Iowa
Nearing harvest, Iowa crops are in good condition
A farmer harvests soybeans in western Iowa in early October 2023. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Crop conditions for corn, soybeans and pasture are far better than conditions from this time last year, with over 75% of corn and soybeans and 63% of pasture rated as good or excellent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly crop progress and condition report for the state.
Only 44-46% of corn and soybeans and 15% of pasture cropland rated good or excellent this time last year.
Nearly all corn has reached the dough stage or beyond. The percentage of mature corn in the state doubled from 10% last week, setting it four days behind last year, but only one day behind the five-year average.
Soybeans are similarly maturing, with 95% setting pods and nearly 9% dropping leaves. Like this year’s corn, soybeans lag four days behind last year’s crops.
A report from USDA in August forecasted corn yields for the state would be up eight bushels per acre from last year, soybean yields would improve by three bushels per acre.
In preparation for harvest season, Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a proclamation on Monday waiving the need for a permit on overweight trucks bearing agricultural products.
More than 40% of the state, primarily in northern and western Iowa, is in abnormally dry conditions according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, but the state’s crop progress report shows that around 70% of topsoil and subsoil moisture is adequate.
Statewide average temperatures the past week were 6.3 degrees below normal, with north eastern regions of the state seeing some overnight lows in the upper 30s, according to State Climatologist Justin Glisan.
The lower temperatures also gave farmers 6.4 suitable days for field work such as cutting hay and chopping corn silage.
Cyclones star Audi Crooks on Iowa State’s loss to Baylor
Iowa State’s Audi Crooks on her team’s first loss of the season to Baylor.
Audi Crooks and Iowa State women’s basketball are officially sweeping the nation.
On Tuesday’s edition of “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, the Cyclones’ star and NCAA women’s basketball scoring leader garnered significant praise from the former-NFL-punter-turned-media-personality.
“I’m a huge fan of the way she operates. Huge fan,” McAfee said. “She just gets buckets. That’s literally all she does.
“Did I know anything about Iowa State’s women’s basketball team ever? Nope. But Audi Crooks highlights pop up on my (algorithm), and I say, ‘Boys, immediately, I’m making a song, we’re making a highlight,’ because people are trying to take shots at Audi right now.”
The song and video McAfee referenced was posted on his social media and played on his show before his monologue about Crooks. It features a stylish edit of Crooks points accompanied by what appears to be an AI-generated song with the chorus of, “You’re about to get cooked, by Audi Crooks.”
The “shots” at Crooks that McAfee mentioned refer to a TikTok posted by ESPN with the caption, “Baylor exposed Audi Crooks on defense,” which came in ISU’s first loss of the season on Jan. 4.
Audi Crooks stats
- 2025-26 season (14 games): 29.1 points (NCAA leader), 6.7 rebounds, 71% shooting
- 2024-25 season: 23.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 60.5% shooting
- 2023-24 season: 19.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 57.7% shooting
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen talks about Northwestern game
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen talks about victory at Northwestern on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Evanston, Illinois.
Iowa women’s basketball was lacking some of its vocal leadership on Monday at Northwestern.
Part of that was the fact that Hawkeyes senior Kylie Feuerbach is still sidelined with an ankle injury. Another part was the fact that Chit-Chat Wright was not feeling great.
“No excuse, but Chat’s really sick,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said after the Hawkeyes’ 67-58 victory. “She didn’t have the flu game like (Michael) Jordan. But she’s really sick, like fever. And I think that just threw her. She was really not vocal tonight. So we were kinda searching, because Chat had been coming (as a leader).”
Wright fought through it and played 34 minutes, scoring 12 points and dishing out seven assists.
Jensen confirmed that Feuerbach remains day-to-day. She hasn’t played since getting hurt Dec. 20 vs. UConn.
“I think (our leadership tonight) was by committee,” Jensen said. “It just wasn’t the same person every time. … It’ll be nice to get Kylie back in that lineup.”
Feuerbach, the team’s best perimeter defender, has missed Iowa’s last three games. Jensen said she is pleased overall with how her team has played defensively in Feuerbach’s absence.
“(Against Northwestern) it was more an ‘us’ problem offensively,” Jensen said. “Our defense held. … We turned the ball over 20 times.”
Two people are dead after a Dubuque bar fight escalated, with one man shooting another and then being killed by police.
An officer with the Dubuque Police Department was outside the Odd Fellows bar just before 1 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, when he witnessed a physical altercation, according to a news release from the Dubuque Police Department.
As the officer exited the patrol vehicle, an adult man allegedly used a handgun to shoot one of the people involved in the fight. The officer fired at the offender, who then ran into the bar.
The victim who was shot first was provided medical treatment by officers at the scene and then transported to MercyOne Hospital in Dubuque.
The offender was treated by police officers inside the bar and then transported to UnityPoint Finley Hospital.
Both were later pronounced dead.
The names of those involved are not being released at this time pending notification of family members.
The incident is being investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The officer involved was not injured and has been placed on critical incident leave in accordance with the department’s policies.
Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.
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