Airlines aim to shift blame for flight problems to FAA
With an eye on the upcoming July Fourth weekend, airlines are stepping up their criticism of federal officials over recent widespread flight delays and cancellations. Calio said air traffic is often disrupted “for many hours” because bad weather causes the the FAA to issue delays. “However, we have also observed that FAA (air traffic control) staffing challenges have led to traffic restrictions under blue sky conditions,” he added. The FAA shot back, with a reference to taxpayer money that airlines received after the pandemic devastated air travel. The FAA has admitted that it too is understaffed, particularly at a key air traffic control center in Florida.
wftv.comConsumer sentiment survey followed by the Fed shows inflation expectations ease slightly
A shopper inside a women's clothing store in the East Village neighborhood of Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. A widely followed consumer sentiment survey released Friday showed inflation expectations have eased slightly. The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers said consumers expect inflation to rise at a 5.3% annualized rate as of the end of June. That's down from a preliminary reading released earlier this month, which showed inflations was expected by consumers to increase at a 5.4% clip. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said earlier this month that uptick in consumer inflation expectations helped sway the central bank to raise rates by 75 basis points, or 0.75 percentage point.
cnbc.comStates make pitches to vote 1st in 2024 Democratic primaries
Iowa Democrats are proposing two key changes that they hope will increase participation and avoid the chaos that marred their 2020 caucuses. One change would allow Iowa Democrats to submit presidential preference cards by mail or in person before caucus night. Sixteen states and Puerto Rico are jockeying for early slots on a new Democratic presidential primary calendar, offering presentations for party bosses on why they deserve to go first — or at least close to it. Iowa has held the leadoff position since 1972, but technical glitches undermined its Democratic caucus two years ago. Democratic Party leaders voted in April to reopen the nominating calendar, allowing up to five states to vote before Super Tuesday in early March.
wftv.comIowa man accused in deaths of more than 3,000 feeder hogs
Charged: An Iowa farmer was charged with one count of livestock neglect. (Max Focus/iStock )RANDALIA, Iowa — A northeast Iowa farmer pleaded not guilty to neglect charges on Monday after more than 3,000 feeder hogs died on his property. >> Read more trending newsDerek David Smith, 41, of Randalia, filed a written not guilty plea to one count of livestock neglect, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. Another 200 hogs had to be euthanized for health reasons, court records show. If convicted, Smith could be sentenced to a year in prison and a $2,560 fine, according to the Courier.
wftv.comIowa court: Abortion not protected by state constitution
Abortion Iowa FILE - Marissa Messinger, of Lake View, Iowa, center, holds a sign during a rally to protest recent abortion bans, May 21, 2019, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for lawmakers to severely limit or even ban abortion in the state, reversing a decision by the court just four years ago that guaranteed the right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution. Then Iowa lawmakers could ban abortion in the state without completing the lengthy process of amending the state constitution. The state Supreme Court returned the waiting-period case to district court. In Montana, a challenge to abortion restrictions that could test that state’s high court opinion is before the Supreme Court.
wftv.comBird flu outbreak waning but threat of virus lingers
Bird Flu FILE - Chickens walk in a fenced pasture at an organic farm near Waukon, Iowa on Oct. 21, 2015. However, more than 2 million birds have been killed already this month after infections were discovered at two large farms in Colorado. Nebraska lost nearly 4.9 million birds, Pennsylvania lost 4.2 million and Colorado saw 3.6 million birds killed. But agricultural economists say that while the bird flu outbreak contributed, spikes in the cost of feed, fuel and labor are much bigger factors. We can’t afford to lose those markets.”There is only so much farmers can do to limit the spread of bird flu.
wftv.comBird flu outbreak waning but threat of virus lingers
A bird flu outbreak in the U.S. that led to the deaths of more than 40 million chickens and turkeys and contributed to a spike in egg and meat prices appears to be waning, but experts caution the virus hasn't disappeared and worry another surge could take hold this fall.
Grave joke: Headstone’s profane message no laughing matter to Iowa officials
Grave matter: An inscription on a headstone that was a family joke has not amused Iowa cemetery officials. (Professional Studio Images/iStock )POLK COUNTY, Iowa — A final joke on a headstone has become a grave matter for Iowa cemetery officials. It was always a goal of some sort to have him tell you to do this,” Owens’ son, Zachary Owens, told the television station. “This community will not stop until they have the headstone removed.”The Owens family believes that others should simply lighten up. That’s a choice that you make,” Zachary Owens told KCCI.
wftv.comThongchai, Jimenez share Champions lead in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — (AP) — Thongchai Jaidee shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday for a share of the second-round lead with Miguel Angel Jimenez in the PGA Tour Champions’ American Family Insurance Championship. “I think the green is soft, that way you can attack,” Thongchai said. He tied for 10th last week in Iowa in the Principal Charity Classic to get into the field. “We both played DP Tour, the European tour, and I played with him.”Jimenez tied for second last year behind hometown favorite Jerry Kelly. First-round leader Steve Flesch (70) was a stroke back with Paul Broadhurst (66) and Paul Goydos (67).
wftv.comDemocrats in Iowa vie to challenge GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley
DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Several Democrats are competing Tuesday for the chance to challenge Republican Chuck Grassley in what will likely be an uphill effort to defeat one of the Senate's longest-serving members. The Democratic primary largely centers on Abby Finkenauer, a former congresswoman from northeast Iowa, and Mike Franken, a retired Navy vice admiral. Finkenauer, who served a single term in the U.S. House, is one of the most prominent Democrats in Iowa. Still, the episode turned off a number of veteran state Democratic activists, former candidates and officeholders, prompting some to give Franken a second look. Grassley faces a nominal Republican primary challenge in Jim Carlin, a state legislator and lawyer from Sioux City.
wftv.comTriplett shoots 63 to take PGA Tour Champions lead in Iowa
PGA Tour Champions Golf Kirk Triplett walks off the ninth green after finishing his first round of the PGA Tour Champions Principal Charity Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 3, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Kirk Triplett shot a 9-under 63 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Jerry Kelly, Ken Tanigawa and Brett Quigley after the first round of the PGA Tour Champions' Principal Charity Classic. A three-time winner on the PGA Tour, he won the last of his eight senior titles in 2019. I know I’m a great putter, but I haven’t been putting well.”Said Stricker: “I’ve been around Jerry a long time and I’ve seen his tendencies with his putting. Steven Alker, the Senior PGA winner Sunday in Michigan, was at 67 with Fred Couples, Alex Cejka and Rod Pampling.
wftv.comEPA raises amount of ethanol that must be blended with gas
The Biden administration on Friday set new requirements that increase the amount of ethanol that must be blended into the nation's gasoline supply but reduce previous ethanol-blending requirements due to a plunge in fuel demand during the coronavirus pandemic. The Environmental Protection Agency said it would set the 2022 levels for corn-based ethanol blended into gasoline at 15 billion gallons.
news.yahoo.comMan who killed 2 outside Iowa church faced harassment case
Church Shooting-Iowa People console each other after a shooting at Cornerstone Church on Thursday, June 2, 2022 in Ames, Iowa. Two people and a shooter died Thursday night in a shooting outside a church in Ames, authorities said. Montang and Flores were killed, Story County Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald said, and Whitlatch shot himself. About 80 other students were inside the megachurch at the time of the shooting, Fitzgerald said. Investigators believe his intent was to kill Montang, Fitzgerald said.
wftv.comOfficials: Man fatally shot 2 women, self in Iowa church lot
Church Shooting-Iowa People console each other after a shooting at Cornerstone Church on Thursday, June 2, 2022 in Ames, Iowa. Two people and a shooter died Thursday night in a shooting outside a church in Ames, authorities said. (Nirmalendu Majumdar/The Des Moines Register via AP) (Nirmalendu Majumdar)AMES, Iowa — (AP) — Authorities planned to release more details Friday about a shooting outside an Iowa church in which a man fatally shot two women before apparently killing himself. The shooting happened just before 7 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the Cornerstone Church, a megachurch on the outskirts of Ames. The shooter appeared to have shot himself after shooting the women, but details would not be released until a planned news conference outside the church, Lennie said.
wftv.comEnraged Ex Guns Down Two College Students in Megachurch Parking Lot
Nirmalendu Majumdar/USA Today Network via ReutersA quiet parking lot outside a megachurch in rural Ames, Iowa became the scene of shocking violence Thursday evening when a man enraged over a recent breakup opened fire on his ex-girlfriend and her friend, killing both of them before turning the gun on himself. Around 6:50 p.m., Johnathan Lee Whitlatch, 33, arrived at Cornerstone Church—where the two slain Iowa State University students and a third friend were about to head into Bible study—with t
news.yahoo.com3 killed, including gunman, in shooting outside Iowa church
Church shooting: Three people, including the suspected gunman were fatally shot in the parking lot of a church in Ames, Iowa. (Josiah_S/iStock)AMES, Iowa — A gunman opened fire in the parking lot of an Iowa church on Thursday, killing two people, authorities said. 3 killed in shooting outside Ames church https://t.co/MJreLE0f7Z — WHO 13 News (@WHO13news) June 3, 2022Capt. Nicholas Lennie of the sheriff’s office told the Des Moines Register that several calls were placed to 911 dispatchers at about 6:51 p.m. CDT. According to the sheriff’s office, an investigation is ongoing and there is no threat to the public, KGAN-TV reported.
wftv.comDes Moines tries cooperation to reduce farm runoff
Farm Pollution Cooperation Jason Ribbens, precision agronomy specialist at Landus, holds a soil sample at Water Works Park, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. Des Moines Water Works has for years engaged in a bitter struggle to clean up drinking water that comes from rivers teeming with agricultural pollutants, resorting to filing lawsuits, proposing legislation and even public shaming to force farmers to reduce runoff from their fields. It's a surprising turn in a long-running dispute between the state's dominant industry and a utility that supplies drinking water to 600,000 customers in Iowa's largest metro area. Des Moines Water Works has complained for years that nitrates and phosphorous from farm fertilizers pour off fields, leaving rivers so polluted that the utility fears even its sophisticated and costly equipment can't purify the water. That history makes the deal between Landus, the state’s largest farmer-owned grain cooperative, and Water Works all the more surprising.
wftv.comDes Moines tries cooperation to reduce farm runoff
DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — A Des Moines utility has for years engaged in a bitter struggle to clean up drinking water that comes from rivers teeming with agricultural pollutants, filing lawsuits, proposing legislation and even public shaming to try to force farmers to reduce runoff from their fields. Des Moines Water Works has complained for years that nitrates and phosphorous from farm fertilizers pour off fields, leaving rivers so polluted that the utility fears even its sophisticated and costly equipment can't purify the water. That history makes the deal between Landus, the state’s largest farmer-owned grain cooperative, and Water Works all the more surprising. “We were coached that way, to put down a little extra, to have a little in the bank,” Frank said. But Corrigan said he still believes some form of increased regulation is needed to significantly reduce runoff from the state’s roughly 85,000 farms.
wftv.comPlanned Parenthood workers in 5 Midwest states seek union
They plan to join SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union that has about 1 million members in 29 states, including doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians. SEIU locals represent Planned Parenthood workers in other regions, including those serving Oregon and Washington, New York, and Washington, D.C.Union organizing in a variety of fields has gained momentum recently after a decades of decline in union membership in the U.S. The Planned Parenthood workers seeking to join the union in the Midwest include nurses, education outreach workers, community organizers and other nonmanagement employees at 28 clinics in the five states. Molly Gage, a human resources vice president for Planned Parenthood North Central States, said the organization prioritizes autonomy and choice in people's personal lives and respects that same right for workers. Clark said the potential for changes in abortion law makes joining the union more important for workers.
wftv.comCourts stymie abortion bans in Iowa, other GOP-led states
There's just one catch: a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that established the right to abortion under the state constitution. Supreme courts in a handful of states, including others controlled by Republicans, have recognized the right to abortion. The Iowa court's decision, due within weeks, is an example of the complexities that loom in states should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. “But this is an issue that’s present in Iowa in this very moment.”The Iowa Supreme Court decision that's under consideration struck down a 2017 law signed by then-Gov. In Montana, a challenge to abortion restrictions is before the state supreme courts.
wftv.comCourts stymie abortion bans in Iowa, other GOP-led states
There's just one catch: a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that established the right to abortion under the state constitution. Supreme courts in a handful of states, including others controlled by Republicans, have recognized the right to abortion. The Iowa court's decision, due within weeks, is an example of the complexities that loom in states should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. “But this is an issue that’s present in Iowa in this very moment.”The Iowa Supreme Court decision that's under consideration struck down a 2017 law signed by then-Gov. In Montana and Florida, challenges to abortion restrictions are before those state's supreme courts.
wftv.com3 people injured after SUV travels across pedestrian path on Quad Cities bridge
Pedestrians hurt: Three pedestrians were hurt after an SUV struck them on a walkway spanning the Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa. (Oleksandr Filon/iStock)MOLINE, Ill — Three people suffered life-threatening injuries when an SUV traveled the length of a new pedestrian/bicycle path on a bridge spanning the Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa, authorities said Sunday. According to the Moline Police Department, the SUV entered the path from the Bettendorf side of the bridge and traveled its length until striking the pedestrians just outside the Moline pathway entrance, WHBF-TV reported. The path is 14 feet wide and has a gap between the vehicle lanes and where pedestrians and bikers access it. An SUV got onto the I-74 bridge pedestrian/bike path around 2 a.m. Sunday and struck and injured three pedestrians.
wftv.com‘I thought I was gone’: Iowa man rescued after kayak flips
Kayak flips: An Iowa man had a scary experience after his kayak flipped in rough waters. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)LEHIGH, Iowa — An Iowa man used his wits and military training to avert disaster when his kayak flipped on Thursday. “The second time that I was pushed under the water, I thought that was just it,” Wescott told KCCI. “He’d just tell me to keep going and that’s what I kept doing,” Wescott told the television station. “No matter how geeky it may seem, it is definitely worth it, having it on,” Wescott told KCCI.
wftv.comForbidden love: Taiwan's gay couples seek foreign marriage equality
Taiwan's LGBTQ community celebrated the third year of gay marriage being legal this week, but for Vincent Chuang, it was a bittersweet reminder that he still cannot wed his partner because he fell in love with a foreigner. Under current rules, Taiwanese nationals can only marry those from the roughly 30 countries and territories where same-sex marriage is also legal.
news.yahoo.comChallenges for Finkenauer after Iowa Senate ballot woes
Election 2022 Iowa Senate Former U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party's Liberty and Justice Celebration, Saturday, April 30, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Abby Finkenauer 's bid to clinch the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Iowa was not supposed to be so fraught. Finkenauer's campaign declined a request for an interview for this story. Often with a wide smile, she campaigns with an impassioned edge, as she did at a recent state Democratic fundraiser. Finkenauer's campaign offered the bare minimum of signatures needed from different counties, leaving herself almost no margin for error.
wftv.comFinkenauer's Senate bid faces skepticism after ballot woes
Election 2022 Iowa Senate Former U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party's Liberty and Justice Celebration, Saturday, April 30, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. But Finkenauer's campaign faced unexpected trouble last month when, at least for a moment, it appeared she wouldn't be allowed to compete in the June 7 primary. Finkenauer's campaign declined a request for an interview for this story. It's Finkenauer's stylistic contrast with the 88-year-old, gravelly-voiced Grassley that make her the better choice for Andrea Phillips, a former deputy state Democratic Party chairwoman. Finkenauer's campaign offered the bare minimum of signatures needed from different counties, leaving herself almost no margin for error.
wftv.comIowa GOP open to non-Trump prospects as 2024 gets underway
Former President Donald Trump’s persistent flirtation with another White House run is doing little to discourage other potential Republican candidates from stepping up their activity in Iowa, the state that will formally launch the nomination process.
LB coach Wallace now defendant in ex-Iowa players' lawsuit
Iowa linebackers coach Seth Wallace has been added as a defendant in lawsuit filed against the university and athletic department personnel by former football players alleging they were discriminated against and harassed because they are Black.
Kansas earns No. 1 seed in Midwest Region; Auburn gets No. 2
Kansas earned a No. 1 seed for the 15th time on Sunday, second only to North Carolina for most in college hoops history, and will open the NCAA Tournament in the Midwest Region against the play-in winner between Texas Southern and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Fort Worth, Texas.
Iowa governor signs restrictive transgender sports bill
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a bill that prohibits transgender females from participating in girls high school sports and women’s college athletics, rejecting opponents' argument that she would harm vulnerable children to solve a nonexistent problem.
Republican lawmakers bar journalists from statehouse floors
Utah's state Senate passed rules this week limiting where the press can go to report in statehouses, marking the latest move by Republican state lawmakers nationwide who are peeling back access to chambers after the pandemic provided new accessibility.
Iowa man convicted of lottery rigging scheme granted parole
A former lottery computer technician serving a 25-year prison sentence for ongoing criminal conduct by rigging computers to win lottery jackpots for himself, friends and family will be released from an Iowa prison on parole after serving nearly five years.