From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A NASA climate research scientist who has spent much of her career explaining how global food production systems must adapt to a changing climate was awarded the World Food Prize at a ceremony at the U.S. Department of State in Washington. Cynthia Rosenzweig, an agronomist and climatologist, was recognized Thursday for innovative modeling of the impact of climate change on food production. She is a senior research scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. The $250,000 World Food Prize Foundation award recognized Rosenzweig efforts to draw together scientists from around the world from many disciplines to advance methods for improving predictions of the future performance of agricultural and food systems as the global climate changes.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Democrats have begun making their case for why the Iowa caucus should remain the first step in the party’s presidential nominating process. The state party submitted a letter of intent to the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, promising to make changes in response to criticism of past events, including to make it more inclusive. State Democratic officials expressed optimism even while acknowledging they face skepticism from many national counterparts who have long questioned why Iowa and New Hampshire – both largely rural states with overwhelmingly white populations – should begin the nomination process. The Democratic National Committee decided last month to stop automatically allowing Iowa to hold the first presidential tilt.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa state board has approved an $8 million payment to an Illinois man who was left permanently disabled when he was hit in 2019 by a state Transportation Department snow plow. The Des Moines Register reports that on Monday, the three-member Iowa State Appeal Board approved the settlement to 64-year-old Terry Bunting of Viola, Illinois. Officials say Bunting was clearing the windshield of his semitrailer after pulling over on U.S. Highway 67 in Le Claire when he was hit by the blade of a passing plow. The impact caused acute kidney and spine injuries and multiple broken bones and left Bunting paralyzed. Experts estimated the cost Bunting’s future medical and other care could exceed $7 million, on top of the $1.25 million he’s already accrued.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – The greyhounds are racing again in Dubuque, Iowa, but after a shortened season ends in May, there will be only three tracks left in the country. Later this year, that number will dwindle to only two, both in West Virginia. It’s been a long slide for greyhound racing, which reached its peak in the 1980s when there were more than 50 tracks scattered across 19 states. Since then, increased concerns about how the dogs are treated along with an explosion of gambling options have nearly killed the sport. Steve Sarras, president of the West Virginia Kennel Owners Association, says he’s confident racing will continue in that state thanks to support from legislators.
More than 1,000 workers at CNH Industrial plants in Wisconsin and Iowa have walked out on strike in search of a better deal with the company that makes agriculture and construction equipment. The United Auto Workers union said the strike began at noon Monday. This action follows a spate of strikes in the past year, including a high-profile monthlong walkout at Deere & Co. that resulted in 10% raises and improved benefits for 10,000 UAW workers. The company said in a statement that it is disappointed it couldn’t reach an agreement with the union, and it remains committed to the bargaining process.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The federal government says a Colorado state prison inmate is the first person to have tested positive for bird flu in the latest outbreak in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that the inmate had been on a prerelease employment assignment removing chickens from an infected farm. The CDC says he tested positive for the same variant of the virus that has spread in commercial and backyard flocks this spring in 29 states. The agency says the man reported fatigue for a few days but has recovered. The CDC still considers the threat to the general public to be low because spread of the virus to people requires close contact with an infected bird.
