The Christina Hixson Opportunity Award provides awards to high school seniors from each of Iowa’s counties.  These awards are designed to demonstrate Iowa State University’s commitment to the student potential that exists in various ways beyond the measures of class rank or standardized test scores.  The Christina Hixson program provides each recipient with a half-tuition grants (estimated value of more than $20,000 over eight semesters) to be used at Iowa State University.

Applications can be found and submitted online at  https://hixson.dso.iastate.edu/ Applications must be submitted online for the Christina Hixson Opportunity Award by January 6, 2026.

MEDIAPOLIS — Today, Rep. Taylor Collins, Chair of the House Committee on Higher Education, released the following statement following the selection of David Cook to be the next President of Iowa State University.

“As an Iowa State Alumni, I’m excited to see a fellow Cyclone has been selected as Iowa State’s next President,” said Rep. Collins. “This coming session I look forward to working with President Cook to continue to reform Iowa’s higher education system.”

“While I believe the right candidate was ultimately selected, glaring issues in the presidential selection process have once again emerged. Not only did two of the four finalists drop out before even coming to campus, but the other finalist was a self proclaimed climate advocate, and a proponent of lab grown meat. As a result, this coming session the Higher Education Committee will seek to make additional reforms to the university president selection process.”

The Mount Pleasant Community School Board meeting opened Monday night with a celebration of students who have officially exited the district’s English Learner (EL) program after demonstrating proficiency on the state English assessment. 

“This is a huge achievement,” said EL instructor. “These students aren’t just learning basic conversation—they’re reading textbooks, writing essays, and solving math problems in a new language.” 

Teachers from Van Allen, the Middle School, and the High School joined to recognize the teamwork behind the program’s success, highlighting bilingual staff, family partnerships, and the resilience of the students. The district currently serves about 150 English Learners representing 9 different languages. 

Students shared their own stories and goals; A first grader hopes to become a nurse, One student wants to be a soccer player, and an eighth grader spoke about gaining confidence through the program and now serves as a Council President. 

Teachers explained that after exiting, students are monitored for two years to ensure continued success. As the board congratulated the group, families and staff gathered afterward in the cafeteria to celebrate. 

“We’re not just celebrating English proficiency,” one teacher said. “We’re celebrating future leaders and global citizens who have already shown resilience, intelligence, and determination.” 

Southeast Iowa experienced a dramatic shift in weather over the past week, moving from mild fall days to a wintry chill as the first snow of the season arrived across much of the state. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s latest weather summary, prepared by State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan, detailed the transition from warm, dry conditions to widespread rain, snow, and plunging temperatures.

Through much of the week, southeast Iowa enjoyed temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s with relatively dry skies. That changed heading into the weekend, when a low-pressure system swept across the state, bringing rain and—farther north—accumulating snow. Although snow totals were light in the southeast, heavier amounts fell in northwestern Iowa, with Pocahontas County reporting over five inches.

Donnellson recorded the state’s high temperature for the week at 72 degrees on November 4, an unseasonably warm reading nearly 20 degrees above normal. But by Sunday morning, many locations across the state had dropped into the teens and low 20s, marking the end of the growing season and signaling winter’s arrival.

Statewide precipitation averaged 0.28 inch for the week, below the normal 0.52 inch. Rainfall was more generous in eastern Iowa, where Long Grove in Scott County measured just over an inch.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig noted that the colder turn came as harvest wrapped up across the state. “Based on my observations while traveling around the state and the conversations I’m having with farmers, harvest appears to be nearly complete,” Naig said. “The snow and cold have officially ended the growing season, but forecasts suggest warmer conditions and a higher chance of rainfall later in the month.”

With the first measurable snow in the books and temperatures swinging sharply downward, southeast Iowa residents can expect a brief return to mild weather before more November moisture moves in.