Gazette Daily News Briefing, November 1
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for November 1, 2023.
It's not quite winter, yet! According to the National Weather Service, Wednesday's weather will mark our ascendancy back to warm temperatures with a high of 42 degrees and sunny skies. Winds will also be a bit calmer than they were on Tuesday.
Iowans can now download an app that can be used as a digital version of their driver's license at businesses across the state.
The Iowa Mobile ID app can be used to verify a person's age for purchasing alcohol and tobacco, as well as for identification at certain TSA PreCheck checkpoints at Iowa airports.
The app was originally slated for release in 2022, but new updates in technology and best practices delayed the development of the app. The app is now available for download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
The amount of locations that the Mobile ID can be used in will be limited for a while. The app can be accepted by businesses that use the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division Age to Purchase app. Iowa Department of Revenue Director Mary Mosiman said in the release that integrating the two apps will lead to quicker adoption.
So far, 18 businesses have told the DOT that they are ready to accept the Mobile ID, according to a list on the agency's website. Iowa residents also can use the mobile ID at TSA PreCheck at the Des Moines International Airport, The Eastern Iowa Airport, and many other airports throughout the country.
Farmers in Iowa are routinely harvesting more than 200 bushels of corn per acre this year despite widespread drought as crop harvest reaches its conclusion, according to field agronomists for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
“Our corn hybrids are much better adapted to dry conditions now than they were 20 years ago,” said agronomist Angela Rieck-Hinz, who monitors part of north-central Iowa. “Most people were extremely fortunate that they caught a rain or two at the end of June and then they caught some more in August.”
About 77 percent of the state’s corn has been harvested for grain, according to a Monday report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. About 93 percent of soybeans have been harvested.
That is eight days ahead of the five-year average. Crops matured more quickly this year amid the drought and hot temperatures in late August and early September.
President Joe Biden will announce Wednesday more than $5 billion in already-approved money toward projects around renewable energy, land conservation and rural broadband connectivity, including more than $400 million for projects in Iowa.
Biden is headed to Minnesota, where he will visit a family farm as part of a White House push to spotlight his administration’s efforts to bolster rural farm economies. The president will announce new investments to support the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices and expand access to affordable high-speed broadband internet as well as quality health care, affordable housing and clean water and energy in rural communities.
