GREENFIELD, IA – Multiple people died Tuesday and at least a dozen were injured when a powerful tornado ripped through Greenfield Iowa, destroying homes and businesses, shredding trees and, smashing cars.

The tornado destroyed much of the town, which has a population of about 2,000 and sits about an hour southwest of Des Moines.

Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla, at a news conference Tuesday night, confirmed that there were fatalities. He said authorities were still determining the total number but thought they had accounted for all of the town’s residents.

Authorities said they would only allow residents to enter Greenfield until Wednesday morning and ordered media representatives to leave the city Tuesday night.

Multiple tornadoes were reported throughout the state, and one also apparently took down several 250-foot wind turbines in southwest Iowa. Some of the turbines caught fire, sending plumes of smoke into the air and continued to smolder hours later.

Wind farms are built to withstand tornadoes, hurricanes and other powerful winds. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, turbines are designed to shut off when winds exceed certain thresholds, typically around 55 mph. They also lock and feather their blades, and turn into the wind, to minimize the strain.

Governor Kim Reynolds authorized a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for 15 Iowa counties due to the severe weather.  The proclamation effectively allows state resources to be utilized for disaster relief aid and opens up relief grants of up to $5,000 for households earning up to 200% of the poverty level.

Potential applicants have 45 days to submit a claim.

 

PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – A petition that would establish open primary elections in South Dakota has enough signatures from registered voters to be placed on the Nov. 5 ballot, according to the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office.

The office made the announcement Tuesday, triggering a 30-day window for challenges to the petition’s validity.

It’s the third citizen-initiated measure to be validated for the Nov. 5 election, pending potential challenges. Additionally, the Legislature has exercised its authority to place two measures on the ballot, and at least two more measures from citizen groups are either pending validation or still circulating.

The open primaries measure would alter future elections in South Dakota.

Currently, the state has traditional primary elections, in which Democrats and Republicans choose their nominees for the general election.

In an open primary, all candidates for an elected office would run in one primary race, regardless of their party affiliation, and the top two winners would advance. The candidates advancing to the general election could be from different parties or the same party.

The open primaries measure applies to races for governor, the Legislature, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and elected county offices.

Supporters of the measure say the current system disenfranchises some voters, because Republicans only allow members of their own party to vote in Republican primary races. When there’s no Democratic or independent candidate for an office, the winner is determined in a Republican primary that excludes Democratic and independent voters.

Opponents of the measure say political parties should be allowed to choose their own nominees.

Ballot question status update

Measures placed on the Nov. 5 ballot by the Legislature:

An amendment to the state constitution updating references to certain officeholders and people (replacing male-specific pronouns with neutral language).

An amendment to the state constitution authorizing the state to impose work requirements on certain people who are eligible for expanded Medicaid.

Citizen-proposed measures validated for the ballot, pending potential challenges:

An initiated measure prohibiting state sales taxes on items sold for human consumption, specifically targeting state sales taxes on groceries.

An initiated amendment to the state constitution re-establishing abortion rights.

An initiated amendment to the state constitution establishing open primary elections.

Citizen-proposed measure pending validation of the required number of petition signatures:

An initiated measure legalizing adult recreational use, possession and distribution of marijuana.

Petition still in circulation:

A proposed referendum of a new law regulating carbon dioxide pipelines (the deadline to submit referendum petitions is June 25).

 

PIERRE, S.D. (Joshua Haiar / South Dakota Searchlight) – Health care industry representatives voiced concerns to lawmakers Tuesday in Pierre regarding newly finalized federal staffing standards for nursing homes.

“This is an unfunded mandate being placed on nursing homes,” said Tammy Hatting, chief operating officer of the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations.

She called the new requirements a threat to nursing homes nationwide.

“We have to start talking about, ‘How do we prepare for this threat?’ Because the clock is ticking, the deadlines are out,” Hatting said. Her comments came during a hearing conducted at the Capitol by the Legislature’s budget committee.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized the new rules for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities in April. The agency said the rules “affirmed its commitment to hold nursing homes accountable for providing safe and high-quality care.”

The new rules say nursing homes must complete a facility assessment by Aug. 8.

By May 10, 2026, for urban facilities and May 10, 2027, for rural facilities, there must be enough staff to give each resident 3.48 hours of care daily, and at least one registered nurse on-site 24/7.

By May 10, 2027, for urban facilities and May 10, 2029, for rural facilities, at least 0.55 of the 3.48 hours of daily care per resident must come from a registered nurse and 2.45 hours must come from a certified nurse assistant.

The rules define areas with a population of 10,000 or more as urban. Hatting said her organization is seeking clarity about how areas are defined and is lobbying to raise the population threshold defining an area as urban.

Hatting said the requirement to have a registered nurse on-site 24/7 is the biggest immediate concern. She said the state had 1,232 open registered nurse jobs as of April 24, and 15.1% of registered nurses are expected to retire in the next five years.

Hatting said 18 nursing homes in the state closed from 2015 to 2023, many due to a caregiver shortage.

A new health care industry-led analysis found that 96% of South Dakota’s nursing homes don’t meet the new rules. They will need to hire 299 more staff members, which will cost about $19.7 million. Nursing homes might limit new residents, reduce their number of beds or close down, according to the report.

South Dakota Health Care Association Executive Director Mark Deak shared his concerns about the staffing requirements with legislators.

“Where on earth would we find these people?” he said.

Hatting said various congressional bills have been introduced with aims ranging from stopping the rules to providing up to $400 million per year in grant funding to states for long-term care workers.

Health care industry officials said they’re urging South Dakota’s congressional delegation to take action, and asking the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reconsider and roll back some of the rules.

 

DES MOINES, IA (Mark Moran / Iowa News Service) – The U.S. House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to take up the first version of the new Farm Bill tomorrow morning.

Outdoor enthusiasts in Iowa are pushing for the measure to address key hunting and fishing policies. The Farm Bill is the biggest, most high-profile piece of legislation for farmers and ranchers and it has a huge effect on hunters and anglers in Iowa.

Kate Hansen, agriculture program director for the Isaak Walton League of America, said conservation policies set out in the Farm Bill — support for approaches like cover crops, for example — have a domino effect on the state’s ecosystems.

“At face value, cover crops have benefits like they improve our water quality and our soil health,” Hansen pointed out. “We think about how could water quality improvements benefit our fish habitats? There are also benefits of them sitting right there in the field for wildlife.”

Hansen noted the healthy fields benefit Iowa hunters. She added it is important for the Farm Bill to consider private land access and conservation measures to improve habitats for fish and wildlife. The House Agriculture Committee is set to consider the bill tomorrow.

The Farm Bill is the biggest investment the U.S. makes in private lands conservation.

Aaron Field, director of private lands conservation for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said one especially important part of the bill focuses on increasing voluntary conservation projects on private property. He emphasized it benefits hunters and anglers and called the public-private partnerships crucial to shaping the Farm Bill.

“It’s critically important that hunter and angler groups step up and provide feedback as Congress is making decisions about how those programs operate and how they’re funded,” Field urged.

Field added this year’s Farm Bill is the best opportunity hunter and angler programs have had for increased funding in recent history. He noted the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has published an online guide about how to participate in shaping the measure.

 

ST. PAUL, MN (Mike Moen / Minnesota News Connection) – The effect of technical glitches in overhauling the student financial-aid form known as FAFSA is still being felt.

Issues stemming from a redesign of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid have left families scrambling to secure loans, grants and scholarships before sending their kids off to college in the fall.

A Minnesota nonprofit reminded college students tuition aid is still available and its new digital tool can help with the process.

Mike Dean, executive director of the nonprofit North Star Prosperity, said even as the kinks are sorted out, FAFSA completion in Minnesota is down 16%. His group partnered with a national organization to develop an online tool to serve as a go-between.

“It essentially is an AI-powered FAFSA adviser that can be available 24/7, to answer almost all of your questions around the FAFSA,” Dean explained.

He encouraged graduating high school students and their families still figuring out college plans to give the platform, named Wyatt, a try. A lot of decisions are often made by early May but Minnesota’s deadline for accessing aid this coming school year is June 30, 2025. Funds are provided retroactively but officials emphasized it is still better to take action now.

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education stressed applying now to figure out which types of aid you qualify for helps you make a more informed decision about enrollment. Dean agreed, pointing out in Minnesota, students from income-eligible households can now have all their tuition costs covered.

“If you’re a family with income below $80,000, college is now free in Minnesota, but it’s only free if you complete that FAFSA form,” Dean added.

The free tuition program was adopted by the state last year. Dean contended it should help break down barriers in the pursuit of higher education in Minnesota without the burden of student debt. For those skeptical about Wyatt being an AI driven tool, he emphasized it was developed by FAFSA experts, ensuring accuracy in the answers it provides.