Here First

State and federal officials have confirmed bird flu has hit a third commercial turkey operation in northwest Iowa. University of Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz is addressing the athletic department’s decision to sack his son and offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz at the end of the season. Plus, how elevated levels of nitrate in drinking water have recently been linked with health issues like cancer.

A Texas-based private equity firm says the auction results for Mercy Iowa City hospital aren’t final. An eastern Iowa company has agreed to pay a fine to the Environmental Protection Agency over alleged hazardous waste violations. Plus, a look at the state of the Iowa caucuses less than three months before the first contest in Republican presidential nomination calendar.

Former President Donald Trump campaigned in Sioux City on Sunday. Election officials say anyone planning to vote absentee needs to get their ballot in the mail soon, if they haven’t already. Plus, in an unusual turn of events, the University of Iowa has won the auction for Mercy Iowa City hospital.

Opponents of a proposed wind farm in the Iowa Great Lakes region credit a grassroots effort for putting a pause on the project. AARP Iowa has come out against a rate increase proposal from Interstate Power & Light. Plus, we hear about the barriers to clean water and the fight for infrastructure funding on one Nebraska reservation

A missing 14-year-old girl from Des Moines was found safe following an Amber Alert issued Wednesday night. Gov. Kim Reynolds says her husband, Kevin, is doing well following his first month of treatment for lung cancer. Plus, The World Food Prize will be awarded Thursday to the founder of a nonprofit that turns mine fields back into farm fields.

Traffic fatalities in Iowa are higher than they’ve been at this time of the year for at least the previous five years. Cedar Rapids Schools has closed more sections of its middle schools. Plus, IPR’s Sheila Brummer takes a look at compliance surrounding Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy and the dilemma that producers face.

Two more bird flu cases have been confirmed in the state. Iowa City is running a two-year experiment to see whether making its public buses free will impact demand for the service. Plus, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is moving more of his resources to Iowa ahead of the first-in-the-nation Republican caucuses.

Ethanol producers say they won’t stop supporting carbon capture pipelines in Iowa, despite a decision to kill a proposed $3.5 billion pipeline slated to run across Iowa. Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks is firing back at those who've criticized two of her votes for House Speaker. Plus, the future of wind turbines in the Iowa Great Lakes could be decided this week.

Iowa’s unemployment rate was up slightly in September, as college students left their summer jobs and headed back to class. The University of Iowa has hired a mental health counselor to work with students who are veterans. And, LeMars is considering letting police officers live farther from town.

Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says she's received credible death threats after she switched her vote for House speaker. A Cedar Valley resident says she’s challenging 2nd District Republican Representative Ashley Hinson next year partly because of a health care issue. Plus, Starbucks and the union organizing its workers sued each other Wednesday in Iowa in a standoff sparked by a social media post over the Israel-Hamas war.