IOWA – Early voting begins across the state in-person today at county courthouses. Voter ID laws remain the same, so a driver’s license or other qualifying document must be brought. Registration can be done in person at any of those sites on election day and during the early registration window. Ballots can be requested for absentee voters until 5 p.m. on October 21st through mail. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 5th.

IOWA – Continued dry weather and above normal temperatures allowed Iowa farmers 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending October 13, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included harvesting corn and soybeans, baling corn stalks, applying manure and fertilizers, and fall tillage. Fire danger in fields remains a threat. Topsoil moisture condition rated 35 percent very short, 41 percent short, and 24 percent adequate, Corn reached 97 percent mature or beyond, and the crop harvested for grain reached 45 percent, which is three days ahead of last year and six days ahead of the five-year average.

ANKENY – For the third consecutive year, new cancer diagnoses in Iowa ranks the second highest in the nation. KCRG-TV reports there were 21,000 new cases of cancer in the past year, and an estimated 6,100 will die this year in the 2024 Iowa Cancer Report. While there is no one reason, the report cites increasing excessive alcohol use as one area for concern.