United States Office of Humanities

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National Endowment for the Humanities

Iowa’s longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Leach has died at 82 years old.

Leach was born and raised in Davenport and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 until 2007. He was a Republican, but broke from his party in 2008, when he endorsed Barack Obama for president over John McCain.

Leach later changed his affiliation to the Democratic Party in 2022 and began backing many of Iowa’s Democratic Congressional candidates over their GOP counterparts. In an interview on IPR’s River to River from that year, Leach said it was the events on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol that spurred him to cross the aisle again.

“Insurrection is absolutely untenable. And then when you have a party in Congress defend it, that’s absolutely bizarre.”

Leach held a law degree from the University of Iowa, where he was the public affairs chair for three years. He also chaired the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2009 to 2013 and was elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Waterloo.

Facing a fierce backlash from President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters, Sen. Joni Ernst issued a positive statement about Trump’s pick to head the Pentagon.

Ernst previously said Pete Hegseth would have to answer “tough questions” about alleged sexual indiscretions, as well as financial irregularities at nonprofit veterans’ groups he led. She noted over the weekend that as Defense Secretary, Hegseth would be managing an $877 billion budget.

Now, after a third meeting with Hegseth, Ernst said the two have had “encouraging conversations.” She ended her statement by saying, “As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

Ernst’s current term as a U.S. senator expires at the end of 2026. She has not announced whether she will seek reelection. Some prominent Trump supporters have posted statements online saying they would support a candidate who challenges Ernst in a 2026 Republican Primary.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall warns there may be collateral damage in rural America if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on mass deportations and increases tariffs.

Duvall says the organization doesn't support tariffs because it draws retaliation — and ag commodities usually take the first hit.

A recent U.S. Labor Department survey found about 44% of American farm workers are undocumented immigrants. Duvall says no one wants criminals from other countries here harming U.S. citizens, but he indicated the Farm Bureau will argue against deporting migrants who are critical to the ag economy.

“What we’re planning on doing is making sure that we take that seat with the president and making sure he understands how valuable this workforce is to our farmers and ranchers.”

Duvall made his comments at the Iowa Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Des Moines this week, where he was the keynote speaker. He has been the American Farm Bureau’s president since 2016.

A central Iowa woman pleaded guilty to a felony charge of presenting false information for an insurance claim.

Tonya Weber, 35, of Marshalltown, made the plea after an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division. The office looked into a report that Weber filed for an injury she said she sustained at the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in February 2024. Weber claimed that she fell in the shower of her hotel room and provided an image of a bruised limb with her insurance claim. But it was later discovered to have been a picture downloaded from the internet.

She received a five year suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay a fine of $1,025 and restitution of $1,152.

The Polk County Board of Supervisors will consider tripling the budget for unhoused families staying in hotel rooms amid record numbers seeking assistance.

In 2022, the cost of temporary hotel stays for unhoused families was $22,000. For 2025, the projected amount will be $300,000.

With only three shelters servicing Des Moines, families are stuck on the waiting list. What used to be a hotel stay for a couple of nights has turned into a couple of weeks. It cost $70,000 to provide hotel stays in October alone, which is almost as much as the program cost all of last year.

Jenna Schuck, who manages Primary Health Care’s intake screening process, says hotel stays are a last resort.

“Their only option is then to potentially sleep outside with that minor child, which we just can't have. That's just not an option.”

More than 140 families are staying in hotels while waiting for one of just 18 rooms to open at a shelter.

Sheila Brummer

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Iowa Public Radio

Gov. Kim Reynolds returned to northwest Iowa Monday to check on the progress of disaster recovery after historic flooding hit early this summer.

Reynolds toured a veteran’s hall severely damaged in downtown Correctionville. It was her first visit to the town since the flood. More than half of the 300 homes in Correctionville sustained some kind of damage.

Mayor Ken Bauer says he’s still trying to calculate the total cost to his community.

“I still get emotional about it. Our recovery is going to take time. The people of the town just have to understand that we're doing the best we can.”

Reynolds says the state asked FEMA to cover 100% of the public needs, but recently found out only 75% will be financed. The rest will come from the state and local communities.

The governor also checked on the progress in the Sioux County town of Rock Valley, where hundreds are still displaced and living in temporary housing.

A task force lawmakers created to make recommendations about Iowa’s Area Education Agencies met for five hours Monday and decided it needs more information before they can make any recommendations.

The Iowa Legislature made changes this year to the funding and structure of AEAs, which provide special education and other services to Iowa schools. The new law includes a task force to suggest improvements. But members said they lack the data they need to move forward.

“This was a very big agenda today, great conversation, but again, it’s all qualitative,” said Adam Magliari, a task force member and superintendent of the Mediapolis school district. “We need some quantitative measures in here, as well.”

The task force is requesting information about special ed funding, AEA staffing and the impact of the new law. They plan to reconvene early next year.

Magliari also proposed recommending that the Legislature delay part of the new law that will divert some special education funding from the AEAs to school districts. The majority of the task force rejected that recommendation.

Wells Fargo is nearing a deal to sell off five of its properties in downtown Des Moines. The potential sale comes after the company relocated its downtown workers to a newly remodeled campus in West Des Moines earlier this year, according to the Business Record.

The move follows the company’s ongoing trend of selling off and downsizing offices in recent years, including two buildings in the Des Moines suburbs.

Wells Fargo announced several rounds of layoffs this year and is cutting another 32 jobs in Des Moines at the end of the month.

State officials said Monday that bird flu was detected in another commercial layer flock with 1.6 million chickens in Sioux County. This is the sixth detection of the H5N1 virus in a poultry operation this year in Iowa.

The virus was first confirmed in commercial poultry flocks in the U.S. in February 2022. Earlier this year, the virus spilled over to dairy cows. Since then, more than 700 herds across 15 states — including Iowa — have been affected.

If poultry and dairy producers suspect signs of H5N1, ag officials say they should contact their veterinarian immediately. They also encourage increasing biosecurity to prevent its spread.

Read more.

Manure spill report finds livestock operations were fined but continued to pollute Iowa waterways

The environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch reviewed a decade of Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ reports on manure spills from livestock operations and they say what they found shows a state in crisis.

Between 2013 and 2023, the Iowa DNR recorded 179 instances of manure discharge into Iowa’s waterways. Of the operations cited, several have prior violations, and ten are repeat offenders.

Michaelyn Mankel, an organizer with Food & Water Watch, says the fines levied against Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, known as CAFOs, are not a deterrent when compared to the profits made by these facilities. She says the fines “don't amount to a reason to change,” which is why the group is calling on lawmakers to step in.

“What we're pushing for at the state Legislature is for medium and large scale CAFO operations to be regulated, the same way we regulate every other industry under the Federal Clean Water Act.”

The DNR has the power to levy administrative fines up to $10,000, but can refer cases to the Environmental Protection Agency and state Attorney General’s office, which can impose larger fines. Over the ten years reviewed by Food & Water Watch, CAFO operators were fined a total of around $728,000.

A nonprofit that operates food pantries in the Des Moines metro saw a record number of people needing food assistance in November. Nearly 30,000 people sought help from the 14 food pantries operated by the Des Moines Area Religious Council. That’s the highest number DMARC has seen since they opened 50 years ago.

DMARC Marketing and Communications Manager Blake Willadsen says the high demand brings a lot of stress, especially for volunteers struggling to keep up with the pace.

“We’ve got a line out the door when we open, and a line out the door as we’re trying to close. Last month, we averaged assisting just under 1,500 people every single day we were open.”

The majority of people only need help for the short term, using the pantry once or twice a year. One out of every three people who go to a DMARC pantry is asking for help for the first time.

Willadsen says donating money, not food, is the best way to support these pantries. DMARC relies on donations to offer items like diapers and formula. They say 50% of new visitors are under 25 years old and have younger children.

Congress appears more and more likely to pass another one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill this month, instead of reauthorizing a new bill.

University of Illinois agriculture policy professor Jonathan Coppess says if work on a new Farm Bill is put off until next year, funding for farm payments and subsidy programs could be trimmed.

“Those typically are on the list of things that conservative organizations and interest groups really want to see cut. They consider that often to be wasteful, market-distorting spending.”

Coppess says SNAP and other federal food assistance programs in the Farm Bill could also face cuts. Several farm organizations and a group of 17 Republican governors have called on Congress to get a new Farm Bill done before adjourning Dec. 20.

Read more from Harvest Public Media’s Jim Meadows.

Katie Peikes

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Iowa Public Radio

Northeast Iowa saw a relatively wet summer and a milder autumn, which meant good news for the region’s harvest. Thanks to the tame weather over the harvest weeks, growers in the area brought in their corn and soybeans in near record time.

Nearly all of northeast Iowa’s corn reached maturity, despite experiencing the second driest October in 152 years. Iowa State University field agronomist Terry Basol says the drier conditions helped speed the corn harvest up and could help farmers make up some financial ground.

“The moisture was low enough so that there wasn’t as much drying needed. That helped the economics, especially considering the lower commodity prices over the past few years. Every little bit certainly helps the growers.”

Basol says farmers might face some difficulties in moving their crop, as the southern Mississippi River has only recently hit average levels for the season. This marks the third fall in a row that the river has been below average levels. Additionally, corn prices are already expected to be down by about 30% from 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The attorney who made history this week as the first openly transgender lawyer to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court has a connection with an Iowa college. Chase Strangio graduated from Grinnell College in 2004 and is co-director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Project.

Strangio argued against Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. He represented three transgender kids and their families, as well as a Tennessee doctor in Wednesday’s oral arguments.

The outcome of the case could have implications for states, including Iowa, that have similar bans in place.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship detected bird flu in a Sioux County flock with approximately 4.3 million commercial layer chickens. Gov. Kim Reynolds authorized a disaster proclamation for the county in response.

This is the state’s fourth detection of H5N1 in poultry this year and the first detection since June.

Ag officials say poultry producers and people with backyard flocks should contact their veterinarian immediately if they suspect signs of H5N1. They also encourage people with livestock to bolster biosecurity on their farms.

The virus was detected at 13 dairy herds in northwest Iowa in June.

The USDA announced the start of its National Milk Testing Strategy Friday. Part of this requires testing samples of raw, unpasteurized milk at dairy processing facilities starting Dec. 16. They said this will allow the agency to identify where the disease is present, monitor trends and help states identify potentially affected herds.

Health officials say heat-treated pasteurized milk remains safe.

Read more.

Iowa State continues its historic football season this weekend at the Big 12 championship game. The Cyclones face off against the Arizona State Sun Devils in Arlington, Texas, at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The team made its first appearance in the championship game in 2020. Coach Matt Campbell says some of the players who were part of that game are helping teammates focus on playing their best on the biggest stage.

“It's great to have some of those experiences, because I think sometimes with a game like this it's all the other stuff that can suffocate you. But the reality of it is poise in the moment, the ability to play really good football, the ability to take care of the ball and the ability to do your job in the moment.”

Iowa State has not won its conference since 1912. This year, the program recorded ten wins in the regular season for the first time in its 133-year history.

Iowa is among the worst states in the country for physician-to-patient ratio.

It ranks 44th in the United States for physicians per capita, according to the Iowa Medical Society. The problem is especially acute for patients in rural areas seeking specialized care.

For example, Dr. Christi Taylor, chief medical officer of Clover Health, said a new patient trying to see a neurologist could have to wait upwards of six months to get an appointment.

“We are seeing a true crisis in the physician workforce,” Taylor said.

Another way this manifests is in maternal healthcare deserts. According to data from the Iowa Medical Society, 31 obstetric units have closed in Iowa from 1999 to 2023. This has led to more rural mothers delivering at hospitals in urban areas.

Healthcare professionals are working on solutions to the shrinking workforce. The Iowa Medical Society is gathering representatives from across the state for an invite-only summit on growing and retaining the physician workforce. Operation I.O.W.A. (Innovative Opportunities for Workforce Action) will be held in Des Moines on Friday.

Read more from IPR.

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is not yet ready to say how she will vote on President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Pentagon.

During an appearance on Fox News Thursday, Ernst indicated she has not gotten to ‘yes’ on Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be U.S. Secretary of Defense. Ernst said she had a “very thorough discussion” with Hegseth on Wednesday about allegations that have been made against him.

Ernst, the first female combat veteran elected to the U.S. Senate, is a sexual assault survivor. She said on Fox that “a number senators” want to make sure that “any allegations against Hegseth have been cleared” before his confirmation vote.

Ernst indicated the vetting of Hegseth will continue for “the next month or so,” until his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services, which Ernst serves on.

Another Republican on the committee praised Hegseth after meeting with him Thursday. However, South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds said he wants Hegseth to be able to respond publicly to the accusations against him at the committee’s confirmation hearing in January.

The Japanese company Ajinomoto agreed to pay a $458,265 federal fine after two hazardous chemical releases from its grain processing facility in southeast Iowa. The company operates two plants in Eddyville, one that makes food and seasonings, and another that makes animal feed.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inspected the two facilities after a 2021 incident when hydrochloric gas was released, and again after a 2022 chlorine leak. Both incidents led to evacuations and shelter-in-place orders for residents in the Eddyville area. According to the EPA, some Ajinomoto employees were injured by the chlorine leak two years ago.

The EPA accused Ajinomoto of failing to coordinate with local emergency responders about the risks associated with chemicals being used at the facility. As part of the settlement, Ajinomoto agreed to install an anhydrous ammonia containment system on its Eddyville campus.

A spokesperson for Ajinomoto was not immediately available for comment.

State health data shows less than a quarter of Iowans have received a flu shot so far this season. That’s down from a third of the state who got the shot last flu season.

Aneesa Afroze, an infectious disease consultant with MercyOne in Des Moines, recommends even those who are young and healthy get the shot before the holiday season.

“Even if you get sick, you're still going to have some immunity. You're not going to get really sick, you're going to avoid a hospitalization.”

Afroze says getting the flu shot also protects young children and elderly people, who are at the greatest risk of getting severely ill from the flu.

Black Hawk County will hold a special election next month to fill a county supervisor’s seat. The current supervisor, Dan Trelka, is resigning Jan. 1, 2025, to become a police chief in Colorado.

Trelka is the lone Republican on the board of supervisors, which means the board could be filled 100% by Democrats next year. So far, four Democrats in the county have announced their intention to run.

Black Hawk County Democrats chairperson Vikki Brown says that shows her party is hopeful for local change after a disappointing general election.

“The Democrats are still pretty much engaged, and all elections are pretty much local. We’ll pick up and we’ll start right here. This is what we have right now, and this is what we’re working toward.”

The election will be held Jan. 28, 2025, with nominations from both parties expected in the coming weeks.

The Iowa Taxpayers Association gave Gov. Kim Reynolds the Linda S. Weindruch Award Thursday for her tax and budget policies.

They praised Reynolds’ efforts to reach a flat income tax rate of 3.8% starting next year, as well as corporate and retirement tax cuts. Reynolds says she’s honored to receive the award and a recent national award from the Tax Foundation. She says the federal government should have policies like Iowa’s.

“As Washington prepares for taxes to take center stage in the new administration, there’s a new growth-oriented, fiscally-conscious model to look to in the heartland. Because if our story shows anything, it’s just how much taxpayers have to gain when their leaders are fighting for them.”

Reynolds didn’t give details of what she will do next on taxes, but she says, “the best is yet to come.”

Photo courtesy of UnitedHealthcare

The manhunt is still underway in New York City after Iowa native and UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death outside his hotel Wednesday morning while in town for a conference.

Thompson, 50, lived in Minneapolis with his family. He grew up in Hamilton County, Iowa, and was a 1997 University of Iowa graduate. He graduated in 1993 from South Hamilton High School in Jewell, where Todd Coy is the principal.

“He was an outstanding student. It’s been over 30 years, probably 31 years since Brian was here at South Hamilton, but he still stands out as one of those students that definitely left a lasting impression on staff and the Class of ’93.”

Coy says everyone there remembers Thompson.

“He was that model student, always striving for excellence. I mean, if he missed an answer on a test, he wanted to know why, and could it have possibly been that the question was worded wrong? So, he was a great kid.”

Police in New York say it appears the slaying was a “brazen, targeted attack” that was not random. Security video shows the masked man using a gun with a silencer, repeatedly shooting Thompson from behind outside of the hotel.

Coy says everyone is stunned by the news.

“It’s shocking. I feel for his family. I’ve only probably had conversations with Brian two or three times since he graduated, but it was just like old times when he came back — very personable, built great relationships with people.”

Investigators say the gunman fled the scene on foot, then on a bike, but they lost his trail in Central Park a few blocks away. Reports say a cell phone and a water bottle were found that may have been dropped by the shooter, along with shell casings.

Reports say UnitedHealthcare was aware of threats against its high-level executives. Thompson had been at the company since 2004 and was named chief executive in 2021.

Iowa is experiencing a shortage of dentists who take patients with Medicaid coverage, and officials in northwest Iowa say children are especially impacted.

Tracy Gotto, a community resource specialist at the Buena Vista County Health Department, says of the five dentists who serve the community of Storm Lake, no one accepts Medicaid patients. The only place that does is the local health center.

“Dentists are just saying that they can't do it based on the reimbursement, and I think we're just having this crisis all over. We were sending kids to Fort Dodge at one point, and now Fort Dodge is saying they can't take any more kids either.”

The need for Medicaid providers is so great that a free “Mission of Mercy” clinic in Sioux City in October treated 1,000 people for free, but was forced to turn down another 1,000, who officials say exhausted all other options for care.

The president of the State Dental Association, Chris Bogue, says his organization plans to push state lawmakers to act.

“It is hard, and that's the struggle. As dentists, we want to do everything we can to help when we actually see the patients. We're probably getting paid 20 to 30 cents on the dollar. And that doesn't even cover overhead for a lot of the cases.”

Bogue also wants the Iowa Legislature to address a severe shortage of dental hygienists and assistants.

Photo provided by Miller-Meeks congressional staff

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks says it’s time to crack down on the business practices of Pharmacy Benefit Managers. PBMs negotiate the prices of medications on behalf of insurers. Miller-Meeks and other critics say PBMs drive down the prices paid to the pharmacies that fill prescriptions in order to pocket a bigger cut of the insurance payout.

“Currently, 97% of all prescription drugs in the United States flow through just six major PBMs. These entities are destroying independent pharmacies…This year alone, 25 independent pharmacies have closed in Iowa and this has to stop.”

Miller-Meeks is among a large, bipartisan group of lawmakers from the U.S. House and Senate who are calling for passage of a bill before Congress adjourns for the year.

“The time for PBM reform is now… Every American who utilizes prescription medications experiences the impact that PBMs and vertical integration have on our health care system. Patients everywhere, and our independent pharmacists especially, deserve a more transparent health care system where patients always come first.”

Miller-Meeks backs legislation that would prohibit PBMs from forcing patients to use a certain pharmacy rather than the one that’s closest to them. It would also ban PBMs from paying lower rates to independent pharmacies than it pays affiliated pharmacies for the same services.

Contraceptives like birth control pills, IUDs, emergency contraception, arm implants and the vaginal ring are used to prevent pregnancies. But they do more than that. In fact, one in seven women who use contraception use it for non-pregnancy related reasons, like managing and treating blood disorders, endometriosis and other diagnoses.

But birth control has become a hot-button issue embroiled in political debates and misinformation, which worries reproductive rights advocates about what the future may hold for people’s access to these medications.

Federal lawmakers and 17 states have tried to pass legislation to protect birth control access, but Republican votes blocked these efforts. Some lawmakers have falsely tied contraceptive methods to having an abortion, and researchers believe that may threaten access to birth control.

Read more from Side Effects Public Media’s Elizabeth Gabriel.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, is now open for the next academic year. FAFSA has had issues since an effort to upgrade the process and forms were delayed last year, but University of Northern Iowa Director of Financial Aid Tim Bakula says it’s back up and running.

Students and their families can complete their application online at the same website as before. Bakula says the improved form provides clearer instructions and more opportunities to make edits.

Filling out the FAFSA form takes 45 minutes to an hour, according to Bakula. He recommends that students interested in attending college fill out the application because it’s the key way to find out financial aid eligibility, as well as work study eligibility.

“Many colleges and universities will use the FAFSA results to determine some scholarship eligibility. Although that’s not the FAFSA’s primary focus.”

Bakula says deadlines vary per school, so he suggests families fill it out sooner rather than later. Some schools have a priority deadline as early as February.

“Probably the best thing to do for a student would be to go out and look at the colleges that they’re kind of considering and see what dates exist.”

To complete the FAFSA, he says families need their 2023 tax return.

A baby girl was turned over to the state last month under the Safe Haven program.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services says the girl was born on Nov. 11 and will be placed with a foster family until permanent placement is determined. This is the sixth baby turned over to the state this year. Two babies were turned over in both March and May, and in August, a girl was turned over.

A total of 72 babies have been turned over under the program, which allows babies up to 90 days old to be given up without any questions asked. The Safe Haven law was created more than 20 years ago after a newborn infant, who had been strangled, was found abandoned in a snowbank in the town of Chelsea.

Republican leaders in the Iowa Legislature say they plan to focus on property tax relief when lawmakers return to the Statehouse next month.

The Legislature passed a bill targeting property taxes in 2023, but Republican leaders say they want to do more.

House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, says he has heard a lot of concerns about property taxes from Iowans.

“People want to make sure that their homes are affordable, and if they’ve made the investment into their homes, that they’re not getting taxed out of them. They also want to make sure that if they are paying those property taxes, that they’re being used for the appropriate government services that property taxes should be paid for.”

Property tax rates are controlled by local governments, which have pushed back against state attempts to restrict their authority to tax and spend.

Democratic leaders say they would also like to see property taxes go down, but they want to ensure communities can fund things like public safety and education.

New research from the Union of Concerned Scientists shows wetlands in Iowa help prevent nearly $500 million in flooding damage each year. The nonprofit’s finding builds on peer-reviewed research, which estimates one acre of wetlands provides $745 of flood mitigation benefits to residential homes.

The report’s author, Stacy Woods, says wetlands are natural floodwater barriers. They absorb and slow down rushing water like a sponge.

“We know that flooding is a significant issue. It's expensive, and it's getting worse as the climate warms.”

In the last two decades, Iowa has had six flood disasters, with losses exceeding $1 billion.

Federal data from 2009-2019 shows a decline in the number of wetlands, especially in the Prairie Pothole region, the Great Lakes and the southeast. Woods says this trend could accelerate as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that stripped away federal protections in the Clean Water Act for many wetlands.

“In our report, we were only looking at how wetlands benefit communities by mitigating flood damage. But of course, wetlands bring so many benefits to communities”

The report recommends boosting conservation programs that help restore and protect these habitats.

Senate Republicans have tried multiple times to require certain low-income Iowans to work in order to receive government funded health insurance. In the next legislative session, they may make another attempt. Such work requirements would need federal approval, which the incoming Trump administration would be more likely to provide.

State Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, says Senate Republicans will pursue that policy again in the legislative session that begins Jan. 13.

“Health care in Iowa, it is important that folks have it. But it shouldn’t be something that keeps people in poverty. And so, getting people job training and having them seek a job while they’re receiving free health care from taxpayers, I think, is a common sense proposal.”

House Minority Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, says lawmakers should make sure they understand why some people who receive public assistance aren’t working.

“It could be child care costs, it could be issues that aren’t addressed by work requirements. And I think we need to look at this more holistically and a little bit more specifically rather than just taking an axe and applying the same thing to everybody.”

People traveling with hidden disabilities like autism, dementia, asthma and celiac disease can now notify airport staff at the Des Moines International Airport by wearing a sunflower lanyard or pin. The sunflower symbol is intended to subtly let staff know that an adult or child requires extra time due to a hidden disability.

Des Moines Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin Foley says no changes were made to the services the airport offers, but the sunflower is meant to discretely notify staff.

“Even an individual with no disability, that doesn't travel frequently, oftentimes, can need additional understanding. So, this just identifies those who we should be giving additional patience to.”

Foley says employees across departments were trained on the new program, including staff at check-in counters, TSA agents and restaurant workers.

The airport is the second place in Iowa to join the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program and is one of more than 280 airports across the world that are part of the program.

People can pick up lanyards or pins for free at places like Broadlawns Medical Center, ChildServe and the Alzheimer's Association. They do not need to show proof of a diagnosis in order to receive a lanyard or pin.

An international company plans to shut down a western Iowa facility in February 2025. According to an official state notice, CDS Global will close a location in Harlan in 60 days, impacting 94 positions.

The Des Moines-based company is part of the Hearst Corporation and manages magazine subscriptions and orders. The company’s website shows CDS Global also operates in Boone, Tipton and Wilton, in addition to New York City and the UK.

CDS Global did not reply to IPR’s requests for comment regarding the layoffs.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and Attorney General Brenna Bird are suing the Biden administration for refusing to provide a list of noncitizens registered to vote shortly before the election.

They say federal officials must respond to the state’s inquiries about registered voters’ citizenship status, and are asking a federal court to order the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to release that information. It could then be used for criminal investigations of noncitizens who registered to vote or who voted.

Speaking with reporters a day before announcing the lawsuit, Pate said he was very frustrated and disappointed that federal officials wouldn’t give him that list before Election Day.

“We could have been able to know exactly how many noncitizens were registered in Iowa and dealt with those in a very specific and targeted way, rather than have to do the awkward approach we had to this time.”

Pate proceeded with challenging the ballots of voters who appeared on a flawed list of potential noncitizens, most of whom were eligible to vote.

John Deere announced another round of layoffs at its Waterloo plant. The company says 112 positions will go on indefinite leave starting Jan. 3.

John Deere cited a drop in net income of $3 billion over the past fiscal year and lessened demand for equipment as contributing factors in the decision. Reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicating that crop prices are expected to continue declining also influenced the decision.

In a statement, the company said, “To remain globally competitive, we must continue making workforce adjustments as needed to our manufacturing footprint.”

Deere’s Waterloo operation currently employs 4,700 workers, over half of whom are in manufacturing and maintenance.

Deere has laid off more than 2,800 workers companywide since October of 2023, with 1,075 of those layoffs hitting northeast Iowa.

Beginning next year, libraries throughout the state will discontinue the Iowa Adventure Pass program. The service has provided library cardholders with free entry to attractions like museums and zoos since its inception in Grimes in 2017.

Since then, 79 other libraries across the state have adopted the program. But now, Grimes Public Library Assistant Director Karalee Kerr says the Massachusetts-based provider facilitating the service is shutting down at the end of the year.

“It's been very, very popular, so we were a little bit surprised to get the notification that the software company wasn't going to continue. But it's never been in doubt that we would look for ways to make it continue.”

Grimes is seeking a new vendor to facilitate the program and hopes to bring back the Iowa Adventure Pass sometime in the new year.

Wolf Carbon Solutions withdrew its pipeline permit application Monday with the Iowa Utilities Commission.

The company partnered with Archer-Daniels-Midland to build a pipeline that would transport carbon dioxide produced at ADM’s ethanol plants in Clinton and Cedar Rapids and store it deep underground near Decatur, Ill. Nearly 100 miles of pipeline would have cut through portions of Linn, Cedar, Clinton and Scott counties.

In Wolf’s filing to withdraw its permit application in Iowa, the company said several factors delayed its progress on the project, causing the company to “cease pursuit of the required regulatory approvals at this time.” Wolf withdrew its application in Illinois last year after a state regulator recommended denying Wolf a permit.

Emma Schmit, director of Bold Alliance’s Pipeline Fighters, an organization that has been pushing back on this and other proposed carbon dioxide pipeline projects in the Midwest, said this the announcement was not surprising.

“I think we were all kind of anticipating this was going to be the ultimate conclusion, just because we haven’t really heard anything from them since they withdrew in Illinois… The odds are in our favor that we’re not going to see these projects,” she said, pointing to a recent study in Nature that shows 70% of carbon capture and storage project proposals for ethanol plants have failed since 1972.

Another pipeline company, Navigator, withdrew its permit applications in Iowa and Illinois last year. Summit Carbon Solutions received approval in Iowa this summer, but still needs permits in other states.

Wolf and ADM did not respond to IPR’s requests for comment.

A panel made up of five of Iowa’s statewide elected officials voted unanimously to certify the 2024 election results Monday, finalizing the counting of Iowans’ votes.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says the official results show 74.1% of registered voters participated in the election. He says that’s “very impressive,” but it falls short of the record set in 2020.

Registered Republicans cast more absentee votes than Democrats in this election. The last time that happened in Iowa was 24 years ago. Pate says there are “a lot of variables” that could have caused this.

“It was very clear to me, at least on the Republican side, they were encouraged — it was an ok thing to do. There was resistance four years ago to vote absentee by the Republican Party, to some extent, but I think they got much more comfortable with that.”

Pate says about 40% of all the votes cast were absentee, which includes voting by mail and early in-person voting. That amount is in line with elections before 2020, when absentee voting was encouraged during the pandemic.

Pate says Iowa’s presidential electors will meet Dec. 17 to cast the state’s six Electoral College votes for President-elect Donald Trump.

Four different business groups are calling on state utility regulators to adopt a series of reforms to address both the cost and the supply of power for Iowa consumers.

Bob Rafferty represents Iowa Business for Clean Energy, one the groups that participated in a recent study that he says asked a basic question: “How do we evolve the way we regulate this electric grid so we can have the most reliable, lowest cost and cleanest electric grid ten and 20 years from now?”

Rafferty says the study has four major recommendations that would allow the state-regulated utilities to make infrastructure improvements while ensuring rate increases in the electric bills that businesses and individuals pay are reasonable.

The Iowa Utilities Commission recently issued an order that increased Alliant Energy’s rates for Iowa businesses by 15%. Residential rates went up 6%. Rafferty says that should be an eye opener because Alliant’s Iowa customers now pay electric rates that are higher than the average residential and commercial rates in 37 other states.

“Electric prices are only going to become more and more important as the economy becomes more and more dependent on electricity as opposed to gas.”

The business groups are asking the Iowa Utilities Commission to use what’s called “Integrated Resource Planning” when evaluating future electric rate increases. Rafferty says it’s a method that analyzes both the expected demand and supply of electricity in the future, with the goal of considering all options for arriving at the most affordable rates.

Nearly 90% of Iowa residents receive drinking water with added fluoride. The mineral helps protect against cavities. But that might change under an incoming Trump administration that says it will advise against fluoridating public water systems.

The government has fluoridated water since the 1940s. It’s been so successful at reducing cavities that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dubbed it one of the greatest public health interventions of the 20th century.

There’s plenty of evidence that affirms its benefit, but emerging research suggests some association between high fluoride exposure levels and lower childhood IQ.

Donald Chi, with the School of Dentistry at the University of Washington, cautions against changing recommendations too soon and says there would be clear consequences for removing fluoride.

“Rarely is one study going to definitively tell us all the answers we need to make a decision. Science is cumulative.”

Chi says more studies about risks are needed, and he hopes that politicization doesn’t get in the way of having science-based discussions about public health recommendations.

Read more from Side Effects Public Media.

The Des Moines Police Department released the name of the man killed by officers in a shooting at a downtown apartment building last week.

Charles Leonard, 70, was shot and killed when two officers saw him raise a pistol in their direction. What he was holding turned out to be a pellet gun made to look like a handgun. It was found without an orange plastic safety tip.

The DMPD also released the names of the officers involved in the incident: Senior Police Officer Christian Bishop has been with the department for four years and Senior Police Officer Lanny Herzog, who joined the DMPD in 2022. Both are still on administrative leave while state investigators review the shooting.

Republicans will have an even greater majority in the Iowa Legislature for the upcoming session, which could have an impact on ongoing water quality issues for Iowans.

The state’s Natural Resources and Outdoor Trust Fund, which was meant to provide permanent funding for water quality and conservation projects, has sat virtually empty since it was approved by voters 14 years ago.

Iowa Environmental Council Staff Attorney Michael Schmidt says if GOP lawmakers aim to enact more tax cuts, it might not be funded any time soon. And if tax cuts also force budget reductions, Schmidt says that could impact the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and reduce water protection that the agency provides.

“Changes in taxes can definitely affect the ability of agencies like the DNR to get their job done. [The] DNR has a big job in Iowa, and so it needs the financial support to have the staff to do that job.”

The Republican majority will be the largest seen in the Iowa Legislature since 1970.

Des Moines University’s medical programs could have more students from Voorhees University in South Carolina thanks to a new partnership. The program is DMU’s first official collaboration with a historically Black university.

Voorhees students who apply and meet requirements for specific programs at DMU will automatically be guaranteed interviews. These programs include professional doctorates in osteopathic medicine, podiatry and physical therapy, as well as master’s programs in biomedical sciences and physician assistant studies.

DMU’s Senior Director of Admissions and Recruitment Molly Moeller says the partnership supports the university’s mission to produce competent and compassionate health care providers.

“Providing culturally competent care is critical, and that's part of that whole package of the compassionate, empathetic, competent provider. And so that cultural competency, one of the best ways, is to have a class that is diverse so they can learn from one another directly.”

DMU also offers three graduate programs where Voorhees students can earn credits towards their undergraduate and graduate degrees at the same time.

A Waterloo-based marimba performance group is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with a series of concerts.

Heartland Marimba began as a week-long summer festival and workshop held at Iowa State University. Since then, founder Matthew Coley has grown the group into an ensemble of performers that frequently tours the Midwest.

“It’s just really great to think we’ve been active and actively growing, actively connecting with communities and executing amazing projects for ten years.”

The Heartland Marimba Orchestra will play holiday concerts in Waterloo on Dec. 14 and Dubuque on Dec. 15.

A researcher at Simpson College in Indianola is working with NASA to understand how a lack of gravity changes how cells function.

Biology professor Aswati Subramanian was awarded a $30,000 seed grant to work with research students on the space biology project. Subramanian specializes in studying a single-cell organism as a model for human cells.She recently explained on IPR’s River to River that the organism’s hair-like structures are similar to cells in human lungs that clear our airways.

“Sending Tetrahymena to space gives us the advantage of understanding how space-like conditions affect human explorers who are exposed to space dust, for example, aerosols, so on and so forth.”

Simpson students are helping design experiments to study how cells respond to changes in gravity. Subramanian hopes the project starts an ongoing connection between the space agency and the central Iowa college.

Hear more of the conversation on River to River.

Mental health experts say Iowa is facing a critical shortage of providers, especially during the stressful holiday season. Some patients are turning to telehealth for care.

Tarrah Holliday, a nurse practitioner, treats anywhere from 24 to 30 patients a day at Zion Integrated Medical Services in Atlantic.

“With the influx of need, especially at this time of year, all mental health facilities are very overwhelmed and often patients are going to their primary care provider.”

Holliday says there are only 300 psychiatry providers statewide, but the shortage of care can be found beyond Iowa.

“It’s actually a nationwide problem. There just are not enough providers, and there are lengthy wait lists. Some offices you can get in within three months. Some, it takes up to six months.”

As a solution, Holliday says 75% of her clients turn to telehealth.

“Many patients really prefer and feel more comfortable in their own environment, and that has been extremely beneficial for them. We're still able to assess them and physically see them, order labs or testing that we need.”

For in-patient services, Iowa is ranked last in the U.S. for the number of state psychiatric beds per 100,000 residents, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach reports Iowa is ranked 45^th in the nation for mental health providers per capita.

A new craft studio geared towards people with ADHD is now open in Des Moines.

The Glitter Factory is both a store and an open studio, where people can take classes or do crafts by themselves. For a flat fee of $20, people can choose from activities like moss art, button making and beading at what are called “hyperfixation stations.”

Britney Brown, founder of The Glitter Factory, was diagnosed with ADHD and autism as an adult. She also works as a neurodiversity consultant, and says she’s constantly honing her own techniques for making the place more neurodivergent friendly.

“We shift, we find a new way. We figure out a new strategy, we figure out a new learning tool. That allows me to create a more accessible space in real time, which is different, but also very valuable.”

The store offers Blind Date with a Hobby sessions, where people can sign up for a mystery craft that will be revealed to them in class. They also offer a subscription service for $25 that will deliver a new craft to your home every month.

A new report has found Iowa's rates of new lung cancer are among the highest in the nation.

The State of Lung Cancer report by the American Lung Association found Iowa has a rate of 61.2 new diagnoses per 100,000 people, and ranks 39^th out of 49 states.

Iowa also falls below the national average when it comes to lung cancer survival rates and early diagnosis.

Kristina Hamilton, director of advocacy with the American Lung Association in Illinois and Iowa, says one recommendation is that policymakers raise the state tax on cigarettes.

“The cigarette tax hasn't been raised in Iowa since 2007, so of course, the economy has changed so much since 2007. It's past time for Iowa to increase cigarette taxes.”

Hamilton says cigarette use and high levels of radon are leading causes of lung cancer in Iowa.

Insects play a crucial role in ecosystems all around the world, and scientists say we still have much more to discover. That includes how the tiny creatures talk to each other.

Now, more researchers are studying insect vibrations to find new and practical applications. Researchers at Oregon State University, for instance, are using robots to mimic insect sounds to protect vineyards from pests. Washington State University researchers have looked into protecting pear trees from a pest species called pear psylla by disrupting their mating vibrations and reproduction rates.

Read more about one Midwestern professor’s research that has been foundational to the field.

A University of Iowa researcher found practicing gratitude can have many positive impacts on our overall health.

Harleah Buck, a professor of gerontological nursing at the University of Iowa, says the practice of gratitude has been linked to many benefits in our bodies, such as improving heart health and reducing inflammation.

Buck has conducted a few studies on how the practice of gratitude can affect our bodies. She says she expected the practice to help boost your mood, but she was surprised by some of the physiological benefits.

“What I was not expecting at all was the fact that actually our venous system and our arterial system responds to it... that they work better.”

Buck says people who want to practice gratitude can start by writing down something they are grateful for every day or just expressing more gratitude to those around them.

A University of Northern Iowa sustainability program received $175,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency to help craft breweries become more eco-friendly.

The Iowa Green Brewery Certification program has been around for about eight years and has taught small brewing operations how to reuse water and recycle spent grain.

Jennifer Trent manages the Iowa Waste Reduction Center’s Food, Beverage and Organic Waste program and is one of the creators of the certification. She says the money will go toward expanding the program, as breweries across the country have asked for help

“We would like to see this program expand across the nation. We’ve received calls from ten different states, since we started this program, interested in creating a similar program.”

So far, the program has helped over 30 small breweries in Iowa become more sustainable. Immediate growth plans for the Iowa Green Brewery Certification include regional partnerships at universities in Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.

Graphic by Madeleine Charis King

The Associated Press called Iowa's 1st Congressional District race for Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks after a recount was requested by her Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan.

Miller-Meeks defeated Bohannan by less than a percentage point, which is fewer than 1,000 votes, according to the AP.

Miller-Meeks' victory means she will go on to serve a third term in Congress. She was first elected to her seat in 2020 by just six votes. This year’s election was a rematch of 2022, when Miller-Meeks won her reelection bid, defeating Bohannan by 20,000 votes.

Iowa’s 1st District was considered to be one of the most competitive in the country.

Read more.

A grant program aimed at strengthening local food supply chains is awarding millions of dollars across the state. Two dozen small and mid-sized farms, food businesses and distributors are receiving money from the grant to purchase equipment and scale up.

Giselle Bruskewitz, who is on the state steering committee for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program, says the goal is to boost capacity in the middle of the supply chain and support local and regional producers. Along with nearly $3 million in grants, the program is investing nearly $1 million into Iowa’s wholesale food hubs.

“When the food hubs can work with a group of producers, they can get the scale and the quantity to be able to provide for those larger markets and get to those pallet-level sales that one individual farm most likely would not be able to achieve on their own.”

One of the grant recipients is Long Walk Farm in Council Bluffs. It will use the funds to purchase equipment to process produce and deliver it to schools, restaurants and retail stores in southwest Iowa.

The program is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Des Moines police now say the 70-year-old man shot and killed by two officers Tuesday was holding a pellet gun.

The officers responded to a downtown apartment building on a report of a man pointing a gun at someone. When officers approached the lobby of the building, authorities say the man raised a pistol in their direction.

That pistol turned out to be a black Airsoft pellet gun. The DMPD says this model of pellet gun is sold with an orange plastic safety tip, but the gun recovered at the scene did not have an orange tip attached.

The shooting remains under investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

When people think about their health, they probably think about whether they’ve been getting enough exercise, what their diet looks like or whether they remembered to take their medications.

Spirituality –– feelings of purpose, connections to people around them or to something greater than themselves –– isn't typically on their radar.

But some hospitals have begun to embrace programs targeted at spiritual support in addition to direct health care ones. Those programs are supported by a growing body of research on the health benefits of spiritual practice.

One of those programs is out of Indiana University Health, which connects people being discharged from the hospital with individuals called “connectors” if the patient doesn’t have a community support network of their own.

Read more about spirituality in health care from Side Effects Public Media’s Benjamin Thorp.

It has been a tradition to eat turkey for Thanksgiving since the 1800s. But some data suggests the turkey has lost footing in recent years.

The 2023 holiday season saw the least amount of turkey sold since 1980. Consumption of whole turkeys was at just over four pounds per capita, according to research by Brian Earnest, an economist at the rural cooperative bank and farm lender CoBank.

Even with the dip, Earnest says most shoppers are still choosing turkey for their Thanksgiving meal.

“In general, though, as consumer preferences are changing, we may — ten years from now — look back and say, well, there was a shift kind already occurring with [the] younger population, that they didn’t think about the pilgrims and have that story in mind when they’re preparing for a holiday.”

Smaller gatherings and a focus on convenience may be driving more people toward things like hams or roasts, Earnest’s research suggests.

Read more.

Des Moines police say a 70-year-old man was shot and killed by officers when he raised a gun in their direction.

The officers were sent to an apartment building in downtown Des Moines early Tuesday morning after someone called 911 reporting a man pointing a gun at a woman.

When officers arrived, they saw the man in the lobby of the building. According to the Des Moines Police Department, he pointed a pistol toward the approaching officers, and they fired in response.

A department spokesperson says one of the officers has four years of experience in law enforcement and the other has been with the DMPD since 2022. Both are on administrative leave while the incident is reviewed by state investigators.

In a statement, Des Moines Police Chief Michael McTaggart said the department’s objective is to deescalate tense situations, but when faced with a threat, officers are forced to make split-second decisions.

With Black Friday only a couple days away, the holiday season is an easy time for people to find themselves in debt and experiencing financial stress, according to Carol Ehlers with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Ehlers, a human sciences specialist, says this time of year, people need to be thoughtful of their money.

“I think the important thing is to look for opportunities to better understand you and your money and the emotions around shopping. The joy of being able to find something that's special for a friend or a family member, that's very important too. But how important it is to be mindful of what we are spending? And to think about opportunities to learn more about you and your money.”

Ehlers recommends consumers spend no more than 1.5% of their income. She says shoppers should create a budget, a detailed gift list and use cash instead of credit.

TransUnion’s Holiday Shopping Report shows more than half of Americans plan on spending the same amount as last year, with about 40% spending less. According to a national survey by NerdWallet, about a third of Americans haven’t paid off credit card debt from last Christmas.

Read more.

Gov. Kim Reynolds says she wants to restrict cell phone use in Iowa schools to ensure kids aren’t distracted from learning and are connecting with their classmates.

Reynolds says she is still working on her proposal and hasn’t provided details about how she would restrict cell phone use in schools. But she wants to respect the work that has already been done by some school districts in Iowa to restrict cell phone use in different ways.

“So, I want to supplement that and enhance that. I don’t want to really step on anything that they’ve done. So, it’ll probably be more of a floor, is what we’re looking at, but just to encourage people to really move in that direction.”

Reynolds says the stories she has heard from districts that have restricted phone use are very encouraging. She says students need to be focused on learning, and cell phones have been a major distraction.

Iowa’s legislative session begins Jan. 13, 2025.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is offering Iowa schools $8.5 million in federal funding to reward teachers who show they have accelerated student learning.

Each district that applies for the money can earn up to $500,000 per year for the current and next school years. The funds can be used to supplement the salaries of the top 10% of teachers in the district whose students show more than one year of learning.

Individual teachers can receive a bonus of up to $2,500 per year.

Reynolds says the program builds on teacher pay increases passed in the Iowa Legislature.

Funding for the accelerated learning grants comes from money allocated to the state through the federal American Rescue Plan.

Millions of dollars in aid for students experiencing homelessness is scheduled to return to the U.S. Treasury in January. The federal rescue plan assistance expired in September, but states — including Iowa — still have millions to spend.

Since 2021, the American Rescue Plan funds have helped school districts provide school supplies and services to homeless students, but, overall, states have struggled to spend the available money.

Iowa reports $1.4 million leftover from its $3.5 million grant under the plan. Nationwide, roughly $280 million remains from the initial $800 million.

Deirdre Nicholson, who leads the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, says the extra money — when spent — makes a difference.

“Additional funding can really propel outcomes in a positive direction for students experiencing homelessness.”

School districts have until January to apply for extensions and reimbursements for the funding.

Read more.

President-elect Donald Trump is proposing to enact new tariffs for China, Mexico and Canada when he takes office next year. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley says during a trade war, United States agriculture exports are often the first casualty.

Grassley says he would rather see tariffs decrease, but thinks Trump is using the increases as a negotiating tool.

“I'm going to be doing everything I can in the Congress to have more trade, more fair trade agreements and always, constantly, telling the president to be cautious about what you're doing so it doesn't hurt American agriculture.”

Grassley says during the first Trump administration, those tariffs led to a deal with China promising to buy $200 billion more of U.S. exports. But China ended up buying far less than that and relied on other countries for many ag commodities.

The USDA sent over $23 billion worth of trade disruption payments to farmers to compensate for China's reduction in U.S. grain and meat purchases.

As the end of the year approaches, Iowa biofuel producers are still waiting for the U.S. Department of the Treasury to finalize rules for a comprehensive tax credit, known as 45Z, which is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Created under the Inflation Reduction Act, 45Z provides a credit per gallon of biofuels that meet certain emissions standards in their production. Several existing tax credits will expire at the end of the year and industry groups, including the Iowa Biodiesel Board and Iowa Soybean Association, are asking the federal government to extend them while 45Z is phased in.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley says he’s in favor of such an approach.

“Right now, it would be ideal if we could extend at least the blenders credit for biodiesel, that would help some. It would also help if we could pass the Ernst/Grassley/Klobuchar bill, that would have E15 year-round, nationwide.”

Grassley says any biofuel tax credits should apply only to domestically produced crops.

Political pollster Ann Selzer said she is still studying why her poll showed Kamala Harris leading in Iowa in the race for president before Donald Trump won the state by 13 points.

On IPR’s River to River, Selzer said she objects to President-elect Trump and other high-ranking Republicans claiming — without evidence — that she tilted the results in the Democratic candidate’s favor.

Selzer said the poll was based on the same method that accurately showed Trump leading among Iowa voters in both 2016 and 2020.

“There was no reason to make an adjustment, because my method, I think, had always been sort of the superstar behind my ability to let my data show me what the future electorate was going to look like.”

After the election, Selzer announced she will no longer conduct the Des Moines Register Iowa Poll, which gave her the reputation as one of the most accurate pollsters in the country.

Selzer said the 2024 poll — which she calls a “spectacular miss” — may have sped up the timing of the announcement, but she had been planning for years to leave political polling.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will announce her pick for a new lieutenant governor “really soon.”

Reynolds says she has interviewed “several” candidates, but wouldn’t give any other information about the process. Reynolds has been traveling a lot this fall, and the announcement will likely come in the next couple of weeks.

“So, it’s just been a crazy timeline, and we want to do it right. So, we’re really close.”

Adam Gregg resigned as lieutenant governor in early September after serving alongside Reynolds since 2017. He became President and CEO of the Iowa Bankers Association.

Des Moines suburbs announced they will stay part of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, known as DART.

In September, mayors from seven of the suburbs threatened to leave the transit network if a new funding system wasn’t established by Dec. 1. The communities were concerned the city of Des Moines used more than 70% of the system’s services, while only making up a little over 30% of its property tax funding.

West Des Moines Mayor and Chair of DART, Russ Trimble, says city leaders have recommitted to an eight-year funding plan and an 18-month project to reexamine its services.

“We realize how important it is, and we are doing what we can to put our riders, our staff and our region first, and put our differences aside and work to try to figure this out as we go forward — to reimagine DART.”

Grimes and Pleasant Hill's decision to leave DART in the next few years still stands. However, the DART Commission will vote on the decision before cutting ties with the communities. Until then, both towns can still reverse their decision.

Police officers shot and killed an armed suspect in Des Moines after authorities say the man threatened a woman with a gun.

The incident took place Tuesday morning around 6:00 a.m. around 4^th St. and Grand Ave. in downtown Des Moines. Officers responded to the area after a 911 caller reported a man pointing a gun at a woman.

The two officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave while detectives investigate what happened.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture denied Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request to send monthly boxes of food to low income kids over the summer instead of sending them money for food through Summer EBT.

A USDA official told the state that the proposal doesn’t fit the legal guidelines for using Summer EBT funding.

Anti-hunger advocates are asking Reynolds to join Summer EBT for 2025. It would send $120 per kid to low income families to buy groceries. The funding would benefit an estimated 240,000 Iowa kids. But Reynolds says she will continue to push her food box proposal after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

The hunger coalition is asking Iowans to call the governor’s office to advocate for Summer EBT before the Jan. 1 deadline to notify the USDA.

Read more.

From processed meats to produce, millions of pounds of food have been pulled from shelves across the country due to health concerns in recent months. Food contamination is one reason behind recalls.

Listeria in deli meat and E. coli in carrots are just a few examples of recent bacteria outbreaks that have sickened people and in certain cases, caused deaths.

Byron Chaves, professor and food safety extension specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, says there are many reasons why food gets contaminated.

"So, it could be the ingredients. It could be a food contact surface. It could be, sometimes in retail spaces, it could be a worker that is sick, and maybe there is a lack of protective mechanisms to prevent contamination."

He says most contaminated food does not make it to the store, but it does happen. For Chaves, this is where regulations, safety education and awareness are important.

Read more from Harvest Public Media’s Anna Pope.

Graphic by Madeleine C. King

The leader of the closest election for the Iowa Legislature remains unchanged after a recount.

In Senate District 14, which includes western Des Moines suburbs in Dallas County, Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott held her lead over Republican Mark Hanson.

Trone Garriott gained five votes in the recount, and now leads by a total of 29 votes.

State officials will certify Iowa’s election results Dec. 2.

As the races currently stand, Democrats will hold 15 seats in the Iowa Senate, compared to 35 seats for Republicans, which is the largest GOP majority in the chamber in more than 50 years.

Michael Leland

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Iowa Public Radio

Iowa’s busiest and largest hunting seasons kick off shortly, as the first of the state’s two shotgun seasons for deer will open in about two weeks.

Iowa DNR Conservation Officer Nate Carr says deer hunting is extremely popular and it’s an effective way to manage herds across the state.

“We see roughly 100,000 hunters get out and participate in those two seasons. And during that time, we harvest about half of the total deer harvest in Iowa within a relatively short period of time.”

The first deer shotgun season runs Dec. 7-11. The second is Dec. 14-22.

Deer hunters harvested about 60,000 deer in Iowa last year, and Carr anticipates this year’s harvest will round out to roughly the same number. There have already been several smaller deer hunting seasons held in the state, and this year’s hot, dry weather may have been something of a hindrance.

“We’re still seeing pretty decent harvest numbers. I think we’ve harvested around 25,000 deer throughout the youth season, in this early split of the archery season, as well as early muzzleloader. So, we’re on track. We’re down a little bit, and you could probably attribute that somewhat to temperature [and] a little bit of hemorrhagic disease, which we’ve seen impact central Iowa quite a bit this year.”

Find much more information on the hunting seasons ahead at IowaDNR.gov.

A recent Iowa Farm Bureau report shows the Iowa ag economy has seen a downward trend from 2023 into 2024 that led to farm income dropping by nearly 25%.

IFB’s Economics and Research Manager Christopher Pudenz says there are some things that could turn the farm economy around, including passing a new five-year Farm Bill. He says crop insurance programs partially funded by the Farm Bill are an important safety net for farmers.

“The vast majority of acres for both corn and soybean farmers here in the state of Iowa are covered under crop insurance. That really does help during a year like this, when prices are depressed compared to previous years, or like when those folks up in northwest Iowa had all the flooding this spring and wiped out all those acres.”

He says there are some bright spots for farmers going forward. The beef market “remains strong” and he says corn exports are looking good. The hog industry is also showing signs of recovering from a “rough stretch,” and Pudenz says 2025 should be better.

“If farmers have higher incomes, they can start buying machinery again. And then those manufacturers can start buying tires from their tire suppliers — just kind of kick start the whole ag and ag-adjacent economy.”

Republicans took back the White House and the Senate in the recent election, and that can also impact the ag economy, but Pudenz can’t say yet what that impact will be. He says these factors are all important, as the IFB analysis shows the negative impact on the state’s economy from the downturn is more than $1.5 billion.

It’s that time of year when people eat a lot of pumpkin: Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, even pumpkin ice cream. Most of the pumpkin that goes into these treats comes from Morton, Ill., a town about 15 miles from Peoria.

Morton is the epicenter for pumpkins in the U.S., providing up to 95% of the canned pumpkin in the country and 85% of the canned pumpkin worldwide.

Illinois produced about 690 million pounds of pumpkin in 2023, more than the other five pumpkin-producing states combined, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

All those pumpkins are important for the local and state economy. Read more from Harvest Public Media’s Joe Deacon.

The holiday season can be a stressful time of year for people struggling with their monthly budgets. This includes the higher number of people facing food insecurity this year, according to the CEO of the Food Bank of Iowa, Michelle Book.

She says every month since COVID-19 aid ended in 2022, food pantries across the state have seen more and more traffic.

“As I go out and visit our pantry partners, what I'm hearing from them is that the increase in the lines for food pantry service is made up of two demographics: One, it's young families with children who are working, or Two, it's folks living on fixed income, people living on Social Security and disability.”

A report by Feeding America says food insecurity is at record levels in Iowa. Book says about 40% of households don’t have enough money to cover basic needs, including food. She urges people faced with making tough choices to turn to food banks to help ease the financial pressure.

Katarina Sostaric

Iowa Senate Democrats have elected Sen. Janice Weiner of Iowa City as their new leader.

Weiner replaces Sen. Pam Jochum of Dubuque, who is retiring from the Legislature. Weiner said in a statement that she is honored to be elected leader, and that Senate Democrats will fight to ensure opportunity for all Iowans.

Weiner was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2022. Before that, she worked for the U.S. State Department and served on the Iowa City City Council.

The number of Democrats in the Iowa Senate is at its lowest point in more than 50 years. Going into the next legislative session, they will hold 15 of the 50 Senate seats pending state election certification.

Weiner is the Senate Democrats’ third leader in less than two years. Jochum became minority leader last year when Senate Democrats ousted Sen. Zach Wahls from the position after he fired two longtime staffers and restructured the office.

Read more.

A University of Iowa study finds the simple act of expressing gratitude can help to improve heart health.

Dr. Harleah Buck, the director of the UI’s Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence, says that gratitude can help reduce inflammation, blood pressure and heart rate — unlike the foods we typically eat during Thanksgiving.

"The foods that we eat at Thanksgiving tend not to be good for our heart. They’re heavy in the fats and things that we know are not good,” says Buck. “However, expressing gratitude around the table, I like to think ameliorates some of that.”

Buck and her team reviewed more than a dozen research studies involving the impact of gratitude on more than 4,000 people. Their research found gratitude may help to boost a person’s ability to care for themselves, whether that’s taking their medication or getting more sleep.

“One of the studies that we looked at actually showed that expressing gratitude results in people feeling more confident that what they do makes a difference with their heart,” says Buck. “So it really is the gift that keeps on giving.”

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, killing more people in recent years than even COVID-19. Buck, who’s also a professor at the UI College of Nursing, says it’s fascinating something like gratitude can have such a far-reaching psychological and physiological impact.

“In the scientific literature, gratitude is defined as an emotional response to other people’s kindness, but it can also be a mood that focuses on what we cherish in life,” Buck says.

Buck says there are several ways to practice more gratitude, including recording what you're thankful for in a journal.

The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services has been complicated for many health experts who say RFK Jr. gets some things right, while also promoting a number of medical conspiracies.

Opponents of the nomination recently had an unlikely figure join their opposition: former Vice President Mike Pence.

Pence’s opposition to RFK Jr. had nothing to do with the nominee's stance on many health issues that have already been raised by detractors. Instead, Pence zeroed in on RFK Jr.’s position on abortion.

In his statement, Pence urged Senate Republicans not to approve Trump’s nominee, who he claimed would be “the most pro-abortion Republican-appointed secretary of HHS in modern history.”

During his run for president this year, RFK Jr. affirmed his support for a woman’s right to choose, supported codifying Roe. V. Wade and ensured access to medical abortion pills.

Pence said the nomination should be “deeply concerning” to the millions of anti-abortion rights Americans who have supported the Republican Party for decades.

RFK Jr., like many of Trump’s nominees, could have a difficult path to his confirmation in the Senate.

Madeleine King

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IPR News

Gov. Kim Reynolds is being honored by a tax-focused think tank that was founded in 1937 by the executives of General Motors and Standard Oil.

The Tax Foundation presented Reynolds with its Distinguished Service Award. She is the first governor to receive the annual award, which has previously honored dozens of federal officials, business executives and educators.

Reynolds has signed five bills to cut taxes since she took over as governor in mid-2017. The most recent will lower Iowa’s income tax to a single rate of 3.8% next year. A panel of state officials recently predicted Iowa tax revenue will decline by $1 billion over a 24-month period.

In a written statement, Reynolds said she has taken an approach that favors simplicity over complexity and economic growth over government spending.

She received the Tax Foundation’s award Thursday night at the group’s annual “Tax Prom.” It’s a black-tie event in Washington, D.C. with hundreds of officials from businesses and government in attendance.

Reynolds is the second Iowan to receive the award. Herbert Hoover is among three presidents to be honored. The others were George W. Bush in 2002 and Dwight Eisenhauer in 1960. Hoover, a West Branch native, received the group’s Distinguished Service Award in 1948.

Rachel Cramer

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Iowa Public Radio

The Iowa Supreme Court Friday upheld a lower court’s ruling that sided with Summit Carbon Solutions in a land survey case.

In 2022, Summit Carbon Solutions sued Kent Kasischke in Hardin County for refusing access to conduct a preliminary survey. The company is trying to build a multi-state carbon dioxide pipeline.

Iowa Code allows hazardous liquid pipeline companies to survey private land if they first hold public information meetings and send ten-days’ notice to landowners.

Kasischke argued that law is unconstitutional because it allows the taking of private property.

The Iowa Supreme Court said the law does not trigger an unconstitutional taking, in part because it does not allow a “permanent physical invasion of private property.”

Kasischke also argued that Summit does not qualify as a hazardous liquid pipeline and that the company did not send proper notice. The Iowa Supreme Court dismissed these arguments.

Read more.

Graphic by Madeleine C. King

Democratic incumbent Sen. Nate Boulton conceded the Iowa Senate District 20 race to Republican Mike Pike after a recount confirmed Pike’s victory. The results from the recount have not been released yet, but Pike led by 44 votes in the initial results.

This year’s race was the Republican challenger’s first time running for political office. Pike currently works as a plumber and business owner. Boulton was seeking his third term and currently serves as the Iowa Senate Democratic Whip.

Senate District 20 covers parts of east Des Moines, Pleasant Hill, southwest Ankeny and Altoona.

Much of the Midwest and Great Plains have been dealing with extremely dry conditions for the past four years. It’s killed crops, lowered river levels and fueled wildfires. But the extreme weather also affects wildlife.

Drought conditions can change animal behavior and even push species out of some regions.

While droughts are a part of the natural weather cycle, scientists have found that human-caused climate change is making them more frequent and more intense.

The extreme conditions are putting wildlife’s coping mechanisms to the test. But that’s only half the story, according to Wynne Moss, a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

“The other half is that the ecosystem's ability to withstand water shortages is also changing. So even the same degree of drought might now have bigger impacts.”

Moss said wildlife is also fighting off new levels of disease, invasive species and habitat loss. The threat is becoming more persistent, so even when drought conditions ease, Moss said the effects can stick around.

Read more from Harvest Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert.

Courtesy of House GOP

Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley is establishing a new committee in the 2025 legislative session to perform a "comprehensive review" of Iowa's state colleges and universities.

Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, who led the efforts to force the recent closure of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices at the state's three public universities, will chair the House Higher Education Committee.

He says there has been "great progress” on that front, but the panel may push to eliminate some courses or majors.

"I think, when you’re looking at some programs, for example, when they focus on teaching literally a major in social justice, I think there is a question that needs to be asked. What is the return on investment for the taxpayer and should our constituents be paying for those kinds of academic programs?" Collins asked rhetorically.

Collins says the committee's focus will not just be on the three public universities, but on Iowa’s community colleges and the state’s private colleges and universities as well.

“It’s no secret that we have a workforce shortage in this state, and I think many people have seen the fact that our institutions have been distracted by ideological agendas rather than actually filling the needs of Iowa’s workforce.”

Read more.

Iowa adults with several Adverse Childhood Experiences, known as ACEs, are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, asthma and COPD later in life, according to a report by the nonprofit Iowa ACEs 360.

ACEs are hardships that happened before the age of 18, like physical abuse from a caregiver or neglect.

The report by Iowa ACEs 360 found that nearly 60% of Iowa youth had at least one adverse experience, and 18% had over four. About 40% of Iowa adults who have had four or more adverse experiences have been diagnosed with depression, according to the report.

Iowa ACES 360 Executive Director Lisa Cushatt says early trauma prevention is a short-term investment that doesn’t always show immediate outcomes, but is worth it.

“When we look at increased costs of things like incarceration, of other treatment, we are going to continue to have that if we don’t start working from a prevention and early intervention.”

Cushatt says it’s important to remember ACEs are not the only indicator of poor mental and physical health issues.

Roadways and airports have been crowded during the holiday periods throughout the year and it looks like that won’t ease up next week for Thanksgiving.

AAA spokesperson Brian Ortner says this will be the busiest travel period of 2024 so far. He expects 6.4 million people to travel within the Midwest region, which would break previous records.

While the roadways will be busy, Ortner says driving will cost a little less.

“The good thing we can say is people are seeing lower pump prices than we saw last year. In our region, with 5.8 million folks hitting the roads, that’s going to be a welcome addition to the travel plans.”

The statewide average price for gas in Iowa is $2.73 per gallon, which is less than the national average of $3.06.

Ortner encourages those who are flying for Thanksgiving to get to the airport two or three hours early since it will be busy. He says flight delays that were common a couple years ago appear to be getting better, but he says it’s better to “plan for the unexpected.”

Researchers at Iowa State University are looking into ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in crop farming, and they have made a surprising discovery.

Mike Castellano, professor of agronomy at ISU, led a study on nitrous oxide emissions from land where corn and soybeans are rotated. He says the accepted wisdom had been that most emissions occurred in years when farmers planted corn, which requires nitrogen fertilizer.

But his team found 40% of emissions happened during years they planted soybeans, which normally aren’t fertilized with nitrogen. The emissions come from organic matter breaking down — especially in the spring.

Castellano says one way farmers can reduce nitrous oxide emissions is by planting cover crops after corn.

“Cover crops don't slow down the process, but what they do is they provide a place for that nitrogen to go rather than to the atmosphere as greenhouse gas — as nitrous oxide. They use the nitrogen to produce biomass.”

Castellano says other ways to reduce emissions are planting soybeans earlier in the year and applying nitrogen fertilizer more efficiently. His team is developing an app that will give farmers more precise data on ideal nitrogen rates.

Iowa’s 2^nd District Rep. Ashley Hinson continues to support President-elect Donald Trump’s policies for his second term, including his cabinet picks and the creation of a Department of Government Efficiency.

The Republican congresswoman backed many of Trump’s policies during his previous term, and her campaign was also endorsed by the president-elect.

In a media call Thursday, Hinson said she is fully on board with the idea of creating the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, because of how she has seen money being spent during her terms in Congress.

“I sat back and watched, in my first term, $6 trillion in spending — that I voted against — get passed through. Many of these agencies over the last several years, and truly over the last several decades, have expanded beyond their mission and means.”

The new department would be headed by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Hinson said she is a proponent of Trump’s unorthodox cabinet picks so far.

New data shows the number of abortions in Iowa dropped significantly in August. That was the first month a law banning the procedure as early as six weeks of pregnancy was in effect.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit that supports abortion rights, there were an estimated 400 clinician-provided abortions per month in Iowa for the first six months of the year. That number dropped 35% to around 260 abortions in August.

Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a data scientist with the Guttmacher Institute, says even before the ban, data shows many Iowans were traveling out of state for care or receiving abortion pills by mail due to other abortion restrictions. He expects this trend to increase.

“That doesn't mean that those Iowans who would have otherwise gotten care in the state aren't accessing abortion. What it does mean is that they have a lot less choice in how they can access it, particularly if they want or need to access in-person care at a clinic.”

The law, which went into effect July 29, bans abortion when cardiac activity is detected. It has exceptions for rape, incest, life of the pregnant person and fetal abnormalities.

Read more.

A federal appeals court heard oral arguments Wednesday from two Iowa counties sued by Summit Carbon Solutions and a landowner over rules that would reroute the company’s proposed CO2 pipeline.

Shelby and Story counties passed ordinances in 2022 that, among other requirements, created setbacks to keep pipelines with hazardous materials farther from places like homes, hospitals and city boundaries.

Ryan Koopmans, the attorney representing Summit, told a panel with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals that regulating pipeline routes is up to the state and that pipeline safety falls under the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Jason Craig, the attorney representing Shelby and Story counties, said safety standards — like the size of a pipe — are regulated by federal authorities. But he said safety concerns are part of any zoning decision and that the ordinances are lawful under Iowa Code.

Read more.

Leaders of Iowa’s Catholic churches are showing their support for migrants in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to use the U.S. Military to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

The bishops of Iowa’s four Catholic Dioceses in Des Moines, Dubuque, Davenport and Sioux City signed a letter expressing their solidarity. They are also asking the State of Iowa to treat migrants justly and with dignity.

Tom Chapman, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference, says the church already serves undocumented immigrants through ministry, and Catholic Charities helps people with legitimate claims receive legal status to stay in the United States.

“What they at least wanted to do initially is to make sure they said something to migrants that says, ‘We're with you. We're praying with you. And we will serve you to the extent that we can.’”

The American Immigration Council estimates there are more than 52,000 undocumented immigrants in Iowa.

The City of Dubuque is unveiling a new initiative aimed at reducing various fines and fees for low income residents.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the Equitable Fines and Fees Program will meet with low income residents where they live and connect them with area networks and resources to alleviate utility fines for missed payments.

Dubuque’s Community Impact Director Antonio Mouzon created the program and hopes residents will be more likely to ask for help where they are comfortable, instead of at a government office.

“We really hope to find some success in building relationships between our local government and our residents, meeting people at their homes, having them see our smiling faces — us see theirs. We’re building that trust so residents are more likely to invest in these programs.”

The in-person approach is the first of its kind in Iowa, according to the city’s research.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission heard public comment Wednesday on an application for a casino license for Cedar Rapids.

The $275 million Cedar Crossing Casino would be located along the Cedar River near downtown and would feature 700 slot machines and 22 table games, plus restaurants and a 1,500-seat entertainment venue.

Among those making the case for the casino was Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell.

“As a city that’s working every day to provide value and quality of life for our residents, Cedar Crossing is one more compelling reason to stay and build our lives and futures here.”

The Iowa Gaming Association, which is made up of 19 riverboat and racetrack casinos across Iowa, spoke in opposition to the proposed project.

The commission will vote on the application in February. It has rejected two prior Cedar Rapids casino proposals.

A 14-year-old male student at Pella Middle School was taken into police custody Wednesday for assaulting students with a bread knife before classes. Two female students sustained minor injuries but did not need to go to the hospital.

The attacker tried unsuccessfully to assault another student as well. The attacker was approached by a female staff member who talked him down before the police arrived. Police were first alerted at 7:41 a.m. and secured the scene within two minutes of arriving.

Pella Police Captain Paul Haase says the department will increase security at the district’s schools for the rest of the week.

“We'll have an increased law enforcement presence just for additional safety precautions and to, you know, hopefully let people know that the schools are safe and that the schools are a place that their kids can be safe at.”

Haase says the police believe the incident was an isolated event, and says the public is not in danger. At a press conference after the incident in the morning, Haase reported the attacker had been charged in February for assaulting a school counselor.

Around 370 students in 7^th and 8^th grade attend Pella Middle School. The middle school and other schools across the district will continue to hold classes the rest of the week.

Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is retiring from his latest post as president of the World Food Prize.

Branstad, the nation’s longest-serving governor, resigned in 2017 to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China. He left that post in September of 2020 and, in early 2023, became the president of the Des Moines-based World Food Prize Foundation. Branstad said at the time that he would be in the role for a year or so.

In a written statement released Tuesday, Branstad said he is proud that the organization has expanded its reach and deepened its commitment to building “sustainable, resilient food systems worldwide.”

Branstad worked with Iowa businessman John Ruan and Iowa-native Norman Borlaug to bring the World Food Prize to Des Moines in 1990. Borlaug won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for research that dramatically improved wheat yields. When Branstad took over as World Food Prize president last year, he said he wanted to maintain their legacy.

“I knew both John Ruan and Norman Borlaug very well. I have the greatest respect for what they did,” he said in 2023.

Branstad, who turned 78 Sunday, will conclude his tenure at the World Food Prize on Jan. 31, 2025. The organization’s chief operating officer will lead the World Food Prize Foundation as it conducts a global search for a new chief executive.

An Iowa nonprofit offering social services to youth across the state will open a new addiction treatment facility next month. YSS, formerly known as Youth and Shelter Services, will offer programs for both adolescents and young adults.

Overlooking a prairie in Cambridge, the new Ember Recovery Campus spans more than 50 acres and has 70 beds. The center will offer a residential addiction treatment program, crisis stabilization and recovery services.

YSS President and CEO Andrew Allen says he sees the new center as a trailblazing facility in the state.

“Currently, if you are an adult — a young adult — and need treatment, you have to go to a treatment center that serves 60 year olds. And so finally, we've got age-appropriate treatment for young adults in Iowa.”

Allen says the center’s current residency programs in Ames operate out of old houses. At Ember, clients will stay in retreat-style cottages with recreational spaces, classrooms and therapy rooms nearby.

YSS has branches across the state, including in Des Moines, Marshalltown, Mason City and Boone. The new campus will be a 25 minute drive from the group’s headquarters in Ames.

Summit Carbon Solutions submitted its pipeline permit application to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Tuesday.

The commission denied Summit’s first application last year, saying the route violated several county ordinances with pipeline setbacks.

In a press release, the Ames-based company said it made major reroutes in several counties and adjustments with landowners.

Summit said most of the carbon dioxide captured from ethanol plants in Iowa and four other states will be stored permanently underground in North Dakota. But excess capacity will be available to support next generation fuels, along with uses in water treatment, food processing and dry ice production.

Before Summit can build its carbon dioxide pipeline in Iowa, the company still needs route permits in South Dakota. The company is also waiting for underground storage permits in North Dakota.

North Dakota regulators approved Summit’s pipeline route last week.

President-elect Donald Trump says he will appoint Iowan Matt Whitaker as U.S. Ambassador to NATO.

Whitaker served as acting U.S. attorney general for a few months during Trump’s first term in office. He was also the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa and is a former University of Iowa football player.

Trump says in a statement that Whitaker is, “a strong warrior and loyal patriot, who will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended.”

Whitaker’s nomination will be subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

Read more.

A 14-year-old male student at Pella Middle School was taken into police custody Wednesday morning after using a knife to assault multiple students in the cafeteria.

Two female students sustained minor injuries but did not need to go to the hospital, according to a Facebook post from the Pella Police Department. The incident happened before the start of classes. Police were first alerted at 7:41 a.m. and secured the scene two minutes later.

The middle school was placed on lockdown afterwards and the police report the situation remains an ongoing investigation.

Federal funding for research on organic farming does not match its share of the food system.

Organic products account for six percent of total food sales in the U.S., the sector is less than one percent of the Agricultural Research Services budget.

Thelma Velez, the keynote speaker this year’s conference, says she wants to see bipartisan support to give organic producers more resources.

“Organic and transitioning farmers are leaders in soil and climate stewardship, right? They are already engaging in these practices, but they need more help.”

Velez works as the research and education program director with the Organic Farming Research Foundation. She made her comments on IPR’s Talk of Iowa.

The 24th Annual Organic Conference will be held on Sunday and Monday in the Iowa Memorial Union at the University of Iowa.

Learn more and register for the conference here.

A new report says a pilot program that matched public funds with private donations in ten Iowa communities increased child care capacity without raising prices for families.

The state matched private donations with $3 million of federal funding to boost wages for child care workers. A report by the Iowa Women’s Foundation and the Common Sense Institute found that the program added 275 child care openings across seven communities in less than a year.

Postville Childcare Executive Director Kristy Turner says she almost closed her child care center, which her own kids attend. But the pilot program allowed her to hire more staff.

“And now that I see the landscape is a little bit different at our center, I recently — within the last month — brought on eight new children. And within the last three months, we opened a room that we previously had closed.”

The report says expanding the program statewide would help thousands of Iowa parents join the workforce and grow the state’s economy. But it’s not clear if the state will keep investing in child care solutions funds, and communities aren’t sure if they can maintain them without that support.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is reviewing a new Farm Bill submitted by Senate Democrats, but he says it has “no chance” of passing in the lame duck session.

Grassley says there isn’t enough time before the end of the year to negotiate the over 1,400-page bill submitted Monday by Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee.

“I expect Congress to pass another short-term extension to assure farmers, under the policies of 2018. When Congress returns in 2025 under Republican control, we will work quickly to debate and pass the next five-year Farm Bill.”

In his call to reporters Tuesday, Grassley took issue with elements of the Democrats’ proposal, including price floors for commodities that trigger payments to farmers.

The Iowa Attorney General’s office determined that Sioux City officers acted legally during the deadly shooting of a suspect in October.

Investigators say witnesses saw Jamie Orozco waving a gun. When officers arrived, he ran. The officers chased Orozco, then he fired one shot at them.

After a manhunt, Orozco was found in an attic crawl space. He refused to surrender and told officers he “wasn’t going back to prison,” as he reached for a cloth bundle, which was when officers shot him in the head.

A report released Monday said Orozco revealed during sex-offender treatment sessions that he had relapsed on methamphetamine and wanted to “take himself out,” or die by cop to avoid prison.

His girlfriend also reported Orozco wasn’t taking medication to treat his mental health conditions when the shooting occurred.

Courtesy of Brian Vakulskas

The state public defender’s office is trying to free a man it believes was wrongfully convicted of murdering four family members almost 50 years ago.

Jerry Mark, 81, has claimed his innocence since the murders on Halloween in 1975 outside of Cedar Falls.

Brian Vakulskas, a Sioux City lawyer and friend of Mark, says the shootings of Mark’s brother, sister-in-law and their children appeared to be a mafia hit due to a family friend that had testified against a drug cartel.

“The fact that they never developed any suspect other than Jerry, this is a classic case of tunnel vision for prosecutors. If you find a person, we can put a crime to it, and you can make all the evidence point to one person if you can. And that’s our argument on appeal.”

A federal judge threw out Mark’s conviction in 2006, but an appeals court overturned the ruling.

Mark’s lawyers said in legal filings he was convicted on “junk science,” and testimony that could have proven his innocence was not allowed.

They are asking for a new trial or the conviction overturned.

The Environmental Protection Agency says Iowa should add six river segments to the state’s 2024 impaired waters list.

Every two years, states submit a list of impaired streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs for the EPA to review. The list is the first step towards setting targets to reduce pollution.

The EPA partially approved the Iowa DNR’s 2024 list of nearly 600 impaired waters. But the agency says nitrate levels in sections of the Cedar, Des Moines, Iowa, Raccoon and South Skunk rivers exceeded safe drinking water standards.

Michael Schmidt, staff attorney for the Iowa Environmental Council, says the EPA’s decision to add more impaired waters is unusual.

“I think it's a demonstration that we are not fully addressing our water quality problems in Iowa.”

The EPA is accepting public comments on the seven river segments through Dec. 13.

The Iowa DNR says it's reviewing the EPA's response and declined further comment.

Read more.

This story was updated Nov. 18 at 4:37 p.m. with the correct number of waterways.

The American Farm Bureau Federation says it’s kicking the Illinois Farm Bureau out of the national association.

The federation is responding to the Illinois Farm Bureau’s affiliate insurance company, Country Financial, which announced that next year it will no longer require customers to become farm bureau members if they’re getting a non-farm policy.

The two sides met for weeks but could not reach an agreement.

Country Financial says the requirement hurts competitiveness. Spokesperson Jennifer McDade says it's a longtime sore spot with customers.

“We have for the last decade, or more, been getting feedback from non-ag clients about the challenges of this requirement.”

The American Farm Bureau gets a portion of each Illinois Farm Bureau membership fee.

Country Financial says it has about a quarter million non-farm insurance policies in Illinois that could decide to drop farm bureau memberships.

The Illinois Farm Bureau is now suing the American Farm Bureau Federation for expelling the state association from the national organization.

Recounts have been requested in three Iowa statehouse races, according to the Iowa Secretary of State’s office.

The closest race is in Senate District 14, where Republican Mark Hanson requested a recount as he is trailing Democratic Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott by 24 votes.

Democratic Sen. Nate Boulton requested a recount in his District 20 race against Republican Mike Pike.

Republican Nathan Ramker asked for a recount in House District 98, where results show Democratic Rep. Monica Kurth winning by a few dozen votes.

A recount of Iowa’s 1st Congressional District race was announced last week. County election workers are aiming to complete the recounts before Dec. 2, which is when state officials meet to certify Iowa’s election results.

Read more about Iowa’s Senate and House races.

It’s a bit late in the year to be planting trees, but the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is urging homeowners and city leaders to plan ahead and consider any of about 85 different species of trees to plant in the spring.

However, if you’re thinking about maples, think again.

Chip Murrow, an urban forestry program specialist at the DNR, says maples are beautiful trees, but they have become too popular. By their count, 35% of trees in Iowa communities are maples.

Murrow says tree diversity is a good thing and fears what the state’s canopy would look like if an infestation of insects or some sort of tree disease sweeps in, as has happened many times before.

“We’ve already gone through Dutch elm disease. We’re going through, or are halfway through, emerald ash borer taking out all the ashes. Now, if we have something that ever comes through and takes out maples, communities are going to be losing about a third of their trees.”

The DNR offers an online publication called Rethinking Maples, which makes a case for cultivating a different sort of diversified canopy in the state. It lists dozens of other trees that do well in Iowa under a long list of categories, including vibrant fall color, fast growing, spring flowers, good for shade and storm resistant.

Pollster Ann Selzer says she is ending her election polling work and moving on to new ventures and opportunities. In a column in Sunday’s Des Moines Register, Selzer says she told the paper last year that this year’s election cycle would be her last for polling.

Her poll, released a few days before the election, showed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris with a three point lead over Republican Donald Trump in Iowa. Former President Trump won the state by about 13 points.

In a separate column, Register Executive Editor Carol Hunter confirmed Selzer told her last year that she wouldn’t renew her contract after the 2024 election. Hunter also wrote that the paper’s review of the poll found no one factor played a major role in the poll discrepancy.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is offering $900,000 in competitive grants for communities to plant trees.

Iowa DNR Urban Forestry Specialist Chip Murrow says the money can be used for planting, staking and mulching trees, as well as paying for supplemental watering. He says the two-year grants were designed for communities to plant in the spring and fall of 2025 and 2026.

“We have a goal of, in 2050, to try and increase our canopy growth by 3%, or 3,000,000 trees. But the emerald ash borer, of course, and the derecho has set us back a little bit on that.”

The DNR has a list of about 85 approved species that can be planted with grant money. The grants do not require matching funds and are being awarded in amounts of between $10,000 and $30,000 per community.

The funding for communities comes through the IRA Iowa Tree Planting Grant. The deadline to apply is Dec. 30.

State gambling regulators are considering a plan to build a new casino in Cedar Rapids. This week, supporters and opponents of the proposal can tell them what they think of the idea.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is taking public comment on the proposed Cedar Crossing Casino at a public meeting Nov. 20.

Developers want to build the casino along the river northwest of downtown. Local boosters say it would benefit the economy and increase tax revenues. But the plan has run into opposition, including from other casino operators who are concerned it will cut into their business.

Cedar Crossing would be the first state-licensed casino to open since 2015. There are currently 19 state-licensed casinos in Iowa, along with four operated by Native American tribes.

The public meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 20 at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids.

The Racing and Gaming Commission will vote in February on whether to approve or deny the casino’s license.

A new study on homeless families in the Des Moines metro found that there is a major need for more emergency family shelters. Researchers on the project interviewed and followed ten families living in shelters across the metro as they navigated housing resources last year.

Elizabeth Talbert, an assistant professor of sociology at Drake and one of the lead researchers on the project, says discrimination from landlords against low-income renters and “exorbitant” application fees made the search for housing even more difficult for families.

“There is no family that we talk to that wants to stay in the shelter for that 30-day period. Sometimes the situation requires that they do, but the amount of ingenuity and work that goes into finding a place really can't be overstated."

The researchers also found that one of the largest stressors for families was figuring out how to navigate homeless services.

They recommend creating a more intuitive onboarding system that could include video tutorials and a course on how to access services across the metro. Other recommendations include limiting the number of application fees low-income families need to pay and creating tougher regulations to hold landlords accountable for predatory practices.

Courtesy of Summit Carbon Solutions

Summit Carbon Solutions passed a significant milestone Friday with its proposed carbon capture and storage project. The North Dakota Public Service Commission unanimously approved the company’s permit to build more than 300 miles of pipeline in the state.

If completed, the project would transport CO2 emissions from ethanol plants across five states — including Iowa — and store it about a mile underground near Bismarck, N.D.

Construction in Iowa hinges on full approval in North and South Dakota.

Jessica Mazour, conservation program coordinator with the Sierra Club of Iowa, says pipeline opponents are disappointed in the permit decision, but that the fight is far from over.

“It’s not something people are willing to compromise on. They are in this to protect their future, their farms, their legacies, their families, their communities. There’s just too much at stake.”

Along with ongoing and expected court cases, a different agency in North Dakota is reviewing Summit’s application for underground storage permits. The company also needs a route permit in South Dakota, which could be a yearlong process.

Summit’s CEO, Lee Blank, says Friday’s permit approval was good news, but the company still has a lot of work ahead of them.

“The fact that we’ve now got our permit approved here in the state is a very big deal for Summit Carbon Solutions, but just one more step in the process for the company, so we’ll continue to work on the other aspects of the business as we move forward.”

Cedar Rapids-based Lion Bridge Brewing Company released a new line of THC-infused sparkling water — with 5 milligrams of hemp-derived THC per can.

MoonDream is the first drink in Iowa to offer more than 4 milligrams of THC per can since the state set new limits for consumable hemp products over the summer.

The limit for drinks is set at 4 milligrams of THC per 12 oz. serving. That means that companies can put more THC in their drinks, but only in proportionally larger containers with more liquid. Lion Bridge Brewing owner Quinton McClain saw an opportunity.

“I started posing the question, can you do multiple servings at a smaller potency? And the response from the state was that, yes, you could do this.”

MoonDream offers two 2.5 milligram servings in each of its 16 oz. cans. It’s available to buy in three flavors at the brewery now and at several eastern Iowa locations.

University of Iowa

The University of Iowa is the lead institution on a nearly $166 million robotic space mission set for launch next year.

The mission is called TRACERS, and the primary goal is to learn about the magnetic reconnection effect when powerful winds from the sun crash into Earth’s magnetic fields — what’s known as space weather.

David Miles, a professor in UI’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, is the mission’s principal investigator. He says these interactions, which create the Aurora Borealis, also can disrupt technology we depend upon, like cell phones, TV and GPS.

Miles and a large contingent from Iowa City will be closely watching in person as twin spacecraft are launched aboard a single rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California next year.

“We’re really trying to understand the process that takes energy from the sun and brings it into near-Earth space. How quickly does that process turn on and off? How much energy does it transfer in? Because that’s the free energy source for a lot of these space weather effects that we’re talking about, so if you want to understand space weather, you’ve got to understand what’s feeding it.”

A specific launch date isn’t yet set, though TRACERS is scheduled to go up in the second quarter of 2025.

Courtesy of Joe Morgan

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Mississippi Valley Photography

The Keokuk Union Depot was once a major hub of activity in southeast Iowa. It hasn’t seen passengers since the 1960s, but it is getting a new life.

The Keokuk Union Depot Foundation held an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 9 to show off the newly restored depot that graces the city’s riverfront. The interior and exterior of the depot’s large waiting room have been restored to what they looked like when the building opened in 1891.

Janet Smith, president of the Foundation, says the building has a distinct architectural style due to John Root, who was a partner at the renowned Chicago-based architectural firm Burnham and Root.

“It’s historically significant and because it has the John Root signature on it, it’s also architecturally significant.”

The restored waiting room features 35-foot-high cathedral ceilings. Chandeliers hang from the ceilings. Smith said the floor is amazing; they found marble tile from the Tennessee quarry that produced the depot’s original tile and were able to recreate it with the original design.

Smith said they removed 130 years of dust and grime from the bricks and replaced every single piece of the waist-high sandstone around the building.

She said visitors can compare the unrestored portion of the building to the renovated section to get a feel for the incredible amount of work that has been done.

Read the full story from Tri States Public Media.

Courtesy of the Blue Ribbon Foundation

Fans of the Iowa State Fair can pick up memorabilia or keepsakes in an auction hosted by the Blue Ribbon Foundation, which helps fund the upkeep of the fairgrounds.

Over 300 souvenirs will be up for bid. Bidding is open now online and closes Nov. 17 at 8 p.m.

Available items include pottery pieces, Isabel Bloom sculptures, vintages T-shirts and other state fair memorabilia.

Foundation spokesperson Drew Sniezek says funds raised during the auction will go toward the fair’s livestock buildings and barn renovations.

“It’s a $25 million project… We know that the Iowa State Fair agriculture is the heart of it, and that’s the tradition. So, we want to make sure we can upkeep these historic 100-year-old barns.”

The Blue Ribbon Foundation has raised more than $200 million since 1993, according to their website. The funds went towards the restoration of more than 40 buildings and other improvement projects on the fairgrounds.

Madeleine Charis King

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Iowa Public Radio

The number of Blanding’s turtles has been dropping in Iowa and the Midwest, in part due to habitat loss and predators. To help protect the threatened species, Iowa State University students, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Blank Park Zoo are giving some baby turtles a head start.

Lizzy Lang, a wildlife ecology graduate student at Iowa State University, has waded through a lot of wetlands looking for Blanding’s turtles. They have bright yellow throats, which she says makes them stand out.

Lang and another student worked with the Iowa DNR to bring five female turtles to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines to lay their eggs. Now, zoo staff are rearing nearly 60 hatchlings to release in the spring when they are larger and less vulnerable.

Lang says turtles are often taken for granted.

“They play a really important role in maintaining a healthy environment in our wetlands. They act as predators for smaller species or as a prey item for larger animals on the landscape.”

Blank Park Zoo's Discover the Wild event Nov. 17 from 1-2 p.m. will focus on turtles and actions people can take to conserve them.

Read more.

Iowans will pay a little less for their big birds this Thanksgiving, according to a spokeswoman for the Iowa Turkey Federation in Ames.

At many of the state’s larger grocery chains, prices have dropped on whole turkeys to between $1.50 and $2 per pound. Sheila Larson says supplies are good, but if shoppers are looking for a certain size, she recommends going a little early.

“There is no shortage of your Thanksgiving turkey. We prepare for that every year, and it’s going to be available for anyone that is looking to get one and you can find a variety of sizes.”

Iowa is one of the nation’s top turkey producers and Larson says the state’s market share is growing.

“Each turkey raised in Iowa adds $30 to Iowa’s economy. Iowa raises close to 12 million turkeys, which makes us seventh in production. We have two processing plants that process over 14 million turkeys each year, and that makes the state of Iowa is fifth in the U.S.”

Consumers can find a host of turkey tidbits, including recipes and tips on what to do with leftovers, at iowaturkey.org.

The families of four people who died of COVID-19 in 2020 after working at the Tyson meatpacking plant in Waterloo are asking the Iowa Supreme Court to let their lawsuits against company leaders continue.

The workers’ families are asking the Iowa Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s decision that dismissed their claims as a workers’ compensation issue.

Attorney G. Bryan Ulmer III argued Thursday in court that Tyson executives and supervisors committed fraud and gross negligence that caused the four employees to die of COVID. He says Tyson leaders told employees the virus wasn’t spreading at the plant and told workers with COVID symptoms to keep coming to work.

“All the while, supervisors were placing bets on how many positive COVID-19 cases would result from the outbreak. The end result was the largest workplace outbreak of COVID-19 in the entire country.”

Lawyers for Tyson leaders say the claims should be in the workers’ compensation system and that the plaintiffs’ allegations don’t fit the definition of fraud. The Iowa Supreme Court has until the end of June to issue a decision.

Read more.

Grant Leo Winterer

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Iowa Public Radio

Fliers featuring neo-Nazi propaganda and white supremacist messages have appeared in Waterloo.

The fliers appear to be tied to the Aryan Freedom Network, a neo-Nazi group that has official chapters in over half of the 50 states. While Iowa does not have an official chapter, neighboring Wisconsin does.

Three incidents of identical fliers were reported to Waterloo Police. The fliers feature recruitment propaganda, asking recipients to “answer the call” of their race. It claims the AFN is everywhere and that they are “blue collar, white collar, and everything in between.”

In a statement, Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart condemned the message of the fliers and their appearance around Veterans Day.

“I am deeply disturbed by the recent reports of racist extremist groups distributing recruitment materials in our community. As a dedicated public servant who has recently been the target of discrimination and threats, I want to be clear: There is no place for hate groups in Waterloo.”

This marks the third time the Cedar Valley has been targeted with hate speech fliers since July, but the first time that the AFN has distributed material.

Read the full story.

As President-elect Donald Trump continues to build his cabinet, one pick he has yet to name is a Secretary of Agriculture.

Chad Hart, ag economist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, says more than a dozen names have been floated as potential choices to replace former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who is currently serving as Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack previously held the position under President Barack Obama from 2009-2017.

Hart says Iowa farmers that he has spoken to would prefer someone connected to the area.

“I think, from their perspective, it's always nice to have another Midwesterner representing the Ag department. And so that's why, you know, I said Kip Tom right off the bat — Indiana farmer, has that background.”

Kip Tom is CEO of Tom Farms and served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. Another possible Midwest pick is North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, though Trump is also reportedly considering him for Secretary of Energy.

Every Agriculture secretary since Mike Johanns in 2005 has been a former governor.

Hart says with Trump threatening more tariffs on foreign imports, he may choose an Agriculture secretary with a focus on international trade.

The open enrollment period is now underway for people who get their health insurance through healthcare.gov.

Shannon Hills, regional administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, says it is important to take action, especially since there are some changes for this year.

“Due to a new law, the Inflation Reduction Act, financial assistance is available to help people pay for their health insurance premiums.”

She says the healthcare.gov website has also been streamlined and updated to make the process easier.

Hills says the health care plans offer a variety of things, from prescription drugs to emergency care and more.

“They will be able to compare and contrast various health care plans, their costs and to find one that meets their needs. On healthcare.gov, there is a section called Find Local Help. So, if someone would like a little bit more information or assistance in their particular area in Iowa, then they can select that Find Local Help button and be connected to an agent or broker in their area to walk through their health care plan options.”

Assistance is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-800-318-2596.

Hills says it’s best to sign up by Dec. 15 to ensure that coverage will begin by Jan. 1.

Attorneys for renters and landlords in Orange City are claiming that mandatory inspections of rental properties violate tenants’ privacy. They argued against the city in front of the Iowa Supreme Court Wednesday.

Orange City’s ordinance requires rental units to be inspected once every five years. The city must give landlords a 15-day notice ahead of the inspection, and if the inspector arrives and isn’t allowed to enter, they can obtain an administrative search warrant.

John Wrench, an attorney for the renters and landlords, says this loophole violates the Iowa Constitution, which protects against “suspicionless home searches.” He argues the mandated inspections could give the city broad grounds for seeking warrants.

“The city's entire justification for being able to forcefully enter the home using ‘suspicionless’ warrants is because it's a renter-occupied home.”

An attorney for the city says the inspections have helped uncover serious safety violations in buildings. He also says police have not been involved with inspections in the past, but there’s no language in the ordinance that prevents them from entering with inspectors.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief in support of the renters and landlords. They claim the inspections and potential searches disproportionately affect people from low-income or minority backgrounds, who are more likely to rent.

Madeleine Charis King

Former Iowa Public Radio journalist Rob Dillard died this week due to complications from pancreatic cancer at the age of 73.⁠

Dillard began working in public radio in 2000, hosting Morning Edition at WOI in Ames. A few years later, he moved into the role of correspondent. He also served as IPR's interim news director in the early 2010s.⁠

His proudest accomplishment was creating the long-running IPR series Being in Iowa. His stories uplifted the voices of underrepresented Iowans and focused on topics such as racial diversity, religion, the experiences of veterans and people with disabilities.⁠

IPR News Director Michael Leland said Dillard's interest in people and so many different topics made him the perfect fit for IPR.

"He loved learning about different people and helping them tell their stories. He was well-suited for public radio and we're fortunate he spent so much time with us.”

Read more about Dillard’s career at IPR.

John Pemble

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is criticizing the institution where he has served for decades for giving too much power to the office of the president.

Grassley, the longest-serving Republican in Congressional history, says Congress has “violated the Constitution” by handing the White House the authority to enact crippling tariffs.

President-elect Donald Trump made global tariffs a primary focus of his campaign, and Grassley, who serves on the Senate Finance Committee, says he can do it.

“I’m sorry to say that he probably does have that sort of authority based upon a couple tariffs. The only one I remember would be the 1963 tariff legislation, supposedly to be used for national security.”

Trump’s tariff

During the campaign, Trump suggested he will sign an executive order to impose a 20% tax on all imports from all countries, and threatened a tax of up to 60% on all goods coming from China. Grassley believes the president has that power and can enact such tariffs without needing Congressional approval.

Grassley says his criticism of Congress goes back 50, even 80 years, as powers that should likely have remained under the U.S. Capitol dome were shifted to the executive branch.

“We have actually violated the Constitution, where it says all legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the United States. But when you delegate too much authority for presidential action, you’re really violating that section of the code.”

Recent action by the U.S. Supreme Court aimed to curb the power of the executive branch, Grassley says, if that power isn’t specifically spelled out in the law.

Grassley says, “In the Supreme Court case of this year, they more or less said, ‘Congress, you aren’t doing your job, and you shouldn’t be delegating so much authority,’ and the Supreme Court’s going to be the policeman of that in the future.”

The threatened 60% tariff on all goods from China is particularly troubling to American companies that rely on parts from China in order to make a wide range of products, which could force a tremendous boost in prices for consumers.

Democrat Christina Bohannan is calling for a recount in her tight congressional race against Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

Miller-Meeks leads Bohannan by 802 votes in Iowa’s 1^st Congressional District. The Associated Press still has not called the race.

Bohannan’s campaign says they are requesting the recount in all 20 counties due to a “razor-thin margin.”

Miller-Meeks declared victory during her watch party at the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort on election night, but said she expected a recount due to the close results.

In a statement released after the recount request was filed, Miller-Meeks’ campaign called Bohannan and the Democrats “election deniers.”

“This is a delaying tactic to thwart the will of the people," the campaign wrote. "A recount won't meaningfully change the outcome of this race as the congresswoman's lead is mathematically impossible to overcome.”

Miller-Meeks is running for her third term in Congress and was first elected to her seat in 2020 by just six votes. This year’s election was a rematch of 2022, when Miller-Meeks won her reelection bid, defeating Bohannan by 20,000 votes.

An administrative judge in northeast Iowa has ruled that state regulators must consider public health effects when issuing water use permits.

The decision is part of an ongoing fight by water quality advocates to protect the region’s Driftless Area from large cattle-feeding operations’ pollutants. The suit challenged how those feeding operations are disposing of their manure, claiming pollution from manure runoff violates the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ “beneficial use” policy for water use permits.

Steve Veysey, one of the plaintiffs, says the ruling could mean more decision-making power for Iowans when it comes to their water.

“If properly implemented, this ruling would require the department to actually listen to public comment, and whether the public in that area really believes that water use is beneficial to the public, and not just to the permit holder.”

Veysey says he hopes the decision will push the DNR to look at “beneficial use” for those without water permits.

“The groundwater in Iowa is a public resource. It belongs to you, to me, to everyone. The water used has to be beneficial to the general public as well, and in the public’s interest, and not detrimental to the public’s health.”

It’s unclear when the DNR will act on the ruling, but the department can overrule the decision if it see fit. The decision could also affect other underground operations, such as Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline proposal. The DNR has said that permit laws aren’t the proper way to enforce water quality issues.

State regulators in North Dakota will decide this week whether to issue one of the permits Summit Carbon Solutions needs to build its multi-state pipeline.

Summit aims to build a 2,500-mile pipeline to transport captured CO2 emissions from ethanol plants across five states and bury it one mile underground near Bismarck, N.D.

Iowa’s state regulators granted Summit a permit and the use of eminent domain this summer. But construction in Iowa cannot begin until both South Dakota and North Dakota give the green light.

The North Dakota Public Service Commission will meet Friday morning to decide on Summit’s pipeline route permit in the state. After the commission denied Summit’s first application last year, the company made changes to its route and reapplied.

A different agency in North Dakota is reviewing Summit’s application for underground storage permits.

In South Dakota, Summit says it plans to reapply for a permit later this month.

Courtesy of the Truckload Carriers Association

Iowans will have a rare opportunity this week to get an up-close peek at one of the national Christmas trees without having to journey to Washington, D.C.

Susan DeCourcy, a regional administrator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says the 74-foot-long spruce is being trucked more than 4,000 miles across the country. One pit stop along the way will be in central Iowa.

“It’s a 54-year tradition in which there’s 154 national forests that provide a tree for the West Lawn at the U.S. Capitol. And so this year, the tree is coming from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. It’s making its way across the country.”

The truck carrying the giant tree will stop at the Bass Pro Shops along Interstate 80 in Altoona on Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. for a free, festive event. DeCourcy says people will be allowed to sign the side of the trailer that’s carrying the massive tree before it takes off for the rest of its journey.

A central Iowa girl who had a bout with bullying and bigotry has turned around what happened by writing a book that aims to make a positive difference in the world.

Twelve-year-old Saily Bah of Urbandale says her goal for the book, called Rise Above, is to do exactly as the title says.

“I experienced an act of racism at school and I felt really horrible because it was something that should never happen and that I didn’t even understand at the time. It just hit me. It was a really bad experience.”

To sort out her feelings, Bah wrote a speech about what happened for her class at Radiant Elementary School. The speech was so well received, she decided to create something more lasting — a book — out of those same words.

“I wrote the book because I didn’t want people to feel the same sense of being put down as I did. It was a way of coping with negative things that should never happen. I want young people to realize that when things happen like this, they need to speak up instead of pushing it aside so that everybody knows not to do these things.”

Bah loves to draw and also created all of the illustrations for the book.

“My main thing was actually butterflies and that’s what’s on the cover of the book. Butterflies, to me, symbolize overcoming because they’re just free and fly around and do whatever they want without any concerns, and I want people to feel that way, too.”

At just 12, Bah says she is not sure what she’d like to do for a profession someday. For now, she says she is happy and “living the dream” as a student and author.

All proceeds from the book sales will go to Bah’s college fund and art supplies. The book is available through her Saily’s Swag Facebook page.

Courtesy of Grand View University

Grand View University in Des Moines is joining other Iowa private universities in efforts to make a higher education more affordable for certain prospective students by ensuring they would pay no more in tuition than they would at a public college.

The university announced Monday the launch of its “Go Private. Pay Public.” program, which will cap out-of-pocket tuition costs for high school seniors enrolling in Grand View at $11,000 — the average tuition of Iowa’s public institutions, according to a news release.

“We believe that cost shouldn’t prevent students from choosing the school that is the best fit for them,” said Grand View University President Rachelle Keck in the release. “Our new Public Price Program ensures that every Iowa student, no matter their financial situation, has access to the personalized, high-quality education we offer.”

Read more.

Some honeybee colonies in Midwestern states are dying due to pesticide exposure, unfavorable landscapes and weather.

Iowa State University’s bee extension specialist, Randall Cass, says these stressors are common in states like Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

“The Midwest can be a really challenging landscape for honeybees and other pollinators. We tend to lose our colonies every winter at a higher rate.”

One beekeeper in Overland Park, Kan., says this is the third year losing multiple colonies and thousands of honeybees. Come spring, they will have to repopulate their hives.

Overall, the number of honeybee colonies across the U.S. might be at an all-time high, but beekeepers lost about half of their managed honeybee colonies between 2022-2023, according to data from the Bee Informed Partnership.

Read more.

Iowa Senate Republicans have reelected Jack Whitver as Senate majority leader. He has held the Senate’s top position since 2018.

Whitver was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the spring and has since received radiation and drug therapy treatment. According to a news release, recent scans have shown that the tumor is shrinking and many of his symptoms have improved.

Senate Republicans also reelected Amy Sinclair as Senate president. Ken Rozenboom is the new Senate president pro tempore after Brad Zaun lost his reelection bid.

Senate Democrats still need to elect a new minority leader with the retirement of Pam Jochum.

A University of Iowa researcher has been awarded a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a new treatment for ovarian cancer.

University of Iowa researcher Jill Kolesar is working on a drug that will make ovarian tumors more sensitive to immunotherapy by helping the immune system recognize the cells surrounding them.

Kolesar, who is the dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Iowa, says this could bring ovarian cancer treatment into the 21^st century.

“Treatment paradigm for ovarian cancer has not changed in the last 30, 40 years. We still use a doublet of chemotherapy, which has a lot of adverse effects and is not all that effective. Most people with ovarian cancer still die of their cancers.”

She says ovarian cancer is often diagnosed in the late stages.

“It kind of grows in your abdomen where there’s plenty of space and before it starts causing symptoms. It’s usually pretty big, and the bigger cancers, the later stage they are, the harder they are to treat.”

More than 12,000 people nationwide are estimated to die from ovarian cancer in 2024, according to federal data.

A solemn service Wednesday will recognize three former Iowa State University alumni who died while serving in the military.

Megan Moore with the ISU Memorial Union says the Gold Star Hall Ceremony has been a tradition on the Ames campus for more than two decades.

“Our first honoree is Air Force Second Lieutenant Max Harvey Collins. He died when his aircraft crashed on takeoff during the Korean War. We are also honoring James Wayne Herrick, Jr. He was a captain in the Air Force, and he was on a mission when his plane was lost near North Vietnam.”

This year’s third honoree is Army First Lieutenant Sidney Peterson, who served in World War II and died after taking on anti-aircraft fire aboard a B-26 Marauder.

“These wonderful service members were young men, and they were Iowa State students studying various degrees here. So part of the ceremony is we tell their personal story. We tell from the very beginning, stories from when they were born and what their family life was like, and then we do go into detail of what their life was like here at Iowa State.”

Wednesday’s program is scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. at the ISU Memorial Union.

University of Northern Iowa head football coach Mark Farley will retire at the end of the current season after 24 years leading the Panthers.

At 182 wins, Farley has the most victories in the history of UNI football and the Missouri Valley Conference.

He says he was successful because the program gave Iowa athletes who were overlooked by larger programs a place to play college sports and earn degrees.

“Because you will learn more from the courts and the football field than you’ll ever learn from that book that you read on campus. You need that book to write a resume, but you need the field to make a leader.”

Farley says he's stepping down, in part, in response to rule changes allowing players to easily change schools and letting competing colleges attract players with NIL payments. He says that has added “wear and tear” to the job of coaching.

Farley’s ties to UNI go back to 1982, when the Waukon, native joined the Panthers as a walk-on linebacker. He became head coach in 2001, leading the program to the FCS championship game a few years later. He has 182 wins in his career, including 17 in the FCS playoffs.

Farley says his coaching philosophy grew out of his experience as a player himself.

“What I tried to do with players as much as what I tried to do with coaches is give people an opportunity that maybe didn’t get an opportunity somewhere else. And I just wanted the same shot for them as what somebody gave me.”

UNI will open a national search for his replacement.

Farmers are increasingly relying on off-farm jobs to supplement their farm income.

Only 37% of farmers held a primary job off the farm in 1974. Today, roughly 84% of family farmers rely on other jobs to support their livelihoods, according to a 2023 USDA study.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has said the increasing dependence on off-farm income is causing more small farms to sell, and the trend contributes to further farm consolidation.

Between 2017 and 2022, more than 140,000 farms closed down — most of which were from the smallest income category.

“The question I think we ask ourselves is simply, why is it that the farm family has to work multiple jobs?” Vilsack said at an August press conference. “Why can't the farm work harder and generate more farm income?”

Daniel Munch, an agricultural economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said it’s harder for “little guys” to produce at the same price per unit as larger farms. Competing in a global market, Munch said, means farmers have to keep scaling up in order to be profitable.

“We're never in the position of saying it's bad that farms are getting bigger,” Munch said. “They're just doing it because that's what they need to survive in the marketplace we have now ... which is a harsh reality.”

Read more from Teresa Homsi.

The last Democrat to hold elected office in Woodbury County lost his bid for reelection last week.

Republican challenger and deputy auditor Michelle Skaff beat Woodbury County Auditor Pat Gill with 54% of the vote.

The political landscape has changed since Gill first took over the office of auditor, recorder and commissioner of elections 28 years ago.

“It went from a blue county to a purple county to a bright red one. I suffered the consequences of that. And that's just the way it is.”

Gill says back then the integrity of the election process wasn’t under attack.

“It was unbelievable that I would get some of the phone calls and people accusing you of different things. It really did do a lot of damage to the way that people look at elections.”

He says the state shortening the window for early voting and outlawing the mailing of pre-filled absentee request forms hurt voters.

“The Legislature over a period of time made it very difficult for people to participate in the election by mail.”

Gill did alert the FBI of voter fraud surrounding the case of Kim Taylor, the wife of Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor. The Sioux City woman was convicted on more than 50 counts of voter fraud and served four months in federal prison.

Enrollment at the three state universities has been holding steady recently, but there are some challenges ahead.

Regents associate academic officer Jason Pontius says enrollment remains down from the record peak in the fall of 2016.

“Forty percent of that drop over that time are from Chinese national students who are choosing not to attend our universities,” he says. “And another factor that is influencing that is nationally, there’s been about a seven to ten percentage point drop in the percent of high school graduates that are choosing to go to college.”

He says there has been some recovery of the international students. “That recovery is not coming from Chinese students. It is actually coming, in part, from students from India that are increasingly attending our universities,” Pontius says.

The enrollment at Iowa State, the University of Iowa and Northern Iowa is about 81% undergraduate students and around 59% of those students are Iowa residents.

Pontius says one of the issues ahead is a drop in the size of high school classes. He says the decline is likely to hit nationally, but it is not evenly distributed.

“So there are major differences by region and state. The two regions that are expected to be hit the hardest are the Northeast and the Midwest, and with the least amount of impact in generally the South,” Pontius says.

The Iowa DNR is in its second year of a pilot study on the gray fox. DNR wildlife biologist Vince Evelsizer says the animal’s numbers have been dropping.

“The reason for doing pilot gray fox research is because we’re concerned about their population decline statewide, and that is occurring in other Midwest states too,” he says.

Evelsizer says they are asking trappers who catch a gray fox in a live trap to give the DNR a call.

“We are hoping to catch live foxes and put collars on them for tracking purposes,” Evelsizer says.

He says they want to find out where the gray foxes are living and hunting, and to better understand the population decline.

Evelsizer says there is a $400 reward provided by the Iowa Wildlife Federation for anyone who catches a gray fox that can be used for this study. He says the fox will be released on the site where it was caught.

The DNR is also working with Iowa State University on a pilot project this winter in northeast Iowa, using cameras to track gray foxes to determine what areas these species occupy. He says other regions may be surveyed in the future, depending on how this study goes.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has not announced whether she intends to seek reelection in 2026, but she is giving a few hints about her 2025 policy agenda.

“I’ve signed five tax cuts into law over the last six years, lowering taxes for every single Iowan who pays them,” Reynolds said at a campaign fundraiser last month, “January 1, we’re going to a flat, 3.8% flat and fair tax.”

Two years ago, at a Republican Governors Association forum, Reynolds said her goal was to eliminate the state income tax by the end of her current term, which ends in early 2027. However, Reynolds has indicated her focus in 2025 will be on reducing tax that’s collected by local governments, like cities, counties and school districts.

“We’re working on property tax,” she told the Westside Conservative Club on Oct. 30. “We know we still have work to do there, so hang in there. We’ve shaved off $250 million, but we know we still have work to do.”

The latest report on state tax revenue indicates the state will take in a billion dollars less in income taxes over a 24 month period due to the tax cuts Reynolds has signed.

Democrats in the legislature say the tax cuts Reynolds has already signed will lead to cuts in state services, and warn a reduction in state support of public schools is ahead when the next round of income tax cuts take effect.

Reynolds indicated the state has enough money as a cushion in case there is a downturn in the economy and a more dramatic decline in state tax collections than has been predicted. There’s $1 dollars in the state’s cash reserve plus a $2.5 billion budget surplus. There’s also $3.75 billion in the state’s Taxpayer Trust Fund.

The hospital in Greenfield is reopening fully on Monday, six months after a tornado severely damaged the facility.

The EF-4 tornado that tore through Greenfield last spring didn’t directly hit the Adair County Memorial Hospital, but its strong winds and flying debris caused enough damage that the hospital had to close.

Philicia Hancock, the Chief Clinical Officer at the hospital, says major parts of the hospital, like the inpatient floor and the emergency room, are finally up and running.

“The closest hospital for ER is about 20-25 minutes, and so that’s why we’ve been trying hard to get back open, to be able to provide those emergency services that our patients really count on.”

The hospital has already reopened some outpatient services.

The May 21 tornado killed four people and injured at least 35.

New tenants will begin moving into Iowa’s first ever “zero carbon certified” building starting in a few weeks. Star Lofts, which will have 20 affordable housing apartment units and four spaces for businesses, is located on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines. The building swaps out typical steel-and-concrete designs for engineered wooden beams and low-carbon concrete. And, together with high efficiency utilities and off-site solar panels, the building’s carbon impact is brought down to zero.

To earn the title zero carbon, new buildings must meet benchmarks for cutting carbon emissions both during the construction phase and when it's in use. Developers must offset the remaining emissions through renewable energy projects to reach net zero.

Molly Cutler is part of the husband-wife development group behind the project. She says a lot of trial and error was involved initially but she’s hoping to share their knowledge with others.

“There haven't been a lot of projects yet who have achieved this certification to look from, but we're very open book with how we achieved it, and have shared those learnings, and hope that other developers go after the same certification in the future.”

Anawim Housing will help manage the apartments when tenants start moving in in December. The units are available to people in different income levels who make 80% or less of the area median income.

A longstanding Iowa City music festival will come to an end after this year — at least in its current form.

The Englert Theatre, which has organized the Mission Creek Festival since 2014, announced Friday that this will be its final year producing the event. Brian Johannesen is the Englert’s programming director.

“I think, on the whole, you know, we’re ready to kind of move on to some different exciting festival ideas that we’re working on, and needed to just kind of clear some space.”

The festival isn’t disappearing for good. A new iteration of Mission Creek, led by one of the festival’s original co-founders, is already being planned for 2026.

The 20th season of the Mission Creek Festival will take place in April in Iowa City, with the full artist lineup set to be released Friday, Dec. 13.

The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Prairie City will remain closed indefinitely due to heavy damage from summer storms.

Visitors Services Manager Nancy Corona says heavy hail and flooding last July left extensive damage to the ceiling, drywall, rugs and exhibits, including their seed lab. She says the center will not be assessed for long-term repairs until next year.

“First phase was, you know, clean up, and second phase was just getting us back in the office and getting us up and running again. And now third phase will be getting that engineering information and costs and the scope of the work, and then we can give a projection at that point.”

Corona says the center will remain closed to the public for at least several months. The outdoor refuge – including the surrounding trails and hunting grounds – are still open to the public.

The USDA is reporting the nation’s beef cattle herd is the smallest it’s been in over 70 years. There were just over 28 million head of beef cattle in the United States at the beginning of this year, down 6% since the beginning of 2022. According to the USDA, this is the smallest U.S. beef herd since 1951.

Several factors contribute to the smaller numbers, but the largest is ongoing drought in many parts of the country. Iowa Cattlemen’s Association CEO Bryan Whaley says that at the height of Iowa’s multi-year drought, beef producers were forced to haul water and hay to cows because pastures had dried up.

“Producers have had to reduce their stocking rate on their pastures, and so therefore they’re not able to have as many cows running on their pastures in order to keep them in the quality condition they need to be kept in.”

Whaley says compared to hogs or poultry, it takes longer to build a herd of beef cattle. He says the threat of continued drought next year has producers weighing whether to make large investments at this time. Beef prices have been rising more sharply over the last few years, with the price of ground beef up 47% since 2019.

The Iowa Secretary of State’s effort to challenge votes by potential noncitizens could factor into the closest legislative race in the state.

Last month, Secretary of State Paul Pate directed county auditors statewide to flag ballots from a list from the DOT of self-reported noncitizens, even though he said most of them have likely become citizens.

In Senate District 14, the Dallas County Auditor cannot count ballots from people on that list unless the individuals prove they voted legally. There were 19 ballots on hold as of Friday morning.

That’s equal to Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott’s lead in the race over Republican Mark Hanson. In an election this close, Trone Garriott says every legal ballot should be counted.

“There are people who are citizens who have a right to vote and who don’t know that their right has been challenged.”

Notices were mailed about a week ago to the people on the Secretary of State’s list. Dallas County Auditor Julia Holm says her office has also called people they had numbers for.

Any new citizens in Iowa who voted early or by mail should contact their county auditor to make sure their ballot is counted by the deadline at noon on Tuesday.

The wind turbine on the Kirkwood Community College campus in Cedar Rapids will be coming down next year after being decommissioned.

The turbine was used for instruction and the power it produced was sold to Alliant Energy, but after 12 years it needed significant repairs.

Kirkwood Vice President of Operations Troy McQuillen says the revenue it was producing had fallen short of projections. Additionally, Kirkwood has dropped its Energy Production and Distribution Technologies program.

“A lot of that training was happening in the field. Some of the major groups that were hiring wind turbine technicians were taking students right out of high school or career technical programs and doing on-the-site training.”

McQuillen says the decommissioning will free up financial resources for other Kirkwood sustainability initiatives.

He says some of the turbine will be recycled while some of it will be sold for parts.

Iowans are being warned about online criminals who are threatening to expose people’s alleged shady internet habits.

Lisa Schiller at the Better Business Bureau says the nonprofit is tracking a type of “sextortion” blackmail scam where con artists will claim they have evidence of you watching porn.

“They’ll say they gained access to all of the websites that you visited, and then they threaten to send embarrassing images or videos to your contacts, your family, friends, coworkers, if, of course, payment is not made.”

Schiller says these scams can be effective because no one wants to talk about this, much less if they have fallen for it. She says the crooks want to spook people into sending money immediately.

“Scammers will contact somebody, anybody, whether or not they visited a pornographic site or sent any explicit photos anywhere, and they’ll claim that they hacked your computer, they activated your webcam and recorded you.”

Schiller says this tracks along with other scams like the IRS or warrant scams, where callers try to scare people into taking immediate action.

Her advice to anyone who receives a call like this is to simply hang up.

President-elect Donald Trump has said his first act after he is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025 will be appointing a task force to plan for the country’s 250^th anniversary in 2026 — and he picked Iowa as the spot for a major exposition.

“The Great American State Fair will showcase the glory of every state in the union, promote pride in our history and promote innovative visions for America’s future,” Trump said.

A video Trump posted on social media back in May of 2023 is recirculating online after X owner Elon Musk commented on it. Trump said he would work with all the nation’s governors to create pavilions for each state that will be set up on the Iowa State Fairgrounds for a year-long expo.

“My hope is that the amazing people of Iowa will work with my administration to open up the legendary Iowa State Fairgrounds to host the Great American State Fair and welcome millions and millions of visitors from around the world to the heartland of America for this special, one-time festival,” Trump said. “Together we will build it and they will come.”

Gov. Kim Reynolds, in a post on social media Thursday, said Iowans “know the Iowa State Fair is the best fair in the country!…We stand ready to host the Great American State Fair.”

Reynolds was at Trump’s election night party in Florida Tuesday.

Jeremy Parsons, manager and CEO of the Iowa State Fair, issued a written statement

“We know the world’s greatest state fair is in Iowa, but no formal request or inquiry has been made for use of the Iowa State Fairgrounds at this time,” Parsons wrote.

The Iowa Board of Regents is continuing to make cuts to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs across its three state universities to comply with an upcoming state law that will prohibit those offices.

Over $2 million has been reallocated to other departments across those schools so far, which has resulted in the elimination of positions and entire offices, and has spurred student protests.

Students at Iowa State University have pushed back by holding protests at the school’s LGBTQ center.

At its board meeting Thursday, Regent Nancy Dunkel said the board should consider bringing in student voices to help guide decisions.

“We really need to put a student representative on the board. When they were on the board, they gave us that input, so we really need to put an effort into getting that seat filled so we can hear that perspective as well,” she said.

The law goes into effect in July 2025, but the Board of Regents anticipates changes to be implemented about eight months before the deadline.

The Iowa Court of Appeals reopened a discrimination lawsuit filed against Tyson Fresh Meats in Waterloo.

The suit was initially brought against the company by Congolese worker Boniface Ngwangwa in 2019 when the company fired him after he left work early to attend his citizenship ceremony.

Ngwangwa’s lawsuit was initially dismissed by a district court because he had missed his 300-day civil rights filing deadline, which fell during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that the window was improperly narrowed, as many government offices were shut down, and set up the case for trial.

Chief Judge Mary Tabor wrote in her opinion that the Iowa Civil Rights Commission’s rules improperly trimmed the 300-day window for filing complaints under the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

Ngwangwa, now a naturalized citizen, had been working at the Tyson plant since 2015.

Untreated wastewater washed into the Missouri River Wednesday after equipment failed at a lift station in the Sioux City sewer system.

Nearly 2 million gallons of wastewater was released. The Iowa DNR is unsure how much reached the river after it flowed through a connected dry creek channel.

Cities downstream, including Council Bluffs and Omaha, have been notified and the DNR is cautioning people to stay out of that stretch of the Missouri River.

A performing arts company in Cedar Rapids is no longer in danger of closing after it raised enough money to cover its rent and keep its doors open through the end of the year.

Mirrorbox Theatre was given three days to pay back the rent it owed. Founder Cavan Hallman says that sparked an emergency community campaign to save the theater amid its ongoing $30,000 fundraising goal.

“The financial struggle wasn't new, but the urgency was new, and that's what led to the public part of the campaign.”

The theater raised enough to cover its rent, but Hallman says the overall fundraising goal is not yet met and the theater will need to reevaluate its operations in order to move forward.

Read more.

Natalie Dunlap

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Iowa Public Radio

Voters in Story and Johnson counties approved conservation bonds to help fund new trails, support wildlife and improve water quality. The bonds received nearly 80% of the vote; they needed 60% to pass.

The $25 million Story County Water and Land Legacy Bond passed with 78% of the vote.

Jim Pease, chair of the Story County Conservation Board, says the new funding will support over a dozen projects in the next two decades. Near the front of the line are improvements to the recently acquired Deppe Family Conservation Area, where new trails, picnic shelters and parking will be added.

Future Story County projects include a bike trail between Ames and Slater, where the High Trestle and Heart of Iowa trails meet, and expanding the green belt along the Skunk River to protect water quality and habitat for wildlife.

Pease says the passage of the bonds shows that people want more opportunities for outdoor recreation and that they value wild places in Iowa.

“Iowa is one of the most altered states in the union. The prairies, woodlands and wetlands that were once here have been tremendously altered to make a very strong agricultural state and a very altered state from the nature that was here.”

In Johnson County, nearly 80% of voters approved a $30 million conservation bond. Residents passed a similar measure in 2008.

Polk County passed conservation bonds in 2012 and in 2021.

Read more about why Iowa has conservation bonds.