Iowa
No. 16 Iowa State, out to best start since 2000, looks to go 5-0 when Baylor visits
Baylor (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) at No. 16 Iowa State (4-0, 1-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Iowa State by 12 1/2.
Series record: Baylor leads 12-10.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The Cyclones are the highest-ranked team in what looks like a wide-open Big 12, and they’re out to their best start since 2000. Defending home field is key if they are going to be a contender. Never mind its record, Baylor is a tough out. The Bears’ three losses are by 11, 7 (in overtime) and 6 points. This is a big game for Dave Aranda, whose seat is warming quickly in Waco.
KEY MATCHUP
Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson vs. Iowa State defense. Robertson, who has started three games in place of the injured Dequan Finn, threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a TD in last week’s 34-28 loss to BYU. He needs to get the Bears off to a faster start, though. They fell behind 21-0 to BYU. Iowa State’s defense is second-best in the nation against the pass.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Baylor: RB Bryson Washington, the leading rusher in an offense that distributes carries among five players, needs to get going for the Bears to have success. If the Cyclones’ defense has a weakness, it’s stopping the run consistently. Washington ran for a career-high 106 yards against Air Force on Sept. 14.
Iowa State: QB Rocco Becht has been a rock for the Cyclones in his 17 career starts. He threw his 30th touchdown pass — and 18th in eight games — and went over 4,000 yards passing against Houston last week.
FACTS & FIGURES
Matt Campbell last week became Iowa State’s career coaching wins leader with 57. He is 16-11 when the Cyclones are ranked. … The Cyclones’ shutout of Houston was their first on the road in a conference game since a 24-0 win at Kansas State in 1971. … ISU has won the turnover battle in all four games and is 36-9 under Campbell when doing so. … Baylor is 25-28 in five seasons under Aranda, including 15-23 in conference games. … Baylor has held opponents to a total of 20 second-points in five games compared with 74 first-half points.
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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.
- Mi-T-M ePowerStation (Mi-T-M Corporation – Peosta)
- Pella Steady Set (Pella Corporation – Pella)
- Beer Caves (Walk-In Coolers & Freezers) (Leer, Inc. – Carroll)
- Weiler D1075 Blasthole Drill (Weiler – Knoxville)
- Butter Braid Pastries (Country Maid, Inc. – West Bend)
- Ironclad Tornado Shelter & Gun Safe (Ironclad Shelter Solutions, LLC – Earlham)
- Spalding Arena Renegade Basketball Hoop (Spalding – Jefferson)
- Winnebago EKKO 23B (Winnebago – Forest City)
- Gushers (General Mills – Cedar Rapids)
- Cedar Ridge Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Cedar Ridge Distillery – Swisher)
- Load Cell (Scale-Tec – Anamosa)
- Flexzilla Garden Hose (Legacy Manufacturing – Marion)
- Marie Callender’s Pot Pie (Conagra – Council Bluffs)
- 23-28XL Scraper (Mobile Track Solutions – Elkader)
- Sterzing’s Potato Chips (Sterzing Food Company – Burlington)
- 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.
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.
How to use less water during a drought, like not watering your lawn
When there are water restrictions – like not watering your lawn or washing your car – there are more ways for you to use less water.
Christine Sanchez, Wochit
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.
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:
- 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
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.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (IOWA’S NEWS NOW) — 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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