From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The nation’s egg producers are in the midst of a multibillion-dollar shift to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of millions of hens in response to new laws and demands from restaurant chains. In a decade, the percentage of hens in cage-free housing has soared from 4% in 2010 to 28% in 2020, and that figure is expected to more than double to about 70% in the next four years. The change marks one of the animal welfare movement’s biggest successes after years of battles with the food industry. The transition has cost billions of dollars for producers who initially resisted calls for more humane treatment of chickens but have since fully embraced the new reality.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City police say a man is in custody after a standoff began when officers realized he had a gun inside a police car. The standoff occurred Thursday at Heelan High School. U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra was touring the school at the time. Police Chief Rex Mueller says officers stopped a suspect in an armed robbery near the school and placed him in the police car. Officers found he had a micro-compact handgun. After about an hour of negotiations, police fired a chemical agent into the car and the man, 36-year-old Emanual Pleitez, surrendered. He was taken to a Sioux City hospital.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The top executive of a nonprofit regional planning commission that helps cities and counties apply for grants and plan economic development projects has been arrested for theft and forgery. Court records show Timothy Ostroski of Creston, the executive director of the Southern Iowa Council of Governments was arrested Wednesday by Creston police. Court documents indicate he’s alleged to have used another person’s name on four of the organization’s checks without permission leading to four felony forgery charges. The documents also allege he took more than $10,000 from the organization over 19 years by writing checks for cleaning services that were never provided then depositing the checks in his own account. An attorney representing Ostroski did not immediate respond to a message.
ANAMOSA, Iowa (AP) — A state audit has found nearly $86,000 in questionable spending of public money in the Iowa State University Extension Office in Jones County, including thousands spent for personal travel, alcohol, groceries and a video game console. The Iowa State Auditor’s Office said in a report released Thursday that its special investigation identified more than $52,000 of improper spending and nearly $34,000 of unsupported expenses over a four-year period when the office was run by former extension director Jennifer Fischer. Fischer was fired in September 2020 after questions were raised about her use of an extension credit card.
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Firefighters say two construction workers suffered minor injuries when strong winds knocked down part of the wooden framework of a Fort Dodge strip mall under construction. The Messenger says the accident happened Wednesday morning on Corridor Plaza property, just north of a Burger King restaurant. Fort Dodge Fire Department Lt. Nathan Conrad said that at the time of the collapse, winds were gusting to more than 30 mph. Officials say one of the injured workers was 14 feet above ground when the collapse happened. Both injured workers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Siemens Gamesa says it is laying off workers at its plants in Hutchinson, Kansas, and Fort Madison, Iowa. In Hutchinson, the company manufactures wind nacelles, which hold the generating components in a wind turbine. The Iowa plant manufactures wind turbine blades. The company told employees Wednesday that 69 jobs will be cut in Hutchinson and 121 Fort Madison. In a news release, the company cited a mandated halt in production during deliberations in a patent infringement case as one reason for the job reductions. The other factor, the company said, is uncertainty about potential new climate change legislation in the U.S.
