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Climatologist gives update on Mississippi, Ohio River levels

A climatologist says water levels along some portions of the Mississippi River have increased due to recent rain events stemming from Hurricane Helene.

Dennis Todey says the higher river levels could be beneficial for ag transportation. “Some of those heavier rainfalls out in the east going through the Ohio River Valley were going to push levels along the Ohio River and the Mississippi River south of Cairo, Illinois because of the heavier rainfalls leading to increased runoff.”

But he tells Brownfield, “The Mississippi is not going to be able to deliver much water again for a while because we don’t see a lot of precipitation coming. While there will be a short-term fix on the Mississippi, I would expect some river level issues to come back.”

The weather systems recently brought several inches of rain at the Ohio River and north of the I-70 corridor from Illinois to Ohio.

INTERVIEW: Dennis Todey, USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub

The Iowa Hawkeyes are in for a very difficult matchup this weekend against the No. 3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. It’s a game that will tell Iowa an awful lot about themselves.

Over the first four games of the season, the Hawkeyes have shown flashes of being a very good football team. However, they have also shown flashes of being a very poor football team.

In order to beat a team like Ohio State, they’re going to need to put together a complete and nearly perfect game.

Many of the offensive struggles have come due to Iowa’s inability to consistently move the football through the passing game. Cade McNamara has struggled to begin the year. He will have to take his game to another level this week.

RotoWire is not expecting him to be able to do that. They have released a dismal production for the Hawkeyes’ quarterback.

As of right now, they are projecting McNamara to complete just 11 of his 27 pass attempts for 136 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Obviously, the projections could have been worse. They don’t have him turning the football over. But, the numbers they are projecting would not do much to help Iowa’s case towards a win.

Kaleb Johnson has been the star of the Hawkeyes’ offense so far this season. They are going to need another big game from him against the Buckeyes.

While Iowa can usually expect good numbers from Johnson, they desperately need the passing game to take pressure off of him.

It seems very likely that Ohio State’s main defensive game plan will be to take Johnson away and force McNamara to beat them. With what he has shown this season, that plan should work for the Buckeyes.

That being said, if McNamara can put together a masterful performance and put up quality numbers, Johnson could get loose and make some plays. The quarterback truly will be the biggest X-Factor in deciding whether or not the Hawkeyes can hang with Ohio State or if they get blown out.

The Buckeye family is larger than ever before.

Ohio State released its Autumn 2024 15-Day Enrollment Report Sept. 17 — which compiles all demographics of the university’s enrollment, including statistics regarding the incoming first-year class and the entire undergraduate student population — revealing record-breaking enrollment numbers.

Increase in enrollment 

Ohio State reported a 2.3% increase in new first-year students’ enrollment compared to last school year. The class of 2028 is the largest class in Ohio State’s history, with 9,530 incoming undergraduates and 11,408 incoming graduate students on the Columbus campus, according to the report. 

The university’s strategy aims to increase enrollment and retention — particularly for the regional campuses — through targeted marketing strategies, the report states.

“In response to declines in college-going rates and projections of a demographic downturn impacting the regional campuses, we are finalizing the university’s first regional campus enrollment turnaround plan, which considers all levers impacting enrollment on those campuses,” the report states. 

This increase in enrollment may pose concerns for new first-year students; still, the report states there are various organizations intended to help students thrive academically and socially. 

“We have a robust campus experience for students,” said James Orr, vice provost for strategic enrollment management and an author of the report. “We work to ensure that when they come to us, they have a host of student organizations that they can participate in. We have a host of support services for students to ensure that they are able to be supported during their time with us.” 

The new first-year class has greatly contributed to the number of students on campus, which now totals 46,815 undergraduate students, according to the report. 

“Ohio State is a destination of choice for students and families,” Orr said. “Part of that is our academic profile, as we are a strong academic institution. But also, we engage students to ensure their success while they’re here with us.”

Enrollment demographics

The class of 2028’s admissions process comes on the heels of the United States Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in June 2023. 

“Ohio State is deeply committed to following the law, so after the Supreme Court decision, we immediately paused our admissions to new programs, and we updated all of our policies, procedures and strategies to be consistent with the law,” Orr said.  

The university has enrolled 2,813 minority students in the new first-year class, accounting for 29.5% of the collective group. This statistic is consistent compared to previous years, despite the aforementioned change in national admission policy. 

The report states that African American and Hispanic student enrollment has reached a record high at Ohio State; moreover, over a sixth of the total Columbus undergraduate student population, 18.2%, consists of first-generation students. 

Most of the total undergraduate student population hails from Ohio, with 71.1% being in-state students. Out-of-state students accounted for 19.4% of the population, while 9.4% were international students. 

The report also displays the percentage of total undergraduate Columbus students in each academic area, with a majority of students — 34.8% — studying fields within the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Engineering and architecture also account for a significant portion of students, with 19.6% of students studying these disciplines. Additionally, over a sixth of total undergraduate students are studying business. 

The new first-year class is also academically gifted — 96% of new first-year students graduated in the top quarter of their respective high school classes, and 64% graduated in the top 10%. 

“We are deeply committed to serving Ohio residents and recruiting the best and the brightest students possible, so we feel good about our enrollment growth, the quality of the class and the student experience,” Orr said.