The fall webworm , a native moth of North America, is commonly found across Iowa during late summer and early fall.

“We expect higher populations of fall webworm south of Interstate 80,” explains Tivon Feeley, Iowa DNR Forest Health forester.

The caterpillars of the moth spin webbed nests that cover the ends of tree branches, providing protection as they consume foliage. Dozens of caterpillars can be found in a single nest. Webbing can cover multiple branches and occasionally an entire tree.

Fall webworms are not picky eaters. Their webs can be found on a variety of hardwood trees such as hickory, walnut, birch, cherry and willow. As caterpillars mature, they abandon their host tree to search for protected locations to pupate during the winter. These spiky-haired caterpillars may be seen crawling on decks, houses and sidewalks, sometimes by the hundreds.

The webbing and defoliation caused by fall webworms is mostly aesthetic and rarely causes long-term damage to trees.

An effective control method is to open the webbed nest with a long stick that has a nail driven through the end to expose the caterpillars to natural predators. Use caution when trying to open nests on branches that are difficult to reach. Never use fire to burn webs from trees as this can damage twigs and buds.

Fall webworm is often confused with the eastern tent caterpillar, which also builds silken tents in tree branches. Eastern tent caterpillars are found in spring and early summer.

The empty buildings of the former university in Mt. Pleasant cast a shadow of doubt that clouds the community. There is uncertainty for many as the inevitable question looms: “What next?”

While we don’t know for sure what will become of the buildings, we can take it one day at a time. Doug Moore has been working in this community on the closure of the university since June 1^st. Doug seemingly offered hope for community members, ensuring that there is positive in this situation.

“The sale of central campus will be concluded by mid-November to the school district, subject to due diligence,” explained Moore. The Mt. Pleasant Community School District is required to complete a set of inspections. Once those are done, that should clear up the route for closing.

Doug continued, “The perimeter buildings, I believe will close sooner than that and I think the community will be happy with what the plans are.” We are unsure what the current plans are, but he seems confident that they will be positive.

On Wednesday, September 20^th, community members are allowed access to the Science Building. Inside, they can take whatever they want, as long as it is not attached to the wall. This special day is scheduled from 1-7pm, giving participants the opportunity for hours of taking. This change comes after citizens who work into the afternoon wanted a chance at “treasure hunting.”

Old Gym is currently up in the air, as Doug has safety concerns regarding the pool. KILJ will provide updates on this exciting day of community involvement.

There is still work to be done, but Doug wants to extend his gratitude towards the people of Mt. Pleasant. He wants to remind everybody of how special our community is, with or without a university.

“What a wonderful community this is, and I say that from the bottom of my heart. This is a great community.”

Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 2.7 percent to 2.9 percent in August, tying the year-ago rate, while the U.S. unemployment rate increased from 3.5 percent to 3.8 percent in August.

Iowa gained 2,400 jobs and Iowa’s workforce grew by 500 people in August, despite the rise in unemployment.

“Iowa employers appear to have acted cautiously last month amid ongoing worry about the national economy and rising inflation,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “However, we saw Iowa’s pool of available workers increase, meaning that more and more Iowans continue to show a strong desire to find new careers across the state.”

The number of unemployed Iowans saw an increase of 2500 from July to August. The state’s labor force participation decease one tenth of a percent.

The total number of working Iowans decreased by 2000 in August but is nearly 25,000 higher than one year ago.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) hosted a Townhall in Mt. Pleasant on Thursday, September 14^th. Among the crowd were prominent figures in the Iowa House and Senate, namely Senator Adrian Dickey who covers district 44, Representative Jeff Shipley (district 87), and Representative Taylor Collins (district 95).

The Deputy State Director for AFP, Tyler Raygor, spoke on many of the group’s goals throughout the night. One main thing they want to do is to “reignite the American Dream” and they believe one way to help that is by getting rid of income tax in Iowa. Currently, income tax is 2.9% in Iowa, which has been steadily decreasing for some time. He mentioned how states with high income tax have citizens flocking to the states with little or no income tax.

Both Representatives and the Senator want to push school choice forward. Representative Shipley mentioned how there are communities in Southeast Iowa with teacher workforce shortages and believes the process to become a teacher should be “streamlined.” With a clear path, he wants people to finish the rest of their education during their first few years as a licensed teacher.

Representative Collins stated that education must be a priority in our state. “We don’t have to politicize these issues that are simple once we boil them down.” He is currently working on education reforms that he believes would benefit Iowans. Representative Collins wants the House to be focused on the things that prepare students for success later in life.

Senator Dickey spoke on the issue of youth labor laws. “It is absurd that we glorify sports over someone making a few bucks.” He went on to explain that students who are in a sports program sometimes do not get home until midnight. He thinks students of working age should be allowed to work until 9pm during the school year, and 11pm in the summer.