Iowa’s most of the way through a very dry winter which some state officials fear will lead to a dry spring — and a variety of problems. Assistant State Fire Marshal George Howe fears brush fires will again be widespread in Iowa in the coming months.Iowa still needs a considerable amount of moisture to prevent a repeat of last fall’s extremely dry conditions which led to countless field and grass fires. There may be some rain in the state later today — and Howe says he’s hoping for several good soakings in the coming weeks.Howe says as many as 88 counties were under a burn ban late last year.