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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Which Iowa communities can still operate speed cameras and where after the state Department of Transportation decided Monday which permits to issue or decline?

The state denied about 44% of the 348 fixed and mobile camera permit requests it received, most often because officials decided less restrictive alternatives were available to address traffic issues at a requested location.

More: Which Des Moines traffic cameras are still operating? What to know after Iowa DOT decision

Search our database to see how the DOT ruled on all permit requests from 28 Iowa municipalities that applied to use mobile and fixed automated traffic-enforcement cameras under a new state law regulating the devices.

How did the DOT rule on Des Moines’ cameras?

Two fixed traffic-enforcement cameras were shut down at 4 p.m. Monday in Des Moines. The state also denied the city’s request to use mobile cameras at 14 locations.

Des Moines, which has three mobile cameras, had permits approved at 25 sites:

• 4700 block Interstate 235, eastbound. (The city’s only approved fixed camera.)
• 4300 block Ingersoll Avenue, eastbound and westbound.
• 2800 block SW Ninth Street, northbound and southbound.
• 1800 block Fleur Drive, northbound and southbound.
• 300 block E. McKinley Avenue, eastbound and westbound.
• 2800 block Indianola Avenue, eastbound and westbound.
• 1700 block Park Avenue, eastbound and westbound.
• 1600 block E. University Ave, eastbound and westbound.
• 2200 block E. 29th Street, northbound and southbound.
• 4800 block Hickman Road, eastbound and westbound.
• 1000 block SE 14th Street, northbound and southbound.
• 2900 block Sixth Avenue, northbound and southbound.
• 3100 block MLK Jr. Parkway, northbound and southbound.

Use of the cameras will pause while the signage required by Iowa law is installed, Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said.

Once installed, the Des Moines Police Department will make notification 30 days before enforcement resumes at the approved locations.

What did the DOT decide on other municipalities’ permits?

Fort Dodge was the only municipality to see all of its requests granted to use mobile cameras at 19 locations.

Davenport may use cameras at 86% of its 51 requested locations, mostly mobile, while 61% of Des Moines’ 41 requested permits got the green light from the DOT.

Several municipalities had less than half of their permit requests approved:

• Marion: 29 of 59 permits, or 49%.
• Cedar Rapids: 6 of 15 permits, or 40%.
• Waterloo: 15 of 44 permits, or 34%.
• Sioux City: 8 of 18 requests, or 44%.

The DOT declined to issue any permits to 18 Iowa counties or municipalities that applied: Buffalo, Chester, Charles City, Hudson, Hazleton, Fredericksburg, Fayette, Independence, La Porte City, Lee County, Maynard, Oelwein, Postville, Prairie City, Strawberry Point, Tama, Webster City and West Union. Each had requested fixed permits, except for Lee County, which requested permits for two mobile and six fixed locations.

The most common reason for permit denials, involving 62 rejections of fixed cameras and two denials of mobile cameras, was “not least restrictive means.” Iowa law requires “the least restrictive means to address the traffic safety issues at a location.”

The DOT considered the cameras “not necessary” at 39 fixed and 12 mobile locations. Mobile units were deemed “not appropriate” at 18 spots.

The DOT declined permits at 27 fixed and 33 mobile locations because the cameras were not in use before Jan. 1, 2024. Under the new law, communities using traffic cameras for the first time on or after Jan. 1, 2024 cannot be issued a permit by the DOT before July 1, 2026.

Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne. 

Iowa and Scott County are both in the midst of an ongoing eviction crisis.

Nick Smithberg, executive director of Iowa Legal Aid, says the agency has five eviction help desks in the state. The first one was established in Polk County about 3 1/2 years ago.

Now people headed to eviction court in Scott County can get help right outside the eviction courtroom in the Scott County Courthouse, where Iowa Legal Aid partners with other agencies to find resources for people about to be removed from their homes.

“Most of the cases we work on are non-payment cases. If you don’t get the rent paid, you’re not really going to solve the problem,” he said.

When clients face eviction, legal aid representatives gather details and accompany clients into the courtroom.

Ninety percent of the time, Smithberg says this can prevent or postpone an eviction. Many clients they see are facing eviction for the first time.

“Their situation is so precarious,” he said.

They’re part of a big percentage of Iowa residents. “Forty percent of the people in this state can’t afford their basic needs. That’s food, clothing, transportation, shelter. You have people who are what they call rent-burdened who are spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent. So, if anything goes wrong, there’s no cushion.”

It’s not unusual to see 30 to 40 people in eviction court on some days. The demographic is comprised of an over-representation of women, people with disabilities, and people of color.
Eviction means they will face even more challenges.

“People who are subjected to an eviction literally have a shorter life expectancy,” Smithberg said. “Hospitalization rates go up, people have issues with mental health, increased suicide. So the consequences of an eviction are very serious.”

They’re also pushed into undesirable housing. That might mean children in those situations will grow up in unsafe, unhealthy dwellings and neighborhoods: “The single greatest predictor of an eviction occurring in a household is the presence of a child,” he said.

Kelle Larned is The Salvation Army program and operations director. The Salvation Army is the lead agency for homeless prevention in Scott County.

“We’re seeing a lot of households with multiple children and they’re both working,” she said. “The issue in Scott County is the rent is too high.”

Often, parents in these working-poor families make $19 to 20 an hour. and they still get evicted.

“You are talking about hundreds of people in hotels every single night,” Larned said. “The working poor right now are falling through the cracks.”

“What surprises most people is the amount of families … people who are really trying and want to better their situation, but don’t know how,” she said.

Smithberg and Larned say it’s important for renters in danger of being evicted to talk to their landlords because landlords will often work with renters to prevent an eviction.

To contact Iowa Legal Aid, visit here.

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