committee are Arizona’s Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen and Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, with the Chicago Cubs’ Ian Happ at Detroit’s Casey Mize as alternates. The union representatives make their decisions based on input from players on the 30 teams.

Bill Miller is the umpire representative. The Major League Baseball Umpires Association declined to comment Tuesday, saying its members “are focused on the 2025 season and postseason.”

Disease and drought may still foul Iowa farmers’ yields

By Rachel Cramer (Radio Iowa)

While the USDA’s September outlook predicts this year’s corn crop could set a record in Iowa and across the Midwest, economist Chad Hart at the Iowa State University Extension says the boost is largely due to more acres planted this year, not yields.

“One of the things I am watching is that, we know that there’s some disease pressure, say, west of the Mississippi River that’s been building, especially southern rust there,” Hart says. “When we tend to look east of the Mississippi River, we are seeing more droughty conditions out there, and that dryness we know can have an impact later in the season for yields.”

Hart says the USDA’s report in October will reveal how much disease and drought are affecting U.S. corn production.

While corn exports continue at a record pace, Hart says soybeans face a dire downturn and an uncertain future, as higher soybean yields are expected, but their destination is a big question mark.

Hart says, “Our soybean export sales are off nearly 34% compared to last year at this time.”

The big gap is China, which has stopped all official purchases of American soybeans since February in retaliation for U.S. tariffs. China had been buying up to 60-percent of all U.S. soybean exports.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says he’s advocating for market expansion with the Trump administration.

Naig says, “What we want to see are those short-term biofuels wins and also to really move rapidly to secure those trade agreements with some key trading partners.”

Soybean and corn prices remain well below production costs, with soybeans selling for about one-third of what they brought just a year ago.

Southeast Iowa Anglers Club to Host 1st Banquet This Weekend

OSKALOOSA — The newly formed South East Iowa Anglers Club will host  its 1st Annual Banquet on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at the National Guard Armory, 2660  Highway 63, Oskaloosa, IA. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., with dinner served at 6:00 p.m., followed by games,  raffles, door prizes, and a live auction. 

The South East Iowa Anglers Club is dedicated to conserving fish habitat in local lakes and ponds, while  educating youth and adults about fish species, fishing equipment, and techniques. This banquet will help  raise funds to support community fishing education programs, habitat improvements, and outreach  events. 

Event Highlights Include: 

  • Item of the Year Raffle: Garmin Live Scope LVS34 
  • Raffle Packages: $25, $50, and $100 packs with bonus early-bird ticket offers Sponsorship Opportunities: Gold ($800), Silver ($500), and general admission options for  couples, families, and youth 

Proceeds from the banquet will go toward: 

  • Hosting kidsfishing events to introduce youth to the outdoors 
  • Programs for disabled veterans and disabled adults 
  • Fish food and habitat structures for local ponds 
  • Volunteer firefighter/EMT water and ice rescue equipment 

Community members are invited to support the event by donating items for the auction, sponsoring raffle  prizes, or contributing directly to the banquet. All donations are tax-deductible with a receipt provided. 

Tickets & Donations: 

  • General Admission: $45 (includes meal) 
  • Couples Admission: $75 (includes two meals) 
  • Youth Admission (ages 518): $20 (ages 4 & under are free) 

To donate, sponsor, or learn more, contact: 

 seioawanglersclub@gmail.com 

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