In late April, the USDA confirmed five boars shipped from Texas to a farm in central Iowa had pseudorabies, which can be fatal for swine.

The infected herds were euthanized and the final round of tests for pseudorabies within a surveillance zone came back negative.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said responding to animal health threats requires coordination across his department, the USDA and producers.

“Without those three legs of the stool, you can't effectively respond. So, we were able to [quickly] and collaboratively eliminate the threat, while also protecting Iowa's disease-free status and maintain confidence on our food supply and export markets,” Naig said.

Naig spoke about pseudorabies during the World Pork Expo earlier this month.

The detections in Iowa and Texas marked the first case of pseudorabies in commercial swine since 2004. It’s still prevalent in feral hogs.  

The outcome of an Iowa race could tip the balance of political power in the U.S. Senate.

Democrat Josh Turek said during his party’s state convention that Iowans are concerned about the farm economy, about rising food and gas prices and about rising cancer rates and hospital closures.

“This is not the Iowa that I grew up in. This is not the state that we all love. But I am also feeling hope here in Iowa for the first time in a very long time,” Turek said. “And it’s because of people like you.”

He defeated Zach Wahls in the June 2 primary with about 62% of the vote.

Republican Ashley Hinson told delegates at the GOP’s state convention that Turek is “masquerading as a moderate.”

Democrats “have nominated a far-left fraud to run against me.” Hinson said. “That’s what they do when they don’t have a message, when they don’t have a clear vision for the future of our country.”

Hinson, who won her primary against Jim Carlin with 75% of the vote, was endorsed by President Trump.

The General Election is on Nov. 3

The Iowa Medical Society in Des Moines launched the Iowa Healthcare Job Board to help attract healthcare workers to the state.

It’s part of a statewide initiative to address Iowa’s growing workforce shortage. A report from the American Association of Medical Colleges ranks Iowa 44^th in the nation for the number of physicians per capita.

Iowa Medical Society Board Chair Dr. Joel Ryon was a guest on IPR’s River to River. He said there isn’t a shortage of jobs in Iowa, they’re just hard to find.

“It’s a workforce problem. So not just a physician job board, but also for nurses, therapies, dieticians, those types of jobs that are needed within healthcare can be posted as well,” Ryon said.

He said employers can post and manage a variety of job openings, from primary care physicians to advanced providers or administrative roles.

Ryon said having a variety of job postings in one place will make it easier to recruit and retain healthcare workers.

The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) said the proposal approved during the legislative session does not fund the University of Iowa’s realtime water monitoring system. It instead gives money to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for monthly testing.

IEC Senior Director of Policy and Programs Kerri Johannsen said the DNR does not provide clearly understandable data from its testing. She said this plan doesn’t get everyone involved.

“We’re deploying funding for conservation on a voluntary basis, not targeted on a specific as needed basis,” she said.

Johannsen said it’s important to understand where practices are going to have the most impact and deploy them there.

She said a lot of what’s included in the nutrient reduction strategy are edge of field practices, and that in-field practices have more benefit to the inputs going on the land and the money farmers have to spend on them.

Ames is gearing up for the city’s first curbside recycling program. While drop-off sites exist for cardboard, glass and plastic, the new service is designed to increase participation and conserve landfill space.

The city said the curbside recycling program will also reduce the number of trucks transporting garbage out of Ames.

Mark Peebler is superintendent of the Ames Resource Recovery Plant.

“We've done a lot of different studies and research of other communities to see how they are able to attain or achieve their goals for recycling, and curbside recycling has the highest percentage rates and diversion from the landfill,” Peebler said.

Peebler said the new service will help the city’s transition next year when it retires its waste-to-energy system, which burns trash to make electricity.

Bins were delivered earlier this month to single family homes and multi-family properties with up to four units.

Curbside recycling service in Ames starts the week of July 1.

Zach Lahn said at the Republican Party of Iowa state convention Saturday that his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic problems facing the state. He also said showing a better vision for the state will help Republicans win.

“We can beat them on every issue. That’s why they don’t want to talk about issues. That’s why they’re talking about me personally," Lahn said. "Rob Sand says he’s a unifier. He’s had 20 years as a career politician and he has no bipartisan support to show for it. He is not a unifier, he is a divider and a wolf in sheep’s clothing."

Democratic candidate Rob Sand has been state auditor since 2019 and worked as a state assistant attorney general before that. He said his campaign got more donations from registered Republicans than Lahn’s campaign did during the primary.

Farmer and state Rep. Derek Wulf was also officially nominated to be Lahn’s running mate by state convention delegates.

The Johnston-based LifeServe Blood Center is launching a program that rewards Iowa high school students who organize successful blood drives with scholarships and recognition while making a meaningful difference in their communities.

LifeServe spokesman Tim Paluch says the effort calls for those blood drives to be held this summer, anytime before Labor Day, and to be spearheaded by students.

“You’re not only setting up the blood drive, but you’re acting as what we call the chairperson for the drive,” Paluch says. “So you’re out recruiting, sharing information about why it’s important, which we will give you all that information so you can become an expert yourself. And then you’re actually registering people and making sure they come up and follow through with that donation.”

To be eligible for the scholarships, students must recruit donors, act as the chairperson for the blood drive, and register 25 donors to earn a $250 award, or 40 donors to earn a $500 scholarship.

The agency typically sees demand for blood products rise during the summer months. At the same time, there’s a significant drop in the number of donations and blood drives. Learn more and sign up for the program here.

National Weather Service officials said all the pieces fell together for a strong line of thunderstorms to produce damaging hail and destructive winds Thursday.

“As it moved into southwest Iowa, it just kind of became a straight-line wind machine,” said meteorologist Michaela Wood, who works in the NWS Office in suburban Omaha.

Wood said the National Weather Service has fielded reports of damage to trees, buildings and grain bins, plus heavy rainfall and flash flood warnings. There were tornado warnings, too, and at least two confirmed touchdowns in the early hours of the storm. Wood said NWS officials are investigating the damage and evaluating whether Thursday’s outbreak can be classified as a derecho.

“It has to be either continuous or intermittent for closer to 400 miles, so that’s something that’s really investigated after the fact and we’ll have to see if it meets that kind of length and time threshold,” Wood said, “But regardless if it hits that or not, the straight line wind damage was definitely impressive.”

Starting this weekend, the public will be able to see a restored Grant Wood mural at the Sioux City Art Center. The artist's work remains relevant more than 80 years after his death.

Though Wood is known for the iconic American Gothic, the lesser-known work is the Corn Room mural, first painted in 1926 at a hotel in Sioux City.

After years of neglect behind paint and wallpaper, it ended up at the Sioux City Art Center. Last year, all seven panels underwent conservation in Minneapolis to restore their vibrancy.

Curator Christopher Atkins put together an entire exhibit to honor Grant and other artists who focus on rural life.

“I think he's someone whose art, in spite of this being a 100-year celebration, continues to resonate today, not just in terms of how he painted but also what he painted,” Atkins said. “And if you just sort of think about Grant Wood as American Gothic, that's certainly an important thing, but there's a lot here that you're gonna learn about him that you weren't aware of.”

The exhibit Pasture to Present runs through Dec. 6, with the Corn Room Mural on permanent display.

Read more.

A change to the nation’s main food assistance program will require stores to carry twice as many staple foods and more perishable items beginning this fall.

The Trump administration said the change to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will increase access to healthy foods. But the standards could be a challenge for convenience stores and dollar stores with limited cooler space.

Debbie Hart operates a gas station and convenience store in northern Wisconsin. With no grocery store in town, she tries to keep food stocked for her neighbors - including the many who receive help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. But Hart said it's a challenge to get suppliers to come to her store. And there's often not enough demand for perishable items - like apples or celery.

"They'll just sit and we just watch them rot,” Hart said.

Chris Bernard from Hunger Free Oklahoma said small retailers are often the only options in rural communities.

"Having to carry those wide varieties is just essentially saying, 'You are going to lose money on this, this, and this product,’” Bernard said.

Bernard said rural stores are already feeling the impact of fewer sales after last year's changes to SNAP caused millions of people nationwide to lose benefits.

He worries adding more restrictions will force retailers out of the program or out of business altogether.

A new report has found two of Iowa’s 94 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closing.

The quarterly report is by the policy group Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. It also found eight hospitals are at risk of closing in general and 20 are operating at a loss on patient services.

Harold Miller, the president and CEO of the group, said rural hospitals aren’t getting reimbursed enough by Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance plans.

“The basic problem is payments, that the payments are too low, because the fundamental issue is that the hospitals are losing money on the services that they're delivering.”

He said there are higher fixed costs for essential services at rural hospitals.

Miller said the report isn’t meant to predict which hospitals will close, but to instead encourage conversation about how to better support rural healthcare.

The Republican candidate for governor has chosen an eastern Iowa farmer as his running mate.

Zach Lahn selected state Rep. Derek Wulf as his pick for lieutenant governor. Wulf raises livestock and row crops on a farm near Hudson.

He's been elected to two terms in the state Legislature and chairs the House Agriculture Committee. He was part of the leadership for the Iowa Farmers for Trump coalition leading up to the 2024 election.

Wulf will be formally nominated to run for lieutenant governor Saturday at the Republican Party's state convention.

Both major party nominees for governor have chosen farmers as running mates. Democrat Rob Sand picked western Iowa farmer Dan Muhlbauer, a Crawford County supervisor.

John Deere is hiring 50 employees back to work at plants in eastern Iowa. According to Thursday's announcement, the positions are split between the Dubuque and Davenport factories.

The company said it has restored or hired over 400 positions in Iowa and Illinois since the beginning of the year due to "improving market conditions.” The company laid off hundreds of Iowa employees in recent years as the global agriculture industry struggled.

Current growth is being driven by the company’s construction and logging operations. The latest hires will support those efforts.

Four Libertarian candidates are facing challenges from Iowa Republicans over whether they can stay on the ballot in November.

Challenges against 3rd District candidate Marco Battaglia include a claim his paperwork is inconsistent because it doesn’t use his legal name, Mark T. Andersen. The challenges were brought by a Republican strategist and a member of Rep. Zach Nunn’s staff.

Stephanie Berlin, the chair of the Libertarian Party of Iowa, said he has appeared on the ballot as Marco Battaglia in previous elections.

“I am appalled at the clear partisanship that is happening right now, and the bullying to remove a free and fair election for Iowans,” Berlin said.

The Libertarian candidates for governor are being challenged for slight discrepancies in paperwork and a missing document.

Iowa's 2nd Congressional District candidate Rick Stewart faces a challenge for stating his name is Rick on a form and Richard on others.

An objection panel will review the challenges on Monday.

Scholarships are now available for Iowans who complete the training for radon detection certification and agree to work in rural Iowa.

Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that’s the leading cause of lung cancer among Iowans who do not smoke. When radon test kits reveal a home or building has elevated levels of radon, certified radon mitigation and measurement specialists use equipment to get more precise readings and offer guidance about mitigation options.

Teri Bos is the director of Community Health Services at Community Health Partners Sioux County, one of the 67 agencies promoting the scholarship program.

“Anybody can apply,” Bos said. “It may be somebody from the construction field — HVAC, building design, environmental health, plumbing.”

There’s a $750 scholarship for a radon mitigation specialist and a $600 scholarship for a radon measurement specialist. The online form for a scholarship asks if the applicant will commit to serving rural Iowa communities for a minimum of five years as a condition of receiving the funds.

The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot provided 110 people in Polk, Dallas and Warren counties with a monthly payment of $500 for two years starting in 2023.

The study compared people who received that money to a control group that did not. They looked at how basic income impacted finances, health and the mental wellbeing of participants.

Lead researcher Stacia West of the University of Pennsylvania said the small financial boost gave people the mindset to plan for their future.

“It caused improvements in savings, it caused reductions in stress, it bolstered agency, pathways, importance, awareness and reliance.”

West says they didn’t completely recover financially, but it gave participants the ability to pursue resources they couldn’t access before.

Researcher Amy Castro of the University of Pennsylvania said one thing they looked at was if participants felt like they mattered.

“I love this quote here from Ellie who said, ‘The $500 was so awesome because it’s like, I’m part of the middleman group where you get forgotten. And because I’m not struggling enough to actually get the help I need, but I’m not making enough money to survive.'’’

Castro said the extra money helped participants feel validated in their communities, which led them to feel more self-reliant about moving forward.

A 2024 state law prohibits local governments from participating in similar programs in the future.

Thousands of households lost power Thursday morning and at least one person died as strong thunderstorms crossed the state.

The storms triggered multiple tornado warnings. Winds of up to 80 miles per hour were recorded in parts of southern Iowa.

Des Moines Police say a 54-year-old man was killed after he was hit by part of a tree that broke apart. It happened in a homeless encampment in a forested area along the Des Moines River.

Mid-American and Alliant Energy each say more than 8,000 customers are without power.

Another round of severe storms is expected later Thursday that could bring more damaging winds.

Democrat Rob Sand hit the campaign trail with his choice for lieutenant governor in the race for governor. A crowd of about 200 people showed up to support Dave Muhlbauer in Manning. Muhlbauer farms nearby.

“I’m excited about it. To start this off in my hometown, in my community, it’s just phenomenal,” Muhlbauer said. “I’m just very proud of this community and what they have done.”

Muhlbauer is the only elected Democrat from Crawford County. He serves as a supervisor.

Sand said they both want to fix a broken political system.

“There’s all these people out that feel trapped into voting because there are only two options,” Sand said. “That’s why that system needs to end. That’s why we need to have ballot freedom, so people can have accountability over elected officials, so they don’t feel trapped in supporting somebody because of their party.”

The candidates also talked about the importance of clean water, accountability for education savings accounts and making sure communities aren’t taken advantage of by data centers.

Sand questioned Republican candidate Zach Lahn’s connection with Iowa, saying he only registered to vote in the state in 2024. Lahn grew up near Sioux City and has said he fully moved back to Iowa from Kansas in 2023.

Lahn has yet to name his running mate.

Read more.

State Auditor Rob Sand said he’s found evidence that pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) may have used drug pricing strategies prohibited by Iowa Medicaid.

Sand said his office found PBMs used by insurance companies that manage Iowa Medicaid used an “effective rate” pricing model.

"This is something that can lead directly to and is evidence of spread pricing, which is prohibited under Iowa Medicaid, because it can inflate costs for taxpayers, reduce the quality of care and create financial hardships for pharmacies,” Sand said.

Sand said over the course of the yearslong review, PBMs refused to provide enough information for his office to determine whether that prohibited practice was being used.

He hired an outside company with expertise in pharmacy claims to analyze PBM data spanning from 2019 to 2021. A spokesperson for the governor’s office said the report is irrelevant and outdated and recommends changes that were already implemented more than three years ago.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced a $4.87 million, multi-state settlement Wednesday with a company that allegedly overcharged for COVID testing.

Iowa and 17 other states alleged that GS Labs overcharged patients, unlawfully charged administrative fees and failed to deliver timely COVID-19 test results from 2020 to 2022.

The settlement includes around $430,000 in administrative fees for Iowans, $59,000 to individuals who paid cash and were overcharged for tests, and around $1,700 for individuals who did not receive test results within three days.

You can determine your eligibility for reimbursement by completing a verification process on GS Labs’ website.

A Sioux City school administrator who filled in for a superintendent on leave is receiving a $325,000 settlement.

In the settlement, Angela Bemus agreed to resign and not pursue legal action. Bemus had filed a complaint with the Iowa Office of Civil Rights, saying she faced discrimination and harassment.

Bemus worked for the district for 20 years and has been on medical leave since early February. She led the Sioux City Community School District when former Superintendent Juan Cordova was placed on administrative leave in November. Cordova resigned at the end of March.

Jim Vanderloo was appointed acting superintendent and then interim superintendent for the next school year.

Bemus will start a new job as a principal at the nearby Sergeant Bluff-Luton School District on July 1.

The Clinton City Council has voted down a temporary moratorium on data centers. The decision came Tuesday night after hours of public comment from residents calling for a ban.

Concerns from community members arose after QTS Data Centers, a Virginia-based company, announced it was considering a hyperscale project on over 1,000 acres of farmland in the city’s southwest.

Residents pushed for a moratorium — an increasingly common tool to delay such projects both in Iowa and across the country — but council member Cody Seeley said it’s the wrong move for Clinton.

“A moratorium says we’re closed for business, and I think we should be in a fact-finding stage, where we are open for business and we are willing to work with people and learn about what they can bring to our community,” Seeley said.

Dubuque, Johnson and Madison counties all have data center moratoriums in place. Clinton resident Carol McGuire said opponents of the project are part of a national movement.

“Check out folks in Texas, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Missouri,” McGuire said. “They’re dealing with these centers.”

QTS discussed developing a 5 million square foot campus in Clinton, with a $10 billion price tag, which would make it one of Iowa’s largest. The company is currently building a data center in Cedar Rapids and operates dozens across the U.S. and Europe.

A new state law will be transformative for the University of Iowa’s Center for Intellectual Freedom.

The center’s advisory council met Monday to discuss the law, which passed during the 2026 legislative session. The law requires students in the state university system to take two civics classes to graduate. It puts the center in charge of administering those courses at UI.

Advisory Council Chair Christine Hensley said the center will have to rapidly expand to comply with the new law.

“We are looking at potentially 6,000 students,” she said. “That’s going to require a significant amount of faculty to be hired, and they need to be hired before the courses start in the fall of 2028.”

The Center for Intellectual Freedom offered its first classes during the 2026 spring semester, with just 19 students.

The center was created in 2025 to balance out what Republican lawmakers called a liberal bias in higher education.

Sheila Brummer

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Iowa Public Radio

A Libertarian candidate has joined Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District race.

Marco Battaglia is from Des Moines and currently works as a correctional officer. This is Battaglia’s second time competing in the 3rd District race. The Libertarian has previously run for lieutenant governor, attorney general and Des Moines City Council. 

He said Congress needs to cut back on military spending and funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to bring down cost-of-living expenses. His priorities include removing tariffs and ending aggressive military action abroad. Battaglia is also in favor of abolishing ICE and working to streamline immigration processing.  

“I don't think you should have different rights if you're not a citizen,” he said. “All your rights need to be respected. Due process needs to be respected. You shouldn't have your process derailed for smoking some weed or having a gun to defend yourself or whatever.” 

Incumbent Republican Rep. Zach Nunn and Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott are also running in the 3rd District.

Read more.

Scientists who study climate change say the number of humid, hot days is rising in the South and Midwest.

Researchers at the advocacy group Climate Central say many cities are seeing more days with heat index values above 90 degrees. High heat, combined with moist air, poses health risks, particularly for farm laborers and other outside workers.

United Farm Workers Vice President Elizabeth Strater said workers are usually paid by how much they harvest — not by the hour — which can lead to dangerous decisions.

“They have an incentive to push, a financial incentive to push their bodies beyond what really it's able to endure,” Strater said.

Humans sweat to cool down, and sweat can’t evaporate as much in muggy weather. If a person can’t sweat to stay cool, their body temperature rises, which can cause issues with the kidneys, liver and other organs. Strater also pointed out that heat illness can dull cognition, which puts workers at risk for accidents.

Read more from Harvest Public Media.

Des Moines Public Schools leaders broke ground Tuesday morning on a new career exploration space at Goodrell Middle School. The career and technical education maker spaces at Goodrell and two other Des Moines middle schools will connect students to career-based learning programs. The facilities are part of the district’s Reimagining Education initiative.

Goodrell Principal Tori Rabe said the new space will encourage students to prepare for their future.

“It will give our students opportunities to design, build, create, problem solve and explore future careers in ways that bring learning to life,” she said.

The maker spaces are funded with a portion of the $265 million bond referendum that voters approved last November. The Goodrell Middle School maker space is expected to be completed in time for the 2027-28 school year.

The Sioux City City Council officially approved expanding the city’s use of automated license plate readers (ALPR). The city currently has a dozen Flock Safety cameras, also known as ALPRs, which can track a car’s make, model and color, in addition to picking up its license plate.

The city council approved the Sioux City Police Department’s request to apply for an ALPR grant in February. At its meeting on Monday, council members approved the use of the grant for an additional 21 cameras.

Sioux City resident Brett Matchorn said the cameras are a gross invasion of privacy during the city council meeting.

“It's just pushing us closer to the 1984-style surveillance state,” he said. “But some people want that, and some people would prefer to remain free anyway.”

Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott was the only one who voted against approving a grant of more than $77,000 from the state Office of Drug Control Policy to pay for the extra cameras.

Earlier this year, the Coralville City Council decided to eliminate Flock cameras after opposition from community members. The cameras use artificial intelligence to provide law enforcement with information about vehicles without a warrant.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is outsourcing state agency IT services. Reynolds said executive branch data will be moved from physical servers and data centers to a cloud environment with Amazon Web Services. Cognizant Government Solutions will manage day-to-day IT operations.

About 200 IT workers will lose their jobs with the state. Reynolds said Cognizant Government Solutions will offer them new jobs. 

She said all the changes are estimated to save the state more than $525 million over 10 years. Reynolds called it an investment in “security, agility and long-term value for Iowans.”

Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner said there’s no guarantee privatizing IT services will save money, adding that it disrupts the lives of hundreds of public employees and cuts their ties to Iowa’s pension system. 

State Sen. Julian Garrett died Monday at the age of 85. In March, Garrett announced he was going through treatment for prostate cancer and wouldn’t be seeking reelection this year.

The Republican from Indianola was first elected to the Iowa Legislature in 2010. He was also a lawyer, a farmer and a volunteer Little League and soccer coach, according to his obituary.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh, R-Spillville, said Garrett was a pillar of the Senate Republicans who was committed to conservative policies and serving his community. He said Garrett will be “severely missed” as the Senate faces another loss. Garrett is the third state senator to die in the past year.

The U.S. Senate might strip language from the Farm Bill that would nullify a California animal welfare law. The "Save Our Bacon” provision was included in the Farm Bill passed by the U.S. House in April. But members of the Senate Agriculture Committee said it faces opposition in that chamber.

California’s law, known as Proposition 12, has been challenged by ag groups, including the Iowa Pork Producers Association. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Proposition 12 on two separate occasions, and several other states have similar animal welfare laws.

Sen. Chuck Grassley said Congress should enforce its power to regulate interstate commerce, and he said the Supreme Court agrees.

“When there was a Supreme Court decision that didn't say that the California Proposition 12 was unconstitutional, the Supreme Court said it's the power of Congress. Let Congress act,” Grassley said.

The Save Our Bacon Act was introduced by Iowa’s 2nd District Rep. Ashley Hinson.

The Senate is expected to release its version of the Farm Bill at the end of the month.

Dozens of Des Moines-area small businesses are trying to pick up the pieces after the company they were renting storefronts from abruptly closed in April.

One of the affected business owners organized a pop-up event on Saturday to help the local entrepreneurs reconnect and sell overstock. Around 40 businesses participated in the New Roots pop-up at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, which donated space for the event.

The businesses were previously housed at Painted Tree Boutiques in Clive before it declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy and unexpectedly closed its doors. The company was part of a national chain that provided affordable storefronts to local businesses.

Many of the vendors at Painted Tree Boutiques hadn’t had a place to set up shop since April. That’s why Karley Davis, who was one of about 300 business owners affected by the closure, organized the pop-up event.

“A lot of us lost income, so this event was created in support of trying to help people have a barrier-free opportunity to gain back some of their income,” she said.

Davis said she still hasn’t received her April sales from Painted Tree Boutiques, and most of the businesses weren’t warned about the closure.

Sheila Brummer

/

Iowa Public Radio

About 100 people gathered in front of City Hall in Sioux City on Monday to show support for the community’s homeless shelter. They’re concerned about comments from Sioux City Council Member Rick Bertrand, who called the Warming Shelter a “public nuisance.”

Shayla Moore, executive director of the Warming Shelter, said the facility, which is in downtown Sioux City, is an asset.

“Your presence here speaks today louder than any criticism ever could,” Moore told community members at the rally. “It says that we believe in caring for one another. It says that we believe that every person has value. It says that we will stand together for what is right, even when it is hard.”

After the rally, many people then attended the city council meeting to express their concern for the shelter. Another council member said she thinks the shelter has outgrown its downtown location.

The Warming Shelter helps, on average, up to 130 people per day.

Rachel Cramer

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Iowa Public Radio

Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) issued a Stage III Water Warning on Monday. Lawn watering in the Des Moines area is now prohibited except for newly installed sod or seed placed during the current growing season.

CIWW, the regional water authority that serves one in five Iowans, said the ban is necessary to preserve the region’s drinking water supply as nitrate levels in its source waters remain high.

CIWW Executive Director Tami Madsen said lawn watering consumes around 40% of the system’s drinking water supply during the summer.

“It’s a very large portion, which is why asking for a reduction in lawn watering is the biggest single use that we can ask for a reduction of that can make the biggest impact the most quickly to make sure that we can continue to produce safe drinking water for our communities,” Madsen said.

She said CIWW drinking water continues to meet all state and federal standards.

Amy Kahler, CEO of Des Moines Water Works, the largest contract operator for CIWW, said customer demand on Saturday hit 91% of the capacity of the treatment plants.

“As water utilities, we can’t control the nitrate levels in our sources,” Kahler said. “The nitrate levels are even higher upstream. But again, the one thing we can manage right now, in the moment is demand.”

Kahler said Des Moines’ Fleur Drive nitrate removal facility has run for nearly 150 days this year. The record is 177 days in 2015.

Read more.

Much of western and central Iowa will be under a blanket of hot, humid air Tuesday.

Alexis Jimenez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said a heat advisory goes into effect at 1 p.m. and continues until 9 p.m.

“And the heat advisory is for central and western Iowa, and that's for most of Tuesday afternoon where we could start seeing heat indexes – so what it'll feel like out there – it's up to 105 degrees, so warm and muggy conditions are expected for Tuesday,” she said.

Jimenez said Iowans could also see some showers and thunderstorms developing late Tuesday afternoon into the evening, with the highest chance of severe weather in northwest Iowa.

Natalie Krebs

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Iowa Public Radio

UnityPoint nurses marched across downtown Des Moines Monday to call attention to the months-long delay in getting the results on their vote to unionize.

Nurses voted back in December, but they’re waiting on the National Labor Relations Board to review 251 ballots that were challenged by union representatives.

In the meantime, nurses say UnityPoint has filed baseless objections to delay the process.

“It's my understanding they're spending thousands and thousands of dollars to pay lawyers to continue to delay the certification that we voted for,” said Yvette Vangen, a nurse at UnityPoint’s Methodist Hospital. “So, it's just extremely frustrating.”

In a statement, a UnityPoint spokesperson said it filed objections over concerns about serious irregularities in which the election was conducted.

Temporary tax discounts for new developments in Des Moines could soon be restricted.

Staffers said the city’s budget would be harmed by continuing the tax abatement program under the new property tax law. The law caps local general revenue growth at 2%, but makes exceptions for new construction. But new developments in Des Moines wouldn’t fall under that exception once their abatements end.

Cody Christensen, director of development services for the city of Des Moines, said ending the program is the only fiscally responsible option.

“The longer that we continue to offer this program, the more of a cut it will demand from our general fund revenues every year, because without new growth pushing us above that 2% cap, all the new growth that we have – it's negative mathematics,” Christensen said.

Staff and council members also proposed adding a cutoff deadline for the program or narrowing the types of properties the discounts would apply to.

Pleasant Hill is in the eastern part of the Des Moines metro and is planning to halt new applications for their tax exemption program as soon as this Friday.

The City of Palo, near Cedar Rapids, is delaying the next step for proposed data center rules.

Google has said it would like the city to annex land where the company is planning a large data center project.

The Palo City Council approved the first of three required readings for a proposed ordinance last week. Many community members criticized the plan for leaving out stronger reporting requirements for water use.

The city says in a Facebook post that council members want more time to consider the proposal before moving forward.

A University of Iowa law professor and corporate law expert plans to use a popular and immersive fantasy trading card game to train future lawyers on how to read documents carefully.

Professor Mihailis Diamantis said reading text very closely is a critical skill all lawyers need to have, and they can learn it by playing Magic: The Gathering. Diamantis is developing a one credit hour course for the UI, in which he’ll teach essential and often-underdeveloped legal skills like interpreting complex text and working in legal gray areas.

Diamantis said he realized the game could become an important teaching tool after watching his teenage son scrutinize one of the cards.

“You have to be able to look at every single word and punctuation mark and interpret it in context,” Diamantis said, “And in an adversarial setting, like every lawyer is going to confront, there are going to be differing interpretations of the exact same language on the page. And that’s exactly what you encounter in Magic: The Gathering.”

In the course, students will learn to use the game’s complex rulebook and the wide universe of tens of thousands of cards to resolve ambiguities, cite precedent and build arguments like a practicing attorney. The course will culminate in a competition judged by a Seattle lawyer and expert-level Magic player, who will evaluate students’ written and oral arguments.

The Democrat who won the 2020 Iowa Caucuses is returning to the state to headline the Iowa Democratic Party’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Pete Buttigieg will be the keynote speaker at the party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration July 12 in Altoona. It’s an annual event and has featured Democrats pondering a run for the White House and, for decades, it was a showcase for the party’s presidential field in the run-up to the Iowa Caucuses.

Buttigieg, who served as U.S. transportation secretary during the Biden administration, spoke at a VoteVets forum in Cedar Rapids last year. He’s not the only potential 2028 candidate who’s making appearances in the state. Iowa Democrats are asking national party leaders to put their caucuses back in the lead-off position in the 2028 presidential campaign. National party leaders moved Iowa out of that slot in 2024.

Iowa Republicans held their first-in-the-nation caucuses in 2024 and are poised to do so again in 2028.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an executive order Monday creating the Iowa Office of Outdoor Recreation. It’s an extension of the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s tourism office, and it doesn’t have dedicated funding.

Reynolds said outdoor recreation has added nearly $6 billion to Iowa’s GDP each year and that the Iowa Office of Outdoor Recreation will help coordinate and strengthen efforts to grow Iowa’s outdoor economy.

“Most importantly, this office reflects a simple belief: Iowa should be a destination, not only for business and opportunity, but also for adventure, exploration and recreation,” Reynolds said. “And as we continue building a stronger Iowa, we’ll invest in the things that make our state special.”

Debi Durham, director of the Economic Development Authority, said outdoor recreation enhances quality of life and supports businesses, and it’s increasingly part of what makes a community competitive.

Durham said the new office will help grow and sustain outdoor recreation resources and collect more information about their impact.

“This office doesn’t start the conversation that’s already happening all across our state,” Durham said. “What it does is bring those efforts together, build momentum and help more communities realize what’s possible.”

According to the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, Iowa is the 25th state to establish an outdoor recreation office.

The University of Iowa asked the Board of Regents Monday for approval to move forward with plans to construct a new field hockey operations building, and to proceed with planning renovations to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

If approved, construction on the $8.65 million building adjacent to Grant Field should begin this summer, with completion targeted for summer 2027. It would be funded through donor support.

Overall renovations to Carver-Hawkeye will cost between $50 and 70 million, would be completed in phases and will be financed through private gifts.

The annual Kids Count report has ranked Iowa 10th in the nation. The state fell one place from last year's report.

The report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation looks at 16 indicators of child well-being that include economic, education, health and community factors.

Anne Discher, executive director of Common Good Iowa, said while Iowa still ranks high overall in the nation, she’s concerned that some categories are trending downwards overall, such as education, where Iowa ranked below the national average.

“On preschool participation, Iowa ranks 26th. On fourth grade reading, Iowa ranks 32nd. On eighth grade math, we rank 24th,” Discher said. “In a high school graduation, where we used to be top in the nation, we ranked 26th.”

However, the report found Iowa continues to have some of the highest ranks in the nation when it comes to economic well-being indicators like children who live at the poverty level.

Rob Sand held his first campaign rally Sunday night as the official Democratic nominee for Iowa governor.

Sand said the two-party political system isn’t working for the state, and Iowans are ready for change after 10 years of single-party rule by Republicans.

He said his opponent, Republican businessman Zach Lahn, would continue one-party control of state government. Sand also said Lahn lives in Kansas. Lahn has a home in Kansas and said he often flies his own plane there to spend time with children he and his wife have from previous marriages.

“What he is saying when he says that he will change his living situation is that he does not presently live in Iowa enough to do the job of governor, in which case I would like to quote to him one of his own ads: ‘Iowa jobs are for Iowans.’ And that includes governor,” Sand said.

Sand said knows he can win the race because he’s ahead in the polls and in fundraising, and because he’s building a cross-party coalition.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear attended the rally and said as a Democrat who leads a red state, he’s living proof that Democrats can win anywhere, including Iowa. He said Democrats are good at talking about policy, but they need to talk more about their “why.” He says his “why” is his family and his faith.

“When we explain our why, we create the grace and the space to show people that this is a big enough party to disagree on this or that, as long as we are all committed to bettering our American families, that we can work together, that this country doesn’t have to be divided,” Beshear said.

He said it’s important to elect someone who can unite Iowa. And Beshear said as chair of the Democratic Governors Association, he’s all in for getting Sand elected.

A spokesperson for the Iowa GOP says Sand campaigning with a prominent Democrat shows his independent image is just an act.

Democrat Rob Sand has chosen Dave Muhlbauer as his running mate in the race for governor.

Muhlbauer is a farmer and raises cattle near the town of Manilla. He’s also a two-term supervisor in Crawford County. His father and grandfather both served as county supervisors and in the state Legislature.

Muhlbauer said in a statement the campaign with Sand will be about “public service, not politics.”

Sand and Muhlbauer are running against Republican nominee Zach Lahn, who is expected to announce his own running mate soon.

The Iowa Supreme Court is rejecting a proposal from the University of Iowa to change a scholarship directed towards Black students, but said changes to the award are necessary.

The scholarship was created by a now deceased Black chemistry professor named Ezra Totton, who wanted to support Black students studying the physical sciences. The university wanted to switch the scholarship to first generation students to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on race in higher education.

The Iowa court said that change goes against the donor’s intent, but the justices also recognized the race-based restriction could lead to legal challenges.

“Without question, repurposing Dr. Totten's gift to students who were the first person in their family to attend college would have actually had the effect of diluting its potential benefit to Black students,” said Mark Stringer, executive director of the ACLU of Iowa.

The case will go back to a lower court to decide how the funds should be dealt with. The justices recommended the lower court could release the restriction or send the money to another institution without the restriction.

Two organizations in Iowa that help new and beginning farmers have joined a lawsuit to restore federal funding after the USDA terminated previously awarded grants in March. The USDA made references to fraud and discriminatory preferences based on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT), along with Iowa Valley RC&D and over 20 other organizations across the country, argue those claims are false.

SILT said it received a $1.8 million grant to increase land access for underrepresented farmers and expand a campaign to protect farmland in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids.

Executive Director Breanna Horsey said the cancelled five-year grant “causes immense harm to the farming and rural communities that the USDA is intended to support.”

Jason Grimm, executive director of Iowa Valley RC&D said on Talk of Iowa in April that the organization was using its $2.5 million grant to launch a two-year fellowship program. Along with access to land, the program was designed to provide fellows mentorship and assistance to business and crop planning.

Grimm said the first cohort started in March, just days before the USDA sent the grant termination letter.

Iowans need to have their poles, nets and bait ready, as the first weekend in June means Free Fishing Weekend in Iowa.

Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau, said anyone who’s a resident of Iowa can fish without a license on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s just a good time to get out with your family and this time of year is really good fishing. The crappies and bluegills are close to shore,” Larscheid said. “There’s a whole lot of events. If you go to our special events calendar on our DNR website, you can see clinics and different county conservation boards and different clubs will sponsor events.”

He said it’s easy to buy a fishing license with the DNR’s online licensing system.

Unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State indicate nearly a fifth of the state’s registered voters participated in the 2026 Primary Election.

The state website doesn’t yet show the party breakdown in that overall number, but there are clues. Over 212,000 Republicans voted in the race for governor, the most for any Republican contest on the statewide ballot. The most participation from Democrats came in the U.S. Senate race, with 192,020 total votes cast.

Zach Lahn, the Republican Party’s nominee for governor, finished just 1,625 votes ahead of U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra. Lahn won 21 of the 36 counties in the 4th Congressional District, which Feenstra currently represents. Feenstra won his home county of Sioux with about 47% of the vote, while Lahn got 40% in Sioux County.

Josh Turek, the Democratic Party’s nominee for U.S. Senate, won 96 of Iowa’s 99 counties. The three counties Zach Wahls won were Johnson and Cedar counties, which he currently represents in the state Senate, along with Louisa County.

Primary results will become official when county boards of supervisors vote to certify their local elections.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is blocking a tax credit aimed at countering a temporary tax hike for health maintenance organizations, or HMOs. The now-cut section would have given domestic insurers a 25% tax credit on spending for healthcare access and innovation. The benefit was capped at $3 million per year.

Earlier this year, Reynolds signed a tax increase on HMOs to nearly four times the current rate. The hike was aimed at drawing down federal funding and filling Iowa’s growing Medicaid budget deficit.

In her veto message, the governor said the section would have placed $120 million in new federal funding at risk. She said the measure undermines the integrity and uniformity of the tax structure adopted by the statehouse and required by the federal government.

During the session, insurance companies and democratic lawmakers warned the HMO tax increase could be passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums.

All state and local government entities, including schools, will soon use E-Verify to check the immigration status of new hires.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the sweeping bill earlier this week. It mandates immigration status checks for public workers, voters and professional licensees.

It also requires professional licensure applicants and potential voters to verify their immigration status using the SAVE program. If improperly flagged, they must prove their citizenship or immigration status. The change comes months after the immigration-related arrest of former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts.

Elena Casillas-Hoffman, a communications specialist with the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, said the bill passes at a time where immigrants are already feeling scared to go to work, school and church.

“It really pushes people away from seeking employment, and quite frankly, it pushes people away from the state as a whole,” she said.

Supporters argue it will secure elections and jobs for U.S. citizens.

The law goes into effect July 1.

A parasite that could threaten the American livestock industry was found in Texas earlier this week. New World Screwworm larvae burrow into the skin of mammals. They plagued ranchers from Texas to the Great Plains until the early 1970s.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed a screwworm case in a calf in La Pryor, Texas — about 45 miles from the Mexican border.

Bud Dinges, executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission, said his agency will limit animal movement within a 12-mile zone around where the screwworm was found — and not just for cattle.

“Within this zone I have issued an executive order that places a quarantine on all warm blooded animals,” Dinges said. “It is very important that all animal owners know the importance of not moving their animals out of this zone at this time.”

The USDA is also flooding the area with millions of lab-sterilized screwworms, which are used to control the population.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said this confirmed case does not mean that their spread is inevitable.

“If we all work together and follow the animal treatment protocols and movement restriction guidance, there is no reason to believe that this incursion will result in the establishment of the pest in our country,” she said.

Rollins also urged dog and cat owners near the border to check their pets for screwworms.

The deaths of seven people in Muscatine this week highlight the increased risk that a domestic violence victim will be killed when a gun is involved.

Police in Muscatine said 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland shot and killed six family members Monday before taking his own life.

Lindsay Pingel of the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence said a death is five times more likely to occur when domestic violence involves a firearm.

“Women carry the heaviest burden at the intersection of guns and domestic violence; 55% of women murdered by an intimate partner are killed with a gun, and we need to remember that one in two women will experience domestic violence within their lifetime,” Pingel said.

Pingel was a guest on IPR’s River to River. She said Iowa follows federal law when it comes to protection orders against people accused, or convicted, of domestic violence.

McFarland pleaded guilty to child endangerment more than a decade ago, but was not previously convicted on domestic violence charges.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which went into effect in 2020, includes a mandatory review in July. Nearly all agricultural products are tariff-free under the agreement. Iowa farmers and pork producers are urging the U.S. to renew the massive trade agreement with its neighbors in the coming weeks.

Bob Hemesath grows corn and raises hogs in northeast Iowa. He moderated a Farmers for Free Trade panel in Des Moines this week.

“At a time when global competition is intensifying and market access is more critical than ever, the USMCA agreement remains a cornerstone of North America agriculture, trade and just economic impact overall,” Hemesath said. “For Iowa, that impact is tangible.”

Randy Miller, a farmer in south central Iowa and board member of the American Soybean Association and U.S. Soybean Export Council, called the USMCA the “gold standard” for trade and said it keeps important markets open for farmers.

“This all trickles down to our small towns and the small communities that we all live in,” Miller said. “In rural Iowa, we produce these products that are going around the world.”

Around 40% of Iowa’s goods are exported to the two countries, according to the Brookings Institute. Corn, soybeans, ethanol and tractors are at the top of the list.

Trade leaders from Canada and Mexico earlier this week said they’d like to renew the USMCA through 2042. If the U.S. opts out, the trade agreement will sunset in 2036.

Read more.

A former performing arts theater in Sioux City will be transformed into low-income housing.

LAMB Theatre was forced to relocate from the building to Morningside University in 2024 because of safety concerns. The group had used the building, which was previously an elementary school, for almost 40 years to stage plays and musicals.

The Iowa Finance Authority awarded $1.7 million in low-income housing tax credits to redevelop the building into apartments. Once completed, the $18 million development by the Commonwealth Development Corporation of America will include 54 new units.

The new project will be called The Web Apartments in tribute to the building’s history as Webster Elementary School.

The governor is nixing a bill aimed at shortening the timeframe that state agencies and the governor can submit legislation. Agencies and the governor would have had to turn in proposals at least 60 days before the first day of the legislative session under the vetoed bill.  

That proposed deadline was 15 days earlier than the current deadline for agencies and two months earlier than the current deadline for the governor, who can submit proposals up to the Friday before the first day of session. 

Gov. Kim Reynolds said the proposal would limit the executive branch’s ability to hone legislation and respond to emerging issues. Reynolds’ final day to sign bills was Tuesday.

A bill requiring high school students to pay for community college courses in some cases is dead now after a veto from the governor. Under the proposal, students and their families would’ve had to cover fees for courses they failed or withdrew from. 
 
In her veto message, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the bill could harm students from low-income backgrounds. She said the state should boost academic support for students instead of creating more financial barriers for families.  

Reynolds announced her vetoes earlier this week. Tuesday was her final day to sign bills into law from this session.  

National Weather Service

There’s an elevated risk for severe weather over much of Iowa Thursday afternoon and evening, according to meteorologist Andrew Ansorge at the National Weather Service in Des Moines. Ansorge said hail, high winds and heavy rain are expected in much of the state.

“As we move into late afternoon, and more so tonight, we expect to see storms start producing heavy rainfall, especially in southwest into portions of central Iowa,” Ansorge said. “Before that too, there might be a few severe storms as well with hail and maybe even a few tornadoes in southwest Iowa possible.”

A Flood Watch has been issued starting at 1 p.m. and going late into the night for 22 southwest and central Iowa counties. That area includes Shenandoah, Council Bluffs, Atlantic, Lamoni, Des Moines and Ames.

“Those are the areas that look most primed, as far as rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches by tomorrow morning, even maybe some locally higher amounts,” Ansorge said. “So those rainfall totals, along with just how fast the rain will come down, the soil may not be able to absorb it fast enough, so we might see some isolated areas of flash flooding.”

There are multiple chances for rain over the next several days, and the forecast calls for highs climbing into the low to mid-90s by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Changes are coming to Des Moines Area Regional Transit (DART). Beginning June 14, DART will consolidate the bus system’s 27 routes into 10 main routes. The changes are part of the Reimagine DART initiative, which allows buses to run more frequently by taking fewer stops.

The updated routes were designed to connect riders to the busiest parts of the Des Moines metro, like West Des Moines and Urbandale, more often. CEO Erin Hockman said DART noticed that travel patterns were shifting away from busy mornings and evenings.

“That is really no longer the case, because people are now traveling much more all throughout the day and all throughout the week,” she said.

Hockman also said most DART riders are essential workers who rely on the bus system to get to their jobs. She said public input helped determine the need for more frequent service throughout the day.

Three incumbents in the Iowa Legislature were defeated in their primary elections.

Rep. Jane Bloomingdale, R-Northwood, lost to political newcomer Dani Ollenburg of Clear Lake, 58% to 42%. Ollenburg will face Democrat Alexander Schmidt in the November election for District 60.

Austin Stubbs easily beat Rep. Brian Lohse, R-Bondurant, by a margin of four to one. He will take on Democrat Kendra Haug in the District 45 race.

Rep. Ken Croken, D-Davenport, lost to Adam Peters in House District 97 by 26 points. Both call Davenport home. No Republican is running for the District 97 House seat.

Industry leaders at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines Wednesday are optimistic about consumer demand for pork.

Representatives from the National Pork Producers Council said the latest federal dietary guidelines put more emphasis on protein and exports are strong.

But Pat McGonegle, CEO of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, said producers still face a slew of challenges and many are still recovering from record losses a few years ago.

“Profits are modest, but what I hear from producers is we have not filled the hole that we created in ’23 and ’24, and so it's going to take a little bit of time of profitability to kind of equalize things,” McGonegle said.

The National Pork Producers Council said passing the House version of the Farm Bill in the Senate and renewing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement would benefit producers’ profits.

Pork industry leaders also said the final round of testing in central Iowa for a highly contagious pig virus is expected to wrap up soon. In late April, the USDA confirmed five boars shipped from Texas to Iowa had pseudorabies. It marked the first known case of the disease in commercial swine in the U.S. since 2004.

McGonegle said Iowa’s department of ag, the USDA and industry leaders acted quickly to prevent the spread of the virus while balancing the needs of producers and export markets.

“We’re going to sit down and learn and look at how we do this better,” he said. “It was for producers — particularly those that were in the five-mile circle — it was an early opportunity to look at what a foreign animal disease outbreak might look like.”

University of Iowa researchers have announced a new research program focused on understanding how environmental exposures affect human health.

The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information and Geospatial Health Tracking, or INSIGHT, is a partnership between the UI’s Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination and the IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering departments. The project will study how environmental factors like nitrate and PFAS affect Iowans’ health.

David Cwiertny, director of the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination, said community education and engagement are important parts of the program.

“We want people to understand their environmental vulnerabilities, so they can actually take action or talk to their representatives and figure out how to address it, and not just engage in conversations that may not be relevant to them or their community,” Cwiertny said.

Larry Weber, the director of IIHR, said Iowans have growing concerns about how their environment is affecting their health.

“As you look at the water quality and nitrate is only one analyte that we're interested in, but the nitrate concentrations and loads have continued to rise in Iowa,” Weber said. “We're on track for this year to be the highest nitrate load leaving the state of Iowa on record.”

Researchers said Iowa INSIGHT will last five years. Its initial funding is through a $5 million donation from the Kyle J and Sharon Krause Family Foundation.

A former western Iowa teacher now faces new charges after police in Atlantic arrested him for grooming and sexual exploitation of a student.

Jesse McCann, 34, of Greenfield was fired from his job as a high school guidance counselor with the Atlantic School District in February.

Last month, he pleaded not guilty to unrelated charges after a former elementary student reported McCann had inappropriately touched her 10 years earlier. At the time, McCann worked for the Western Central Valley Community School District in Stuart.

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners has permanently revoked McCann’s teaching license.

Voters made their voices heard in Tuesday’s election, weighing in on major races, including two open seats: one for governor and another for U.S. Senate.⁠

⁠Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson won her primary against Jim Carlin and will face Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, who defeated state Sen. Zach Wahls in the Democratic primary.⁠

Businessman Zach Lahn won the Republican nomination for Iowa governor and will face Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand in the general election. Lahn's victory was a major upset for Rep. Randy Feenstra, who was considered the frontrunner and was endorsed by President Donald Trump.

In U.S. House District 1, incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks won the GOP primary against David Pautch for the second time. She will face Democrat Christina Bohannan for the third time this November. Bohannan beat Travis Terrell by more than 80% in their primary race.⁠

Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James will face Republican Joe Mitchell in the general election in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.⁠

Former state Rep. Dave Dawson of Lawton won the Democratic primary in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. In November, he will face Republican Chris McGowan, who didn’t face a challenger in the GOP primary. ⁠

Republican Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer will go up against Democrat Taylor Wettach in November in Iowa’s race for State Auditor. Cournoyer defeated Abigail Maas in the primary election by about 8 percentage points and Wettach was unopposed.

Read more primary election results.

Iowa’s primaries are setting up impactful races for the general election ahead on Nov. 3.

Voters will make their choice for governor in an open race — a race with no incumbent on the ballot — for the first time since 2006. Iowans will also elect a new U.S. senator. The results in Iowa could even influence the balance of power in Washington, D.C.

Republicans are looking to maintain their grip on state politics, and to lean on their margin over Democrats among active registered voters. Democrats see the national political mood souring on the Trump administration, and they believe — with the right candidates in place — there is an opportunity to flip elected offices away from the GOP.

The race to the November midterms begins with the results in the June primaries.

Live election results ⇾

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Tuesday more than doubling the mandatory prison sentence for people convicted of three felonies.

Starting July 1, people convicted of a third felony offense will be required to serve at least seven years in prison. The current minimum is three years.

Reynolds also signed a bill restricting bail and pretrial release. She signed a third bill that immediately bans events aimed at resolving arrest warrants.

Reynolds said the state has a responsibility to protect Iowans.

“These reforms reflect a simple principle: Iowa will stand with its victims, support law enforcement and prioritize public safety,” Reynolds said. “We believe in second chances, but we also recognize that continued criminal behavior demands accountability.”

Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, said these bills are meaningful steps to making Iowa a safer place to live.

“The legislation being signed today is based on a simple principle: the first responsibility of government is to protect its citizens, period. These bills are about accountability,” Holt said. “They are about preventing future victims.”

Rep. Eric Gjerde, D-Cedar Rapids, who is a police officer, has said raising mandatory sentences will likely spike prison costs without reducing crime long-term.

The corrections department estimates the longer prison sentences will require the construction of three new prisons and the expansion of two prisons at a cost of $2 billion.

Read more.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan said there were storms in May, but not much precipitation.

“Across the state we were below average by almost two inches," Glisan said. "We came in as a statewide average about 2.8 inches, and again that’s about two inches below normal."

Temperatures were about a degree above average.

Glisan said June could help make up for the lack of May moisture.

“We are seeing a slight lean towards wetter conditions. And that’s a good signal to see as we come out of May drier than normal after the sixth wettest April on record,” Glisan said. “So June is climatologically the wettest month for most of the state. So we would like to see above average precipitation to kind of cut down on the deficits that we developed in May.

Glisan said the dry weather did allow farmers to make good progress in planting.

The Trump administration is proposing a new rule that would push government workers to sign nondisclosure agreements. Federal employees are already prohibited from sharing sensitive information. The new rule would apply to all “nonpublic” information, which many legal experts say is too broad a definition.

Sen. Chuck Grassley said he’s voiced his concerns about NDAs to the Office of Personnel Management. He said he’s also introduced “anti-gag” legislation that would protect the right of government employees to report wrongdoing to Congress or the Special Counsel’s office.

“We've got to make it very clear that when you sign this sort of a document that it doesn't compromise your statutory rights of reporting wrongdoing to Congress and being what you might call a whistleblower,” Grassley said.

Grassley plans to address the Senate in the coming days to make it clear that any document a federal employee signs cannot compromise their right to report wrongdoing to Congress.

Des Moines Public Schools is asking for feedback on changes coming to the state’s largest school district.

The Reimagining Education project aims to offer more interest-based programs for students.

The district's plan includes creating signature schools that would combine standard education with themed interests, like language or the arts.

DMPS also wants to create signature schools. Project manager Bekah Harris said these schools would teach standard curriculum and engage students with a specific theme.

“Students are learning the same information that they are anywhere else in the district, but they’re learning it in a new immersive way, whether through arts integration, through language immersion,” Harris said.

Harris added the district is also going to renovate or close some schools to improve students’ experiences. The programs are part of a broader effort to improve district enrollment and operations.

Voter-approved funding will go towards developing the programs and renovating some schools. DMPS is asking for public feedback until June 30 before the plan is finalized.

Residents of the town of Palo near Cedar Rapids are asking the city to pull back on a new ordinance relating to a proposed data center from Google.

Around 150 residents filled the community center in Palo for the city’s first reading and public comment on the ordinance. Residents of Palo and nearby communities told council members to add more regulations on water usage and traffic, while others want the council to withdraw the ordinance completely.

Earlier this year, Google said it would work with Palo to build a new data center instead of Linn County. Unlike the county’s ordinance, the city’s version does not require a study to see if there’s enough water for the center without causing negative impacts to the community. The Palo ordinance would treat permits from the DNR as proof there’s enough water.

“I don’t know what the big hurry is,” said Larry Clinton, a resident of Palo. “Like everybody’s talking about – why are we leaving everything up to somebody else? Why don’t we decide what we want instead of the DNR, the state or anything else. We can tell them what we want.”

Cindy Anderson is a resident and councilmember of nearby Fairfax. The town is close to two data centers, which she has said has caused major traffic problems.

“Why do billion dollar companies come to small towns? Because we say yes. I’m asking you to say no,” Anderson said.

The council approved the ordinance on the first of three readings.

Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating a mass shooting in Muscatine on Monday that left seven people dead, including two children. Six victims died of gunshot wounds, and the suspected gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound when confronted by police.

Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies said 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland of Muscatine shot and killed four family members at a home on Park Avenue, and two others in separate locations.

“Officers located McFarland on the Riverfront Trail near the pedestrian bridge,” Kies said. “While talking to Ryan Willis McFarland, he took his own life. Officers and EMS personnel rendered aid; however, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

After their encounter with McFarland, police later discovered the fifth victim at a home on Mill Street and the sixth victim at a business on Grandview Avenue. The chief said investigators are working on identifying a motive.

“The preliminary investigation indicates the shootings stem from a domestic dispute,” Kies said. “At this time, all victims are believed to be family members of the deceased.”

The Muscatine Community School District said two of the victims were students and two were district employees. Counselors will be available to support students and staff Tuesday morning at the district’s high school, junior high and elementary schools.

Anyone with information related to the shootings is urged to contact the Muscatine Police Department.

Rachel Cramer

/

Iowa Public Radio

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Monday appropriating nearly $170 million for agriculture and natural resources.

It includes increased funding for Choose Iowa, which connects consumers with local foods grown, raised and made in the state. Reynolds says the bill also supports the state’s preparations and responses to foreign animal disease.

The new law also channels funding to water quality infrastructure and monitoring.

Reynolds said it makes good on a promise earlier this spring when she announced the “Farm to Faucet” package.

“This means an additional $500,000 every year to the Department of Natural Resources for water quality monitoring,” Reynolds said. “It means increased funding for water treatment in rural communities and conservation practices in targeted watersheds.”

The new law also directs $25 million to Central Iowa Water Works to upgrade and expand its nitrate removal capacity over the next three years.

It does not include direct funding for a network of river sensors operated by the University of Iowa, which is staying afloat this year with county-level funding.

Reynolds also signed the so-called Iowa Farm Act. The wide-ranging package includes greater confidentiality for producers during animal disease outbreaks and tax cuts for honeybee producers and rural veterinarians.

Read more.

Iowans can weigh in on which candidates they want to represent their party in this fall’s elections for governor, members of Congress, the state Legislature and more. Voters will have to register as either a Democrat or Republican to participate in one party’s primary. Iowans can register to vote or change their party affiliation at their polling place.

Polling places are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Iowans will need to bring an accepted form of ID.

Voters who received an absentee ballot but haven’t returned it yet can drop that off at their county auditor’s office by 8 p.m. to have it counted. Or they can surrender their absentee ballot at their polling place and vote a regular ballot.

Iowans can find their polling place and more information about voting at voterready.iowa.gov.

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President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Randy Feenstra is now a central issue in the Republican Party’s race for governor.

Trump called Feenstra “a highly respected America First congressman” who is “MAGA all the way.”

Zach Lahn, another GOP candidate for governor, said Trump “got bad advice” about Feenstra.

“Let’s win this race on June 2 and then I invite President Trump to come alongside us and help win on June 3 and keep Iowa in conservative hands and fighting for the next generation,” Lahn said, to cheers from a crowd in Ankeny Sunday night.

Lahn said he and his supporters are now in a “street fight” with the party’s establishment.

Adam Steen, Brad Sherman and Rep. Eddie Andrews are the other Republicans running for governor in this year’s primary. Steen said he’s “left it all on the field” and has no regrets heading into the election. Sherman said he’s running to stop the erosion of constitutional rights. Andrews said he wants to end “Election Season” and get rid of early voting in Iowa elections.

In Iowa, a candidate must get at least 35% of the votes cast in a primary to become the party’s nominee. If none of the GOP candidates for governor reach that threshold, the nominee will be chosen by delegates at the Iowa Republican Party’s state convention on June 13.

The Certified Wildlife Habitat program helps people provide sources of food, water and shelter for local wildlife and insects. It’s promoted by the Iowa Wildlife Federation, which says over 2,000 habitats have been established in the state.

Executive Director Ryan Smith said wildlife struggle to find local habitats due to urban and agricultural development.

“We’re also losing some of those other corridors that might be along creeks or ditches or those kinds of things,” Smith said.

Smith said wildlife use corridors to migrate across habitats and find the right sources of food. He added that native plants are crucial in these areas, especially for pollinators.

“That would be, you know, butterflies, bees, wasps, any number of insects, which of course helps the entire food web,” Smith said.

He said the program helps because it can restore habitats locally and along corridors. A lot of habitats are in Des Moines, and Smith said more are popping up in rural areas.

Emergency room visits for tick bites reached a nine-year high this spring, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And cases of tick-borne illnesses, like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, continue to rise.

Ticks can pick up viruses when they feed on small animals in their early life stages. They then pass on the virus when they latch on to larger animals, like humans, which can turn into disease.

“If all the stars happen to align and you know you get bit by the right life stage of a tick that's got the right life stage of that pathogen in it, then you could potentially become sick,” said Jonathan Cammack, an extension specialist at Oklahoma State University.

Shorter and milder winters mean ticks are emerging earlier in the year and staying active longer. Many states are asking residents to send in ticks for testing to track the spread of species and diseases.

Teresa Steckler, an extension specialist with the University of Illinois, said the best way to protect yourself from tick bites is to spray your clothes with an insecticide called permethrin and to thoroughly check yourself and your pets for ticks when you come inside.

“I just tell everyone to be cautious about any and all ticks,” Steckler said. “That's not to say that all ticks are harboring disease-causing agents. They are not, but it's just better to be cautious than to be dismissive.”

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