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Iowa DOT asks driver to change ‘M3INKPF’ plates after Nazi reference complaints

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Iowa DOT asks driver to change ‘M3INKPF’ plates after Nazi reference complaints


Iowa Department of Transportation officials have asked a driver to change their personalized license plates after receiving complaints alleging the plates are a reference to Adolf Hitler’s political manifesto “Mein Kampf.”

It’s not uncommon to see personalized license plates on the streets of Iowa, but one plate that read “M3INKPF” caught the attention of state officials after it sparked outrage on Reddit, a social media network, when a user posted a photo of a car displaying the plates on a busy road on Thursday.

Mein Kampf, translated to “My Struggle,” is a political manifesto written by the Nazi Party leader and published in 1925. The manifesto has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.

The plate was seen on a BMW, a popular German automaker that has admitted to having ties with the Nazi Party during World War II. Prisoners of the Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary Nazi organization, were put to work for BMW in 1941 and inmates from concentration camps were forced to become laborers in 1942, according to the BMW Group’s website. Around 29,000 forced laborers made up 50% of BMW’s workforce by the end of 1944.

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Some of the users on the social media post defended the plate’s message, claiming it was a reference to the BMW’s M3 model and the maker’s factory generated software called WinKFP. However a majority claimed it was a direct reference to the manifesto.

Officials received at least three complaints in addition to being tagged about the plate on social media, Andrea Henry, spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Transportation, told the Des Moines Register. The DOT has asked the driver to a choose a different license plate message.

More: Iowans love their vanity license plates. Here are the stories of how some got theirs.

According to the department’s administrative rules regarding personalized plate messages, there should not be a term of vulgarity, contempt, prejudice, hostility, insult or racial or ethnic degradation when choosing a license plate message.

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All drivers who want vanity plates must submit an application and explain the meaning of the plate. Henry said the provided explanation was unrelated to Hitler’s manifesto. It said: “bmw-m3 for me ink my personal friends at a tattoo artist.”

The plate was issued approximately mid-May of this year, Henry said. She declined to provide the Register the name or contact information of the driver who requested the plate as that information is confidential under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.

José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register. Reach him at jmendiola@dmreg.com.



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Top 16 announced in Coolest Thing Made in Iowa contest

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Top 16 announced in Coolest Thing Made in Iowa contest


DES MOINES, Iowa — After a week of voting, a list of more than 50 is down to the Top 16 in the Coolest Thing Made in Iowa Competition.

Hosted by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and MidwestOne Bank, the Coolest Thing Made in Iowa Contest is a newer competition that highlights items that are designed or produced in the state that carry national, even international, impact.

58 products were initially nominated in the contest’s third year, on Thursday, officials announced the Top 16 had been chosen after a week of public voting. Products that made the cut include agricultural equipment, construction materials, food, and beverages.

  1. Mi-T-M ePowerStation (Mi-T-M Corporation – Peosta)
  2. Pella Steady Set (Pella Corporation – Pella)
  3. Beer Caves (Walk-In Coolers & Freezers) (Leer, Inc. – Carroll)
  4. Weiler D1075 Blasthole Drill (Weiler – Knoxville)
  5. Butter Braid Pastries (Country Maid, Inc. – West Bend)
  6. Ironclad Tornado Shelter & Gun Safe (Ironclad Shelter Solutions, LLC – Earlham)
  7. Spalding Arena Renegade Basketball Hoop (Spalding – Jefferson)
  8. Winnebago EKKO 23B (Winnebago – Forest City)
  9. Gushers (General Mills – Cedar Rapids)
  10. Cedar Ridge Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Cedar Ridge Distillery – Swisher)
  11. Load Cell (Scale-Tec – Anamosa)
  12. Flexzilla Garden Hose (Legacy Manufacturing – Marion)
  13. Marie Callender’s Pot Pie (Conagra – Council Bluffs)
  14. 23-28XL Scraper (Mobile Track Solutions – Elkader)
  15. Sterzing’s Potato Chips (Sterzing Food Company – Burlington)
  16. dScribe Studio, 55″ – Digital Lightboard (Revolution Lightboards – Dubuque)

“This is where the competition really comes to life,” said Nicole Crain, ABI President. “These Top 16 products represent the very best of Iowa manufacturing — innovative, high-quality, and made right here in our state. Now it’s up to Iowans to help decide which product rises to the top.”

Voting to decide the Top 8 moves to a bracket-style tournament, which opens on April 17 and runs through April 22. Participants can vote in each matchup, once per day (every 24 hours) per device. The Top 8 will be announced on April 23.

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The 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Iowa will be revealed live in June during ABI’s annual Taking Care of Business Conference in Coralville and Iowa City.

Previously, the Vermeer Automated Hay Baler won the first contest in 2024, and the John Deere CP770 Cotton Picker won the second contest in 2025.



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April rains ease drought across Iowa, Drought Monitor map shows

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April rains ease drought across Iowa, Drought Monitor map shows


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The last few weeks of rain have alleviated some drought conditions in Iowa, though some areas of the state are still experiencing a moderate drought.

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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?

US Drought Monitor map: How much of Iowa is in a drought?

The latest Drought Monitor report, released on April 16, indicated that roughly 22% of the state is experiencing some form of drought. It includes observations as of 8 a.m. April 14, so even more rain has fallen since then.

This is an improvement from the last report, released on April 9, which showed that 73% of Iowa was experiencing some form of drought.

Here is the breakdown of drought conditions in Iowa as of April 16:

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  • 83% of the state of Iowa is experiencing no drought conditions
  • 17% of the state is experiencing abnormally dry conditions
  • 5% of the state is experiencing moderate drought conditions
  • 0.02% of the state is experiencing severe drought conditions

The April 16 map shows abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions mainly in western and southern Iowa. Parts of northwest Iowa are in moderate drought, while a separate stretch of dry conditions runs across south-central into southeast Iowa.

Polk County is not experiencing any dry conditions. Des Moines has recorded 5.06 inches of rain so far in April, well above the normal monthly total of 1.70 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Current conditions are an improvement from a year ago, when 86% of Iowa was abnormally dry, and 30% was in moderate drought, according to the Drought Monitor.

All 99 counties in Iowa were categorized as drought-free last August thanks to record-setting rainfall totals during the summer. It held this designation for several weeks before the first reports of abnormally dry conditions returned at the beginning of September 2025.

Iowa Drought Monitor tracks conditions weekly

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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 under 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 City PD searching for missing man with dementia

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Iowa City PD searching for missing man with dementia


The Iowa City Police Department is asking for the public’s help finding a man who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.

Kalenga Byondo, 60, has dementia and was last seen leaving his home along Broadway Street around 7:00 a.m. ICPD lists him as 5’10”, and 160 pounds – and he was wearing all-black clothing when he went missing.

Anyone who knows where Byondo could be is asked to call 319-356-6800.



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