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Iowa farmland values drop for first time in 5 years

By Dar Danielson (Radio Iowa)

The Iowa State University farmland survey shows the upward run of land prices stalled out this year. ISU extension economist Rabail Chandio revealed the 2024 survey results today..

“This year we have ended a streak of five consecutive years of increases in land values in Iowa with a decline of three-point-one percent,” she says. “This brings us to $11,467  an acre.” That is a drop of 369 dollars an acre from last year’s record high. “The nominal value of farmland fell from our record high from last year, but it is still higher than the nominal value in 2020-2022. And if we adjust for inflation, our inflation-adjusted average value for 2024 is only 2.5% lower than the 2013 peak, which was the previous peak before the pandemic highs that we just saw,” Chandio says.

Chandio says the south-central land district was the only one to see an increase in land values, while the west-central district saw the largest decline in prices. “Seventy-five of the 99 counties reported decreases in their nominal values, and 88 counties reported a decrease in inflation-adjusted values. Despite that, 20 counties still report their highest nominal values since 1950,” she says.

Chandio says this year appears to be a correction after land values had gone up 29% in 2021 and 17% in 2022 coming out of the pandemic. “That naturally leads to somewhat of a resetting or balancing in the market, and sort of the similar trend we saw for after the previous peak in 2013,” she says.

Chandio says the drop in farm income was the top issue for lower land values. “The most commonly cited negative factor by our respondents this year was lowering commodity prices, 34 percent of the responses mentioned this,” she says. High interest rates were a close second to the commodity prices in responses about the impact on land values.

North Mahaska Splits Games with PCM

Girls Game

MONROE – The saying “offense wins games, and defense wins championships” may be true. North Mahaska’s defense shut down No. 9 in Class 3A PCM’s leading scorer and rolled to a 52-32 nonconference victory. The Warhawk girls took the lead from PCM with just over three minutes left in the first quarter and led 12-7 after one period and 28-11 at halftime.

“I felt good about this game coming in, but our girls played really well,” said NM coach L.E. Moore. “Our defense was strong.”

NM senior Breckyn Schilling led the team overall with 22 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a blocked shot. But it was reserve Nataliya Linder that provided a big lift. The sophomore came off the bench to score 10 points, all in the first half, and grab 12 rebounds. She also blocked two shots.

“She (Nataliya) made a big difference tonight,” said Moore. “Sometimes it’s not the minutes you play but how you play in those minutes.”

Moore told his girls at halftime to be ready for the first four minutes of the second half because he knew the Mustangs would make a run at the Warhawks. That run cut the lead to 10 points but could not pull closer.

“We knew that first four minutes of the third quarter they would be coming at us and we had to be ready,” said Moore. “We were able to weather the storm and come away with the win.”

Adding to the North Mahaska effort was Regan Grewe with seven points and three assists. Kayla Readshaw and Sydney Andersen each scored six points. Andersen added five rebounds, two steals and an assist. Readshaw had three steals.

Libby Winters powered PCM (6-1) with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tori Lindsay was limited to nine points.

North Mahaska improves to 5-0. They will close out the pre-holiday season at Moravia Friday.

Boys Game

North Mahaska’s boys’ basketball team lost for the first time this season when they travelled to Monroe to take on Class 2A PCM. The Warhawks battled the host Mustangs but succumbed 51-48.

The game was physical, and NM rose to the challenge. Neither team held more than a six-point lead. Trenton DeBruin’s inside jumper with 2 minutes 36 seconds in the fourth quarter tied the contest at 42-42 for North Mahaska. PCM outscored the Warhawks 9-6 limiting North Mahaska to 3-pointers by Gabe Hora and Jaxon VanDerVeer the rest of the way.

North Mahaska (4-1) led 14-10 after one period then saw PCM take the lead on a 12-5 spree in the second period to lead 22-19 at halftime. 

“I thought we handled the physicality well,” said NM coach Kevin Kelderman. “We played a nice defensive ball game. Jaxon (VanDerVeer) stepped into the starting role and played well.”

VanDerVeer got the start with the absence of Jack Kelderman due to illness. VanDerVeer finished with seven points, five rebounds and three assists. Asher DeBoef earned another double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Adrian Smith scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds with two blocked shots. Lucas Nunnikhoven and Hora each scored five points.

“Asher is Asher, and he goes hard to the end,” said Kelderman. “We had a good look at the end. We missed our screener, but we missed shots that normally fall. We’ll regroup and get ready for tomorrow.”

PCM had three players reach double figures in scoring led by Cutler VandeLune with 13. Gavin VanGorp and Alex Wendt each scored 10.

North Mahaska hosts Colfax-Mingo Tuesday and closes the first half of the season at Moravia Friday.

Knoxville Police Responds to Call About Potential Suicidal Person Near Northstar Elementary

KNOXVILLE – The Knoxville Police Department responded to a concern yesterday near Northstar Elementary, but authorities say the matter was resolved and the public was never in danger.

According to a press release, yesterday morning at around 9:41am, Knoxville Police Officers were dispatched to a home near Northstar Elementary regarding a potential suicidal person. Because of the nature of this call and heavy police presence in the area of the school, a request to implement a “Secure Procedure” for the school was made. 

When a Secure Procedure is activated, the only thing that changes for students during the school day is no outside recess. The Secure Procedure lasted until approximately 12:50pm, when it was canceled.

An investigation was conducted regarding the call. During the investigation, officers spoke with the person, their family, and others. Authorities say the incident has been resolved and the investigation is still pending.

The Knoxville Police Department said in the press release that “it should be noted that no crime has been committed. It is our belief that the public was never in danger. Details in this release are intentionally vague in an attempt to not inadvertently identify the person or their home and to provide privacy for them.”

Jay-Z’s lawyer says accuser’s rape claim is ‘provably, demonstrably false’

NEW YORK (AP) — An attorney defending Jay-Z against the rape allegation brought against him last week by an unnamed woman outlined a range of evidence Monday that he said showed the accuser’s account to be “provably, demonstrably false.”

The woman told NBC News last week that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually assaulted her in 2000, when she was 13, at an after-party for the MTV Music Awards. She has since acknowledged certain inconsistencies in her story.

Speaking to reporters at Roc Nation’s New York headquarters, Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, said the woman’s claim relied on an “impossible timeline” and a nonexistent location. While the lawsuit said the assault happened at a “large white residence with a U-shaped driveway,” photos show both Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, and Combs at a nightclub following the award show.

In the suit, the woman said she snuck out of a window of her home in Rochester and hitched a ride to the award ceremony from a friend, who has since died. She said she watched the event on a jumbotron outside, then befriended a limousine driver who drove her to the house party where she was assaulted by the two rap moguls.

Following the alleged rape, she said she fled the house and called her father for a ride home from a nearby gas station.

The allegation, Spiro said, “defies credibility.” It would’ve taken her five hours to drive from Rochester, the lawyer noted, meaning she would’ve had to leave her home by 3 p.m. Permits and photographs show there was no jumbotron outside the VMAs in 2000, according to Spiro. The woman’s father has said he does not recall driving from Rochester to pick her up in New York City.

“It’s not just that this story is a lie and that it’s not true, it’s provably, demonstrably false,” Spiro said. “This never happened.”

The suit comes amid a wave of sexual assault lawsuits levied against Combs, who remains in custody in New York awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He has pleaded not guilty and faces trial in May.

The lawsuits were filed on the eve of the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law permitting victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file civil action regardless of the statute of limitations.

After initially suing Combs, the woman’s complaint was amended to include a new allegation that Jay-Z also participated in the sexual assault as a third unnamed celebrity watched.

The litigation was filed by Tony Buzbee, a personal injury attorney in Houston whose firm has set up a toll-free phone line for accusers. In October, Buzbee said he was representing some 120 people, men and women, with allegations of sexual misconduct against Combs.

Last month, Jay-Z anonymously sued Buzbee, alleging the lawyer had attempted to blackmail him by making the rape allegation public if he did not agree to a legal settlement. Buzbee has said the letter was simply trying to set up a confidential mediation session.

In a statement last week, Jay-Z said his “heart and support goes out to true victims in the world.”

On Monday, Spiro accused Buzbee of “taking advantage” of the woman, while “destroying this opportunity and the voices of real victims.”

In an emailed statement Monday, Buzbee said the woman had been referred to him by another law firm and vetted by four attorneys from his firm.

“Courts exist to resolve factual disputes,” Buzbee added. “Our client remains adamant about her claim.”

Governor Reynolds chooses State Senator Cournoyer as Lt. Governor

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Governor Kim Reynolds has chosen a state senator from Le Claire to be her lieutenant governor.

“She takes responsibility, she gets her hands dirty and she does the work,” Reynolds said, “and the people of Iowa couldn’t ask for more in a lieutenant governor and neither can I.”

Chris Cournoyer took the oath of office in a ceremony at the statehouse this morning. “It’s an honor and somewhat surreal to be standing at this podium as Iowa’s lieutenant governor,” Cournoyer said.

Cournoyer has served in the Iowa Senate since 2019. Iowa has not had a lieutenant governor since September 2 when Adam Gregg resigned to become CEO of the Iowa Bankers Association. Reynolds waited until after the election to begin interviewing candidates for the position. The governor said Cournoyer will support a wide range of policy priorities.

“First and foremost she’s someone that Iowans could trust to serve as governor if I were ever unable to,” Reynolds said. “I have complete confidence in her character, her judgement and her ability.”

Reynolds, who was a state senator in 2010 when Governor Terry Branstad chose her as his running mate, said Cournoyer is ideally suited to join her administration. “Chris has been a state senator, a reserve deputy and a long time leader and volunteer in her rural community of Le Claire. She’s also a small business owner and an expert in technology and A.I. and what I know she considers her most important job — a mom to four children,” Reynolds said. “Even on paper, the depth of her experience stands out.”

Cournoyer, who is 54, graduated from the University of Texas with a computer science degree and worked as a consultant in a Fortune 500 firm before becoming an independent website developer. The governor said Cournoyer’s firsthand experience — including her work teaching robotics and coding to elementary and junior high students — are major assets.

“It’s exciting to think about all of the ways that we can utilize Chris’s experience in her new role,” Reynolds said. “Here’s a working mother who has known the joys and challenges of raising children while being in the workforce and owning a business.”

Cournoyer has been chairman of the Iowa Senate Technology Committee since its creation. “Growing up in the ’80s, I had a subscription to PC Magazine and a treasured dot matrix printer,” Cournoyer said. “I even did an 8th grade science fair project on Artificial Intellience, so basically I was a computer nerd before it was cool and not much has changed.”

Cournoyer first met the governor in 2015, back when Reynolds was lieutenant governor, at a Davenport event focused on encouraging girls and young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

“She isn’t afraid to tackle tough problems from tax reform to education freedom to mental health and so much more,” Cournoyer said. “She also has a rare gift for getting stakeholders to the table and a tenacity to championing a cause to completion.”

The ceremony for Cournoyer’s ascention to the role of lieutenant governor was held in Reynolds’ formal office. Cournoyer’s parents, three other statewide elected officials and the Republican leader of the state senate entered the room before the event began. Cournoyer who spoke briefly after the governor explained her choice, said she’s ready to advance the governor’s agenda in any way that she can.

“I never planned on entering public office, let alone imagine that I would be second in line to Iowa’s succession,” Cournoyer said. “In other words, this is a humbling responsibility for me and Iowans can be confident that I will always approach it with the seriousness that it deserves.”

Cournoyer’s first campaign was for the Pleasant Valley School Board after she had raised a safety concern — and didn’t get a response from the board. Cournoyer won her seat in the Iowa Senate in 2018. A special election will be scheduled next year to fill the vacancy in the Iowa Senate, where Republicans will hold a super majority in 2025.

Strong Finish Seals Victory for William Penn Over MidAmerica Nazarene

OSKALOOSA — The William Penn men’s basketball team secured a hard-fought 66-61 victory over MidAmerica Nazarene on Monday in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.

WPU (8-3, 5-2 Heart) started the game with momentum, jumping out to an early 12-5 lead. However, the Pioneers (5-8, 4-6 Heart) responded with a 13-4 run, claiming their largest lead of the night—a slim two-point margin—at the 10:20 mark. The contest remained a tight, back-and-forth battle, but William Penn closed the half strong, using an 8-0 run to head into the break with a 36-30 advantage.

Nine different Statesmen contributed offensively in the first half, with LeQuan Washington (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) leading the charge with six points. Jamir Reed (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., Criminology) and Manny Hammonds (So., Des Moines, Iowa, New Media) followed closely behind with five points each.

MidAmerica Nazarene came out of the locker room firing, opening the second half with an 8-2 run to close the gap. However, the navy and gold quickly countered, reclaiming momentum with a commanding 21-12 surge that extended their lead to 10 points at the 6:38 mark. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, but William Penn held their composure to secure the victory.

Washington led the Statesmen in scoring with 13 points, while Jacore Williams (Jr., Little Rock, Ark., Business Management) followed with 10 points.  Roy Jones III (Sr., Pensacola, Fla., Psychology) added nine points, and Reed contributed a well-rounded performance with eight points, nine rebounds, and three steals.

Yarayah Evans (Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y., Business Management) matched Reed with eight points, while Malique Oates (Sr., Huntsville, Ala., Sports Management) chipped in six points as well.

The Statesmen held a shooting edge, converting 45.2% of their field goals compared to the Pioneers’ 37.9% clip. However, WPU struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 15.4% of its three-point attempts. William Penn fared better at the free-throw line, shooting 69.2% to MNU’s 44.4%.

Both squads grabbed 39 rebounds, but the Pioneers held a slight 11-10 edge in second-chance points. Turnovers proved to be a key factor, as the Statesmen capitalized on 17 MNU mistakes for 18 points, while the Pioneers managed just nine points off WPU’s 17 turnovers.

“All wins are good wins, but that was an ugly one. We’re happy to get to the end of the semester and holiday break,” Head Coach John Henry said. “I thought our second group gave us the energy tonight we needed, led by Marcellus Bryant and LeQuan Washington.”

Oskaloosa City Council Approves Amended 28E Agreement with Pella for SCRAA

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa city council hosted their final regular meeting of the calendar year last night. The council discussed an amended and restated 28E agreement with the city of Pella for the South Central Regional Airport. 

The amended agreement was approved by the Pella city council earlier this month. City staff said the overall intent of the revised agreement is to reflect the Iowa Supreme Court ruling regarding the original 28E agreement and the subsequent withdrawal of Mahaska County from the agreement. The new agreement requires the SCRAA board to receive written approval from both the Pella city council and the Oskaloosa city council before proceeding with additional land acquisition or construction of the regional airport. It also includes changes to the frequency of SCRAA board meetings and the required number of representatives from each city.

The agreement was approved by a 4-3 vote by the council. Councilmember Charlie Comfort, who voted “no,” said he was listening to concerns from citizens about the transparency of the process and the overall desire for a regional airport, and that he believed the city should put the project behind them.

Councilmember Bob Drost was one of the four who voted “yes.” He said that his decision boiled down to the fact that the SCRAA must exist because it owns assets, and that keeping it alive meant keeping options open for the city.

Councilmembers Abu Ibrahim, Joe Caligiuri, and Janet Hermsen joined councilmember Drost in voting “yes,” while councilmembers Ronda Almond and Lisa Ossian were the other two dissenting votes, along with Comfort.

The council also agreed unanimously to appoint Randy DeGeest as interim city manager. The city will pay DeGeest $200 per hour with a minimum of 10 hours per week.

North Mahaska Sweeps Lynnville-Sully

Girls

SULLY – Whenever North Mahaska and Lynnville-Sully get together for competition it will be a battle. Add in playing the game at Sully where the crowd is in tight to the players and loud. Then mix in aggressive play it is the recipe for a tight contest. North Mahaska fought just a tad more to earn a 59-53 victory.

North Mahaska came into the game as the No. 2 team in the state in Class 2A while the host Hawks are ranked 13th in Class 1A. Those rankings added to the excitement of the night.

Each team won two periods, but NM won them by four and five points, which made the difference.

Just as the opening of North Mahaska’s game against HLV Regan Grewe scored the first two baskets as NM took a 4-0 lead in the first minutes. From there it was a back and forth in the foul-plagued game. The teams shot a combined 43 free throws with North Mahaska going 12-for-17 while L-S was 18-for-26.

“It’s tough place to play and when you aren’t sure what is going to be called it is tougher,” said NM coach L.E. Moore. “This game showed our toughness. They could have let slip but the girls rose up to the challenge. We worked hard out there.”

The Hawks led 15-14 after one period and NM took the lead at halftime on Kayla Readshaw’s 3-pointer with 40 seconds left. The Warhawks never trailed again but was never comfortable with the lead until L-S was forced to foul in the final minute.

Breckyn Schilling scored a double-double and Sydney Andersen just missed with 10 points and nine rebounds. Aly Steil and Kayla Readshaw each chipped in eight. Schilling added to her linescore with five assists, two steals and two blocks. Steil earned three assists and three steals.

Kate Harthoorn led Lynnville-Sully with 21 points. Ava Brummel had 11 points, and six rebounds.

North Mahaska improves to 4-0 on the season. They will play at No.9 in Class 3A PCM Monday and host Colfax-Mingo on Tuesday. Lynnville-Sully falls to 4-3.

Boys

North Mahaska coach Kevin Kelderman knows his team probably is not really 30 points better than rival Lynnville-Sully, but the 71-40 victory brought a smile to his face. North Mahaska used a 10-for-27 from beyond the arc including a 4-for-4 effort from senior Jack Kelderman.

Seven of the 10 Warhawks in the game scored and four reach double figures. Asher DeBoef led the way with 20 points and 13 rebounds. 

North Mahaska (4-0) put the Hawks on edge with a 21-7 first quarter. The Hawks were able to basically stay even in the second quarter with NM leading 38-23 at halftime. The Warhawks doubled up L-S in the final two periods to secure the win.

“It was a team win,” said coach Kelderman. “Everyone contributed tonight. That first quarter got us going. Defensively we struggled in the second quarter but calmed ourselves down and was in the right place when we needed to be in the second half.”

North Mahaska forced 17 turnovers, six coming on steals. North Mahaska doled out 16 assists with DeBoef recording six and Lucas Nunnikhoven three.

Kelderman finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Gabe Hora and Adrian Smith each scored 12 points. Luke Boender had seven and Nunnikhoven chipped in five.

L-S (3-2) was led in scoring by Dawson James with 10. Carson Maston had eight points and 13 rebounds.

Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam ball sells for $1.56 million at auction

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (AP) — Freddie Freeman’s historic walk-off grand slam ball from Game 1 of the World Series has sold for $1.56 million at auction.

The bidding at SCP Auctions went into the late hours of Saturday night, according to a statement from the auction house on Sunday. It didn’t say who bought the ball.

Freeman, the Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, came to the plate on a sprained right ankle with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning against the New York Yankees. He hit the first pitch from Nestor Cortes 413 feet for the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.

The Dodgers won the game 6-3 and went on to claim the franchise’s eighth World Series championship in five games. Freeman was named World Series MVP.

The ball landed in the right-field pavilion, where it was corralled by 10-year-old Zachary Ruderman, who lives in Los Angeles. The ball rolled from the seat in front of him to his feet and he batted it to his father, Nico, who jumped on it.

The fifth-grader had been told he was leaving school early that day to get his braces removed. Instead, his parents took him to Dodger Stadium.

It’s the second ball connected to the Dodgers to be auctioned this season. The ball hit by Shohei Ohtani that made him the first player in major league history with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season sold for nearly $4.4 million. It set a record for the sale of any sports ball.

Resurgence of avian influenza in wild birds

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and its federal partners have been monitoring for the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Iowa’s wild birds since early 2022. After nearly a year without detections in sick or dead birds, Iowa has seen a sharp jump in affected waterfowl across the state mostly, north of Interstate 80 since early December, spurred on by the stress of migration and the severe cold.

Avian influenza is a highly transmissible, naturally occurring virus found in certain waterfowl and shorebirds. There are various subtypes and strains, most of which cause limited harm to domestic poultry (low pathogenic) but some of which are lethal (highly pathogenic).

The H5N1 strain that has been circulating since 2022 is the first time HPAI has affected wild birds in North America at such a large scale.

“We’ve learned a lot about how this virus behaves in the intervening years. Dabbling ducks are a great indicator species, and we started seeing the number of HPAI detections in apparently healthy hunter harvests ramp up in mid-November. Just a couple weeks later we started responding to sick and dead geese,” said Dr. Rachel Ruden, state wildlife veterinarian with the Iowa DNR.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has an online database tracking HPAI detections in wild birds and other species by state at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections.

HPAI can also affect animals that consume infected carcasses, including other birds like eagles, and mammals, like red fox. Ruden said those who find five or more sick or dead flocking birds within a week should report their findings to their local wildlife biologist or state conservation officer. They are also interested in reports of solitary birds or mammals. Contact information is available online at www.iowadnr.gov under the About DNR tab on the homepage. (https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/contacts/wildlife_management.pdf) (https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Law%20Enforcement/dnrlemap.pdf)

The virus can remain viable in a deceased bird for several weeks, depending upon environmental conditions.

“We are encouraging the public to stay away from sick birds, especially waterfowl. We have seen some shift in their clinical presentation – some are still developing the ‘classical’ signs like twisting their heads and necks or swimming in tight circles. However, some are just quiet and seem unable or unaware to fly away when approached,” said Dr. Ruden.

She also cautioned against bringing these birds to licensed wildlife rehabilitators to limit further spread.

At this point, she said, backyard birdfeeders are not of concern unless actively attended by waterfowl. Impact on upland birds, like wild turkeys, has also been rare given their behaviors and preferred habitats, which make them less likely to encounter the disease in the wild.

Waterfowl hunters can use these simple precautions to limit their exposure while field dressing and consuming wild game: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fsc_hpai_hunters.pdf. Cooking meat to an internal temperature of 165° F can kill the virus, if present.

While there is some inherent risk to hunting dogs given the nature of their interaction with carcasses, sick birds often become poor, uncoordinated flyers and so are less likely to be harvested. Hunters should prevent dogs from interacting with unknown carcasses, and avoid feeding them raw meat from harvested birds. More information is available online at https://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-research-science/waterfowl-hunters-and-the-avian-flu-what-you-need-to-know.

If poultry producers or those with backyard flocks suspect signs of H5N1 HPAI, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. Possible cases must also be reported to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at (515) 281-5305.

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