Month: April 2026

By Pepper Purpura

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A convoy of kindness is heading west.

In the wake of devastating wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres of ranchland across Nebraska, farmers in central Iowa are stepping up — sending truckloads of hay to help keep cattle fed.

For Brock Hansen, a soybean farmer in Baxter, the effort is both urgent and familiar.

A community effort takes shape Over the past several weeks, neighbors across Jasper and Marshall counties came together to gather and load hay — organizing a large-scale donation effort in just a matter of days.

“The neighborhood put together 203 bales through 17 different farmers of Jasper and Marshall counties,” Hansen said.

The hay, loaded by the dozen and hauled by a mix of local farmers and trucking companies, is headed to a distribution site in Nebraska, where it will be shared among ranchers impacted by the fires.

Local businesses also pitched in. A Baxter restaurant is providing breakfast for volunteers before they begin the long drive west — another example of the small-town support behind the effort.

A critical need after wildfire devastation Wildfires have scorched vast stretches of pastureland across Nebraska—land that typically sustains one of the largest cattle populations in the country. With more than 6 million head of cattle statewide, ranchers depend heavily on grazing to feed their herds grazing to feed their herd.

Now, with grass burned away, many are scrambling for alternatives.

“It’s the most important commodity to them right now besides their families and the livestock,” Hansen said.

Hay becomes the lifeline — providing the only reliable source of feed until pastures recover enough to support grazing again.

“They’ll have something to survive and feed their livestock in the meantime,” he said.

How far the donation goes The 203 bales collected in Baxter represent a significant contribution.

Based on standard feeding estimates, that amount of hay could feed a herd of about 100 cattle for roughly two months — helping bridge the gap until new grass begins to grow.

But while pasture recovery may come relatively quickly, other challenges will last much longer.

Recovery goes beyond the grass Wildfires don’t just burn grass — they destroy infrastructure.

“Not only do they need the hay, but fences, supplies,” Hansen said.

Even as pastures begin to green up, damaged fencing and other infrastructure can prevent ranchers from fully using that land. Rebuilding those systems takes time, labor, and money — extending the recovery timeline well beyond the initial disaster.

That means hay — and outside support — will continue to be essential in the weeks and months ahead.

Supporting neighbors—and the economy For Hansen and others involved, the effort is about more than immediate relief.

“(Cattle ranching) is a big economical thing,” he said. “And with the economics of everything right now — higher fuel prices, higher fertilizer inputs — things are stacking up. And this is just a little something we can do to help out.”

Agriculture is deeply interconnected, and disruptions in one region can ripple across the broader economy. Helping ranchers maintain their herds supports not just individual operations, but the stability of the livestock industry as a whole.

Paying it forward For the Baxter community, this effort is also personal.

Hansen says the support feels like a way to give back after central Iowa farmers received help following the 2020 derecho that caused widespread damage across the region.

Now, they’re returning the favor — one truckload at a time.

As the convoy heads west, it carries more than just hay. It carries a reminder that in agriculture, resilience often depends on neighbors willing to lend a hand.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Todd Magel

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    Iowa (KETV) — Dr. Austin Baeth, a Democratic lawmaker from Des Moines, is using satire to raise awareness about Iowa’s water pollution and its possible connection to the state’s growing cancer rates.

“I’ve actually been very vocal about the concern that Iowa’s water pollution, especially our high water nitrate levels, may be contributing to Iowa’s cancer crisis,” Baeth said in a new video on social media.

The short video, titled “Spinachgate,” begins with a serious tone but quickly shifts to humor, focusing on spinach and other leafy greens. “But all that time that I was pouring through the scientific literature, the real answer turned out to be literally right under my nose,” Baeth said in the video.

Baeth’s video was in reference to a floor debate, where Republican Rep. Ken Rozenboom of Marion County offered a surprising theory about nitrate levels in Iowa’s water. “Spinach and lettuce and other leafy greens. You will find they are very high in nitrates.”

Baeth’s video took a comedic approach in response. It includes lines such as “I thought cigarettes were bad. You know, cocaine, meth. But Iowans really love (expletive) spinach. Alison. You told me you quit. Hand me the fork. Come on,” he said, speaking to a woman eating a salad in the video.

Baeth explained his approach, saying, “Trying to add a comedic spin to it is a way to reach more people.” He emphasized that while the video is humorous, the water quality issue is deadly serious. “I was just trying to highlight the fact that when politicians talk about issues, but they aren’t fully informed on them, it’s dangerous,” Baeth said.

Rozenboom declined an interview but stated he did not want to be part of what he called a “silly slide show” and said the issue “warrants serious discussion.”

Baeth said his videos are raising awareness and getting results.

“Some call it my crusade to finally end Iowans’ addiction to this green, leafy killer,” Baeth said sarcastically in the video.

Baeth said he is interested in sitting down with Rozenboom for a serious debate about drinking water and cancer.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Greg McQuade

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    POWHATAN COUNTY, Virginia (WTVR) — A Powhatan County family has placed 134 acres of their forested property under conservation easements to protect a wildlife corridor stretching across Virginia.

Christopher Benonis and Christine Cadigan-Benonis share their property, known as Chesterbury 100, with migrating mammals and birds.

The wooded area off Miles Road is part of the Virginia Wildlife Corridor, which stretches from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Great Dismal Swamp.

“It is a highway for animals. It supports them going back and forth, getting what they need to survive. And we are glad to be a part of it,” Cadigan-Benonis said.

After purchasing the landscape, the couple, who are raising two daughters, decided to protect the land permanently.

“I would say it was almost immediately that we determined that this was a place worth protecting forever. It is priceless,” Benonis said.

“We’ve seen black bears, we’ve seen and heard coyotes. We’ve caught bobcats on the game camera. Deer, turkeys and lots of varieties of different birds. A couple of bald eagles,” Benonis said.

The family worked with the Capital Region Land Conservancy to place the 134 acres under two easements.

Jane Myers with the nonprofit said the decision ensures the land, bordered by Muddy Creek and Cumberland County, will remain rural for generations.

“It really matters to make decisions about land conservation well in advance,” Myers said. “When you start cutting off pathways, you start restricting wildlife groups, and so that whole biodiversity richness gets lost, because populations start becoming disjunct from one another.”

The family noted that urban sprawl is consuming open space and woodlands along Route 60 at an alarming rate, replacing fertile farms with subdivisions and strip centers.

“I mean, I have yet to see any property that gets developed undeveloped so it’s sort of one-way street,” Benonis said. “And once it’s done it’s gone forever.”

Chesterbury 100 is also the first property in Virginia to enroll in the Family Forest Carbon Program.

The program provides financial and other resources to help landowners improve the health and value of their woodlands.

“This provides me with a lot of relief that we’re doing all we can to leave the world a better place, that we’re supporting the animals, that we’re protecting some of the history, and that we’re leaving our girls’ legacy,” Cadigan-Benonis said. “This is what makes us comfortable. This is this type of environment is where we’re meant to be.”

Myers said striking a balance between development and conservation through responsible growth is key, adding that the family is leading by example and may inspire other landowners.

“We work in the business of forever,” Myers said. “It’s exceptionally gratifying for us when we are able to really move that needle and know that we’re making a difference.”

Despite rising land values that could have yielded top dollar down the road, the couple chose conservation.

“Fortunately, I think what we’ve done with the easement is going to be just as lasting as any development so hopefully this will be looking just as it does now for hundreds of years hence,” Benonis said.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTVR’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Leigh Searcy

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    WEST LIBERTY, Kentucky (WLEX) — Nearly two and a half months after 48-year-old Marvin Knuckles fell to his death down an icy, snow-covered cliff, a 6-foot fence has been installed around the area.

Knuckles was on a special work detail shoveling snow at 1 a.m. on Jan. 27 when he fell.

As LEX 18 reported last week, a Critical Incident Response Team under the Department of Corrections and Justice and Public Safety Cabinet investigated the area. The team found a gap in a guard rail and noted there was no camera, no light, and no signage warning of the dangerous drop-off. They recommended installing the 6-foot fence and warning signs of a dangerous slope.

Knuckles’ sister, Rita Alexander, said her family received the call about his death from a prison chaplain. She recently saw the newly installed fence.

“I saw it this morning. When I’ve seen it, it’s like somebody just punched me in the gut,” she said.

Alexander said she has been anything but silent since her brother’s death.

“I said it took my brother died to get something done, to get a fence put up, and… they put it up fast,” she told LEX 18.

Alexander noted that her brother’s orange toboggan is still lying on the cliff where he fell.

“As long as we live on earth, we got to live with the torment in our heart of him having to die in the way that he did. And then if you look up close on that picture, my brother’s toboggan is still laying on that cliff that he had on when he fell,” she said.

“You know I think about… the fear and the pain and the hurt that he went through,” Alexander added.

While Alexander is glad the steep hillside is now secured to protect other inmates and employees, she said the safety measure came at too high a cost.

“Yes, I, thank God that they, that they put that fence up to protect other people, employees or prisoners, but it shouldn’t have had to take my brother to die to get it done,” she said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.