DES MOINES – The final estimate has been made for Iowa’s state funding in the fiscal year 2025. The Revenue Estimating Conference concluded that lawmakers will have just under $9.7 billion to spend in the upcoming 12 months. Republican leaders in both the Iowa House and Senate are considering additional tax cuts, as a surplus continues in the general fund, along with full reserves in other areas of the budget. Iowa Democrats are calling for additional investment in public education.

COLFAX – One person has died in a house fire near Colfax. KCCI-TV reports an unidentified body was found dead in the basement of a rural home that at one point was fully engulfed by flames. As firefighters fought the blaze, they learned of a possible occupant. Nearly 12 hours after the fire was reported, the individual was found. The cause of both the fire and death remains under investigation.

RED OAK – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources continues to investigate the New Cooperative fertilizer spill near Red Oak in Montgomery County. The release has been stopped and clean-up efforts are underway. The product flowed several miles downstream of Red Oak in the East Nishnabotna River, reaching Missouri. The DNR encouraged private well owners in Montgomery, Page, and Fremont counties near to the stream to contact their county health department to test their wells for nitrate. Due to low water levels in the East Nishnabotna, the concentration of the liquid nitrogen fertilizer is higher than during normal stream flows.