This Week in Iowa: From Northern Lights to Political Fights

Iowa News Highlights

Northern Lights Dazzle Iowans

The Northern Lights made another spectacular appearance in Iowa, thanks to a strong geomagnetic storm. Clear skies and heightened solar activity allowed Iowans to witness this rare celestial show.

Legal Update: Teen Sentenced in Teacher's Murder

The Iowa Supreme Court upheld a 35-year minimum sentence for Willard Miller, who pleaded guilty to killing his high school Spanish teacher in 2021. The ruling maintains that mandatory minimums can be applied to juvenile offenders if individual circumstances are considered.

Political Ad Spending Surges

Over $100 million has been spent on political advertising in Iowa for the 2024 presidential race, with Republican candidates leading the charge. Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus continues to draw significant campaign attention and spending.

National News

Hurricane Milton Strikes Florida

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as one of the most powerful hurricanes on record, with wind speeds reaching 180 mph. Estimated damages range from $30 billion to $50 billion, raising concerns about Florida's strained insurance market.

Presidential Race Heats Up

National polling shows a tight race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, with Harris holding a slight lead. The election remains highly competitive as both candidates vie for key demographics and battleground states.

Stock Market This Week: Record Highs and Banking Boost

The stock market saw significant gains this week, with major indices reaching new heights:

• S&P 500 Milestone: The S&P 500 closed above 5,800 for the first time, ending at 5,815.01 on Friday.

• Dow Jones Record: The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 409 points (0.97%) to a record close of 42,863.86.

• Consecutive Gains: All major indices celebrated their fifth consecutive week of advancements, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each climbing by 1.1%, while the Dow recorded a 1.2% increase.

• Banking Sector Boost: JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo saw substantial gains after exceeding profit expectations, contributing to the market's overall positive performance.

• Inflation Data: Cooler-than-anticipated September producer price index readings eased concerns about persistent inflation, suggesting the Federal Reserve might achieve its 2% inflation target.

• Interest Rate Expectations: Futures trading indicates a high probability of a quarter-point interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve in November.

Despite these gains, some tech stocks faced challenges, with Tesla's stock plummeting 8.8% following a disappointing robotaxi event.

Punny Facts: Iowa's Quirky Side

Pumpkin Overload

Did you know Iowa harvested over 15 million pounds of pumpkins last year? That's enough to make a pumpkin pie big enough to feed the entire population of Des Moines—twice!

Des Moines' Surprisingly Active Cornhole Scene

There are over 50 registered cornhole teams in Des Moines alone. And they say it's "just a backyard game!"

The Famous Butter Cow

Each year, 600 pounds of butter are used to create the famous Butter Cow sculpture at the Iowa State Fair. That's enough to butter around 35,000 ears of corn—which sounds about right for the corn capital of the world.

Dubuque's Sheep Traffic Jam

In Dubuque, there are more sheep than people living in the area surrounding the city. If all the sheep decided to take a walk downtown, it could cause quite the fluffy traffic jam!

Wind Power, but Make it Silly

Iowa generates more electricity from wind than any other state. With that much wind power, we could run an electric fan for 1 billion years—if only we needed that much breeze!