First Urbandale, and now the Des Moines police department and Waukee’s police department are receiving donations to help them buy body cameras for officers. The $12,000 for Waukee and $125,000 for Des Moines comes from owner Rod French from Kenworth Mid-Iowa, but more money is needed to outfit all officers will body cameras.
The EPA is out with its proposed Renewable Fuel Standard levels, and they’re not winning points with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. Executive Director Monte Shaw says the levels are below those set by Congress.
ISU professors will be observing West Des Moines Valley High School students and teachers next fall to help identify hidden trends that helped spark racial tensions last February that lead to student fights. At the last community racial forum last night, school admins talked about the plan to further improve race relations….including the observation period and a multi-step equity audit.
MidAmerican Energy has a new program to help companies save on their energy bills. The Commercial Energy Savings Solutions program looks at ways to help businesses become more energy efficient. It comes with free energy assessments and plans.
Beef prices keep climbing. The Iowa Beef Industry Council says drought has reduced beef supplies to their lowest numbers since the 1950s…and a growing demand has pushed up prices. But the council expects prices to dip next year when the herd catch up.
As more cases of the bird flu continue to surface throughout Iowa, Governor Branstad has extended the state of emergency into July 1st….it was set to expire at the end of this month.
Iowa’s largest landfill will be disposing of a million birds downed by the bird flu. Metro Waste Authority East Landfill in Polk County voted this week to accept the carcasses after meeting with state and federal officials. The infected birds will be transported in biozip bags, buried in a trench, and then covered with waste.
The wait continues to see if ISU basketball coach Fred Hoiberg will be tapped as the next Chicago Bulls head coach. The Bulls fired Tom Thibedeau yesterday with two years and $9 million left on his contract.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is in Ames tomorrow… Sanders will meet with potential voters at Torrent Brewing Company. Martin O’Malley is expected to make his own announcement tomorrow morning, followed by a trip to Des Moines in the evening.
The stalemate continues at the state capitol as lawmakers slowly started making progress on the budget this week…but nothing was passed. Democrats are still holding out for more money, while the Republicans aren’t budging out of their decided margin. Governor Branstad maintains he’s hopeful both houses will reach a final state budget before the July 1st deadline.
