Johnson County Supervisor Jon Green is going against Gov. Kim Reynolds’ encouragement to lower all flags in memory of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Reynolds ordered state entities to lower their flags on Wednesday and encouraged local governments to do the same.

In a social media post, Green said he condemned the killing, but would not honor Kirk. He said Kirk made it his life’s mission to denigrate people that Green had sworn to protect, such as marginalized populations. Green also said he would accept any consequence, legal or electoral, for his decision.

Reynolds responded to Green’s post on X, calling it disgraceful. She said Green was putting politics above human decency.

Iowa’s Natural Resource Commission discussed the possibility of increasing license fees by 5% for hunting, fishing and trapping in the state during a public meeting Thursday.

Commissioners and attendees who provided public comment said the increase could help the DNR do more to conserve and restore wildlife habitat.

But many emphasized the need to generate funds beyond sportsmen and women. KR Buck is one of the commissioners.

“We have lit a fire underneath the sportsmen. I will guarantee you that besides the CO2 pipeline, I’ve been contacted more in the last two weeks about this, and they’re all in favor. But they’re all afraid that 5% isn’t going to get us where we need to be.”

State law caps annual license fee increases at 5%.

Next steps include an analysis by DNR staff before Dec. 15 and approval by the commissioners. State legislators and the governor would need to sign off before a license fee increase went into effect.

Matthew Kargol, an Oskaloosa high school art teacher is on administrative leave over comments posted on social media in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.

The post contained the text, “One Nazi down.” Kirk, a conservative activist, was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.

The Oskaloosa school board could fire the teacher as early as next week, unless the employee requests a private hearing. Currently, there is a special hearing scheduled for next Wednesday.

Mike Fisher, the superintendent of Oskaloosa schools, says the district has to step in if employee speech starts causing problems at school.

“We have policy on staff conduct and we have board policy on employee expression, and there's always that balance of what is allowed by free speech and what then creates a substantial material disruption to our learning environment. If speech begins to impede on the learning environment, that can cause major issues that we have to deal with with the employees.”

Fischer says the district received more than 1,000 contacts about the post. He says students, parents and community members reached out about the post. But more than half of the contacts were from people outside of the community or the state.

The state department of education says there are multiple reports of school personnel making what it calls “disturbing comments” in response to Kirk’s death. Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley says he is aware of statements made by teachers that he says praise Kirk’s death. He says a House Government Oversight Committee will address the issue if districts do not take appropriate action.

The Iowa DNR is moving forward with a pilot project that aims to reduce E. coli levels at two state beaches in Polk and Webster counties. Certain strains of E. coli can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps and urinary tract infections.

Michelle Balmer, the DNR’s lake restoration program coordinator, says high levels of this bacteria are strongly correlated with prolonged periods of wet sand and runoff from the surrounding area.

“With lots of rainfall, we often see elevated concentrations. And so what are ways that we can manage stormwater at our beaches, essentially, to help mitigate some of these concerns. That’s kind of the crux of this project.”

Balmer says one of the practices the DNR will use are bioswales – small depressions that capture runoff from parking lots and allow it to filter through the soil.

The DNR aims to start construction this fall or winter at Brushy Creek State Recreation Area. It will take place during a campground renovation to minimize disruptions at the park.

The Natural Resource Commission approved an expanded footprint of the Big Creek project Thursday during a public meeting. Work at Big Creek State Park would likely begin after Labor Day next year.

The current construction estimates are $150,000 for Brushy Creek and $420,000 for Big Creek.

The DNR will monitor E. coli at all of the beaches in the pilot project for several years to help guide future management at beaches around the state.

Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has proposed renaming the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa as the Charlie Kirk Center for Intellectual Freedom.

The Iowa Legislature established the center earlier this year, with the goal of promoting free speech on the university’s campus. Kirk was a conservative activist who was assassinated while speaking at a Utah college Wednesday.

Miller-Meeks, who represents Iowa's 1st Congressional District of Iowa, said on social media the Center for Intellectual Freedom should live up to its name by honoring Kirk, who she called a defender of free speech and open debate. She said Kirk dedicated his life to advancing intellectual freedom by empowering students.

State and local health officials say cooling towers may be responsible for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the Marshall County area.

The severe respiratory illness is caused by inhaling water droplets with the Legionella bacteria. It’s not contagious.

Officials have confirmed 34 cases and one death so far in the Marshalltown area since the end of August.

Matthew Donahue, the state epidemiologist, told the Marshall County Board of Supervisors that public health officials have tested nine cooling towers in the area and are disinfecting all of them.

“Because of how wide it appears to be spread, because of the calls we've made to patients so far, that seems like the most likely answer to how this has all started.”

Most people who are exposed to the bacteria do not get sick. Those who are older, smoke or have underlying health issues are at most risk of becoming severely ill.

Officials say people with severe respiratory virus symptoms should be tested for the bacteria as soon as possible. It can be treated with antibiotics.

The state’s public universities are seeing some of their biggest incoming classes this fall.

The University of Iowa’s incoming class is its second largest in its history at 5,500. Iowa State has more than 6,000, making this year its third largest.

The University of Northern Iowa’s incoming class is the biggest since 2017. The class has around 1,500 students. Applications from surrounding states to UNI increased by 99%. This is the first year the college offered in-state tuition to new students from neighboring states.

Iowa residents make up more than half of University of Iowa and ISU’s first year classes. They make up more than 90% of the incoming class at UNI.

Total enrollment across the state’s public universities peaked in 2016 and reached a low in 2021. Enrollment at the colleges has been slowly climbing since.

Iowa’s electricity needs are expected to increase by 30-60% in the next 20 years, and research shows the electric sector needs to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2035 to help reduce climate change impacts.

The Iowa Environmental Council says it’s possible for the state to meet higher demand and achieve the carbon-free electricity goal. Renewable energy from wind and solar rose to 67% last year in Iowa, according to the IEC’s latest Condition of the State report. But import taxes on materials, including a 50% tariff on steel, and a rollback of federal tax credits could dampen momentum.

Steve Guyer is IEC’s senior energy policy counsel.

“A wind turbine is almost all steel. And it’d be nice if all that steel was available here in the U.S., but it’s not. And so, as that steel is imported, that’s certainly going to increase the cost of building that turbine."

The U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday it will hear a case challenging the legality of President Trump’s tariffs.

The IEC report and other research show the operating costs for wind and solar are cheaper than coal and natural gas, even without subsidies.

The president of Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City plans to retire May 15, 2026 after serving 15 years in the role. Dr. Terry Murrell started at Western Iowa Tech in 2007 as vice president of instruction.

Last year, Western Iowa Tech agreed to pay 23 students from Chile and Brazil who were in the country with J-1 “exchange visitor” visas a combined $5.3 million to settle claims they were mistreated in a job training program in 2019.

Last summer Murrell told reporters the program didn’t live up to Western Iowa Tech’s standards or meet the expectations of those students.

“The J-1 program is complex. It’s complicated and I don’t know that we fully appreciated that when we stepped in and all of that is my fault.”

During Murrell’s presidency, the community college nearly tripled its graduation rate, added athletic programs and established a food pantry, health center and expanded mental health services.

In a statement posted on the college’s website, Murrell says, “serving alongside Western Iowa Tech’s faculty, staff and students has been one of the greatest privileges of my career.”

A University of Iowa physician and scientist has won the prestigious Lasker Award for his cystic fibrosis research.

Michael J. Welsh will share the award with two other scientists for his research that helped to develop a triple-drug combination that helps people who have the genetic disease.

The drugs work on about 90% of people with CF. They have helped extend the average lifespan by decades.

The Lasker Awards are one of the country’s most prestigious prizes in biomedical research. Past recipients have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

The Iowa Supreme Court will decide whether school administrators can be held individually responsible for alleged bullying in their schools – even when they’re not directly involved.

The case involves two families that claim the Southeast Polk School District didn’t do enough to respond after classmates harassed and threatened their children.

The district’s attorney, Samuel McMichael, told the justices during oral arguments that administrators can’t be sued because public employees have qualified immunity under Iowa Code.

That makes it harder to sue a school leader over something like a civil rights violation.

“Plaintiffs have brought in the superintendent, really, simply based on his position within the school district, and not based on his involvement and underlying action. So I think qualified immunity here is important to protect those type of instances.”

But the parents’ attorney, Marrissa Pasker, says civil rights lawsuits are meant to prevent discrimination from happening.

“It would be illogical to think that the Legislature intended educational institutions to be liable, but not the individual actors who were carrying out the discrimination.”

Pasker says the district showed enough negligence for the lawsuit to go forward. She says not punishing administrators would fail to stop discrimination from happening.

Some Iowa Republican lawmakers are denouncing political violence after right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University Wednesday.

News of Kirk’s death was shared by President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post. NPR is working to independently verify the information.

Iowa’s 1st Congressional District Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is calling the shooting “heartbreaking” and an attack on principles of free speech.

Iowa’s 2nd District Rep. Ashley Hinson says she is “devastated” for Kirk’s family, adding that “there is no place for political violence in America.”

Kirk, 31, was the founder of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit aimed at growing the conservative movement. The group has several chapters at Iowa high schools and colleges.

The Iowa Transportation Commission is updating its rules so people can’t change the sex listed on their driver’s license.

Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division Attorney Sara Siedsma told the commission that the update makes the rules comply with a change in the law.

“That legislation added a new definition of sex in Iowa Code, referring to sex as male or female, as observed or clinically verified at birth, and removed the ability to obtain an amended birth certificate to reflect a person’s change in sex designation,” she said.

Siedsma said there was a public comment against the rule change, where the decision was further explained.

“Under Iowa Code, Chapter 17A, an administrative rule cannot conflict with the statutory provision or amend or nullify legislative intent. Accordingly, we cannot leave in place, in our rules, a process by which a person could amend the sex on their driver’s license as something different than what is listed on the identity document.”

Commissioner Sally Stutsman was the only one of the Iowa Transportation Commission to comment on the change.

“I do not agree with the Legislature on the action. I know that once we get to this point, I cannot vote no, but I plan to abstain from voting on this issue,” Stutsman said.

The rule applies to all types of driver’s licenses and state-issued IDs.

State Treasurer Roby Smith says short-term investing of unspent state funds has yielded over $1 billion for the state of Iowa since he took office in January 2023.

A number of people in the Treasurer’s Office and outside money managers are investing pooled money from the Iowa veterans fund and the Road Use Tax Fund, where gas taxes are deposited and used to fix and build Iowa roads and bridges.  Any investment earnings go back into those funds.

The $4 billion in the taxpayer relief fund, where state budget surpluses have been funneled for the past 14 years, is also being invested.

Smith says the average return on investment has been around 4.4% since early 2023. State law for the past five decades has required this type of short-term investing, and the law says both state employees and outside financial experts are to handle the deals so it’s a diversified investment team.

(Henderson, RI)

James Kelley

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Iowa Public Radio

Tensions continue to rise at the Department of Homeland Security office in Cedar Rapids as immigrant rights advocates organize a weekly presence outside the building.

Last week, officials constructed a barricade to keep protestors off the property. Now, for the first time, an interpreter who usually accompanies people to their check-in appointments with federal immigration officials was told to leave the building. 

“I am often calling them about questions or if immigrants have questions, we communicate all the time together,” said Emily Sinwell, an interpreter with Iowa City Catholic Worker. “So, this is really unfortunate that they’re not letting me inside to provide support for immigrants and also interpretation.” 

Leaders with the immigrants’ rights group Escucha Mi Voz say immigration enforcement officials in Cedar Rapids detained four people last week during their check-in appointments.  

Twenty soldiers with the Iowa National Guard have also officially started helping carry out federal immigration enforcement efforts. 

A town in northeast Iowa is working to encourage young entrepreneurs to sell their produce, baked goods or handmade products at the local farmers market.

Manchester Chamber of Commerce Director Laura Holtz says her community is holding a junior market, along with the regular farmers market, this weekend.

“We’re encouraging all those young — I thought about calling it Munchkin Market, but don’t want it to be just for the littles … If you’ve got some teenagers that love to bake, love to garden, love to make some bracelets, let them come on out and sell those, set up a booth and have that at the Manchester Farmers Market.”

Holtz says the community wants to encourage young people to take an active role in this longstanding tradition. There’s no fee to participate. All young people have to do is bring a table and chairs to set up alongside the other vendors.

The Junior Market takes place Saturday from 7:30 - 11 a.m. on River Street in Manchester.

A University of Iowa professor created an app to help first responders better communicate with patients who are unable to speak during an emergency.

The app is loaded with medical vocabulary and questions related to things like symptoms, pain levels and medications. Patients who are unable to speak can communicate by touching icons on the app or, if they are unable to do that, it prompts first responders how to ask them yes or no questions. 

Krista Davidson, a clinical professor of speech language pathology at the University of Iowa, says she created the app after first responders told her that nothing like it existed for emergencies. 

“I was talking to a lot of medical professionals, and they said if we can't communicate with someone, we have to administer every single test because we don't know what's wrong. But if they could give us a little bit of information, it would save everybody a little time and money.”

So far, one hospital in Ohio has adopted the app, according to Davidson. She’s hoping to see more health systems adopt the program soon.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office says a western Iowa police officer didn’t break the law when he shot and killed a homeless Cuban immigrant last month.

Investigators say body camera footage showed that Feglys Antonio Campos Arriba, 36, attacked Denison Police Sergeant Alan Romero.

Romero told Campos Arriba he needed to leave a city park after hours or face arrest. Campos Arriba chose to go to jail, but then started charging the officer, who used his taser without any effect. The two scuffled and Campos Arriba bit Romero’s ear, causing permanent damage.

Campos Arriba then chased the officer, who shot him in the chest. Campos continued to pursue Romero, who then shot him three more times.

The report by the Attorney General’s Office also states that Campos Arriba had been in the U.S. on a temporary work visa that expired in July.

The Iowa City Police Department arrested a woman allegedly responsible for the 1992 death of an infant.

Police documents say Cindy Sue Elder, 58, placed her newborn child in a bag and left him in a trash pile in Coralville nearly 33 years ago. The infant’s remains were later found at the Iowa City landfill. Elder was 26 at the time.

She told investigators following up on the case that she did not want to become a parent and was trying to keep the baby a secret, including from the child's father. While the identities of the parents were not discovered during the initial investigation, advances in DNA technology led to the case being reopened in 2020.

Elder is now charged with first degree murder. 

Congressional leaders are working on a deal to keep the federal government running as they work on a funding package. If a continuing resolution is not passed, the federal government would run out of money and shut down Oct. 1. 

Sen. Chuck Grassley has been through a few shutdowns during his time in the House and Senate. He says, as a means of leverage, they don’t work.

“After a day — or in one case three weeks — of embarrassment that government is shut down and the people want to know what they're going to get for their taxpayers' money. ‘What's wrong with you congressmen and senators, you can't keep government running?’ They get so much pressure that government is funded again and they didn't get what they want.”

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Grassley said he’s cosponsoring a bill that would prevent government shutdowns. In the event that funding runs out, it would automatically implement a 14-day continuing resolution to continue critical services and operations. 

Job centers receiving federal funding now must verify citizenship for job hunters looking for personalized help under new guidelines from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The Trump administration is preventing people in the U.S. without legal status from using federal programs, meaning that anyone wanting one-on-one job assistance needs to verify their citizenship.

Central Iowa Workforce Development Board Director Eric Kress says people looking for help need to be aware of what documents to bring in.
“A lot of what the government is trying to determine is who's eligible for public assistance, what constitutes public assistance and then what safeguards do they need to put in place to ensure that assistance is only being received by those who qualify.”

Kress says he doesn’t expect any disruptions to his office since citizenship verification is a part of job applications further down the line.

The state of Iowa will pay $85,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed by LGBTQ Iowans who were kicked out of the state Capitol in 2020.

About 150 middle and high school students were visiting the Capitol for an event held by Iowa Safe Schools, an LGBTQ student advocacy group. After receiving a complaint, Capitol security asked transgender and nonbinary students to stop using the men’s bathroom and use gender-neutral bathrooms on a different floor. When they refused, the State Patrol escorted the whole group out of the building.

Five members of that group sued the state, alleging discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. That was before the state Legislature removed gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act earlier this year. Under the settlement, the state is not admitting any wrongdoing.

Voters in the Cedar Rapids Community School District will see a $117 million bond referendum on the ballot in November.

The school board put the referendum on the ballot after receiving a petition with over 6,100 verified signatures supporting a vote. If approved, it will help finance renovations to McKinley, Wilson and Roosevelt middle schools, along with upgrades to Kennedy High School.

If passed, the bond will cost the average homeowner in the district $7.47 a month. It will need at least 60% approval to take effect.

District voters previously rejected a $220 million school bond in 2023. 

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley says two whistleblowers are scheduled to testify before his panel Tuesday about how the parent company of Facebook allegedly buried child safety research.

Grassley says he and other senators sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg a few weeks ago, pressing for answers about the company’s ads that are believed to target teenagers, ads he says appear to violate Meta’s own statements.

“We also highlighted concerns that Meta is potentially violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.”

Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, says Congress deserves answers and children deserve to be safe.

“Meta allegedly chose to move forward with plans to expand their program’s virtual reality platform to children as young as 10 … without the appropriate safety measures, like parental consent for data collection.”

Grassley says parents must be vigilant and keep a close eye on where their kids venture online, which he recognizes is “almost a constant job” since many kids spend hours on social media every day.

The Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CST.

The percentage of people who return to prison in Iowa after being released is the lowest it’s been in the last decade.

About a third of people released in the past three years went back to prison — a 3% decrease from last year, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections. That means fewer people are committing new crimes or violating supervision rules.

People newly released from prison may need to follow certain rules to stay out of prison. These parole conditions can include having a job or maintaining housing. But a study created by IDC and the nonprofit Justice Systems Partners shows people end up going back to jail because they can’t keep up with these conditions.

Shannon Magnuson, lead researcher for the study, says fewer returns could mean Iowa is better preparing people who are incarcerated to re-enter the community.
“If you're seeing a rise of people staying longer in prison and then returning less, then we must be functionally doing something different in prison, or while people are under supervision, that's keeping them from coming back.”

Magnuson says people stay out of prison when they receive supportive programs, not punishment.

During a visit to Des Moines Monday, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins said more needs to be done to improve veterans’ health care. 

Collins toured the 92-year-old VA Central Iowa Health Care Center and recognized six staff members for their work in assisting veterans’ health needs. Collins said his time in Des Moines helps him understand how to better improve the VA health system. 

“Whether it be how quickly it takes us to get someone hired, how we can add new facilities, how we can add things to our repertoire, and also working with our community and our community docs.”

Collins also defended the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ decision to reduce its staff by 30,000 people by the end of this month, saying it’s part of a move to reshape the department.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said she’s encouraged by the move to have more FBI agents working out of regional offices. Last month, FBI Director Kash Patel met with Bird and other law enforcement officials from Iowa and Nebraska at the Omaha field office.

Bird said last week that the discussions with Patel were “informal.”

“One of the things that Director Patel was very interested in was what resources might be needed by us from the FBI so that they could help us in our investigations. Whether it’s getting illegal drugs off the streets or human trafficking.”

Patel’s visit came shortly after federal officials announced five people who own, operate and manage hotels in the Omaha area had been arrested and 27 victims of human trafficking had been rescued, including 10 children.

Joe Mitchell for Congress

Former state Rep. Joe Mitchell is running for Congress in Iowa’s 2^nd Congressional District. The 28-year-old from Clear Lake says as a Trump administration appointee, he has already earned a name for himself among the MAGA base. 

Mitchell says he’s running for Congress to cut spending, improve border security and protect Iowa’s farmers. In July, he was tapped by the Trump administration to be a regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

In a social media post, Mitchell said he’s trusted in the MAGA movement and will always fight alongside Iowans who have voiced their support for the president. 

Mitchell previously served two terms in the Iowa House, in 2019 and 2021. He was the youngest state legislator in Iowa history when he was first sworn into office. He also founded Run Gen Z, a nonprofit that aims to get young conservatives elected to public office. He currently runs a real estate development business in Clear Lake. 

Mitchell is the second Republican to announce a bid for the seat after Rep. Ashley Hinson said she is running for the U.S. Senate. State Rep. Charlie McClintock launched his campaign last week.

Read the full story.

Lennox International is laying off 49 employees at its Marshalltown plant by the end of the month. The Texas-based company posted the layoff notices on a state website, as required by law.

In a written statement, the company said the layoffs would “adjust production and staffing … to current market conditions.”

Lennox previously laid off 22 workers on Aug. 1. With the latest round of cuts, the Marshalltown plant’s payroll will be reduced to 71 positions.

In late 2018, the Marshalltown facility was heavily damaged by a tornado. Repairs and renovations were completed in mid-2023. Lennox also has production facilities in Mexico and South Carolina.

Madeleine Charis King

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Iowa Public Radio

Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson has the backing of President Donald Trump as she enters week two of her campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Trump posted on social media Friday, calling Hinson “a wonderful person who has always delivered for Iowa” and she “will continue doing so in the United States Senate.”

Hinson, a Republican from Marion, has been a member of the U.S. House since 2021.

“I’ve worked very hard to stand up for President Trump, working alongside him in my service in Congress and I would say that job is not done,” Hinson said Friday at a rally in her hometown of West Des Moines.

Hinson announced her Senate bid last Tuesday, a few hours after Republican Sen. Joni Ernst released a video saying she would not seek reelection.

The top Republican in the U.S. Senate, Majority Leader John Thune, endorsed Hinson Friday. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has also endorsed Hinson.

Hinson faces criticism from fellow GOP candidate

Former state Sen. Jim Carlin, R-Sergeant Bluff, has been campaigning for the Iowa GOP’s Senate nomination for a few months and posted a written statement on Facebook minutes after Hinson announced her U.S. Senate campaign.

He said Iowa “doesn’t need another candidate picked” by the Republican establishment “who pretends to support President Trump,” but “isn’t a true conservative fighter.”

After Hinson announced she was running for the U.S. Senate, three of the 100 Republicans who are currently members of the state Legislature endorsed Carlin.

Carlin ran against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in the Iowa Republican Party’s 2022 primary, finishing with 26.4% of the vote. Grassley, who was endorsed by Trump, received 73.4% in the primary.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of Reiman Gardens in Ames opening its doors. 

The botanical gardens, which are part of Iowa State University, have grown from 5 acres to 17 since its founding, and now have over 6,000 types of plants.

It also boasts 26 themed garden attractions, including a children’s garden, trial plots and the world’s largest concrete gnome. There’s also an indoor butterfly wing, which can have up to 1,000 butterflies at a time. 

Reiman Gardens Marketing and Communications Manager Andrew Gogerty says the garden plans to keep maximizing the land they have in the future. 

“We can't really grow, as far as the number of acres we have, because we're just land locked by streets at that point. But just continuing to offer great educational programs and fun events for the public would be our mission going forward, the same way that it's been for the last 30 years.”

Reiman Gardens will host a Botanical Bash this Saturday to celebrate the milestone. Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the gardens and its programming.

Another Republican has joined the race for Iowa’s 4^th Congressional District.

Christian Schlaefer is a farmer and volunteer firefighter from the small north central town of Lakota in Kossuth County. The 29-year-old says more needs to be done to revive the middle class and for America to return to Christian morals and principles.

“You know, if you truly believe in something, you can't sit by for 10 years and watch it continue to happen and simply talk about doing something about it.”

Schlaefer says the federal government overspends and misuses taxpayer money. He also supports President Donald Trump’s policies on the border, crime and the economy.

Schlaefer will face off in a primary next year with four other Republicans. There are three Democrats in the race.

Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra currently represents the 4^th District. He says he plans to make an announcement soon whether he’ll run for governor in 2026.

Madeleine Charis King

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Iowa Public Radio

Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson launched her 99-county tour Friday in her hometown of West Des Moines. The U.S. representative announced her campaign earlier this week after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said she won’t run for reelection in 2026.

Hinson, who currently represents Iowa’s 2^nd District, says she has worked hard as a U.S. House member to stand up for President Donald Trump — and that job is not done.

“I pledge to you, I will listen. I will go visit all 99 counties. I think we have a pretty good example set for us by our senior senator in Chuck Grassley. I’ll get out and do the ‘Full Grassley,’ and I look forward to hearing your stories and telling those stories in Washington, D.C., and working hard for you.”

Hinson was also endorsed Friday by top Senate Republicans. U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina describe her as a Trump ally and a conservative fighter.

Former state Sen. Jim Carlin and Joshua Smith are the other Republicans who have launched U.S. Senate campaigns. Five Democrats are also running for Senate in 2026.

Every week, shoppers flock to farmers’ markets across the Midwest for locally-grown fruits and veggies. But why are prices for something local often higher than produce shipped in thousands of miles and sold in grocery stores? 

“The first thing that comes to mind is scale,” said Courtney Long, food systems program manager with Iowa State University Extension and director of the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. A commercial operation can more easily invest in equipment, infrastructure and technology to grow, harvest, wash, package and distribute its product in bulk, she said.

For example, a large green bean operation may have machinery that harvests multiple rows at once. In contrast, a small-scale farmer growing dozens of vegetables is likely hand-picking their green beans.

Not all local produce costs more. The price gap largely depends on the season and where someone buys groceries. But generally, it’s difficult for a produce farmer in the Midwest to compete with prices offered at Walmart or other large grocery chains.

Here's a look at the biggest factors that play a role in why local food often costs more.

Douglas DeFelice for 2024 Trump Campaign

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McClintock for Iowa

Republican state Sen. Charlie McClintock is running in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.

He said he's campaigning on an "America First" agenda and reiterated his support for President Donald Trump and the Republican platform.

McClintock is the first Republican to announce a campaign for the seat after 2nd District Rep. Ashley Hinson launched a campaign for U.S. Senate.

He’s serving his second term in the Iowa Senate after serving one term in the House.

Read the full story.

State officials say they are investigating an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in central Iowa that has affected 21 people so far.
 
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services officials say the cases have been in individuals living in north central Marshalltown. One older adult with underlying health issues has died. 
 
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by bacteria that thrives in warm water and is spread by inhaling affected water droplets. It is not contagious. Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath and muscle aches. 
 
Most healthy people who are exposed to the bacteria do not get sick. Adults 50 and older and those who smoke or have chronic lung conditions are most at risk for severe illness.  
 
Officials say those who experience pneumonia-like symptoms, especially in the Marshalltown area, should immediately seek medical attention.

A new University of Michigan study plotted over 15,000 cattle and hog feeding operations across the country and found that counties with animal feeding operations tend to have higher levels of air pollution.

The study’s researchers say areas with animal feeding operations tend to have higher levels of particulate matters, a type of air pollution.

“There is no safe level of PM 2.5. And PM 2.5 actually is linked to asthma, cancer like leukemia, cardiovascular diseases," said researcher Sanaz Chamara.

Chamara said many animal feeding operations are clustered in a few counties. She said 30 counties in the study accounted for about a quarter of all facilities.

Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa were among the top five states with the most cattle feeding operations. Iowa also had the highest number of hog farms, with Minnesota, Oklahoma and Missouri placing in the top five.

Fire officials have released the preliminary cause of a deadly house fire that killed three teenagers in northwest Iowa.
The fire broke out early Monday morning outside of Granville in Sioux County. One teenager was sent to a burn unit in Minnesota in critical condition.

The Granville fire chief says although the cause of the fire remains under investigation, initial findings indicate there was an accidental electrical fire that started in the living room.

The teens were students at MOC-Floyd Valley in Orange City, where counselors were available for students and staff.

Rachel Cramer

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Iowa Public Radio

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship says it will continue a special food bank purchasing program for another year. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig calls the first year of the program a success.

The Choose Iowa Farms to Food Banks Program directs state funds to six food banks across the state. Those food banks then purchase goods from local producers who are members of the program, so that they can serve fresh, locally grown food. 

Naig says there is growing demand statewide for local foods.  

“Survey after survey tells us that consumers are interested more and more in buying local. And of course, what we love from a business development, or a market development side, is we have tremendous opportunity. Our farmers, our food businesses in the state, have a tremendous opportunity to meet that growing demand.” 

In its first year, the program served 55 counties, with food banks purchasing nearly half a million dollars' worth of food from local producers. IDALS is investing another $200,000 in the program for the next year.

Meskwaki Nation police will now be able to pursue criminal suspects who flee across tribal settlement boundaries. The Meskwaki Nation signed an agreement Thursday with Iowa’s top law enforcement officials to clear up confusion about tribal police authority to pursue and detain suspects. 
 
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says the lack of legal clarity has led to evidence being suppressed in a drug case.

“This agreement shows how Iowa sovereigns can work together for public safety and for public good. And this agreement ensures that drunk drivers, drug dealers, other criminals who run from the law will be caught, punished and the evidence that is collected can be used against them in a court of law.”

Meskwaki Nation Tribal Chairman Vern Jefferson says the legal loophole has allowed impaired drivers and other offenders to avoid responsibility. He says the new agreement with the state will help ensure safer roads on the Meskwaki settlement and in Tama County. 

Iowa’s 1st District Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks joined fellow Republicans and Democrats on a U.S. House committee to raise concerns about chatbots.

“We know that older individuals have less trust, but that younger individuals who have grown up in a world connected remotely, or by the internet, have greater trust in these systems.”

During a Capitol Hill hearing on the issue, Miller-Meeks cited The New York Times story about a California teen with suicidal thoughts who confided in a chatbot rather than humans and took his own life in April. The 16-year-old’s parents are suing Open AI, the company behind ChatGPT, alleging the company’s chatbot turned into their son’s “suicide coach.”

“The tragic story of Adam Raine, as reported by The New York Times, has ignited a difficult but urgent conversation about the role of AI in mental health support.”

In a statement to national media, a spokesperson for OpenAI said the company is “working to make its chatbot more supportive in times of crisis by making it easier to reach emergency services.”

Miller-Meeks recognizes the “tremendous potential” for AI in health care; however, she says it should not be used to replace doctors, therapists or human connections that young people need.

She says when it comes to AI, it’s time for “clear standards so innovations save lives without putting patients at risk.”

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The Iowa DNR heard pushback Wednesday at a public hearing for an amended wastewater permit requested for a coal plant near Ottumwa. The plant is operated by Interstate Power and Light, a subsidiary of Alliant Energy.

DNR staff say the amendment updates wastewater flow data following a new discharge site added by the plant last year. But several environmental groups oppose the changes, saying they don’t address contaminants that leach out of coal ash and other waste stored in a landfill used by Interstate Power and Light.

The power plant transports this liquid by truck to Ottumwa’s sewage treatment plant.

Attorney Josh Mandelbaum spoke on behalf of the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

“That just shifts the risk. It shifts the risk to the city and to its residents. This is Alliant’s pollution, and this permit is the opportunity to provide accountability and compliance with the rule.”

The DNR expects a final decision on the permit by October.

Read the full story.

A young man who was trying to sell some clothes in Des Moines using an online marketplace was robbed at gunpoint Wednesday night.

Des Moines police say the 20-year-old had arranged online to sell several items during an in-person meetup at 10 p.m. and was confronted by four men — two of whom pulled out guns.

Police say the four suspects robbed the man and fled. The victim called the police. Officers saturated the area quickly. They caught one suspect and a few blocks away pulled over an Uber driver who was carrying the other three.

All three of the suspects ran, and two were captured. One person is still on the run.

A rifle was recovered from the scene. Police say the three suspects in custody are all teenagers.

A former northeast Iowa man was convicted Wednesday in the murder of a teenage girl who was last seen alive more than eight years ago.

A jury in Winneshiek County District Court found James Bachmurski, 66, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 15-year-old Jade Colvin.

Bachmurski, who has been living in Georgia, was arrested in August 2024 in connection with Colvin’s death. Investigators allege she was brought to Bachmurski’s home near Decorah in March 2017, and hasn’t been seen since.

Bachmurski is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 21, and faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.

Madeleine Charis King

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Iowa Public Radio

Iowa’s most populous county opened a new election office. The new Polk County Election Office is meant to be more secure and provide more space for voters.

Many Polk County residents have gone to the former election office in downtown Des Moines to vote early or turn in their absentee ballot. Now, all of those services are located on the north side of the city at Polk County River Place.

Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald says the new office has space for hundreds of people to line up indoors, avoiding the long outdoor lines of early voters sometimes seen in downtown Des Moines. The new office also has a large, free parking lot, unlike the paid parking spaces near the old election office.

“When we set it up, we made it for the voters. We wanted to make sure the voters had the best experience possible.”
Fitzgerald says ballot storage is more secure at the new location, with a fireproof room to hold absentee ballots.

Polk County Board of Supervisors Chair Matt McCoy says the new office cost about half of the estimate for fixing structural problems at the old location.

Des Moines’s public transport network is proposing to cut the number of routes by more than half.

The system currently has a mix of 27 long-distance and local routes. The new proposed transit plan has 10 local routes with stops along four main corridors in the metro receiving service every 15 minutes. It will also scale back service hours by 10%.

The network will hold nine public input meetings this month across the metro.

Amanda Wanke, the CEO of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, says the plans will be finalized after reviewing feedback.

“We know we can't be everything to everybody, but we do want to hear from everybody, so we can look where there are themes and trends. If we're hearing consistently that more people are wanting earlier service, we can make adjustments.”

DART is facing a nearly $7 million budget shortfall by fiscal year 2027. Officials say the new plan will eliminate that expected deficit.

Read more.

A northeast Iowa community is preparing for a royal visit.

The Crown Prince of Norway will visit Decorah next month. Crown Prince Haakon will be visiting the United States to celebrate 200 years of organized immigration from Norway.

Norwegian government officials say the crown prince will visit Decorah and the Twin Cities from Oct. 6 to 8 and will be in New York City on Oct. 9.

Decorah is home to the Vestherheim Norwegian-American Museum.

A new ordinance in Linn County allows zoning districts to be designated for nuclear power generation and nuclear waste storage. The ordinance helps to set up the county for NextEra Energy’s efforts to reopen the Duane Arnold nuclear plant. NextEra was recently granted permission to reconnect the plant to Iowa’s electrical grid.

The ordinance requires applicants to pay the county each year through a Host Community Agreement. That money will be used for things like public safety and infrastructure maintenance. It also creates new land use standards for nuclear power generating facilities.

Supervisor Kirsten Running-Marquardt says the ordinance will protect the county from taking on unnecessary financial burdens.

“I think this is a very good, fair and reasonable ordinance that allows for the Linn County Board of Supervisors to do its best to protect not only the financial, but safety interests that we have here with a nuclear plant starting back up, possibly sooner rather than later.”

NextEra says it expects to spend up to $100 million by the end of 2025 to make sure the plant opens by the end of 2028 at the very earliest.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson is running to represent Iowa in the U.S. Senate.

Hinson announced on WHO Radio that she’s running for Senate just four hours after Sen. Joni Ernst confirmed she’s not running for reelection in 2026.

Hinson says she wants to keep working to secure the country’s borders, cut taxes and keep transgender girls out of girls’ sports.

“I’m running to be President Trump’s top ally in the United States Senate, because we have to be working on continuing to deliver that America First agenda that is working for Iowans every single day.”

Hinson represents Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers the northeast part of the state. She was first elected to Congress in 2020. Before that, she served in the Iowa Legislature and worked as a TV news anchor in Cedar Rapids.

Two other Republicans and five Democrats are also running for Iowa’s open Senate seat in 2026.

President Trump has signaled he’ll ask the Supreme Court to quickly overturn a ruling that declared many of his tariffs illegal. A federal appeals court ruled last week that Trump overstepped his authority, but allowed the tariffs to remain in effect while the administration appealed.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley says the Tariff Acts of 1962 and 1974 expanded the President’s power to impose tariffs and negotiate trade deals, a power that should lie with Congress.

“I'm a person that feels that Congress in those years delegated too much authority of our constitutional power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. That shouldn't have been done, but once it's done, it's difficult to get back.”

Grassley made his comments during a call with reporters Wednesday morning.

Earlier this year, Grassley co-sponsored a bill that would require congressional approval of unilateral tariffs proposed by the executive branch. To date, that bill has not received a floor vote.

Next year, “rewilding” will officially be a part of the conservation approach in Illinois.

A new state law explicitly includes the concept as part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ strategy. It’s the first time a U.S. state has included rewilding in its legislation, people working in conservation said.

The goal of rewilding is to reintroduce native species and restore whole ecosystems. Advocates often describe it as helping nature help itself, or putting nature back in the driver’s seat.

Cynthia Kenner, the executive director of Prairie State Conservation Coalition in Illinois, says the new law formalizes the work happening in the state already.

“It's allowing the continuation of practices that are already in place, but it brings more meaning to really letting nature come back.”

In Illinois, this law will help focus efforts on carnivores like mountain lions and keystone species like beavers and bison.

Read more.

More than 250 clergy, elected officials and community supporters gathered Tuesday to accompany immigrant families to their scheduled check-ins at the Cedar Rapids ICE office, despite a federal blockade.

Masked Homeland Security officers armed with nonlethal weapons, police tape and squad car blockades limited where supporters could stand.

Jonathan Heifner, a pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, spoke at the gathering outside of the ICE office.

“We were told we would be on this grass today. Do you know why we were told we wouldn’t be on the grass? Because the media showed up. They want to work in the shadows but what do you say? No.”

Three immigrants were detained, according to Escucha Mi Voz Iowa, an immigrant-led community organization. Another gathering is scheduled Wednesday morning for the second day of check-ins this month.

The Catholic Diocese of Des Moines is reviewing emergency procedures in its schools after a shooter killed two children and injured 21 other worshippers at a Minneapolis Catholic school last week.

The diocese will review procedures for situations beyond the classroom, such as in church, at recess and in the lunchroom. They’re also asking schools to practice emergency drills.

Anne Marie Cox, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Des Moines, spoke on IPR’s River to River.

“Our parishes, they have a balancing act to address with making sure that the people who come to our worship centers are safe while offering hospitality and welcoming those who want to come to pray or celebrate the Eucharist with us.”

Former Bishop Richard Pates says people need to push for gun control measures and more attention to mental health issues. He says the church should pray for students and staff impacted by the shooting, but also accompany prayer with action.

Speaking on River to River, Pates says pushing for more gun control will require both moral and political strength.

“This is something we really need to do, if we love our children, really love ourselves, etcetera, because the shootings oftentimes in different scenarios are indiscriminate.”

Pates says working towards gun-related changes will be a hard fight. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he will call lawmakers there back for a special session to vote on gun control measures.

The number of pheasants in Iowa is at a 20 year high, according to the state’s annual roadside survey of small game populations.

The Iowa DNR said greater nest numbers offset a lower chick-survival rate compared to last year.

Staff reported over 1,038 pheasant broods, which was 338 more than 2024. Broods are groups of young pheasants that stay with their mothers after hatching.

The annual roadside survey found the highest concentration of pheasants are in northwest Iowa.

Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for DNR, says in a press release that the mild winter helped these numbers.

“Our adult hen survival was excellent; our adult rooster survival was excellent. That really drove the population increase.”

The Iowa DNR and Pheasants Forever are celebrating 100 years of pheasant hunting. The season runs from Oct. 25 – Jan. 10, 2026. The youth-only season for Iowa residents is Oct. 18 – 19.

Over the past few months, Iowa tried a new way of fighting summertime food insecurity among kids. Most states joined the federal Summer EBT program and sent $40 per month on prepaid debit cards to low-income families to use at grocery stores. Instead, Iowa designed its own program called Healthy Kids Iowa to hand out healthy food each month. But the logistical challenges of distributing food to thousands of kids have food pantry leaders questioning if the program should return.

In Wapello County, which has the state’s second-highest rate of childhood food insecurity, an Ottumwa school was the only place where families could pick up food through Healthy Kids Iowa. It was open once a month for three hours.

Across the state, Healthy Kids Iowa served nearly 47,000 kids in July, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. That’s less than the 65,000 children per month the pilot program was aiming to feed. And it’s just one-fifth of the estimated 240,000 kids whose families would have received money for food if Iowa had joined Summer EBT.

Read more.

The State Fire Marshall’s Office is trying to determine what caused a deadly fire that killed three teenagers in northwest Iowa.

First responders received a call about a fire outside of Granville early Monday morning.

Four people were pulled out of the smoke-filled house in critical condition. Three died at the hospital. A 16-year-old boy from Alton remains in critical condition at a burn unit in Minnesota.

The three teens who died are Kolten Hofmeyer of Alton and siblings Bryleigh and Ashton Koob of Granville.

University of Iowa researchers are recruiting farmers with dementia and their caregivers for an educational series tailored to their needs. The Farm Families Coping with Dementia series consists of four weekly sessions to help those who live or work on farms cope with memory loss.

Kanika Arora, an UI associate professor of public health, says most dementia safety programs focus on residential settings and lack practical advice for farmers. She dementia patients being around livestock, heavy equipment or wandering into a cornfield are agricultural hazards.

Arora says the next training starts in October. According to state data, more than 66,000 Iowans 65 and older have Alzheimer’s Disease.

In a video message released Tuesday, Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst says it’s been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as the senator from Iowa and that she is not seeking reelection.

“Having been raised in a family who has given me so much love and support, now as our family ages and grows, it’s my time for me to give back to them. After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking reelection in 2026.”

Ernst was first elected in 2014 and was the first female combat veteran in the Senate. She was also the first woman to represent Iowa in Congress.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson announced her campaign for the open seat Tuesday afternoon. Republicans Jim Carlin and Joshua Smith previously announced they’d run for Senate.

On the Democrats’ side, Bob Krause, Jackie Norris, Nathan Sage, Josh Turek, and Zach Wahls have launched campaigns for Senate.

Read more.

Black Hawk County is holding a ribbon-cutting for a new Veterans Affairs office this week in Waterloo.

The county’s old office was a former daycare and didn’t have enough space for community gatherings.

The new location is right next to the old one and will be able to better house the office’s weekly luncheons and Veterans Affairs Commission meetings. It features a pool table and a gazebo.

Gabbi DeWitt, a spokesperson for Black Hawk County, says the hope is to serve more veterans in the area.

“This just gives a more welcoming, open space. The other office is a little bit more cramped. It’s light, it’s airy, it’s the kind of place that people would want to hang out in and just really enjoy the time together.”

DeWitt says the office’s operations never shut down, even as staffers moved to the new location. The new facility was funded using COVID relief dollars.

Farmers from at least eight states recently gathered in Iowa for the Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day. The annual event gives small to large scale growers opportunities to see — and even test — equipment designed to kill weeds without chemicals.

Kate Edwards, a vegetable farmer from eastern Iowa, says mechanical weed control can help grow food more efficiently.

“As we all know, there's like work life balance issues with farming when you're farming really long days, and anything that can make your life a little bit easier to also grow your crop a little bit better is going to be incredibly important.”

She’s planning to buy one of the cultivators used during a field demonstration.

The Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day moves to a different state each year. Attendees range from vegetable growers to large scale corn and soybean farmers.

Sam Oschwald Tilton, the founder and lead organizer of the annual event, estimates half of the nearly 200 attendees use organic methods, whether they are certified or not.

“But there's plenty of farmers that have issues with herbicide resistance. And so one thing I love about this event, it brings together all types of farmers, different scales, different crops and different growing philosophies.”

Read more.

Data from the southern hemisphere suggests that the north may be in for a more severe flu season this winter.

Joel Waddell, a pediatric infectious diseases doctor at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, says every year he sees healthy people with no underlying issues grow severely ill from the flu.

“So young children especially, who have no underlying problems, no previous medical history, can be hospitalized and even have passed away from the flu.”

Waddell recommends everyone who is six months of age and older and able to get the flu shot. He says it’s best to do it no earlier than September but no later than October.

State data shows just 36% of Iowans were vaccinated against the flu last season.

The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, or DART, gave nearly 4 million rides last year. The 7% uptick over the previous year comes as the public transportation system has grappled with financial issues in recent years — result of factors such as rising costs, property tax changes and a shifting funding formula. Last year, seven suburbs nearly withdrew from the system over funding disagreements.

Erin Hockman, the chief strategy officer of DART, says the network is unveiling a new plan this month to reflect changes in rider habits. She says it will have fewer routes, but more frequent service in the busiest parts of the metro.

“The budget direction from the DART Commission and reducing service by 10% was really to ensure that we are not operating with a deficit moving forward, so we no longer have a projected deficit into the future.”

DART will hold public meetings across the metro to gather feedback on the changes and implement the final plans starting next summer.

University of Iowa Health Care is reporting a cybersecurity breach that impacted 211,000 customers.

Hackers accessed the personal data of customers within the computer system of UI Community HomeCare, an affiliate of UIHC. The breach happened on July 3.

The university notified patients who were impacted late last week. The hackers obtained personal data, including names, dates of birth and types of visits. So far, there is no indication that the data has been misused.

Although UI Community HomeCare and UI Health Care use separate electronic health records systems, the university says the two often share information about patients. That's why some customers who had never used UI Community HomeCare services received notice from the university.

The university shut down its servers immediately after the breach, and they were running again within one business day. It did not provide any information on who the hackers were or how they were able to access the system.

A major change in health care in northwest Iowa is now official. UnityPoint Health has taken over ownership of MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center.

The acquisition includes a hospital and several facilities in the Sioux City metro area.

The deal was finished on Labor Day, following an announcement in May.

Officials say care and business will continue as usual in the weeks ahead. In the months to come, leadership will look for ways to sustain and enhance services.

A Democrat who was running for a U.S. House of Representatives seat says he’s pulling out of that race and running for U.S. Senate instead.

Bob Krause is a former state lawmaker and had been running for the 1st Congressional District seat held by Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

In a statement Tuesday morning, Krause says he plans instead to run for Senate. Republican Sen. Joni Ernst announced Tuesday morning that she is not running for reelection. Krause says he promises to put Iowa and the national good ahead of party interests if he’s elected.

He’s also endorsing Democrat Christina Bohannan in the race for the 1st District.

Union leaders are planning a Labor Day rally at the Iowa Capitol Monday that will feature National Education Association President Becky Pringle.

Iowa State Education Association President Joshua Brown says the state’s teachers union experienced some challenges after the Legislature scaled back collective bargaining rights for public sector unions in 2017.

“We lost some members during that time, but we’ve been starting to get back to stable, and starting to see some growth. And so we’re looking forward to continuing that growth and making our members excited about some of the things that we can do as a union.”

Brown made his comments on Friday during a taping of Iowa Press on Iowa PBS.

A study of parole in Iowa shows dropping or easing some parole conditions reduces the number of people returning to prison without causing new crimes.

Parole conditions include requirements like maintaining housing and employment, which can be difficult for people newly released from prison.

The study looked at judicial districts in northeast Iowa and Central Iowa, including Des Moines. Some parole requirements were loosened and people newly released from prison were monitored for 18 months.

The Iowa Department of Corrections states the number of people who were sent back to prison decreased more than 25% in Central Iowa, which includes arrests from technical violations, like missing a curfew or committing a new crime.

The state can also save money on supervision with fewer parole conditions.

The Des Moines Register reports the Iowa study is groundbreaking for testing parole changes on a population this large.

The North Polk school district in central Iowa is the latest place where administrators are investigating AI-generated deepfake videos of school staff.

Deepfakes are AI-generated videos made to look like they could be real. The videos uploaded to TikTok showed North Polk staff members in what the district called “inappropriate contexts.”

Coy Marquardt, the executive director of Iowa State Education Association, says everyone involved in public schools needs to teach kids about digital safety.

“It's all our joint responsibility to educate our students to be good citizens, to be compassionate individuals, and to not do things like this that will harm others, so we can have welcoming schools.”

The North Polk superintendent is asking parents to be aware of their kids’ tech use. Concerning posts can be screenshotted and reported to the district.

Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst won’t seek reelection in 2026, according to multiple news reports.

Sources told CBS News Ernst is planning to make the announcement next week. Ernst’s campaign and Senate office haven’t responded to IPR’s request for comment.

Ernst is serving her second term in the Senate, and Republicans Joshua Smith and former state Sen. Jim Carlin previously announced they’d challenge her in the GOP primary. More Republicans may jump into the race after Ernst announces her decision.

Four Democrats are running for Senate: Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Director Nathan Sage, state Rep. Josh Turek, and state Sen. Zach Wahls.(Sostaric)

Iowa’s eight commercial airports have continued to see more passengers going through the gates, witnessing a 17% increase in air travel since 2022.

Iowa DOT Aviation Director Tim McClung says people are back to being comfortable with flying.

“It appears we have gone beyond the pandemic. There was a pent-up demand for travel. Some of the things that we’re hearing is that, remote workers, they can work from anywhere. They have money, they will travel and they are utilizing air service a lot to move around the country.”

The airports in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids are the largest and have seen the most people fly out. He says some smaller airlines have offered more flight options for travelers.

McClung says there have also been improvements to adjust to the increased volume.

“Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Mason City and Dubuque, they’re either working on a new terminal or they have a fairly new airport terminal. And the airports in Sioux City, Fort Dodge, Waterloo and Burlington have all rehabilitated their terminals.”

McClung says the new construction and renovation have put Iowa in a good position if the air travel numbers continue to go up.

Iowa is in the middle of a monarch flightpath as millions of the butterflies migrate toward Mexico, and Iowans can help researchers track patterns and preferences by reporting monarch roosting sites.

Katherine Kral-O’Brien, with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, says Iowans may spot large clusters of perhaps hundreds of the orange-and-black butterflies taking a rest in a treetop.

“We often think of monarchs as being out on flowers and more in grassland areas, but a monarch roosting site is sometimes difficult to see because they’ll have their wings closed.”

Iowans can fill out an online form if they spot the important pollinators congregating.

“If Iowans can report where they see monarchs roosting, we can maybe get an idea of which trees they want, and if there’s other features in the landscape or around those trees that they like, like flowering plants. If we can get an idea of where they’re roosting now, we can potentially ask Iowans to maybe plant more of those trees and get more of that habitat out on the landscape.”

Iowans have reported seeing fewer roosts in recent years, as monarch populations have fallen significantly due to factors like habitat loss and extreme weather.

Wide sections of Iowa have seen recent overnight temperatures in the 40s and 50s, which is activating instincts in the insects to head south immediately.

“With these colder temperatures, getting those roosting sites where they can cluster together is going to be really important because that’s how they can stay warm and have a little bit of extra insulation from the other monarchs that are around them.”

She says roosting will often occur in the evening and early morning, in sheltered areas, near the edge of woodlands, windbreaks or river corridors. Roost sites can also be reported with Journey North to help researchers and conservationists from around the country.

More than a million people visit the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines every August. It’s the single largest event in the state and one of the oldest agricultural expositions in the country. Along with the livestock shows, rides and countless foods on a stick, the fair is a showcase of creativity and novelty.

This year, the fair ran from Aug. 7-17 and marked its 171st year.

A replica of the iconic butter cow, sculpted with 600 pounds of butter on a wood and mesh frame, is now on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., as part of a year-long exhibit called State Fairs: Growing American Craft.

Read more from Harvest Public Media about state fairs in Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin. 

Immigrant workers in Ottumwa who saw their legal statues revoked in June are struggling to support themselves and their families after being let go from a JBS pork meatpacking plant.

Roughly 220 workers from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela were notified by JBS that they would have to find new work authorization to keep their jobs.

Paulina Ocegueda, who is with the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, says the process for acquiring a new legal status can be quite costly. It can include applying for a green card or trying to speak with an immigration attorney.

“If you haven’t had a job for three months, and you have rent, you have utilities, if you have kids, you have to pay for food, it is very, very stressful, and that’s what we keep hearing from families. It’s very sad to see.”

She says LULAC is working with the families to provide food and legal clinics, since there are no immigration attorneys in Ottumwa.

Ocegueda says one person who was impacted has self-deported to Venezuela, although it’s unclear if it was a direct result of the layoffs.

Read the full story.

Second District Rep. Ashley Hinson says Iowa is a model for other states to follow in drawing their congressional districts.

Statehouse Republicans in Texas moved to redraw their congressional districts to try to win five more Republican seats in the U.S. House. California lawmakers responded by pushing for a November vote on whether to redraw districts in favor of Democrats.

Hinson says Iowa’s nonpartisan process for redrawing the maps could serve as a model for other states, but noted that it’s up to states to decide, not the federal government.

“I want to be careful here about federalism, right, and making sure that we respect states' rights to run their own elections, because ultimately, I do not want a federal takeover of all elections. Iowa is a model for other states to follow, and I would say that to all of my colleagues serving in legislative bodies around the country.”

Hinson says Texas Democrats pulled a stunt that fell flat when they left the legislature to avoid a vote on the state’s new maps. Iowa legislators have not announced any plans to redraw the state’s Congressional districts before the next census in 2030.

John Deere announced layoffs at multiple facilities in Waterloo and the Quad Cities earlier this month. The company reported a 26% drop in net income compared to the same quarter last year, citing uncertainty around tariffs and low commodity prices.

But 2nd District Rep. Ashley Hinson says President Donald Trump is working on creating new markets for commodities grown in Iowa.

“Restoring that dominance when it comes to the global order of trade doesn't happen overnight. It would be great if we could just wave a wand and fix all those problems, but we’re not in that position, unfortunately, because of the disastrous policies in the last four years that Biden had in place.”

Other agricultural companies like the Minnesota-based Cargill and Syngenta have also reported a drop in revenue compared to last year.

A local business owner with plans to renovate a 77-year-old building in downtown Algona is getting a $100,000 state grant for the project, along with $100,000 in matching funds from the City of Algona.

Luke Arrowood already uses the basement of the former State Hotel Building for his “Active Aging” business.

“We needed to do something with the building before it was too late."

Arrowood’s plan is to create retail space in the front of the building for West River Meats, which currently sells beef, pork and beef tallow from a location in Rutland. A studio apartment will be in the back. A wall in the middle of the building will be opened to create an activity space.

Phase one is planned to be completed by July 2027. The building’s exterior will be restored and other infrastructure will lay the groundwork for second-floor apartments to be developed later.

Cities and nonprofits nationwide are reeling after the Environmental Protection Agency terminated a $7 billion solar grant program earlier this month. Solar for All, created under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, aimed to expand access to solar power in low-income communities through municipal agencies, housing developments and single-family homes. Sixty grantees had been selected last fall, but on Aug. 7, the EPA announced all funding was cut.

Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma were the only states without a state-specific award, though all were part of multi-state coalitions. In the Midwest, Missouri’s Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority and Nebraska’s Center for Rural Affairs were selected to lead projects. Advocates said the cancellation stalls years of planning.

The region lags far behind in solar adoption. Kansas, Oklahoma and North Dakota generate less than 1% of their electricity from solar, while Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri and Michigan sit between 1% and 2%, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Officials in South Sioux City, Nebraska had been preparing to build a 2.3-megawatt solar farm that would supply 5% of the city’s electricity. Iowa communities involved in coalition projects are also left in limbo.

Some grantees and states are considering legal action, arguing the funds were already obligated through contracts. Thirty Democratic senators urged the administration to reverse the decision, calling it unlawful. For Midwest cities and rural towns that had pinned hopes on new projects, the sudden termination leaves an uncertain path forward.

Read the full story from Harvest Public Media.

A leader in Iowa’s hospitality industry says most Iowa restaurants, bars and pubs are struggling financially and up to 600 may close this year.

Iowa Restaurant Association president and CEO Jessica Dunker said the price of food and labor costs are exceptionally high and raising menu prices any higher could drive away customers.

“While revenue is high — and people see the record revenue into the restaurant industry — there is no profitability. We’ve hit that threshold of what we can charge.”

The association’s 2024 survey of Iowa restaurants found half were not profitable.

Dunker indicated that a third of Americans say they’ve cut back on eating out, getting food from a drive through or ordering take out. Iowa has nearly 6,500 eating and drinking establishments that employ over 147,000 people.

First-time Democratic candidate and mom Catelin Drey celebrated an 11% win in a special election for Iowa Senate. President Donald Trump easily won the district in northwest Iowa’s Woodbury County in 2024.

She credited a grassroots campaign with volunteers from all over the state for helping her win.

“We have an opportunity to capitalize on this momentum right now and into 2026.”

Iowa State University political scientist Dave Peterson says Democrats have been outperforming Republicans in recent special elections, a trend that is likely to continue into the Midterms.

“All the polling numbers suggest that people are unhappy with the direction the country is going, that a lot of the policy initiatives that President Trump is passing are unpopular.”

Peterson says that with stronger results, Democrats can attract better candidates and untraditional ones like Catelin Drey.

The now-defunct Duane Arnold Energy Center in eastern Iowa is one step closer to running again by the end of the decade. The facility operated from 1975 until it was shut down after the 2020 derecho. But its former operator, NextEra Energy, is looking to reopen the facility.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved NextEra Energy’s request to connect the repurposed Duane Arnold Energy Center in eastern Iowa to MISO, the electric power grid operator throughout much of the Midwest.

NextEra’s director of nuclear development Garrett Goldfinger spoke at a Linn County board of supervisors meeting before the request was approved.

“This project will build upon NextEra’s history of major energy investments in the state, which total more than $3 billion since 1999. We’re looking forward to continued collaboration with the county, the state and this administration as we continue to advance critical milestones on the project.”

Linn County Planning and Development director Charlie Nichols recently told county supervisors the grid is facing growing demand.

“This demand is straining the grid and promoting utilities to look for more power sources, including nuclear power. So, we’re seeing a demand for more electricity from data centers, from electrification of vehicles and just the general electrification of things.”

NextEra plans to invest between $50 and 100 million in 2025 to begin recommissioning the plant. Linn County supervisors are also discussing creating new land-use standards for operating nuclear power generating facilities.

A letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says Iowa must now remove all references to gender identity from its sex education teaching materials. Specifically, it demands the state remove language around gender expression and the idea that gender identity is separate from biological sex.

The letter says that such content – which it calls “gender ideology” – is not in line with certain statutes that must be followed to receive federal funding for sex education. That funding is administered through the Personal Responsibility Education Program.

The state must make the changes to its teaching materials by Oct. 27.

If it does not follow HHS’ demands, then it could risk losing more than $1.2 million in remaining federal funding for sex education.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds attended the Tri-State Governors' Conference in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota along with the governors of South Dakota and Nebraska. All three want to try to find more people to join the education and medical fields.

“If you don't have a health care system, you won't drive people to rural Iowa. And so it's a component of driving growth in every single corner to make sure that no matter where you live, you have access to quality health care.”

Reynolds says tort reform, telehealth reimbursement equity and an investment of $150 million for new residency programs will help.

She also touted higher pay for teachers – starting wages are $50,000 – plus a teacher and paraeducator apprenticeship program.

Former state Rep. Dave Dawson wants to represent Iowa’s 4th Congressional District as a Democrat.

The 51-year-old is a prosecutor and attorney working in Sioux City. He says Congress should focus on policies that promote economic growth in Iowa. He wants to improve competition, create good-paying jobs and improve the quality of life so that young people don’t move away.

Dawson served in the Iowa House from 2013 to 2017 and did not seek reelection.

There are now three Democrats and four Republicans who have announced plans to compete in June’s primary. The 4th Congressional District is the largest in Iowa. It includes 36 counties and the cities of Council Bluffs, Ames and Marshalltown.

Des Moines Water Works says it will receive around $1.5 million in their first payment in a settlement over PFAS contamination.

Earlier this month, the utility was notified it would receive a total of nearly $10 million from the Minnesota-based company 3M in a multidistrict litigation. The money will be paid out over nine years. Other Iowa cities are also receiving settlement money.

The original estimate was for a larger award. John Lande, an attorney for the utility, says the amounts for each claimant were based on flow rates and the levels of contamination.

“It's not really possible to know exactly why our award deviated from the good faith estimate as much as it did, other than speculating that there were more claims with higher concentrations and higher flows than was initially anticipated.”

PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, are found in a wide range of consumer goods, as well as fire extinguishing foam. Exposure can put people at higher risk for certain types of cancers. The chemicals can also have negative effects on fertility and can lead to developmental delays in children.

Democrat Catelin Drey beat Republican Christopher Prosch by 11%. Drey works for an advertising company in Sioux City and is the founder of the advocacy group Moms for Iowa.

“The supermajority is no longer, and I think that is obviously great for the Democrats, but more importantly, it is great for the constituents across the state of Iowa who deserve to have their voices heard, who no longer will have to have unpopular policies shoved down their throat with no hope of a debate or conversation around a bill.”

Almost 24% of registered voters cast their ballots, which election officials say is high turnout for a special election with no other contest on the ballot.

Drey says her top priority is to address the affordability crisis in Iowa.

“How do we make housing more affordable? How do we make our child care more affordable? How do we make our health care more affordable, and I am ready to hit the ground running on those issues.”

Senate District 1 includes Sioux City and a portion of Woodbury County. Republican Sen. Rocky De Witt represented the district before he died of pancreatic cancer in June.

Republicans will still hold a large majority in the state Senate with 33 seats. Democrats will now control 17 seats.

Read more.

Community leaders are urging the governors of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota to advocate for a new runway for the Iowa Air National Guard unit in Sioux City.

They took part in the Tri-State Governors’ Conference in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota. The governors heard from Kevin McManamy, who is an advocate for the 185th Air Refueling Wing.

The runway was built initially for lightweight F-16 fighter jets. But 20 years ago, the 185th transitioned to massive KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling planes.

“The 185th has a proven record of excellence. It's got a record of successful transitions from plane types, and we believe that the 185th is well positioned to convert to the new KC 46 or whatever iteration comes next.”

The Federal Aviation Administration designated $20 million to help with the total cost of $148 million to replace the runway. However, the FAA’s funding will be lost if the project isn’t approved for fiscal year 2027.

The Iowa DNR discovered two pallid sturgeons in the lower Des Moines River in Ottumwa earlier this year.

The ancient fish is considered one of the rarest and most endangered species in North America.

Mark Flammang, a DNR fisheries management biologist, says pallid sturgeon are not well documented in the Upper Mississippi River above St Louis. To find two wild pallid sturgeon in the lower Des Moines was monumental.

“That's pretty exciting. You know, that we're seeing them try to start to make these runs, which we assume has something to do with trying to move upstream to find suitable spawning habitat.”

Flammang urges anglers to learn how to identify pallid sturgeon from shovelnose sturgeon, which are legal to catch and harvest.

Pallid sturgeon are paler, have smooth bellies and outer barbels that are twice as long as the inner barbels.

Flammang says the discovery is a positive milestone, but more work needs to be done to help the species recover.

Female pallid sturgeon reach reproductive maturity around 15-20 years of age.

Read more.

All of Polk County’s COVID federal funding has now been allocated. Three quarters of the pandemic assistance funds went towards direct payments to families to help keep them in their homes. The rest is going towards building and restoring affordable housing.

Supervisors have allocated about $10 million towards properties supporting vulnerable populations.

For example, 700 low-income residents in Des Moines’ Oakridge neighborhood now have restored HVAC systems and water heaters for their homes.

But Board Chair Matt McCoy says he doesn’t expect this federal administration to make affordable housing a priority.

“I am not optimistic, based on the cuts that I've seen in HUD and public housing across the board, that there'll be additional funds available – at least for the remainder of the Trump administration."

McCoy says the need for affordable housing continues to grow. More than 40% of Polk County’s residents pay half their income towards housing.

The county is revitalizing over 400 units for rental properties. Some funding is also going towards a “tiny village” initiative, meant for people who are chronically homeless.

More school districts in Iowa are turning to a four-day week. This year 27 districts in Iowa are on this schedule, up from 18 last year.

Administrators say this makes it easier to recruit and retain teachers at a time when many teaching positions go unfilled.

The Martensdale-Saint Mary’s district near Des Moines is in its second year of the condensed calendar. Superintendent William Watson says this year they have all of their teaching positions filled and morale has improved.

“It changed our culture. People smile in our building. They like one another. They get along.”

The work life balance is an incentive with districts that can’t offer higher salaries. But some national experts are calling on administrators to stay on a five-day week.

Heather Peske is the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality in Washington, D.C.

“Students usually pay the price and learning losses are more common than gains in student learning.”

Research from the Kansas Department of Education shows districts on four-day weeks typically have lower ACT scores.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley was noncommittal when asked whether he would run for another term. During a call with reporters Tuesday, Grassley said reports he’s not ruling out running again are likely based on offhand remarks made during the town hall meetings he’s been holding while the Senate is in recess.

His current term runs until 2029 and Grassley says he isn’t ready to make an announcement either way.

“I've always answered the question, ask me in a couple years, and so I'm telling you, ask me in a couple years.”

Grassley says the two main factors in a decision to run again are family considerations and whether he can still do the job. After four decades in the U.S. Senate, Grassley is the oldest sitting senator. He would be 101 years old at the end of another term.

Linn County Supervisors are discussing changing the county’s zoning code to allow nuclear energy producers to set up shop. Right now, NextEra Energy is in the process of trying to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center. That nuclear power plant was decommissioned after the 2020 derecho.

But officials say it’s about more than just accommodating the growing electricity needs of AI and data centers. It’s also about establishing consistent language regarding nuclear energy or nuclear waste storage proposals in the county.

Planning and Development director Charlie Nichols spoke at a work session where supervisors considered the proposed changes for the first time.

“Establishing dedicated zoning language would ensure that any future proposals, whether the Duane Arnold Energy Center or something else, are reviewed through a process that is transparent, consistent and tied to our current county needs.”

Supervisor Sami Scheetz says it is important for the county to have an avenue to use nuclear energy.

“I think expanding that is going to be really critical, not just at our county level, but statewide and nationally, when we think about the energy demands we’re going to see from AI and other things.”

It was the first of three public hearings on the proposed changes. All three supervisors voted for the ordinance.

Theatre Cedar Rapids is celebrating its 100th birthday this month. The community theatre is marking the anniversary with a major renovation and an exhibit at the city’s History Center.

Iowa artist Grant Wood started the organization with a group of friends in his small Cedar Rapids studio in 1925. It’s since grown into Iowa’s largest nonprofit producing theater.

During a celebration event earlier this month, the theater announced a $9.5 million renovation project that will update and expand Theatre Cedar Rapids’ longtime home at the corner of First Avenue and Third Street.

Beginning in January, Iowa and 11 other states will be able to exclude certain junk foods from purchases using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, so grocers will have to accommodate the new rules.

The approved changes will remove candy and soda from eligible SNAP purchases, but there are some differences in each state’s definition.

Some grocers will have to update their point of sales systems. Jeff Klaus, general manager at Retail Data Systems, the largest independent point of sale dealer in North America, says currently it’s unclear who will be vetting the products.

“We can give recommendations, but let's just go out on a limb here and say, I accidentally forgot to fix Snickers bars. And now somebody buys Snickers bars with SNAP. Whose fault is that? Is it mine? Is it the retailer?”

His company is waiting for state guidance, but Klaus expects the changes will take a long time to sort out.

Ansley Fellers, the executive director of the Nebraska Industry Association, says the rules will be a problem for retailers bordering states without exclusions on certain junk foods.

“Nebraska's retailers are at a huge disadvantage in that case because even if you are getting a SNAP card in Nebraska and you can go buy whatever you want in South Dakota and you're only a few miles from the border, why wouldn't you?”

There are some restrictions already on medicines, tobacco and alcohol in the program, but Fellers says the new state-by-state rules will be more complicated to implement.

Read the full story from Harvest Public Media's Anna Pope.

The city of Dubuque is rolling out a new pump system that was tested by researchers at the University of Iowa. The university’s IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering program was hired to evaluate the pump system and make sure it meets national standards. It's expected to help mitigate future flooding.

The new system will include four pumps. Each of them will be capable of removing 100,000 gallons of water a minute – nearly doubling the city’s current capacity for pumping water out of flooded areas.

Jim Bousley, a project manager for the City of Dubuque, says making sure there are sufficient backup pumps in case one fails is a key reason for the project.

“So as that detention basin goes up during a storm event, to have the ability to make sure that that goes down quickly and can be pumped quickly without any issues is a huge thing, because if you don’t, there are other parts of Dubuque that could be affected by that, by flooding, possibly, if those pumps fail.”

The $26 million pump system is expected to be operational by August 2027. Flooding in Dubuque has damaged more than 1,300 homes and businesses in recent decades.

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson says the “America First movement is no longer a rallying cry, it’s a governing agenda,” and the GOP needs to win the majority in Congress next year to implement more of it.

She made her comments at her 5th annual BBQ Bash fundraiser this weekend in Cedar Rapids.

Hinson was reelected to a third term in the U.S. House last November and has indicated she’ll seek reelection in 2026.

“We have not come this far to only go this far and I think we have a lot of work left to do, so we need to make sure that the president is able to complete the full four years of wins. We need to make sure that we have a Republican Congress in order to do that.”

Hinson told the crowd she’ll fight “alongside Trump to secure the border and deport illegal aliens” and she favors ending birthright citizenship for children of parents who are in the country illegally. Hinson is co-sponsoring a bill that would double prison sentences for anyone convicted of attacking Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Hinson represents the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque and Mason City. Four Democrats say they’ll compete for their party’s nomination in the 2nd District. They are State Rep. Lindsay James of Dubuque; pastor Clint Twedt-Ball of Cedar Rapids; Kathy Dolter of Dubuque, the former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College; and former Pine Lake State Park manager Don Primus.

Nicole Baxter

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Iowa Public Radio

Officials with Des Moines Water Works say they received notice this month the utility will get almost $10 million from chemical companies for PFAS contamination in drinking water.

It was part of a class action lawsuit that included several other Iowa cities.

Christina Murphy is with West Des Moines Water Works, which will receive more than $3 million from 3M, DuPont and other companies.

“The frustrating thing is that it hasn't been ruled out at the federal level, so people can still use those compounds in manufacturing. A lot of industries have taken steps to not use them anymore, but there's no federal rule preventing them from doing so.”

Dubuque will get more than $3 million and Sioux City more than $500,000. More are still waiting.

Corey McCoid with the Iowa DNR says they started statewide sampling for PFAS in 2020. About a dozen locations currently have levels above federal guidelines. PFAS from firefighter foam is one of the sources.

“What we've seen a lot so far across the state is people taking wells offline and then utilizing other wells or putting new wells in to replace those wells.”

McCoid says smaller communities might not have the resources to participate in the class action lawsuit.

Exposure to PFAS comes with several health risks, including thyroid problems, immune system changes and a higher risk of certain cancers.

Read the full story.

A soybean disease called sudden death syndrome – or SDS – is showing up in more fields this year due to a wet growing season.

Daren Mueller, a plant pathologist with Iowa State University Extension, says a soil fungus causes SDS, largely by producing a toxin that’s absorbed into the soybean’s leaves, which turn yellow and die.

“The more rain we get, the more toxin that’s going to be there and sort of hastens the death of the plant. But it is a patchy disease and sometimes the fields are not 100% infected. So, it’s still good to have a few rains to finish out the crop that isn’t infected.”

Mueller says treatment is not an option once SDS is detected, but farmers can consider different soybean varieties and seed treatments next year.

“As farmers are planting earlier and earlier, that actually increases the risk of SDS, so maybe identify the fields that are worst, and try to put those toward the end of your list that you’re going to plant.”

He says planting later in affected acres can also decrease risks of the disease.

Mueller made his comments on IPR's River to River talk show Friday.

About 30 to 40 cars drove through downtown Ottumwa Saturday, promoting what supporters call “traditional marriage.”

The parade was part of a city proclamation passed last week celebrating the marriage between a man and woman. Local Baptist pastor Travis Decker had been pushing the city council to pass the proclamation after one was passed for Pride month in June.

The traditional marriage proclamation was revised to acknowledge all legal forms of marriage in Iowa. However, the cars in the parade only promoted heterosexual marriage. They were decorated with crosses, bible scriptures and signs reading “one man one woman equals marriage” and “purity, commitment and love.”

Less than a dozen people watched the cars drive by, with mostly empty sidewalks. A few people counterprotested, holding Pride flags and a sign saying, “I respect your right to marry.”

Olivia Palen grew up in Ottumwa.

"It's disappointing to see something as exclusive as this take place in my hometown, where I have found so much love."

Pastor Decker says he would like to see the parade each year.

An Iowa nonprofit says it has permanently lost federal funding for a Biden-era EPA program now ended by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The EPA was supposed to award nearly $2 million over the next three years for local programs in areas hardest hit by pollution. A chunk of the money was to help residents carry out plans for fixing pollution in their towns. Another was for outreach about climate change and health hazards.

Cody Smith, the director of climate initiatives at The Iowa Environmental Council, says now that those projects are stopped, the state doesn’t have programs to fill the gap.

“This cut and the cuts to the future of the program have ensured that more Iowans will continue to have their health harmed from environmental contamination by not knowing what the sources are in their community and what they can do to protect their own health.”

Smith says the nonprofit’s grants were cancelled in the spring but the Big Beautiful Bill ended grant funding for the whole program.