Iowa
Torrential rains alleviate drought but cause wastewater discharges • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Drought conditions in Iowa have improved to their least severe in about two years thanks to abundant rainfall in recent weeks, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
In a Thursday report, all “severe” drought in the northeast part of the state was downgraded to “moderate,” the lowest drought classification.
The last time there was no severe drought in Iowa was March 2022.
About a third of the state is still at least abnormally dry, and about 21% has moderate drought. The latest Drought Monitor report did not take into consideration all of the precipitation from severe weather that swept the state on Tuesday.
Heavy rain leads to wastewater bypasses
About 40 cities reported wastewater bypasses from their collection systems that day, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
“The city received 5 inches of rain and was forced to bypass from manholes,” a report about Newton in central Iowa said.
Old or poorly maintained sewer pipes — along with antiquated systems that purposefully carry wastewater and stormwater together — can be inundated by heavy rain.
Some cities deliberately pumped wastewater out of their systems to avoid sewer backups into basements, DNR records show. In others, the wastewater overflowed from their treatment systems.
Those bypasses can result in untreated or partially treated wastewater going into the state’s streams. On Wednesday, the DNR warned people to avoid floodwater that could be contaminated.
The department said it has received more than 130 reports of bypasses since the start of April.
The statewide average precipitation was 4.16 inches that month, which is about a half inch more than normal. Average rainfall so far in May totals more than 6 inches, according to Iowa State University data.
Iowa
Photos: Iowa men’s basketball vs. Rider
The Iowa Hawkeyes faced the Rider Broncs on Tuesday night in a showdown at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes defeated the Broncs, 83-58.
Pryce Sandfort continued to prove himself and led Iowa in scoring with 22 points. Owen Freeman was close behind with 19 points after being absent from the last game played at Carver. Tariq Ingraham led the Rider team, scoring 14 points.
Iowa will play again on Friday, November 22, against Utah State.
Iowa
Iowa men’s basketball: Junior guard Josh Dix unavailable for Hawkeyes’ game vs. Rider
Video: Fran McCaffery reacts to Iowa’s win over Washington State
Fran McCaffery discusses a variety of topics following Iowa’s win over Washington State on Friday.
IOWA CITY — Iowa guard Josh Dix is out for the Hawkeyes’ matchup with Rider on Tuesday.
Dix injured his wrist during Iowa’s win over Washington State on Friday in Moline, Ill. He tried playing through it but was largely ineffective and finished the game with just two points.
“Hopefully Josh’s injury will be taken care of relatively quickly,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said after the game. “We’ll have to see.”
The junior has started four games for the Hawkeyes this season, averaging 12.3 points and four assists per contest while shooting 44.4% from deep.
The Hawkeyes have already been hit with injuries fairly often this season. Seydou Traore missed the first two games. Owen Freeman was unavailable for the game against South Dakota due to illness. Freshman Chris Tadjo, who is also out Tuesday, has also missed time.
Iowa plays Utah State on Friday in Kansas City, Missouri, in what is expected to be the Hawkeyes’ biggest challenge to date this season. The Aggies will enter that matchup with a 4-0 overall record and haven’t scored less than 95 points each game this season.
Dix’s status for that matchup will be an important storyline to track.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
Iowa
Iowa State football: See which former Cyclones players stood out in Week 11 of NFL season
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell on Verdon, Sadowsky, McLaughlin
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell on defense bouncing back with return of Will McLaughlin, Malik Verdon, and Jack Sadowsky playing.
Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season is in the books, and several former Iowa State players had huge hands in their teams’ performances.
The collection of ex-Cyclones in the NFL continues to grow, with several more added to rosters this season after having around a dozen consistently active last season. While the star-studded names like Brock Purdy, Breece Hall and David Montgomery continue to shine week after week, several others Iowa State fans will recognize are making significant impacts at the pro level too.
With that, here are a few ex-Cyclones who stood out in Week 11 of the NFL season.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions RB
Everyone on the Detroit Lions got a piece of the action in Sunday’s 52-6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Montgomery was right in the middle of the dominance.
The former Iowa State running back finished with 15 carries for a game-high 75 yards and two touchdowns. Montgomery also added three catches for 20 yards.
He’s now found the end zone 10 times this season, but Sunday was Montgomery’s first game with multiple touchdowns since a 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 13. Montgomery and the Lions are rolling right along this season.
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers QB
Just when Purdy and the 49ers seem like they’ve turned a corner, disaster strikes on the field. That’s what happened in Sunday’s 20-17 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The former Iowa State quarterback still managed a decent day, finishing 21-for-28 for 159 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Purdy also added five carries for 40 yards and a score. He’ll look for a rebound winning performance Sunday at Green Bay.
Breece Hall, New York Jets RB
It’s a broken record at this point. Hall goes for a decent day, even as his New York Jets continue to sputter significantly.
In Sunday’s 28-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the former Iowa State running back finished with 16 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown. Hall also added seven catches for 43 yards and a score. It’s impressive the stats keep coming even as the wins aren’t.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
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