Rep. Brett Barker, R-Nevada, center, spoke at an Iowa Health Initiative news conference March 17, 2026 about a poll showing popular support for raising taxes on tobacco products in Iowa, a measure he introduced earlier in the 2026 session.
Rep. Brett Barker, R-Nevada, center, spoke at an Iowa Health Initiative news conference March 17, 2026 about a poll showing popular support for raising taxes on tobacco products in Iowa, a measure he introduced earlier in the 2026 session.
The eighth annual Wolf Pack for Hunger will be held Thursday, April 2, at IKM-Manning Schools. Volunteers will package 50,000 meals.
Pictured are United Church of Christ in Westside's Wednesday Club members, Christian Education Committee members and other members of the congregation along with C3 board members Laurie Stein and Jean Standtlander and school representative Rachel Merkel pose for a photo
Volunteers are still needed, according to a news release. People of all ages and abilities take 1 hour shifts between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. To volunteer, visit tinyurl.com/WP4H26
Financial donations are accepted with 32 cents providing a bag of soup that can feed six people. A total of $16,000 is needed for this year's efforts.
Wolf Pack for Hunger is coordinated by C-3 in partnership with the IKM-Manning Community School District in partnership with Meals of Hope to package meals distributed through the Feeding America Food Bank Network, the release state.
Wolf Pack for Hunger volunteers prepare packaged meals in 2024.
It's no mere fisherman's tale.Â
This past summer, Sioux City angler Jacob Mackey hooked a grass carp weighing 71 pounds, 8 ounces at Bacon Creek Park. Recently, it was officially approved by the International Game Fish Association as the new world record for grass carp in the 30-pound line class (conventional tackle).
The 26-year-old's mark topped the previous mark by more than 16 pounds and he said it's the first IGFA record catch in local waters.
Jakob Mackey poses for a photo with his record-breaking carp.
"As an angler from Sioux City who spends a lot of time fishing Bacon Creek, this record is especially meaningful to me. I'm also passionate about helping bring more positive attention to carp fishing and the opportunities it provides for anglers in Iowa," Mackey told the Sioux City Journal in an email.Â
Grass carp are native to China and eastern Siberia but have been introduced all around the world for "aquatic weed control and aquaculture purposes," according to the IGFA. A number of other "line class world records" for grass carp have been set in Japan.
The largest caught with conventional tackle was an 80-pound fish caught in Lake Wedington, Arkansas in June 2004. The line class for that grass carp was 16 pounds. The all tackle world record for grass carp was set in July 2009 at Piasuchnik Dam, Bulgaria. The fish weighed 87 pounds, 10 ounces.Â
Mackey said the carp he caught was near the front of the park as you enter at Bacon Creek, a place he's plenty familiar with.Â
"Since I was very young I've been fishing the local waters at Bacon Creek Park. Two years ago I decided to take Bacon Creek Seriously and try to capture a record," he said.Â
"I exclusively started fishing Bacon Creeks two years ago to prove a point that there are most definitely big fish in there, you just have to find them. I didn't like the negative view most anglers had about the place being a bad fishery so I took that and used it as the fire to push myself to prove to everyone how great of a place it truly is."
Jakob Mackey holds his record for his catch at Bacon Creek Park.
It wasn't an easy time for the angler and he said there plenty of ups and downs in the process.
"I spent countless hours learning the topography and developing techniques that proved successful," he said. Certain days, Mackey has said he was out at the park for nine hours trying to hook a big time fish.
Mackey said it took him about 15 minutes to bring the grass carp in after "a few very long runs it took." After reeling it in and getting documentation of the catch, Mackey said he released it back into the water.Â
The catch is far from the only luck Mackey's had at Bacon Creek Park.Â
"In the last year I've caught many fish that have qualified as Master Angler Catches in the state of Iowa including, an eight-pound large mouth bass, a 15-pound Channel Catfish, and a 35-pound Common carp just to name a few."
All of those fish were caught at Bacon Creek Park as well.Â
Kirkwood Community College students hang out with each other in the dining area of Iowa Hall on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. Iowa lawmakers this year were considering a pilot program that would allow the state’s community colleges to offer four-year degrees in high-demand fields, but that issue is unlikely to advance, allowing for further study later this year.
Kirkwood Community College students hang out with each other in the dining area of Iowa Hall on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. Iowa lawmakers this year were considering a pilot program that would allow the state’s community colleges to offer four-year degrees in high-demand fields, but that issue is unlikely to advance, allowing for further study later this year.
