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In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Loft Reserved.
Today's riddle: What is the 1 way to guarantee winning a small fortune at the casino? 🤔 (Answer below!)
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1. Connecting Conservation Practices with Farmland Leases (morningagclips.com) — Right now in Ames and across Iowa, landowners are renegotiating farmland leases and increasingly pushing for conservation-minded practices. An Iowa State University Extension specialist based in Ames outlines how to set clear goals, talk openly with tenants, and start small with practices like cover crops so both sides can protect soil health and long-term productivity.
2. How revenue bonds funding Ames' $192M power plant impact residents (amestrib.com) — Ames is moving ahead with a $192 million natural-gas power plant that will replace its long-running waste-to-energy facility and drive steady electric rate hikes for decades. Funded through revenue bonds and a construction loan, the Ames Municipal Energy Center is slated to open in 2029, with additional investments in a new solid waste and recycling facility also planned.
3. At crux of complex issues, Claire Boyles focused on her characters (coloradosun.com) — Ames readers might be interested to know that novelist and former farmer Claire Boyles now splits her time here while teaching creative writing and environment at Iowa State University. In this in-depth Q&A, she discusses how her own farming struggles, climate concerns, and Colorado roots shaped her new novel "Appraisals" and her approach to storytelling.
4. Mark Lambert: Success in what never made headlines (iowastatedaily.com) — Ames is preparing for the retirement of longtime City Attorney Mark Lambert, whose behind-the-scenes legal work has shaped everything from the new animal shelter to the Barnes Family Inclusive Playground. City council members are now recruiting his successor, emphasizing the need for someone as dedicated to Ames as Lambert, who plans to remain a resource during the transition.
5. Cyclones Football Release Depth Chart (westerniowatoday.com) — Iowa State football in Ames is kicking off a new era under head coach Jimmy Rogers, with a freshly released depth chart ahead of Saturday's game against Southeast Missouri. Sophomore ADM alum Aiden Flora leads at running back, several key transfer linemen will start, and the largely inexperienced roster has just 23 combined Cyclone starts.
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Ok Ames! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: By starting with a large fortune. (Thank you Kourtney Z. for sending it in!)
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