Most valuable NCAA basketball teams. Some concerning scores. No sweat. And the ‘model’ governor?

In the aftermath of March Madness, the Wall Street Journal released a ranking of the most valuable NCAA college basketball teams. As you may expect, two of the sports’ most dominant, blue blood programs — the University of North Carolina and Duke University — grossly outrank the rest, each eclipsing $370 million. Indiana University is in third at $279 million. 

Several scrolls later, we found where our state universities rank. The chart shows cash flow, revenue and enterprise value. Iowa State University ranked 28th in enterprise value at $130 million, with $8,853,000 in cash flow and $19 million in revenue. The University of Iowa ranked 45th. Its enterprise value is $93 million, with $6,457,000 in cash flow and $19.2 million in revenue. Des Moines’ own Drake University ranked third among the Iowa colleges and 139th overall, with an enterprise value of $18 million, no noted cash flow and $4.6 million in revenue. The University of Northern Iowa was just behind the Bulldogs, ranked 149th with an enterprise value of $17 million, $87,000 in cash flow and $4.2 million in revenue. … 

The Iowa Business Council released Iowa’s Competitive Dashboard 2025, its annual review of the state’s economic climate. The report measures the state’s national rankings in five categories as ranked against the other 49 states: economic growth, workforce and education, governance, health and wellness, and state demographics. The states are awarded one of three scores for each: outperforming, competitive or underperforming. While Iowa remains competitive overall, some scores are concerning.

In economic growth, Iowa fell from 31st to 33rd in median household income and from 30th to 31st in gross state product. This mirrors the numbers recently released from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis that showed Iowa was one of two states (the other being North Dakota) with negative real growth in 2024, and that Iowa’s personal income growth ranked 48th in the country, ahead of only Nebraska and North Dakota. This appears to contradict what is found in the governance rankings, which say Iowa rose from 23rd to 14th in the top states for business. 

In education, proficiency in fourth-grade reading fell from 17th to 32nd. Proficiency in eighth-grade math fell from 16th to 24th. 

In health and wellness, active primary care providers fell from 26th to 32nd. Iowa has two underperforming scores: Mental health providers remained at 43, and the obese percentage rose, taking Iowa from 38th to 41st. Iowa retains an outperforming score for percent lacking health insurance, but still saw a drop-off in its ranking, from fifth to 11th. …

Those looking to book a summer trip without breaking the bank to leave the country should consider the Amana Colonies. No, this is not a tourism tout, but rather the results of a survey from Turn the Paige Travel, a travel-centric blog, that ranked the Iowa community as one of the best U.S. places to visit with a “foreign feel.” The New Orleans French Quarter was ranked first for good reason. The Amana Colonies ranked 57th. 

“Their well-preserved stone buildings, artisan shops, and German traditions transport visitors back in time. Authentic crafts, hearty German meals, and seasonal festivals offer a deep dive into the enduring heritage of these immigrants, who shaped the region’s culture,” the survey comments stated. …

We Iowans seem to enjoy taking it easy during the colder months. Who can blame us? LiveSportsonTV.com can, apparently. According to a survey by the website, the average Iowan has not broken a sweat in 101 days. Oregon was ranked the most active state, by far, at 19 days since they perspired — allegedly. North Dakota was the worst at 188 days since they wiped sweat from their brow. The website looked at what could be holding Iowans back, besides frigid temperatures for a quarter of the year. A total of 44% stated they would play a sport if they had friends or a group to join, 27% blamed a lack of free time, 16% pointed to a shortage of local opportunities, and 14% said they would play sports if they could play them at home, possibly through virtual reality. …

The Iowa Department of Education has allowed the public to vote for the state’s next education license plate. The decades-old design currently in use is rarely seen, but it has its charm with an apple with a school printed on it, along with books, a cap and gown, a school bus and the lamp of knowledge. The designs up for voting featured original artwork from 16 student semifinalists. None had anything about fourth-grade reading proficiency falling in state rankings from 17th to 32nd …

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed several bills into law on March 28. One was House File 181: “A bill for an act prohibiting open containers of beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol in the passenger area of motor vehicles on highways and making penalties applicable.” Tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, is the main active component found in marijuana. This means drivers with open THC beverages found in their vehicles will be treated similarly to those found with open alcohol containers. Sorry, Cheech and Chong. …

With Gov. Reynolds announcing she will not run for reelection, questions immediately arose as to who will replace her. At this point, any Republican challenger is likely to face State Auditor Rob Sand. Sand has not officially announced a campaign as of press time, but signs point to the former model leading the charge for the Democrats. 

Also, as of press time, former State Representative Brad Sherman is the only Republican to formally announce his campaign. Expect Attorney General Brenna Bird to announce, along with Iowa House Representative Ashley Hinson, Speaker of the House Pat Grassley and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. Randy Feenstra and Zach Nunn, as well as Matt Whitaker and Mike Bousselot, are all other possibilities. Bird will likely have President Trump’s endorsement. Hinson will perform well in eastern Iowa but may struggle statewide. Grassley has more name recognition than anyone ever could. And Naig has traveled the state and become a friendly and familiar face. None, to our knowledge, have modeling experience. ♦