Your Ames Voice

Thursday, July 31, 2025

July 31, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Mike Krapfl

Finally, I feel like I’m pulling a little weight around the Ames Voice.

Through months and months of meetings as part of the Voice’s community council, I wasn’t able to contribute much to discussions of business plans, budgets, IRS documents and fundraising.

But now that we’re also in the business of news reporting, I can get to work.

I’ve been writing news since graduating from Baylor University with a journalism degree in 1986.

I spent about 20 years in community newsrooms, from Ontario, California, and Carson City,

Nevada, to Ames, Dubuque and back to Ames. I mostly covered education, including school boards, colleges and classrooms.

For the past 20 years, I’ve written about science and engineering for Iowa State’s News Service. (Did you know Iowa State researchers are blowing up batteries to make the power packs better and safer? See my latest story.)

For the Voice, I’ve signed on as a volunteer copy editor. I’ll take a first look at some of the reporters’ stories, polishing sentences, structure and style. And making sure the reporting and writing answer all the questions. Thanks for reading our work.

Please tell your friends about the Voice. And maybe even click on the donate button.

Mike Krapfl | Copy Editor
[email protected]

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Now, time for this week’s news!

Top Story

Thunderstorms have brought about several watches and warnings to Story County so far this summer. (Stock photo)

Why so stormy? Iowa’s rainy summer brings severe weather to Ames

by Kyle Werner | Published on July 31, 2025

Iowa is known to have mood swings when it comes to weather, but this summer it seems to have gotten angrier than normal.

In Ames, there has been heavy rain, storms and severe weather warnings for most of the month.

And, when it rains, it storms.

With recent derecho threats, tornado warnings and flash flooding, mild weather isn’t expected any time soon.

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City of Ames

Brian Dieter: Making a meaningful difference in health care

by Michael Kitchell | Staff Reporter

Brian Dieter believed he could make a large impact in health care financial administration.

“It was a field that combined my aptitude for leadership and finance with doing something for the greater good — the community,” said Dieter.