CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Two weeks ago, Iowa farmers who grow corn for feed or fuel said they were seeing the impact of the drought. Gary Knight of Knight’s Farm said that his sweet corn is mostly on track with where it needs to be for when they start selling mid-July. The only thing they really saw affecting the growth of the corn was the cold weather back in April. Although rain has been unpredictable these past few weeks, Knight’s Farm out of Whittier has had no problems with sweet corn this growing season. Unlike field corn farmers, Knight has not seen much of an impact from the drought on his fields. The difference between harvesting field corn and sweet corn is timing. Field corn can be harvested even if it’s out of germination sync – as long as the entire field is fully grown and dried in the fall. The window to harvest sweet corn can vary per crop – and peak ripeness matters. By planting early, mid, and late-season corn, the Knight farm still plans to have corn for sale through September.
SWISHER, Iowa (KCRG) – At approximately 2:34 p.m. Monday, emergency crews responded to Cou Falls Road for a report of a detached garage on fire. Crews arrived to find that fire damage had spread to the exterior of a nearby house and propane tank. Crews were able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further. There were no reported injuries.
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCRG) – A company specializing in food safety is laying off 125 employees in Marshalltown. The layoffs are at Packers Sanitation Service. This is according to Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN website. It’s not clear at this time why the company is laying off workers. The layoffs are set to take effect on August 15th.
CLINTON, Iowa (KCRG) – Officials are asking for information on the whereabouts of a suspect tied to two shootings that have occurred in the previous 24 hours. On July 2nd at approximately 8:34 pm, the Clinton Police Department was called to Mercy One Hospital regarding a shooting. An adult male was found with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Then, on July 3rd, at 12:42 am, Clinton Police were called back to Mercy One in regards to another shooting. This time an adult female was found with several gunshot wounds. Evidence was collected indicating a connection between the two shootings. Investigators have identified 39-year-old Randy Allen Jackson as the suspect. There is an active warrant for Jackson for Attempted Murder. Jackson is not in police custody at this time and should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with Jackson’s whereabouts are asked to call the Clinton Police Department at 563-243-1458. Individuals may also report anonymous information to the Clinton County Crime Stoppers by calling 563-242-6595 or 888-883-8015.
