Iowa

Iowa State Fair boots Steer N’ Stein operators after failure to pay fair, workers, vendors

Published

2 years ago

November 13, 2024

Iowa State Fair boots Steer N’ Stein operators after failure to pay fair, workers, vendors

One of the most profitable beer and food concessions at the Iowa State Fair is up for grabs in 2025 after the fair board decided Wednesday to discontinue a contract with its operators, a prominent Des Moines couple who failed to pay employees, vendors and a portion of concession fees after this year’s fair.

Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons said fair staff will be preparing a request for proposals for those interested in operating Steer N’ Stein, which occupies a large stand across from the administration building on the fairgrounds. It recorded more than $1.28 million in sales at this year’s fair, which ran from Aug. 3-13.

Parsons said the decision to end the annual contract with former Adventureland Resort CEO Michael Krantz and his wife Kimberly came after fair staff decided the pair failed to meet contractual obligations and operations standards as concessionaires, including maintaining good business practices.

The fair sent a letter Nov. 7 to Michael Krantz, forbidding the removal of any personal items from the fair-owned Steer N’ Stein building until the fair receives $102,000 in concession fees still due from the 2024 fair.

Parsons said in an interview after Wednesday’s fair board meeting that fair staff also would be re-examining bylaws and policies in the coming year to try to avoid similar problems with future concessionaires. Changes, he said, are likely “as the fair grows in popularity, and as food and beverage sales become more important, and money is involved.”

Steer N’ Stein operators face accusations of nonpayment

To date, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has received at least 14 wage claims from Steer N’ Stein employees who said they didn’t get paid, didn’t receive correct tips, or had paychecks bounce.

Steer N’ Stein reported to fair officials that it experienced an almost 5% decrease in sales this year, though the fair had record attendance. The 2024 fair drew almost 1.183 million people, 4% more than the 1.134 million it drew in 2023.

The Krantzes also are accused in a Polk County civil lawsuit of owing another $218,582 to a local business that provided them services leading up to the fair. Parsons said at least one other Steer N’ Stein contractor also has complained of not getting paid.

Michael Krantz did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. He has given several reasons for the couple’s failure to pay debts since Watchdog in an Oct. 23 column reported the wage theft allegations.

He initially said in a statement the payment failures were “beyond our control,” caused by technical flaws in his company’s payment processing system. Later, he said it had temporary cash flow problems resulting from a change in how the fair collects funds from vendors.

Spokeswoman Mindy Williamson said the fair this year gave vendors the option of paying their concession fees online using automated clearing house money transfers. The limit for automated transfers was $100,000 per day, but other forms of payment were acceptable.

In a statement last week through a law firm representing him, Krantz said he was “working diligently and quickly to assure that anyone owed money from this year’s State Fair is paid,” adding that “all outstanding obligations will be resolved very soon.”

Krantzes are former owners of Adventureland; face lawsuit in child’s death there

The Krantz family is the former owner of Adventureland, the Altoona amusement park started 50 years ago by Michael Krantz’s father, Jack. It was sold in December 2021 following fatal injury the previous July of an 11-year-old boy in an accident on the park’s Raging River Ride. The Krantzes have faced large legal bills — and potential liability — tied to a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit stemming Michael Jaramillo’s death and severe injuries to his older brother, David.

The Krantzes had been big donors to the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation, contributing more than $182,700 as patrons or bidders in silent auctions since June 2022. But according to the fair, they also have not paid an invoice for a $5,000 sponsorship table at this year’s Corndog Kickoff, a fundraiser for fairgrounds renovations.

Steer N’ Stein, which serves beer, breakfast and burgers, has been a mainstay at the fair for 53 years. It was rebuilt after burning down in 1999, when it was under the management of longtime operator George Kranovich.

Lee Rood’s Reader’s Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Reach her at lrood@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8549, on Twitter at @leerood or on Facebook at Facebook.com/readerswatchdog.

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Iowa

Iowa High School Baseball Stats: Leaders On The Diamond This Summer

Published

7 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Iowa High School Baseball Stats: Leaders On The Diamond This Summer

As we work through the month of June, things are starting to heat up on the diamond around Iowa high school baseball.

With the start of postseason play just around the corner in July, teams are working to get prepared for the stretch run.

High School On SI Iowa has a Top 25 state power ranking while the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association releases weekly class-by-class rankings.

Here are leaders as of June 17, 2026 for several major hitting and pitching categories. Stats are from those uploaded to the Bound website.

Iowa High School Baseball Leaders

Home Runs

Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 9
Colton Roemmich, West Des Moines Valley, 9
Brandon Bea, Davenport North, 8
Kamden Jorgensen, Saydel, 8
Gabe Blanshan, Urbandale, 7

Running Batted In

Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 38
West Cole, Mason City Newman Catholic, 37
Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 36
Chance Georgius, Roland-Story, 34
Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 34

Stolen Bases

Aiden Ferry, Roland-Story, 38
Tate Garman, Algona, 33
Titan Foster, Nodaway Valley, 32
Tate Moulton, Grand View Christian, 30
Cael Wishman, Baxter, 29

Runs Scored

Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 45
Aiden Frey, Roland-Story, 43
Cal Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 41
Kolton Schiltz, Fort Dodge, 40
Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39

Hits

Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39
Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 38
Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 36
Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 35
Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 34

Doubles

Joe Nilles, Sioux City North, 13
Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 13
Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 12
Brett Harris, Western Dubuque, 12
Brooks Bond, Lewis Central, 11

Triples

Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 7
Will Nesler, Ankeny Centennial, 5
Jacob Pierro, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic, 5
Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 5
Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 4

Total Bases

Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 68
Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 68
Bryce Pauly, Davenport North, 67
Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 65
Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 62

Pitching Wins

Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 9
Chase White, Dyersville Beckman Catholic, 7
Colton Moffit, Baxter, 7
Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 6
Aidan Nielsen, Don Bosco, 6

Earned Run Average (min. 18 innings pitched)

Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 0.00
Luke Vestal, Pleasantville, 0.00
Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, 0.24
Will Litton, Iowa City Regina Catholic, 0.25
Judd Jirovsky, Grundy Center, 0.26

Strikeouts

Colton Moffit, Baxter, 85
Brody Wangsness, North Butler, 75
Lincoln Roethler, Denver, 71
Owen Klocksiem, Louisa-Muscatine, 67
Cooper Chizek, Emmetsburg, 65

Opponents Batting Average Against (min. 18 innings pitched)

Macklin Loftus, Logan-Magnolia, .017
Jack Wedemeier, Waverly-Shell Rock, .065
Teagan Brunk, Shenandoah, .069
Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, .072
Bronx Siebersma, MVAOCOU, .075

Saves

Beckham Simon, West Liberty, 4
Deacon Kucera, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 4
Graham Rima, Pleasant Valley, 4
Gavin de Jesus, Waukee, 4
Easton Goodwin, Waterloo Columbus Catholic, 3

Innings Pitched

Colton Moffit, Baxter, 43
Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 38.2
Owen Galvin, Denison-Schleswig, 38
Tallon Crandall, Carroll, 37.1
Austin Remster, Melcher-Dallas, 37.1

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Iowa

Rain brings second week of relief in Iowa drought monitor map

Published

17 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Rain brings second week of relief in Iowa drought monitor map

Drought conditions in Iowa improved for a second consecutive week, though areas of moderate drought expanded in parts of the state.

The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide. New maps and forecasts are released each Thursday. What are the current drought conditions in Iowa?

U.S. Drought Monitor map: How much of Iowa is in a drought?

The latest Drought Monitor report, released on Thursday, June 18, showed about 46% of Iowa experiencing some form of drought. This continues the streak of conditions improving week to week in Iowa. The previous report, released on June 11, showed that 63% of the state was experiencing some form of drought.

The most recent report reflects conditions as of 8 a.m. June 16, right as storms were sweeping through Iowa, with parts of eastern Iowa seeing more than 2 inches of rainfall. Light rainfall on June 17 led to areas like Iowa City and Burlington reporting around an inch of rain.

Here is the breakdown of current drought conditions in Iowa:

61% of the state of Iowa is experiencing no drought conditions
39% of Iowa is experiencing abnormally dry conditions
7% of Iowa is experiencing moderate drought conditions
0% of Iowa is experiencing severe drought conditions

Even though drought conditions have improved overall in Iowa, the area experiencing moderate drought increased from the week of June 11, particularly in northern Iowa. Much of Cerro Gordo, Hancock and Kossuth counties are under D1 conditions, with nearby Palo Alto, Winnebago, Floyd and Mitchell also in moderate drought.

Pockets of moderate drought also persist along the northwest edge of Iowa in Lyon, Sioux and Plymouth counties. In eastern Iowa, Jackson, Clinton and Scott counties saw their moderate drought status ease week to week.

Most of the U.S. is facing drought conditions

About 73% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought, a 2-percentage-point improvement from the prior week. Some of the most intense drought conditions are in the southeast and the mountain west.

Iowa Drought Monitor tracks conditions weekly

The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide. New maps and forecasts are released each Thursday.

The intensity levels range from abnormally dry, or D0, to exceptional drought, or D4.

Typically with D0 conditions, corn can show drought stress. Pond levels start to decline under moderate drought conditions and soybeans abort pods, according to the Drought Monitor. The Drought Monitor also has a look-back chart that compares drought conditions from 3 months ago up to 1 year ago.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

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Iowa

Tornadoes reported in Illinois, Iowa as severe weather roils Midwest

Published

1 day ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Tornadoes reported in Illinois, Iowa as severe weather roils Midwest

Confirmed tornadoes were reported in Illinois and Iowa Wednesday night as severe weather descended on a large swath of the Midwest.

According to the National Weather Service, a confirmed tornado was reported near the small northeast Iowa community of Harpers Ferry at 5:10 p.m., while a second confirmed tornado rolled through Charleston in central Illinois at about 6:40 p.m. local time.

Both tornadoes were flagged by the weather service as a “particularly dangerous situation,” a rare designation used by the weather service for environments in which “strong and violent tornadoes” are possible.

Photos and videos obtained by CBS News showed extensive damage in Charleston, with downed trees and power lines. Hail that measured 2.75 inches was also reported in the Charleston area, according to the weather service.

“There are a large number of trees blocking roadways throughout Charleston at this time,” Charleston police said in a Facebook post. “Unless it is an absolute emergency, do not drive or attempt to go anywhere.”

The city of Charleston later declared a local state of emergency.

Damage after a tornado struck Charleston, Illinois, on June 17, 2026.

Cameron Craig

One cell phone video captured the terrifying moments what appeared to be a large tornado tore through Effingham, Illinois, located about 40 miles southwest of Charleston.

Larry Thies, coordinator for the Effingham Emergency Management Agency, told CBS News that initial information indicated damaged buildings, trailers, and downed power lines and trees. He said officials were working to set up an emergency operations center, but were facing challenges because internet was down in the area.

The extent of the damage to region was still unclear. There was no immediate word of injuries or fatalities. CBS News senior meteorologist Rob Marciano said there were at least seven reported tornadoes during the weather event.

According to utility tracker PowerOutage.us, at least 55,000 customers were without power in Illinois.

Earlier Wednesday, Marciano reported that more than 125 million Americans were facing severe weather advisories, including the Gulf Coast states, which were under flood alerts due to Tropical Storm Arthur. Speaking on “CBS Evening News,” Marciano said such ripe tornado conditions were rare for June.

“This is unique for June, this is unusual to have such a strong jet stream just screaming across the country, then you’ve got the summertime tropical moisture coming in…and then some cold air coming in,” Marciano said. “And winds coming at different direction, at different levels, creating that spin. So what that equates to is really the high probability of seeing, not just tornadoes, but intense tornadoes of EF2 strength or higher on the ground for a long time. And also damaging winds at 75 mph or higher, and of course big time hail.”

Nikki Nolan

contributed to this report.