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.

PERRY – Iowa’s minority political party in the statehouse is seeking a re-extending of unemployment benefits. Last year, Republican lawmakers shortened the window of post-termination support from 39 to 26 weeks. Democrats, who are overwhelmingly in the political minority statewide, are citing concerns over a Tyson plant closing and more than 700 Perry residents losing full-time work, with no immediate alternatives available. Only Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver or House Speaker Pat Grassley could bring such a measure to the floor of their respective chamber this late in the legislative session. MARSHALL COUNTY – A grain bin in rural Marshall County exploded early Friday. The Times Republican reports that several emergency crews responded to reports of a blast at 5:27 that morning. Marshall County deputies reported a soybean bin containing more than 300,000 bushels had fully collapsed, the force of which pushed a nearby office building off of its foundation. No employees were on scene at the time of the incident. IOWA CITY – Thousands of potatoes made their way to the former state capital Friday. KCRG-TV reports 58,000 pounds of spuds were take in pallets to food pantries throughout Johnson and Linn Counties, with the United Way helping make the shipments possible. The Farmlink Project helped connect the donor to the local area.

BURLINGTON – A Burlington man missing for nearly four years was confirmed to be a corpse found by police recently. A press release indicates that the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed human remains were positively identified as Troy Daugherty. Burlington Police are investigating the cause of death, and an autopsy and toxicology screening could take several weeks. The department had no further comment as of Thursday. JONES COUNTY – One person has died and four were injured in a crash along Highway 151 in Jones County. The Iowa State Patrol a 1989 Oldsmobile was eastbound on Shaw Road and failed to yield, colliding with a Nissan Juke traveling on the highway. As of Thursday night, none of the drivers have been identified, although the driver of the Oldsmobile is believed to have been the fatality. Four others were hurt, including two juveniles, but all four individuals were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision. DES MOINES – Iowa lawmakers have now missed a self-imposed deadline to fund education in the state. KCCI-TV reports Senate republicans have failed to come up with state supplemental aid for districts, who were by code, required to establish their property tax rate by today. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver claims the reason has been delays related to an overall of Area Education Agencies and other measures, and Governor Kim Reynolds office has promised districts the increase won’t be less than in 2023, which was three percent, even if the Senate has not passed a bill. Iowa House leadership has a three percent increase ready to approve, along with a measure to increase base teacher pay by nearly $15,000.

DES MOINES – Iowa lawmakers have hit the second major deadline of the 2024 session, and many bills that had some momentum will no longer be considered at the end of the two-year general assembly. KCRG-TV reports a Senate bill that would allow Iowa state agencies to hire their own outside accounting firms instead of State Auditor Rob Sand conducting those failed to gain support in the Iowa House, while the Senate Judiciary Committee did not take up a House bill that requires non-citizens to document status to receive public assistance. Another measure that would cap the amount travel nurses can charge Iowa hospitals and nursing homes also failed to gain support. BLOOMFIELD – A longtime felon who has defrauded several customers for more than a decade received twenty years in prison this week. The Des Moines Register reports Bloomfield-area contractor and 48-year-old Jeremey Lawson was sentenced for four felony counts of burglary in Davis County. Prosecutors reached a plea deal after Lawson and accomplice Michael Diedrick broke into several local businesses and robbed the local Amish community. Court records indicate Lawson has racked up convictions and civil court judgments indicating dozens of incidents of construction fraud and theft in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. RED OAK – The Iowa DNR is assessing the impact that 1,500 tons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer is having following a spill reported near Red Oak this week. New Cooperative reported the thousands of gallons of material was discharged into a drainage ditch, then into the East Nishnabotna River. The release occurred due to a valve left open on an aboveground storage tank overnight. . Dead fish were observed in the East Nishnabotna near the Missouri border. The extent of the fish kill is still being determined. DES MOINES – An award-winning star at Waukee High School joined her men’s basketball team counterpart as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. Drake University’s Katie Dinnebier earned the honor Wednesday evening. KCCI-TV repots Dinnebier was Iowa’s Miss Basketball in 2021, leading Waukee to a state title, and has continued as a key player for the Bulldogs over the past three seasons. She joins fellow Waukee graduate Tucker DeVries in sweeping the Player of the Year category for Drake.

ANKENY – Layoffs are expected at the John Deere facility in Ankeny. WHO-13 reports 150 production employees were notified late last week about a two-month removal from their positions. The facility has nearly 1,700 employees, about two-thirds of whom are in the production and maintenance side of the industry. AMES – Ames police are investigating the theft of guns from a Theisen’s store in the community. KCCI-TV reports the incident occurred early Tuesday morning, with several firearms missing when employees arrived. Police have not disclosed how many guns were taken, nor did they have any immediate details made public about potential suspects. DES MOINES – Lawmakers will learn if the revenue that’s available for the upcoming fiscal year will be at its December projection or lower. The Revenue Estimating Conference meets on Friday to review the state’s tax receipts and project economic forecasts into what would be available for state finances. The latest estimate made just before the session showed up to $9.64 billion was available for the Iowa House and Senate to use for programs. PELLA – A record-breaking warm winter and continued above average conditions will have Pella’s favorite flower showing earlier than usual. Organizers for the annual Tulip Time festival are encouraging a visit to the Tulip City during mid-April if they want to see peak bloom, and then a return trip for the heritage celebration May 2nd through the 4th. Pella’s City Parks Department and Historical Museums plant more than 200,000 bulbs in the fall — and leaders from both groups say the flower’s bloom and staying power is largely driven by weather conditions. The annual festival attracts more than 150,000 visitors over three days, and several hundred in the weeks leading up.