An Iowa midwife is opening a birthing center after a law passed earlier this year that lowered barriers to create new maternal facilities.

Heaven Sent Homebirth in Adel, located in Dallas County, is owned by midwife Sarah Sorvillo. She said expecting mothers have told her that they didn’t feel cared for in medical settings.

“People are just looking to go back to basics, because what has been working isn't working,” Sorvillo said. “I think that's just forced people to think outside of the box.”

Many of them also have to drive more than an hour for an OB-GYN. That’s why Sorvillo wanted to establish her own birthing center in the community she was already serving.

Since 2000, 41 birthing units have closed in Iowa. Over the last 10 years, the number of home births in Iowa has almost doubled. Nearly 850 people gave birth outside of a hospital last year.

A new poll placed Iowa at the top when it comes to people’s experience with the health care system nationwide. The poll was conducted by Gallup and the nonprofit West Health. It asked nearly 20,000 Americans their opinions on their state’s health care system’s cost, quality and access.

Iowa ranked the highest in the survey, but it only received a “C+” grade overall. The nation received a “C.”

West Health CEO Tim Lash said some of the state’s investments in rural health and Medicaid expansion have helped, but it still received a barely passing grade.

“Iowa performing better than the bottom states shows us there are things you can do to do better, but we need to do more of that,” Lash said.

The survey found that 1 in 4 Iowans reported distance to medical professionals delayed or prevented receiving care in the past 12 months. More than 50% said long wait times for appointments affected their care.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $77.1 million to public transportation systems based in Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Transportation plans to use its grant money to buy new buses and vans for over a dozen transit systems in the state and construct or expand several bus facilities for rural transit systems.

Iowa City Transit and the University of Iowa also received grants to replace aging buses with diesel and diesel-hybrid vehicles.

The City of Ames said CyRide will use its grant to expand its facility and add 20 buses that run 100% on biodiesel. CyRide currently has five through a pilot program, according to the city.

Cornell College’s plans to stop offering several majors are running into opposition.

The Mount Vernon university announced earlier this week it will stop offering several majors starting next academic year, including religious studies, the classics, music and multiple languages — Spanish among them. Some students, faculty and alumni started a petition to protest the changes. It already has hundreds of signatures.

“I've seen, over and over again, alumni saying, how can they continue to call themselves a liberal arts college when they’re eliminating programs, majors and/or gutting departments that define a liberal arts college," said October Crifasi, who studied English and music at Cornell College. 

In a statement, the college said that the changes were made based on enrollment data, and that they are necessary to ensure the future of the school.

Students who are currently pursuing degrees in each of the disciplines will be able to finish through teach-out programs at other schools. 

Lucia Cheng

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Iowa Public Radio

Iowans and others interested in researching Iowa history now have access to more military and criminal records through Ancestry.com. Over the past two years, the State Historical Society of Iowa added more than a million records from their archives to Ancestry’s searchable database.  

Ancestry said the newly available records will be valuable to both Iowans and people who trace their family history back to the state. The company said digitizing the records didn’t cost taxpayers anything extra.

Iowans can access the records by using the State Historical Society’s Ancestry account at one of their research centers. People can also look at the records through a paid subscription with Ancestry.  

There’s a growing number of scams involving cryptocurrency ATMs in Iowa and across the country. These machines look like traditional ATMs and are located in many of the same places. Scams can start through social media, emails, texts, computer pop-ups and phone calls.

James Johnson, with the Iowa Division of Banking, said scammers can pose as a romantic interest, government organization or law enforcement. They employ high-pressure tactics to entice victims into using one of these ATMs to deposit money into a crypto wallet, often more than once.

“They're all designed to create a sense of urgency in the individual, and through that urgency, that panic ensues,” Johnson said. “Oftentimes it's a domino, and they just keep spiraling down. They build more and more urgency, and they just throw more and more money into it sometimes.”

Johnson said many people don’t understand the technology, which scammers use to their advantage.

Once money is deposited into the scammer’s crypto wallet, they usually move it quickly, making it harder to retrieve. He said new laws in Iowa force crypto ATM operators to provide refunds, but only under specific circumstances.

Find out more about common scams and how to report fraud.

A 24-year-old man from Mount Pleasant was deported this week after spending months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Noel Lopez De La Cruz was brought to the U.S. when he was two years old. In June, he was arrested for possessing marijuana and was later handed over to ICE.

Over the weekend, De La Cruz was deported to Mexico.

Kayla Alberding, the sister of De La Cruz’s fiancé, said he was “ripped away” and sent to a place he has never known as home.

“You see the comments from the hateful people, people that don’t know the whole story at all,” she said. “They just automatically think he’s a criminal and a bad person, when that is far from the truth.” 

De La Cruz sued the Trump administration in September for denying him a bond hearing. He was then granted a hearing in front of an immigration judge, but was given a final order of deportation.

The federal court records filed after the judge granted him the hearing have been sealed. 

Gov. Kim Reynolds said property tax relief can’t involve shifting local costs to the state. She recently held property tax roundtables across the state with local officials as she continues to work on a property tax plan.

Reynolds said she’s “looking at everything” to reach her goal of addressing property taxes in the upcoming legislative session.

“We gotta see what the numbers look like. We can’t shift it to the state. That’s not property tax relief. I can’t come in and backfill for a lot of the things that we’re trying to do,” she said. “So it has to be sustainable. We have to think differently about how we’re delivering services to Iowans, and there’s a lot of opportunity out there to do that.”

A bill proposed during the last legislative session by the chairs of the Senate and House tax committees would’ve shifted about $400 million of school funding from property taxes to the state.

The state is dipping into savings to cover an estimated $1.3 billion budget gap this fiscal year.

New research shows that bison can help protect prairies from evergreen trees that are aggressively spreading on the Great Plains.

The finding is counterintuitive because bison feast on grass, not trees. But decades of research by Kansas State University shows bison take a toll on eastern red cedars, the evergreens that are smothering prairies.

Sidney Noble, who worked on the research as a doctoral student, said when Kansas State planted young red cedars on a prairie with bison, many of the trees died.
“With bison, there was a lot more mortality. Specifically, there was eastern red cedar that was ripped up, browsed, trampled,” Noble said.

Using controlled fire is the most effective way to kill these trees, according to Kansas State. But on prairies that don’t get burned often, bison could help curb their spread.

Read more from Harvest Public Media’s Celia Llopis-Jepsen.

Gov. Kim Reynolds said the state’s consideration of privatizing medical services in prisons was part of her administration’s effort to ensure it is using taxpayer dollars wisely.

The Iowa Department of Corrections sought bids from private companies to administer prison health care. But the state ultimately decided not to move forward with changes. Reynolds said that was the right decision.

“And I feel good about it because we actually went through the process to verify that that was the right thing to do, and we shouldn’t be afraid of doing that,” she said. “And people shouldn’t think that, just because we are looking, that it means it’s going to stop or we’re going to eliminate or we’re going to change course. You should constantly be looking at how we can do things better.”

The possibility of privatization drew outrage from prison medical employees and labor unions. Dozens of prison medical workers resigned as the state explored privatization.

Multiple businesses in downtown Iowa City were forced to close after the building owners racked up over $26 million of debt. Green State Credit Union moved to foreclose on the Chauncey building and Plaza Towers. But no adequate bids were placed during the sheriff’s auction last week, so the assets went back into the hands of the bank. 

SpareMe, a bowling alley and arcade on the first floor of the Chauncey building, is one of several tenants being ordered to leave. Harry Whittenburg-Nelson, SpareMe’s assistant general manager, said it’s closing after Wednesday.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting it,” he said. “A lot of sweat, blood and tears [went] into this place. But just kind of sadness, too, for the staff, especially with it being around Thanksgiving, everybody’s kind of scattered.” 

SpareMe, the Hotel Chauncey and hotelVetro in the Ped Mall will all close by the end of the month. FilmScene, a nonprofit movie theater with a location at the Chauncey, will not close.

The city of Cedar Rapids decided to further delay two flood prevention projects as it prepares to replace the Eighth Avenue Bridge near the downtown area.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority approved the city’s request to remove the two projects from its Central Reinvestment District plan on Friday.

Construction for a pump station and a dam bypass channel were set to begin as soon as 2031, but the city will have to install a cofferdam in order to build the bridge. The dam’s presence would interfere with the other two projects. Each project had previously been allocated $1.5 million.

Sen. Chuck Grassley said former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James are “not off the hook” after a judge dismissed charges against them on Monday.

Grassley suggested the judge’s decision could be overturned by the circuit court of appeals. But if the ruling is upheld, he said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi could refile charges against Comey and James.

“Either way, Comey and Letitia James are not off the hook for what they did, and I think I ought to remind your listeners that one of the things Comey is being charged with — probably not the only thing, but — lying to Congress,” Grassley said.
 
The judge ruled the Trump administration unlawfully appointed interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan. Grassley admitted that the situation could have been avoided had Trump not fired Halligan’s predecessor Erik Siebert. Siebert was ousted in September after he declined to bring charges against Comey and James.

Sheila Brummer

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Iowa Public Radio

At a major GOP candidate forum in western Iowa Monday night, some of the contenders said Republicans need to focus on beating Democrats next year.

About 150 people packed the room in Holstein to hear from Republican candidates for governor and Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.

Former Iowa Tea Party founder Ryan Rhodes, who is vying for a seat in Congress, said apathy has cost Republicans recent elections, both in Iowa and nationally.

“We don’t got this unless we send fighters. We don’t got this unless we go out there and do it, because Democrats will never go away,” he said.

The other congressional candidates who attended were former Iowa House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan, farmer and volunteer firefighter Christian Schlaefer and veteran Douglas Jensen.

Some candidates running for governor expressed concern that U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who is running for governor, didn’t attend.

Read more.

Gov. Kim Reynolds will present former Gov. Terry Branstad with the Iowa Award next month. It’s the state’s highest citizen honor.

In a news release announcing her decision, Reynolds said Branstad’s commitment to public service is “unrivaled,” adding that “no one is more deserving of the honor.”

Branstad was the nation’s youngest governor when he was first elected in 1982. In December of 2015, during his fifth term, he became the nation’s longest-serving governor. Branstad chose Reynolds to be his running mate for his 2010 campaign and return to the governor’s office. Reynolds became governor when he resigned in mid-2017 to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China.

Former President Herbert Hoover was the first recipient of the Iowa Award back in 1951. Branstad will be the 26th Iowan to receive it.

Branstad, who turned 79 on Nov. 17, said in a written statement that he’s “honored and very pleased to be named on a list of very distinguished Iowans.” Seven of the recipients given the Iowa Award were named by Branstad during his more than two decades as governor.

Reynolds will present the Iowa Award to Branstad during a ceremony at the Iowa Capitol on Dec. 11 at 11 a.m.

State officials have denied The Satanic Temple Iowa’s request to hold an event in the Iowa Capitol for the second year in a row.

This comes as state officials are already facing a religious discrimination complaint based on the denial of last year’s event.

Republican candidate for governor Adam Steen was previously the director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services. He denied the Satanic Temple’s event in 2024. Steen held a news conference Monday celebrating the state’s decision to deny the event again.

“We did it. We stood up. We got the denial that we wanted. And I’m proud to say that good again has defeated evil,” Steen said. “Denying this event will protect our children. Our children deserve that.”

A lawyer for The Satanic Temple says the state shouldn’t double down on its unconstitutional discrimination.

The retail price of wholesale turkeys this year could be around $2 a pound, according to a new Purdue University study.

Caitlinn Hubbell, one of the paper's authors, said it's typical for prices to grow around the holiday season.

“But also, right now, we're seeing higher feed costs, right?” Hubbell said. “So grain prices are low, and feed for all animals, not just poultry, is higher.”

Hubbell said those high prices are partly due to tariffs the Trump administration imposed on vitamins, minerals and other animal feed ingredients.

Bigger turkey populations could mitigate price increases. However, bird flu has already killed over 3 million commercial fowl this year.

Yuko Sato, a poultry extension veterinarian at Iowa State University, said controlling bird flu would bolster turkey populations and help bring prices down.

“That's going to be a massive positive effect for the entire industry, irrespective of what turkeys or broilers or layers, whatever industry they're dealing with,” she said.

Read more.

Cornell College in Mount Vernon has said it will stop offering degrees for several majors starting next year. That includes majors in classical studies, French, German, religion and multiple music majors. The Spanish major will also be canceled, though students will still be able to minor in it.

A statement from the university said the changes are necessary to maintain its vibrant learning community for its students. Students who are currently pursuing degrees in each of the disciplines will be able to finish their programs through teach-out programs at other schools.

The Iowa Supreme Court is upholding a verdict against a Manchester police officer in the death of a motorcyclist after a chase.

A jury found Manchester police officer James Wessels committed assault and battery against Augustin Mormann when he ran his patrol car into Mormann’s motorcycle twice and caused him to crash. The Iowa State Patrol had started the pursuit, but ended it after troopers determined it was too dangerous to continue.

Mormann eventually died from his injuries and the jury awarded Mormann’s estate more than $4.25 million. Wessels and the city appealed, citing numerous grounds including qualified immunity and a lack of evidence.

The Supreme Court ruled the evidence showed that Wessels persisted in his own pursuit, violating department policy after other officers had called off the chase. It also ruled that Wessels’s cruiser hit Mormann’s motorcycle intentionally, without justification for using that deadly force.

Democrats running in the 2nd Congressional District spoke at a candidate forum held Sunday in Manchester.

State Rep. Lindsay James, veteran and nurse Kathy Dolter and former nonprofit executive Clint Twedt-Ball said they want to reverse many of the policies enacted by Republican leaders at the state and federal levels.

All of them talked about the importance of protecting Iowans from high costs and making sure they have access to health care and high-quality education.

“People are making impossible choices in our state because of their economic realities, and they are doing so in the wealthiest country in the world. And I believe that all of us in this room will agree that that is not right,” said James.

Twedt-Ball said Democrats will have to appeal to the rising numbers of independents to win, and they can do that by showing they will fight for all Iowans.

“There is just way too much money in politics, and we have to do everything we can to move that out of politics so that we can have a relationship with voters that they see as authentic and real and that they see as dependable,” Twedt-Ball said.

Boone Democrat Guy Morgan has launched an outside bid for the race. The candidates will face off in the Democratic primary in June.

Business owners with fewer than three full-time employees reported lower confidence levels for this year’s holiday season, according to a Main Street America national survey.

Tariffs, inflation and a downturn in consumer spending were big factors for many of the survey respondents. Melissa Fabian, owner of Simply Nourished Market & Mercantile in Mason City, said she’s seen a drop in revenue this year with less foot traffic than normal.

Small Business Saturday after Thanksgiving is typically her biggest day of the year.

“Believe me, we appreciate it, and we need people there to do that,” Fabian said. “But we really need the people there to come every week. People can't shop one day a year with us and be surprised six months later that we're gone.”

Fabian said supporting small businesses circulates dollars locally and helps downtowns thrive.

Read more from Rachel Cramer.

Lucia Cheng

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Iowa Public Radio

A report from an independent investigator stated that the Des Moines School Board’s search process that led to hiring former Superintendent Ian Roberts was “methodical, data-informed and rigorous.” It also said the board wasn't aware that Roberts had any criminal convictions or immigration issues before he was hired by Des Moines Public Schools in 2023.

Roberts was arrested in September after allegedly fleeing federal immigration agents.

The report stated that the DMPS school board was only aware of a 2021 gun citation disclosed during the hiring process. The background check was conducted by JG Consulting, a firm hired by the board, and only went back seven years. The check didn't identify any immigration issues, criminal charges or convictions that emerged after Roberts’ arrest.

A press release from the Department of Homeland Security said Roberts had a narcotics charge and charges for unauthorized use of a vehicle dating from the 1990s. He also had a reckless driving conviction in 2012 and weapons charges in 2020.  

JG Consulting said they were registered with E-Verify, an online system that lets people confirm whether or not their employees are able to work in the country.  The investigator said they didn’t receive any documents that showed the consulting firm used the program for Roberts.

For many Americans, the Thanksgiving feast just isn't complete until they dig into a slice of pumpkin or sweet potato pie. And for some, there's simply no room for both.

The two desserts have similarities: both are orange, sweet and have a bit of spice. Yet, they have distinct histories that have led to dedicated followings.

Although they are both American staples, with their starchy custard-like fillings, pumpkin pie tends to be heavier on spice, while sweet potato pie is typically sweeter and lighter.

As it turns out, the reasons why people choose one over the other often trace back to where they were raised and their race. Read more from Harvest Public Media’s Chad Davis.

The state’s largest school district said there could be an increase in the number of students experiencing homelessness this year.

Des Moines Public Schools Homeless Liaison Lynette Wilson said more than 660 students experienced homelessness last year. By the end of this year, she expects the district to surpass that number. It’s currently at 562, according to Wilson.

She said part of the reason might be that the cost of living is increasing too fast for some parents to keep up.

“More than 95% of our families that are homeless, parents are working. It’s not from a lack of employment,” Wilson said.

Last year, six DMPS students were living outside without shelter. Now, that’s up to 26 students. Wilson said people who want to help can donate food or gift cards to area food pantries.

Federal law requires schools to assist students who are homeless with transportation and academic support.

Iowa’s 4^th District Rep. Randy Feenstra said he’s working to prevent dramatic spikes in health insurance costs that are expected at the beginning of next year.

But the Republican didn’t endorse an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits that help people pay for health insurance, something Democrats in Congress were demanding during the government shutdown.

Feenstra said as a member of the House committee that handles taxes, he’s had multiple meetings this past week related to health care credits. He said House Republicans want to come out with a new plan to lower premiums for families and small businesses.

“There’s some exciting proposals. Again, how can we directly give money to the small business, or give directly money to the family to lower that premium cost,” he said. “So that’s what we’re looking at right now.”

Feenstra spoke to reporters Friday while campaigning in Des Moines for the Republican nomination for governor. He talked about some of his goals as a candidate, including lowering and freezing property taxes for Iowans.

State health officials reported the first death from the flu of the 2025-26 influenza season. The individual was an older adult from southwest Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services reported that influenza activity is currently very low in the state. But health experts said they expect flu activity to increase with colder weather and holiday gatherings.

Experts encourage Iowans to get a flu shot and stay home when they’re sick to avoid spreading germs.

According to state data, fewer than 20% of Iowans have received a flu shot so far this season.

Major League Baseball will return to the Field of Dreams in 2026.

The Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies will play a regular season game at the movie site in Dyersville next summer. The game will be played in a new ballpark that’s currently under construction and will be livestreamed on Netflix as part of its new partnership with MLB. 
 
A Minor League Baseball matchup between the Iowa Cubs and St. Paul Saints will also take place in Dyersville next August.  
 
The news came as the Field of Dreams site continues to expand its offerings as a major entertainment destination. The organization announced its Labor Day weekend concert, called Velocity Festival, will feature Carrie Underwood, Shinedown and Creed as headliners next year.

The construction of a new casino in Cedar Rapids is right on schedule.

The $275 million Cedar Crossing Casino was approved in February by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. A competing casino tried to block the project, but the lawsuit was thrown out.

Kim Pang, vice president of development at Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, the company behind the project, said the casino will provide an economic boost to the area. 

“I think it's a domino effect,” Pang said. “When you think about construction, you think about tourism, we’re going to bring 1.1 to 1.2 million people to the area.” 

The Cedar Crossing Casino is on track to open by Dec. 31, 2026. In addition to the casino floor, it will have restaurants, an event space and a STEM lab.  

A state plan to revamp how school districts receive federal funds was overhauled after public feedback. The state education director gave an overview of the new plan to the Iowa State Board of Education this week.   

The department originally asked to distribute federal money to schools in the form of block grants. But in the new plan, the department wants the ability to approve districts on a case-by-case basis for their waiver requests. That would allow them to do things like carry more funding over from previous years or spend more federal dollars on school safety.  

Iowa Department of Education Director Mackenzie Snow said the department wants to give local districts more control over their funds.  

“The department and our schools are very well positioned to leverage this flexibility and improved accountability, in the revised plan, to continue to accelerate student learning,” Snow said. 

The education department said there would not be any financial impact on individual schools under the plan and that they want to improve how funds are used, not how much schools receive.  

Thursday marks the American Cancer Society’s 49th annual Great American Smokeout, a time when smokers are encouraged to give up the routine for at least this one day or to make a plan to quit. Studies have found the majority of smokers wish they could quit, but find it a difficult habit to break.

Jackie Cale, the Iowa government relations director for the society’s Cancer Action Network, said there are plenty of reasons to give up smoking, with cancer risk at the top of the list.

“Iowa has the second-highest cancer rates in the nation. We’re only behind Kentucky,” Cale said. “Tobacco use in Iowa is still the number one cause of preventable death. Our smoking rates are higher than the national average, and lung cancer remains among the top three cancers in the state, with tobacco use causing over 80% of those cases.”

When the state legislative session resumes in January, Cale said her organization will lobby lawmakers to boost state taxes on all tobacco products.

“Our current cigarette tax is at $1.36 per pack,” she said. “What we’re hoping to do is increase that tax by $1.50 per pack, with a parallel tax on other tobacco products. It’s been nearly 20 years since Iowa’s cigarette tax has been increased.”

If the tax hike were to pass, she said it would generate an estimated $82 million a year for the state — money that could be pumped back into Iowa’s tobacco cessation and control programs.

The Great American Smokeout is a day for people who use any form of tobacco, including e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches, to create a plan to quit. Free resources about quitting can be found by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or at Empowered to Quit.

James Kelley

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Iowa Public Radio

A new facility at the Scott Area Landfill in Davenport started converting gas from decomposing waste into renewable natural gas. The gas produced from the landfill is then funneled into a MidAmerican Energy pipeline.

At an event Wednesday, local leaders and representatives from Waga Energy, the company that built the facility, celebrated its opening. Bryce Stalcup, executive director of the Waste Commission of Scott County, said capturing the landfill gas cuts down on harmful emissions. 

“For Scott County, what this means is cleaner air, better use of our natural resources and proof that sustainability and economic responsibility can go hand in hand,” Stalcup said.

The facility has been operating for over a month. It’s the eighth landfill gas-capturing facility in Iowa, and the second that Waga Energy has built in the U.S. 

It’s expected to prevent nearly 16,000 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions each year. 

Two former insurance investigators are suing Farm Bureau Financial Services and related companies over alleged fraud.

In a federal lawsuit, Jim Newton and Brent Meskimen claimed that company executives suppressed fraud claims that should have been reported to insurance regulators.

In one instance, an insurance adjuster broke into the garage of a homeowner who claimed property was damaged in a house fire. Evidence of the break-in was hidden in what one administrator called a “shell claim.”

Newton and Meskimen said they were fired for pushing for a referral to regulators. The Farm Bureau did not respond to the lawsuit.

The head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division discussed efforts to protect competition in agriculture at Drake University on Wednesday.

Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater said those efforts include investigating rising costs in key markets for farmers alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“According to USDA’s data since 2020, seed expenses have risen 18%, fuel and oil costs increased 32%, fertilizer expenses increased 37% and interest expenditures for farmers spiked by 73%,” Slater said.

According to Slater, the Antitrust Division was also directed by President Donald Trump to investigate meatpacking companies, which he accused of illegally driving up beef prices.

While in Iowa, Slater said she will meet with ag industry experts.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley advocated for Slater’s nomination earlier this year.

A recount will take place for a northwest Iowa school bond issue that failed by just seven votes.

The Sergeant Bluff-Luton school district, located just south of Sioux City, was asking the community to fund a new $37 million elementary school through a school bond measure.

It needed 60% of the vote to pass, and it received 59.6%. A similar vote failed last year.

The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a recount for Nov. 24.

Sen. Chuck Grassley indicated that it could be a while before farmers facing high costs and low crop prices see a federal bailout.

The Trump administration proposed an aid package up to $14 billion. But Grassley said there’s currently about a third of that amount in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation. He said Congress would have to appropriate the rest.

Grassley said farmers will be helped by increased reference prices for crops and extended commodity support programs that are in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed in July.

“That money doesn't actually get into the farmers' pockets until they got the crops in next year, so we're talking about this $10 or $14 billion for a kind of a bridge to help farmers get funding for input for costs,” he said.

Grassley and his family run farms northwest of Cedar Falls. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, he said they had a good harvest, but at current soybean and corn prices, they won’t see a profit this year. 

The Iowa Department of Transportation recently approved restarting two traffic cameras on I-380 in Cedar Rapids.

Iowa DOT Traffic Engineer Chris Poole said those two cameras were part of the appeals process after a new law required approval of the cameras in 2024. Poole said the DOT received 15 appeals and estimated that they’ve gone through seven since September 2024, when the submission window ended.

He said the law is very specific on what the DOT must review regarding the cameras.

“We need to determine whether the use of a speed camera system at a location is appropriate, necessary and the least restrictive means to address the critical traffic safety issues present at that location,” he said.

The new law dealt with all cameras operating as of Jan.1, 2024. Cities and counties are required to send in a safety report each year, but Poole said the DOT can’t take any action on the reports for fixed cameras that don’t move.

“The annual report is simply a requirement in code. We are not re-reviewing anything at that time,” he said. “We are just confirming that they submitted the report and there’s no requirement for us to reanalyze anything and make a determination at that point whether we should rescind the permit.”

Poole said the DOT can review the use of mobile speed cameras on trailers or in moveable vehicles.

“The new law allows the DOT to write administrative rules regarding mobile systems. It did not provide the DOT such authority for fixed systems,” he said. “So, we have since drafted administrative rules for mobile systems.”

Cities and counties won’t have a chance to request new camera locations until July 1, 2026, when new permits can be issued.

The traffic camera law was passed after years of failed attempts to ban the cameras altogether.

Madeleine Charis King

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Iowa Public Radio

Republican state Sen. Mike Bousselot ended his exploratory campaign for governor of Iowa. Instead, he’ll run for reelection to the Iowa Senate, but he’s seeking to represent a different district.

Bousselot is serving his first term as a state senator from Ankeny. He said in 2026, he’ll run in a neighboring district that’s currently represented by outgoing Republican Sen. Jack Whitver.

In a statement, Bousselot said that “after prayer and reflection” with his family, he determined it’s “not the right time” to pursue a run for governor. He said he’s running for Iowa Senate District 23 to continue working to make the state more affordable and to improve education. 

Whitver, the former Senate majority leader, said he supports Bousselot running for his seat.

A western Iowa county supervisor was suspended by a judge while he awaits court proceedings that could kick him out of office.

Scott Belt resigned as chairman of the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors last week over erratic behavior at a town hall meeting earlier this month.

Witnesses said he was drinking at a bar before the meeting. Belt told Council Bluffs’ Daily Nonpareil that his actions were caused by medication.

On Friday, the county attorney filed a petition to remove Belt from office. It claims Belt had been intoxicated while on official business at least seven times in the past 13 months.

A court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 2.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette is expected to come under new ownership starting next month.

Minnesota-based newspaper company Adams MultiMedia entered into a deal to purchase The Gazette and 11 other community newspapers. The agreement includes the Southeast Iowa Union and the Hometown Current.

The Gazette has been owned by its parent company, Folience, since 2017. 

Nick Monico, Chief Operating Officer at Adams MultiMedia, said many of the editorial decisions will be made locally. 

“First and foremost, the culture of The Gazette really aligned with Adams,” he said. “I mean, they’re family owned, strong journalism here and a passion for the future of local news are key, and that’s what we’re about at Adams.” 

The Gazette sale is the company's first purchase in Iowa. Monico said the purchase will be finalized by Dec. 1.

Iowa’s four Republican members of the U.S. House voted in favor of a bill that would require the Justice Department to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra all backed the measure, which passed with near-unanimous support.  

None of Iowa’s House members signed the discharge petition that forced the vote, but Hinson said she ultimately voted in favor of the bill to protect Epstein’s victims and seek the full truth. Nunn said Iowans deserve the truth and victims deserve justice. 

The Senate has not yet taken up the measure. 

Several Haitian immigrants who were let go from a JBS meatpacking plant in Ottumwa after their visas were revoked left the country. In July, JBS told 200 employees at the plant that it was aware of changes to their work authorization statuses made by the Trump administration.

A small percentage were able to keep their employment, but the vast majority who were let go either left the country or are struggling to support their families, according to Paulina Ocegueda with the Ottumwa League of United Latin American Citizens.

“We work closely with the Haitian community,” she said. “They said there have been quite a few, I would say, from a range of numbers 10 to 30 individuals heading back home.” 

Ocegueda said JBS refilled all the positions held by the workers who were let go. 

Read more.

Dozens of Iowa Workforce Development employees who were furloughed during the government shutdown are back on the job.

Officials said 67 federally paid staff members who worked in the unemployment insurance and labor market information divisions were impacted by the furloughs on Oct. 20. Some employees worked two days a week during that time.

The federal shutdown ended last week after 43 days. It was the longest in U.S. history, affecting about 1.4 million federal workers, food benefits for 42 million Americans and flights at major airports.

Pilots at 22 airports across the country, including at the Des Moines International Airport, picketed Tuesday. It was not a strike, and flights were not expected to be impacted by the demonstration.

Teamsters from Local 2118, who are representing 1,400 Allegiant Air pilots in the nationwide demonstration, said they’re calling for a fair contract and an end to delays in negotiations.

In a news release, the union said Allegiant “continues to ask for concessions while investing in everything except their dedicated pilots.” It also said the picket is a reminder to the company that without pilots, the planes don’t fly.

The picket came the same day Allegiant announced several new nonstop routes, including between Des Moines and Philadelphia and from Des Moines to Burbank, Calif.

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners voted to launch an investigation into Urbandale schools Superintendent Rosalie Daca.

The board’s request has been forwarded to the Iowa Attorney General and cites allegations that Daca failed to ensure the safety of students and staff, did not follow certain laws and falsified or left out information in compliance reports.

Daca is currently on medical leave. She has been the superintendent of the Urbandale Community School District since mid-2021.

Members of the Urbandale school board provided a statement to The Des Moines Register, saying the district “will support Daca through the legal process” and believes the board’s findings “lack merit.” They said the district “remains dedicated to cultivating a safe, caring and supportive learning environment for all students and staff.”

OptumRx and UnitedHealthcare are suing the state over a new law that places regulations on major companies in the prescription drug chain. It’s the third lawsuit against the new regulations.   

The law requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to pay $10.68 to independent pharmacies for each prescription filled. It also prevents PBMs from incentivizing individuals to use one pharmacy over another if both pharmacies are covered by their insurance plan.  

The two companies are claiming the new law is unconstitutional and interferes with federal law.  

Wes Pilkington, who runs an independent pharmacy in Evansdale and is president of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, supports the restrictions on PBMs.

“If the lawsuits — any one of them —  would succeed in fully halting the law, we're without a doubt going to see more pharmacy closures,” Pilkington said.

The law had support from rural and independent pharmacy owners earlier this year. Some business and insurance groups lobbied against it, claiming the law would lead to higher costs for customers.    

At least two of Iowa's Congressional representatives said they will vote in favor of a U.S. House bill that would force the Justice Department to release its files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The vote could come up as soon as Tuesday. 

Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson said they plan to vote in favor of the bill if it comes to the House floor. In a post on X, Miller-Meeks said the “American people deserve to know the truth.” Hinson said in a statement that she would also vote in favor of the bill. 

Iowa’s 3rd District Rep. Zach Nunn said in a statement that Iowans deserve the truth, but he did not say how he would vote.

Fourth District Rep. Randy Feenstra did not respond to requests for comment. 

None of Iowa’s four Republican representatives signed a discharge petition ordering the release of the Epstein files. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social over the weekend, urging Republicans to vote in favor of the bill. 

American agriculture depends on foreign workers. But President Donald Trump’s immigration clampdown is shrinking a farm workforce that was already too small, and farm groups are sounding the alarm.

In the first few months of Trump’s second administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided dairy farms in New York and Vermont, produce farms in California and a meatpacking facility in Nebraska.

In June, the president indicated that ICE would hold off on immigration enforcement in the agricultural industry, but the ag labor pool lost 155,000 workers between March and July of this year.

The mounting crisis has set off alarms throughout the ag industry. Now, many are hoping this will finally be the moment for reforms in the H-2A visa program, which authorizes foreign workers to take agricultural jobs in the U.S. — something the ag industry has sought for decades.

Read more from Harvest Public Media’s Frank Morris.

Dozens of stores, breweries and other Iowa merchants that sell products containing THC may face closure because of an amendment capping THC levels that was included in the bill to reopen the federal government.

That part of the law won’t take effect for another year, but during that time, business owners are hoping to sway Congress to change it. While speaking to reporters Friday, Sen. Chuck Grassley was asked if he’d consider reversing the restrictions.

“No, I won’t vote to change that because, as Sen. [Mitch] McConnell said, it was never intended to go with this intoxicating effect of the product,” Grassley said. “He says there’s a loophole, the industry took advantage of it, and it was never intended, and it should be closed.”

The law caps the amount of THC to less than a half milligram per container for hemp products, while current Iowa law allows up to 10 milligrams of THC per container. Grassley said stores will have a year to clear out the more potent items.

“Sen. McConnell of Kentucky authored this legislation to legalize hemp,” Grassley said, “Because we were thinking in terms of industrial hemp, with about the 2% THC in it, and not the strong stuff.”

Several Iowa companies make cannabis-infused beverages, including Toppling Goliath Brewing Company in Decorah and Des Moines-based Climbing Kites.

Katie Peikes

/

Iowa Public Radio

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said farmers produced a record corn crop this year, including here in Iowa.

The latest numbers from the USDA showed an average yield nationally of 186 bushels per acre, with overall corn production at 16.75 billion bushels. While that’s down from a September estimate, it’s nearly 1.5 billion bushels higher than the previous record set in 2023.

Chad Hart, an ag economist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said yields varied greatly due to the fungal disease southern rust. He said yields could change when final USDA numbers are released in January, revealing the full impact of disease on the corn crop.

“We could see a significant change, especially if, in this case, a lot of those yields where we have seen that variability because southern rust really weren't being reported by farmers yet because they hadn't fully captured them before USDA did this survey,” Hart said.
 
Although demand for corn is high, Hart said it’s not enough to offset large harvests over the last couple of years, and he expects prices to remain relatively low.

An Iowa Supreme Court ruling allowed a lawsuit over alleged bullying in a Des Moines-area school district to move forward. The justices ruled that school officials and administrators can be sued if people claim their civil rights were violated.

Two families who sued the Southeast Polk Community School District claim that district leaders failed to stop other students from bullying their kids. The district appealed the case to the Iowa Supreme Court, arguing that leaders were being sued simply because they’re in high-ranking positions.

The court ruled that even if supervisors aren’t directly involved, they are still responsible for stopping discrimination in their schools. That’s because officials are not covered by qualified immunity when claims are brought against them under the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

The decision rejected the district's appeal and sent the case back to a lower court.

If you’re getting ready to rake your leaves, some researchers say it could be better for the environment to leave them be.

Researchers and advocates say the practice of “leaving the leaves” increases habitat for animals, like butterflies and moths, and returns nutrients to the soil.
"It's a cycle. So, when we remove the leaves, we're disturbing that cycle,” said Lindsey Keer, a consumer horticulture educator at Michigan State University Extension. “There's no longer something going back into the soil, and so it's being taken out, but not replenished.”

Kerr said that leaves don’t have to stay right where they fall; they can be raked into garden beds or tucked around the bases of trees to use as mulch. She emphasized that they should not be raked into the road or be taken to the dump.

Read more from Harvest Public Media’s Jess Savage.

A Linn County jury reached a guilty verdict in the case of a quadruple murder that happened in June 2024.

Luke Truesdell, 36, was found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder. The Des Moines Register reported that the prosecuting attorney said all the evidence pointed toward Truesdell beating the four victims to death with a metal pipe while high on methamphetamine in rural Marion.

Truesdell confessed to the crimes when he was interrogated as a possible witness.

Forensic analysts also discovered Truesdell’s DNA on the metal pipe. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

William C. “Bill” Knapp, a World War II veteran and a real estate developer who changed the landscape of central Iowa, died Saturday at the age of 99.

In 1950, Knapp founded Iowa Realty and in 1992 he founded Knapp Properties. He donated millions to Iowa institutions, including the Iowa State Fair and Drake University. The Varied Industries Building on the fairgrounds is named after Knapp, along with Drake’s athletic arena, the Knapp Center.

Knapp also donated the land along Interstate 80 for the Iowa Veterans Cemetery, which is where he’ll be buried later this week.

Knapp grew up on a farm near Allerton in south-central Iowa. After graduating from high school, he joined the Navy at the age of 17 with his parents’ consent.

Knapp was a longtime supporter of the Iowa Democratic Party and Democratic candidates. Former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin and his wife Ruth issued a statement, saying Knapp’s life was a “real Horatio Alger story and an inspiration for a successful and meaningful life.”

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a written statement that Knapp’s legacy will “endure for generations.”

“The city of Des Moines is what it is today thanks to the vision of Bill Knapp,” she said.

Knapp died Nov. 15 at his home, surrounded by his family. His funeral will be held in Des Moines on Thursday.

The Iowa Department of Corrections backed away from plans to privatize the state’s prison health care system.

The agency began seeking private bids over the summer, citing a need to lower costs and update its medical record system. But the proposal sparked concern among staff, who could have lost state benefits and possibly their jobs. More than 60 prison medical employees — about 20% of all medical staff — have resigned since July.

Todd Copley, president of a local public employee union, said he’s happy with the decision, but is still worried about staffing.

“My concerns that I had in July don’t compare to the concerns that I have now,” Copley said. “Because of the staffing levels, because of the morale, it is far worse than I ever imagined.”

The Iowa Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment.

Read more.

Several members of the Remsen St. Mary’s girls’ basketball team were injured Saturday afternoon when the team’s bus collided with a passenger vehicle in Plymouth County. 

The Hinton Fire Department said the collision happened on Highway 75 at a county road intersection near the Woodbury County line.  Fire officials said the bus was damaged on the driver’s side, and the SUV was on fire.

No details have been released about the number of injuries in either vehicle. 

A statement on the Remsen St. Mary’s school website announced that counseling services will be made available to anyone who requests them. The school organized a prayer service for crash victims and families over the weekend. 

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House could vote as early as next week on a measure related to the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The vote could force the Department of Justice to release all materials related to the Epstein investigation.

If the measure makes it to the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune would then decide whether to bring it up for a vote in that chamber. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley declined to say how he would vote.

“You know, I've been trying to get transparency on this stuff for a long time,” Grassley told reporters Friday. “I think we're going to wait and see what Sen. Thune does before I make a decision of how I would vote.”
 
Republicans hold a 53–47 majority in the Senate, and it would likely take 60 votes for the measure to pass. If it passes the Senate, it would then go to President Donald Trump, who could veto it.

A nonprofit focused on safety ratings for hospitals across the U.S. ranked Iowa hospitals near the bottom. The nonprofit LeapFrog placed Iowa 48th in the country when it comes to hospital safety. 

LeapFrog ranked 30 Iowa hospitals on a wide range of safety measures based on publicly available data. One Iowa hospital received a "B" rating. Most hospitals received a "C" or "D" rating, while three received an "F" rating.

Iowa is one of just four states where no hospitals received an "A" grade. 

Katie Stewart, director of health care ratings at LeapFrog, said it often doesn’t take a lot of resources for hospitals to improve. She said change begins with top leadership. 

“What we know is that it starts with really that commitment to patient safety that has to start at that C-suite level,” she said.

Stewart encourages Iowans to review their hospital’s ranking and ask what it is doing to improve safety.

The Iowa National Guard will continue to help carry out federal immigration enforcement efforts through September of next year.

In August, Gov. Kim Reynolds said that national guard members would serve until Nov. 15. The Quad-City Times reported that their service was extended through Sept. 30, 2026.

In total, 16 Iowa National Guard members have been helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with administrative and logistical work, so ICE officials can reportedly continue their work outside of the office.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem asked the governors of all 50 states to mobilize their national guard members to support federal immigration efforts, though only Republican-led states have agreed to the request.

The Iowa Natural Resource Commission approved leasing a 575-foot stretch along the Mississippi River to a fertilizer plant in southeast Iowa for $1,421.40 a year.

Managers of the Koch Fertilizer plant in Lee County told state officials they plan to load and unload barges along that part of the river. Two years ago, Koch Ag & Energy Solutions paid $3.6 billion to buy the Iowa Fertilizer Plant near Wever.

A member of the Iowa Natural Resource Commission said during Thursday’s commission meeting that he appreciates Koch’s investments in Iowa, but the panel is concerned that the fee to lease the land along the river is well under the fair market value of the property. Another commissioner said when he first saw the fee amount of $1,421.40, he thought it must have been the monthly fee.

After an extended discussion of the state law used to calculate the fee, five of seven commissioners approved the lease, but several called for the law to be updated so fees for similar leases in the future will be higher.

Koch representatives who attended the commission meeting said their company didn’t set the fee, and the company’s application to lease the land followed state law.

The commission-approved lease for Koch will run for five years.

A former employee is suing the Knoxville Community School District for wrongful termination after she was fired over her comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. 

Stacey Sumpter, a former special education associate at the district, allegedly made a post on her personal Facebook account that included criticism of Kirk and a statement saying, “since I never wish to see you again, to you I say goodbye.”

Kirk, a right-wing activist, was assassinated while speaking at a public event at a Utah college in September. 

Sumpter said she was fired for making the post after the Knoxville school district received complaints from community members. Now, she’s suing the district for First Amendment violations, claiming her post was a private expression of her viewpoint and protected by free speech laws. 

Sumpter also said she wasn't properly notified about potentially being fired or given an opportunity to defend herself. 

She’s the third Iowa educator to sue a former employer for wrongful termination over comments related to Kirk’s death. 

Madeleine King

/

Iowa Public Radio

As NextEra Energy looks to reopen the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in eastern Iowa, some members of the public are concerned about waste storage and water use.

The Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) held an informational meeting Thursday night, where representatives of NextEra spoke with members of the public. 

Rich Patterson, who lives in Cedar Rapids, said he wants to know more about the potential impacts on the water supply during a drought if a data center is built nearby. Though Google has not announced plans for a data center near the plant, NextEra did sign an agreement to provide Google with most of the plant's energy. 

“We have droughts. I remember 1988, you know, there will be droughts. We are going to want to drink water and make coffee and take showers,” Patterson said.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said restarting the power plant would provide an economic boost to the surrounding community and the state. 

“Here in Linn County, we'll see the benefits firsthand, from new residents and families putting down roots to local businesses, restaurants and service providers thriving with increased demand,” O’Donnell said. “The plant will also generate millions in local tax revenue.” 

To start construction next year, NextEra Energy needs approval from the IUC.

Read more.

The Iowa Board of Regents tabled a vote on proposed bylaws for the new University of Iowa Center for Intellectual Freedom, saying the rules need more work.

The bylaws would establish executive and scholar committees within the center’s advisory council to handle different academic and advisory duties. At their meeting Thursday, the regents expressed concerns about the makeup of these committees.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that Regent Christine Hensley suggested tabling approval of the bylaws until the center’s advisory council has time to discuss them and then “determine next steps” from there. The advisory council is scheduled to hold its first meeting Nov. 18.

Democrats in the Iowa House and Senate are urging industrial manufacturer Case New Holland to keep its Burlington plant open.

The company said earlier this month it would close the plant, citing a drop in demand for some of the key products manufactured there, including the loader backhoe. As a result, hundreds of workers will be laid off next year, many of whom have worked there for over a decade.

In the letter Democratic state lawmakers sent to the company, they said CNH Industrials has been a cornerstone of Burlington’s identity and economy. They also said it’s time for the company to step in and take care of its workers, who they said have supported CNH Industrials’ growth for nearly a century.  

The federal funding package that reopened the government also included a one-year extension for certain Farm Bill programs, bringing some temporary relief to farmers.

The extension of the 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized many of the rural development and conservation programs expiring this fall and winter. Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union, said the extension is a small step in the right direction. 

“We are long-overdue for a permanent Farm Bill — three years overdue,” Lehman said.

The One Big Beautiful Bill that passed earlier this year addressed some key Farm Bill policies, including boosting safety nets for farmers. But Lehman said it also did a lot of damage because of massive cuts to nutrition programs and other parts of the Farm Bill that were left out.

Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that flags will continue to be flown at half-staff Thursday to honor a Marshalltown lawyer who served in the Iowa Senate for a dozen years. Flags were already lowered in honor of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who died Nov. 3.

Former state Sen. Larry McKibben died Sunday at the age of 78. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1970 with a political science degree and earned a law degree from the University of Iowa in 1972. He then returned to his hometown of Marshalltown to practice law.

McKibben was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 1996 and served three terms before retiring from the Legislature in early 2009. McKibben later served six years on the Board of Regents and led a task force that examined tuition costs at the three state universities.

McKibben’s funeral was Thursday afternoon at the First Methodist Church in Marshalltown. Flags nationally will remain lowered until sunset on Nov. 20, the day of Cheney’s funeral.

Iowa’s six regional food banks received enough donations to meet the governor’s $1 million state funding match. The state pledged to match financial gifts to the food banks starting at the beginning of the month.

Organizations like the Food Bank of Siouxland in northwest Iowa saw a sharp spike in demand after Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits expired during the federal government shutdown.

Associate Executive Director Valerie Petersen said many seniors were affected because they’re living on fixed incomes.
“They’ve planned for retirement,” Petersen said. “They’ve planned for their future, and yet, with the rising cost of things, they’re not able to make ends meet.”

Petersen said the Siouxland community was lucky to receive such an outpouring of support for vulnerable families. She witnessed many people step up, but she warned that relying on local support may not be sustainable.

A mayor has been chosen for a small northwest Iowa town after a tie in last week’s election.

Incumbent Willard McFarland and challenger Michael Bohlke tied for mayor of Westfield during last Tuesday’s elections, with 22 votes each. The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors had to draw lots to determine the new mayor of the westernmost town in the state.

During their meeting Wednesday, Supervisor Doug Manley picked one of two pieces of paper from fellow Supervisor Craig Anderson’s cowboy hat — and Manley pulled out Bohlke’s name, making him the next mayor of Westfield. His term begins in January.

Madeleine Charis King

/

Iowa Public Radio

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will likely be issued to all Iowa participants by Friday now that the federal government shutdown ended, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

A department spokesperson said some SNAP recipients may be able to access November benefits as soon as Thursday.

Last month, the federal government told states to not issue SNAP benefits for November because of the government shutdown. It was the first time in SNAP’s history that benefits were paused. Around 270,000 Iowans have gone without their usual food assistance for two weeks.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services is recommending that SNAP recipients check their EBT card balances before purchasing food. 

Lucius Pham

/

Iowa Public Radio

All four of Iowa’s U.S. House representatives voted with their Republican colleagues — and a handful of Democrats — to reopen the federal government.

Iowa’s 4^th District Rep. Randy Feenstra said in a written statement issued after the vote that Democrats were pushing an “out-of-touch agenda.” He said the shutdown was “a political stunt that caused unnecessary harm to Iowa families, farmers, seniors and small businesses.”

Third District Rep. Zach Nunn said the deal that the House sent to President Donald Trump’s desk was “on the table more than a month ago” and his “Democratic colleagues need to understand” the gridlock of the past 43 days cost Iowans who missed paychecks, lost access to services and worried about how to feed their families.

Iowa’s 1^st District Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said that she voted to “keep the government open” because in a shutdown, nobody wins and the American people lose. She also said she’s “relieved this senseless shutdown is finally over.”

Second District Rep. Ashley Hinson released a video statement Wednesday on the step of the U.S. Capitol, where she blamed Democrats for the shutdown.

“Democrats kept us shut down for over 40 days. They left our military and their families in the lurch. They forced air safety officials to go without pay,” Hinson said. “All while attempting to use people’s health care as ‘leverage.'”

Democrats had been pushing for a deal to include health care subsidies for Americans with higher incomes who live in states where insurance costs are high. Hinson said she’s ready to address that issue now that the spending bill has been signed by the president.

“Now that the government is reopening, I think we should all be working together on some bipartisan solutions and reforms that will actually lower premiums,” Hinson said in the video.

The top House Democrat said House Republicans “are burying their heads in the sand” and “failed to address the affordability crisis” faced by millions of Americans buying insurance policies for next year.

The Senate’s Republican leader has promised to hold a vote in the Senate on that issue by the second week of December.

Dave Bushaw for Congress

A northeast Iowa labor organizer, farmer and musician jumped into the race for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.

Dave Bushaw, 31, is running as an independent. He has been involved in anti-war activism and labor organizing since the early 2010s. In 2019, he became a rural field organizer for Bernie Sanders in Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina.

Bushaw said he’s advocating for universal health care, building incentives for infrastructure development and pro-labor policies. 

“We've only ever had less than 2% of working-class people occupying seats of Congress,” he said. “I am the working class, and you know, that’s why I’m running, is to increase that number from above 2% up to 10%, because we are the majority here.” 

Bushaw lives on a farm just 10 minutes from his childhood home in West Union. He said he has seen rural Iowans face neglect and abuse from what he said are misguided decisions made in Washington, D.C.

If elected, he hopes to put major issues to voters — such as term limits, banning stock trading in Congress and limiting big donors to political campaigns — through national ballot referendums.

Read more.

Madeleine Charis King

/

Iowa Public Radio

A bill passed by the U.S. Senate that would end the federal government shutdown includes a new restriction that would severely limit the amount of THC in hemp products.

The bill would cap the amount of THC to 0.4 milligrams per container for hemp products. Currently, Iowa law allows up to 10 milligrams of THC per container. 

Ashley Lambson, founder of The Happy Can in Urbandale, said if the restriction goes into effect as written, it would end her business. 

“It's going to wipe out everything: ointment, CBD, we offer gummies, we offer chocolates, we offer beverages,” she said. “It would eliminate every one of our SKUs if it went as it is today.”  

Lambson said if the restriction is signed into law, it would give sellers of hemp products like her a year before it goes into effect. In that time, she hopes to work with federal lawmakers to agree on a less restrictive limit.

The Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a case related to the murder of a corrections officer. In 2021, two inmates at Anamosa State Penitentiary murdered corrections officer Robert McFarland and a nurse.

McFarland’s wife, Sara Montague, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against 26 state employees, ranging from the director of the Iowa Department of Corrections down to Anamosa prison employees. Montague alleges that they knew about inadequate training and policies that led to her husband’s murder.

The state is asking the court to rule that the lawsuit isn’t valid. Patrick Valencia, with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, told the Iowa Supreme Court that Montague didn’t follow the rules for filing claims against all 26 employees.

“Compliance with the rules is key because that’s what the Legislature has said you must do to take advantage of the limited waiver of sovereign immunity,” Valencia said.

Montague’s lawyer, Robert Rehkemper, claimed the state withheld information that would’ve allowed them to name defendants earlier in the process.

The Iowa Board of Regents decided to move forward with proposed bylaws for the new Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa. The bylaws are a basic framework for how the center will be run. The Iowa Legislature created the center earlier this year with the goal of promoting free speech on public university campuses. 

During the board’s meeting Wednesday, Regent Robert Cramer said one of the long-term goals of creating the center is to bring more students with diverse political mindsets to the university. 

“I think the great benefit will be to attract more people of diverse political thought or just different ideas, to come to our university,” he said.
 
Some Democrats in the Statehouse have criticized creating the new center, calling it “ideologically motivated.”

The center’s advisory council will meet next week to discuss how to measure its success over time. 

Courtesy National Weather Service

Many Iowans were able to witness a rare weather phenomenon Tuesday night as the bright greens, pinks and reds of the Northern Lights were visible for several hours. Meteorologist Alex Gibbs, with the National Weather Service in Davenport, said there may be a repeat performance Wednesday night.

Social media accounts remain clogged with dazzling photos of the lights Wednesday morning, with many people noticing how their smart phone cameras seemed to capture even better images than they could see with their eyes.

“Your camera can get more light into it than our eyes can,” Gibbs said. “But last night was so good that I didn’t need my camera to see the Northern Lights at all, especially once I got outside of the light pollution.”

Forecasters expect conditions may be favorable to see the famed aurora borealis again Wednesday evening, if weather permits. While the forecast calls for partly to mostly cloudy conditions for much of Iowa, Gibbs said Iowans may still be able to see the swirls of color in the patches of open sky.

If you decide to venture out to catch a glimpse of the lights, astronomers suggest looking toward the North, preferably with a clear horizon, after the sun sets at 4:57 p.m.

The Iowa Board of Regents selected David Cook as the next president of Iowa State University. 

Cook has served as president of North Dakota State University since 2022, following two decades at the University of Kansas as a professor and administrator. 

Cook grew up in Ames and is an ISU alumnus. 

“I am deeply humbled by this opportunity — a bit speechless, candidly,” he said. “It’s a lot to take in, especially when you’re born here at Mary Greeley, went to high school here, went to school here and have family that are so embedded here. This is an institution that means so much to my wife and I.”  

Cook plans to start his new position in March. He’ll take over for ISU President Wendy Wintersteen, who plans to retire in January.  

The number of local workers detasseling Iowa’s seed corn has decreased, while the number of temporary migrant workers doing the job has grown, according to data since 2018 from the Iowa Workforce Development.

The data also showed that 33 detasseling contractors working with domestic labor have lost their contracts. That includes Mark Arends, whose contract was canceled by Corteva Agriscience last year.

Arends estimated that 20% of Iowa’s detasseling is still done by local teenagers.

“I would say, until the last five or six years, it was all local youth for what we saw around,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nebraska’s Department of Agriculture reported in September that local laborers — mostly teens — made up about 60% of its 2025 detasseling workforce.

Read the full investigation from The Midwest Newsroom.

States have taken different approaches to messaging about SNAP delays as the government shutdown continues. In some cases, that looks like partisan finger-pointing on government-run websites.

Nebraska’s Health and Human Services website displays a message from the governor that blames Democrats for the shutdown. In Illinois, a message on a state website states that President Donald Trump and Republicans are to blame.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture homepage says Democrats shut down the government to give, “health care to illegals.”

Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, said some of the language could run afoul of federal anti-lobbying laws.
“We're not paying taxpayer money to get the agencies to turn around and then put pressure on Congress,” he said. “We're not paying for lobbying firms — for PR machine — we're paying for services.”

Some states also have laws to prohibit the use of state resources to promote political causes.

Read more from Harvest Public Media’s Molly Ashford.

The Sioux City school board placed Superintendent Juan Córdova on administrative leave after a closed session meeting Monday.

The board did not give the reason he was placed on leave. A spokesperson said it is a confidential personnel matter, adding that the action was consistent with district policy.

Córdova started as superintendent in July. He was previously placed on leave for several days at the beginning of the school year.

James Kelley

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Iowa Public Radio

Iowa’s 1st District Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks held an in-person town hall Monday for the first time since winning reelection. Constituents criticized her over the government shutdown, deportations and her support of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
   
Many people asked about the Republican’s plans for health care since enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act are set to expire at the end of the year. 

Other questions centered around the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that 16 million more people will become uninsured by 2034 because of the law.

“Why did you allow your committee to put in place the largest cuts to Medicaid in the program’s entire history?” one constituent asked to loud applause.

“Thank you for the applause for the Energy and Commerce Committee voting to strengthen and preserve Medicaid,” Miller-Meeks responded, to boos and jeers.

Two people were escorted out of the room after making loud statements, and Miller-Meeks canceled a meeting with the press scheduled after the event.

Read more.

The University of Iowa College Republicans are leaving the oldest conservative youth organization in the country, the College Republican National Committee (CRNC).

UI’s chapter made a joint statement with the Boston University College Republicans stating that the CRNC faces allegations of misconduct and has run into “disrepair.”

Newsweek reported last month that multiple groups of young Republicans branched off from the CRNC in recent years, each of them trying to become the dominant faction.

The UI and Boston young Republicans are joining the College Republicans of America, which was founded in 2023. They encouraged other groups across the country to do the same. 

Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City agreed to a third settlement in a case involving international students who accused the school of human trafficking.

Western Iowa Tech has faced ongoing legal issues over a visa program that brought students to the U.S. In two previous lawsuits, students from Chile and Brazil said they were offered free tuition to enroll in the program, but instead were forced to work food processing jobs to pay off the cost. 

The college’s board of directors has now approved a $2.5 million settlement with 21 former international students who intended to file a third lawsuit. 

In all, the community college has paid nearly $8 million to resolve disputes over the visa program. 

In a message to employees, Western Iowa Tech President Terry Murrell said by settling, the college avoids spending even more time and money defending against another lawsuit.
 
He said the college continues to deny claims about the program.

Lucia Cheng

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Iowa Public Radio

The federal trial for Ian Roberts, former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was postponed to March 2026. Roberts’ trial was set to begin Dec. 1, with a pretrial conference on Monday.

Court records show that Roberts' attorney requested the delay, which a federal judge approved without objection. The new schedule set the trial to begin on March 2, with pretrial motions due Dec. 15.

Roberts was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in September. The Department of Homeland Security said Roberts did not have work authorization and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024.

Applications for a new Literary Arts Fund opened Monday. The fund, supported by seven major foundations, will award at least $50 million over the next five years to support writers, publishers and literary programs across the country.  

The funding could benefit local organizations, like the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature, which plans to apply. Executive Director John Kenyon said the opportunity came at a critical time.  

“It is something that we really feel [is] necessary to pursue because we want to continue to deliver the same types of programs and services that we always have and are doing so at a time when costs are increasing and that funding is really flattening,” he said. 

According to nonprofit information service Candid, organizations dedicated to literature received just 1.9% of the $5 billion in arts grants awarded in 2023.