The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced plans to repeal rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas. The rollback is part of President Donald Trump’s pledge to make it easier for utilities to supply electricity amid higher energy prices.

Sierra Club of Iowa chapter director Pam Mackey-Taylor said the EPA changes are part of a push by utility companies to generate more electricity, particularly as a growing number of proposed data centers add to the demand.

Mackey-Taylor said the long-term health effects of coal emissions, like asthma and other respiratory diseases, along with the environmental threats, should not be forgotten.

“Climate change is real,” she said. “We need the ability to solve climate change, and the best way to do that is to reduce coal plant emissions, and the EPA is going the wrong direction.”

The EPA is also working to prevent future administrations from regulating power plant emissions. Environmental groups have vowed to challenge the rule changes in court.

MidAmerican Energy is reviewing the EPA’s changes and said it’s committed to delivering reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to customers. The Des Moines-based company operates five coal plants in Iowa and plans to end its coal operations by 2049.

A nonprofit that supports low-income Iowans is anticipating increased requests for utility assistance this winter due to a projected 8.7% rise in energy bills.

The Iowa Community Action Association is an organization made up of agencies from across the state that distributes funds from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federal program that covers a portion of a household’s utility bills.

Loris Ferris, the organization’s executive director, said this year’s LIHEAP funding still has not been finalized, and first-round applications open next week.

“We would like to see an increase,” Ferris said. “The reality is that with these rising costs those dollars don't go as far.”

Ferris said most households receiving the supplemental aid are seniors on fixed incomes, working families and people with disabilities. LIHEAP applications are accepted Oct. 1 – April 30.

Madeleine Charis King

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Iowa Public Radio

Hemp farmers and sellers face a federal ban set to take effect in December.

Under the new measure, businesses will no longer be allowed to sell hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC. That includes THC-infused drinks and many CBD oils.

Jonathan Miller, an attorney for the advocacy group U.S. Hemp Roundtable, called the rule shift a “death blow” for American hemp.

“We’re talking about a $23 billion industry, with about half a million jobs in agriculture and retail sectors … and 95% of that would be wiped out,” Miller said.

The ban was supposed to begin in November, but Congress recently delayed the start date by one month. Miller hopes that will give lawmakers enough time to change course before the ban takes effect.

Read more from Harvest Public Media.

The central Iowa city of Slater is urging residents not to give local tap water to children under 6 months old or use the water to make infant formula.

The city said the nitrite level in its water is at 1.1 milligrams per liter, which is above the recommended safe guideline of 1 mg/L.  Slater is also urging residents not to boil the water because it can concentrate nitrites.

A Facebook post from the city on Friday said Slater gets its water from wells about 200 feet underground, and the high nitrite levels are not affected by agriculture activities. The Slater Municipal Water Department is working to resolve the issue.

Grant Gerlock

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Iowa Public Radio

Vice President JD Vance promoted the Trump administration’s accomplishments on taxes and trade at a rally in western Iowa Friday.

Vance made the campaign stop at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs to support Iowa Republicans in the midterms. He said the administration has made progress for voters by ending taxes on tips and adding an enhanced tax deduction for seniors. 

“If you paid in to Social Security for your entire life, or you're working 60 hours — away from your wife and your kids, your family — then I think we should send a simple message: Tell the politicians to keep their grubby hands out of your pocket — let you keep more of your money,” Vance told the crowd. 

Vance spent much of his speech stumping for Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn, who is in a tight race with Democrat Rob Sand. Sand has made moving beyond party politics a focus of his campaign, but Vance called him a “partisan servant” to Democrats.  

Early voting starts on Oct. 14.

Read more.

With over 10 days left in the month, this September is already one of the wettest in history for some parts of Iowa. And state climatologist Justin Glisan said there’s more rain the forecast.

“It's been extremely unusual, and I don't piece those two words together often,” Glisan said on IPR’s River to River.

Glisan said western Iowa recorded one of its five wettest Septembers, and central Iowa marked its 10th wettest September. In Des Moines, where many residents have experienced damp or flooded basements, it’s already the second wettest September on record.

Glisan said thunderstorms called “ridge riders” have been pushing along the edge of heat domes south of Iowa and have dumped moisture in concentrated areas, especially along I-80.

Rain is expected to continue this weekend for much of the state.

Any hope of Congress passing a new, five-year Farm Bill before the November elections all but evaporated this week when House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled Thursday’s votes and sent members back to their districts a day early.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which passed its version of the Farm Bill on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Grassley said he had hoped the legislation would be passed sooner, but it’s out of his hands.

“We don't have anything to do with how the House operates,” he said. “I'm sure that we'd be better off if we passed the Farm Bill before October. I would hope that Johnson will call them back so we can get [the bill] passed before the election.”

Grassley, who turned 93 on Thursday, said he’ll push Senate leadership to advance the Farm Bill as soon as possible. He added that he hopes the final version will include year-round sales of E15 and the Save Our Bacon Act, which would block state and local governments from regulating how livestock is raised in other states. It aims to overturn voter-approved animal welfare laws like California's Proposition 12.

The Senate is scheduled to go on recess Oct. 5.

The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association laid out its legislative agenda Thursday at a beef operation in Mitchellville. Among the organization’s goals is expanding Iowa’s cattle herd, while also expanding opportunities for regional beef processing.

The U.S. cattle herd is the smallest it’s been in 75 years, at a time when there is also strong demand for beef and ongoing concentration in the packing industry. In early September, beef prices hit a record high, with ground beef passing $7 a pound.

Iowa Cattlemen’s Association Board of Directors President Craig Moss said more regional processing will provide stability for producers hit by the recent closure of two major beef plants — one in Nebraska and the other in Illinois. Moss said reaching these goals won’t happen overnight.

“It takes a long time to build a processing plant, and it takes a long time to rebuild a cow herd,” Moss said. “Just the life cycle alone; a heifer that was born this spring, going to be weaned this fall, is not going to have a calf until she's 2 years old. And that calf is going to take anywhere from 12 to 24 months to hit the market as beef.”

This upcoming legislative session, Moss said the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association will ask the state Legislature to increase limits and cap interest rates for Iowa’s Beginning Farmer Loan Program. The association is urging lawmakers to eliminate the Forest or Fruit Tree Reservation property tax exemption as a means of opening up more pastureland. The group also favors banning the use of eminent domain for private development.

Iowa Local Food Day is coming up on Sept. 23. While the focus has been on connecting farms and schools, the state’s department of agriculture said the day is an opportunity for all Iowans to participate.

One way to find products from nearby farms is through the Choose Iowa directory, which includes nearly 360 members across the state. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig spoke about the state’s branding and marketing program for products grown, raised and made in the state while on the campaign trail in Greene County this week.

“What I love, from an economic standpoint, is things that are grown on a farm, processed local, sold locally, consumed locally — every dollar in that supply chain stays local,” he said. “That means it’s affecting Iowa communities and also creating opportunities for young, beginning and small farmers.”

Choose Iowa launched in 2023 and has expanded to include grant programs for small-scale meat processors and dairies and schools and food banks wanting to purchase local food.

The Choose Iowa Local Food for School Program will fund 125 public and private schools this year. Each participating school will receive roughly $1,600, which will be matched at least one-to-one by the school district. Naig said he “can’t think of better group of Iowans” to have fresh and nutritious food than kids.

This is the school program’s first year with permanent funding, after a pilot project in 2025. The U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled a similar program with significantly more funding last year.

Natalie Krebs

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Iowa Public Radio

The race to fill Sen. Joni Ernst's open U.S. Senate seat has become increasingly competitive.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson is facing Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek and Libertarian Thomas Laehn in a race that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently moved from “lean Republican” to a ”toss up.”

Iowa Democrats think this could be their opportunity to win back a Senate seat for the first time in more than a decade, and it could be one of the four Senate seats they need to flip in order to gain control of the chamber. 

But Iowa has a large number of active no party voters — more than active registered Democrats — and active registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by nearly 183,000, according to the most recent data from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Peter Hanson, a political scientist at Grinnell College, said both Hinson and Turek have been leaning into bipartisan messaging to try to sway the state's uncommitted voters this November.

“This is Hinson's race to lose, but that is certainly within striking distance for Josh Turek,” Hanson said.

Read more.

Iowa Republicans held a press conference Thursday in the Des Moines metro urging Iowans to vote for a constitutional amendment that would make it harder for lawmakers to raise taxes.

Amendment 1 would require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to increase the individual or corporate tax rate or create a new income tax. 

State Rep. Dan Gehlbach, R-Urbandale, who represents the area where the press conference was held, said the amendment would ensure there’s wide consensus among lawmakers to raise taxes.  

“This amendment to our state constitution makes one thing clear, and that's Iowa taxpayers know how to spend their hard-earned money way better than politicians do,” Gehlbach said.

Opponents include Democrats, labor unions and progressive nonprofits. They say the amendment helps wealthy individuals and profitable corporations avoid tax increases and makes it harder to balance the state budget. 

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 15 states require a legislative supermajority to raise income taxes.

Madeleine Charis King

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Iowa Public Radio

A new center at the University of Northern Iowa will be dedicated to one of its most famous graduates: Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Grassley earned his bachelor’s degree from UNI in 1955 and a master’s the following year. He gifted the school his pre-Senate papers in the 1980s and plans to give UNI his remaining materials at the end of his Senate career.

The Board of Regents approved the creation of the Chuck and Barbara Grassley Center Thursday. It will give the senator’s collected papers a permanent home at the heart of UNI’s campus; however, the naming won’t become official until Grassley leaves public office.

UNI President Mark Nook said the school has been preparing for the collection to come to campus.

“We knew his collection was coming our way upon his departure from the Senate, and we look forward to establishing this center, taking care of those archival materials, making them available to the general public and building a strong center that serves the people of Iowa,” Nook said.

A building on the Cedar Falls campus is undergoing a state-funded $30 million renovation to house the center. Its operations will be funded primarily through private donations.  

Michael Leland

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Iowa Public Radio

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) is hoping to hire more than 500 seasonal snowplow operators for the winter ahead. The department is partnering with IowaWORKS to host recruitment events across the state through Oct. 1.

Craig Bargfrede, the DOT’s winter operations administrator, said driving the big orange snowplow can be exceptionally challenging, but it also brings a sense of pride and accomplishment.

“These jobs can be quite demanding and quite stressful,” he said. “However, at the end of the day, you’re helping out your fellow Iowans, you’re helping out your friends and neighbors in trying to get these roads back to a really safe condition for the traveling public.”

Bargfrede said the DOT has 100 state maintenance garages in nearly every county, and they’re aiming to fill multiple positions at each one.

“The basic requirement is, we have to have a CDL [commercial driver’s license] in order to operate our heavy equipment,” Bargfrede said. “It helps to have knowledge and experience in operating large equipment, but for the most part, we will do some training when these individuals come on board with us.”

Bargfrede said snowplow operators play a vital role in keeping Iowa’s roads safe and communities connected during winter weather, and the pay is competitive. The DOT offers $24 an hour to returning seasonal workers and $22.50 to new employees.

Because the work depends on the frequency and the amount of snowfall, Bargfrede said there’s no way of knowing how often drivers will be called in. He said some areas of the state off a minimum number of hours to seasonal drivers.

Key decisions about the Center for Intellectual Freedom were determined Thursday by the Board of Regents. The board shared a timeline for selecting a permanent director for the controversial center and approved an organizational plan for the center to operate independently from the University of Iowa.

The center, which was created by the state lawmakers in 2025, is aimed at studying the founding ideas of the American constitutional system and promoting intellectual diversity. 

The Board of Regents approved a timeline to select a director and will hold final interviews and select a candidate the week of Oct. 19. According to the board, a committee is moving forward with 11 candidates selected from 62 applications.

The salary range for the position is $200,000 — $450,000. Currently, UI Economics Professor Luciano de Castro is serving as interim director.

The board also approved a plan to keep the Center for Intellectual Freedom independent from the university. The plan outlines how the center will remain administratively independent. This includes keeping the center's records — financial record and correspondence — separate from the university.

Regents determined that they would approve the center’s budget and would not need approval from the university. Regent Christine Hensley said the plan received pushback from some advisory members of the center.                          
 
“I'll be real honest with you right now; they're not satisfied with the document, but they are an advisory committee, and the Board of Regents has final authority to approve that,” she said.

Hensley said the advisory members had a chance to submit additional suggestions, which they did not do. She said a separate memorandum of understanding will outline how the center will be academically independent. 

The Senate Committee on Agriculture has advanced a new, five-year Farm Bill, moving the legislation one step closer to consideration by the full U.S. Senate. The current Farm Bill extension is set to expire Sept. 30.

The committee voted 12-11 Wednesday, with support from every Republican member. All Democrats on the committee voted against it, as they continue to oppose changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Speaking after the vote, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley praised his Republican colleagues on the committee, but said there’s still work to do. He plans on pressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota to put the bill up for a full vote quickly.

“I'll be pushing leader Thune to get the Farm Bill passed as soon as possible,” Grassley said. “Iowans know that I've fought hard for E15 and a new five-year Farm Bill, and I'm not done working towards that goal.” 
 
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst attempted to insert the Save Our Bacon Act as an amendment to the Farm Bill, but that effort was shut down by committee Chair John Boozman of Arkansas. The measure would have prevented state and local governments from regulating farming and livestock production practices used in other states.

The new Farm Bill must still move through the full Senate. Lawmakers would then need to reconcile the Senate legislation with the Farm Bill already passed by the U.S. House before sending a final bill to the president. 

A new civics center at the University of Northern Iowa has focused on creating free speech and dialogue in its first full year of operations.

Allison Rank, founding director of the Center for Civic Education, said she’s laying groundwork for a nationally recognized institute. The Board of Regents approved the center in September 2024.

During a Board of Regents committee meeting Wednesday, Rank said the center has launched a program to train teachers in civics education. 

“We talk about it as connected to politics, but not politicized,” she said. “That's what teachers say they want, that it's hard to find content-rich information that they can trust. We see ourselves as being able to fill that gap.”

The Center for Civic Education has secured $1.22 million in federal funding for its work at UNI. The Board of Regents has also supported it as part of a broader effort to promote civics and free speech at Iowa’s public universities.

The University of Iowa could soon have a new institute focused on developing cancer drugs. The Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public universities, took the first step toward approving the project Wednesday.

The University of Iowa Institute for Cancer Drug Discovery and Development, dubbed CANDID, would focus on accelerating new drug development from the lab to early clinical trials.

UI Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel said the institute will be a partnership between the pharmacy school and the university’s cancer center. He sees the institute as a way to help train the next generation of people working in cancer drug development.

“We know there's a real need in Iowa for these pursuits, and we know that rural Iowans face higher cancer rates, mortality and later stage diagnoses,” Kregel said. “So, CANDID can unite our research strengths and help to address that burden.”

Kregel said the center will need $1.5 million to get started during its first year and $1 million every year after that. He predicts the institute will receive money from industry partnerships, grants and other sources to help sustain it.

A research project at the University of Iowa is offering private well owners in certain counties free arsenic testing kits.

The testing kits are available to private well owners in Mitchell, Floyd, Cedar, Jones, Benton and Plymouth counties through the University of Iowa’s Iowa INSIGHT project, which studies environmental impact on human health. 

University of Iowa professor David Cwiertny, who helps lead the project, said they chose those six counties because there’s limited data on arsenic levels in private wells. 

“We want to offer that testing so vulnerable Iowans get that information, make decisions best for them, and if we can keep up with the demand and meet the need, we'll happily extend this into other counties,” Cwiertny said.

Arsenic is naturally occurring, but it has been linked to certain health risks like cancer, even in small amounts. Eligible Iowans can request a test kit through the Iowa INSIGHT website. 

Scientists say the effects of this winter’s El Niño weather pattern could be stronger than ever because of record-high temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.

States in the central U.S., such as Iowa, can expect a dry, warmer-than-average winter. For the Upper Midwest this winter is likely to be 2 to 4 degrees warmer than average.

Jen Brady, senior data analyst at nonprofit Climate Central, said El Niño isn’t responsible for daily weather events, but its overall warming could create more lake effect snow.

“If we have a warmer winter, that means the lakes aren't going to freeze,” Brady said. “So, when there are the conditions set up for snow, it could be even heavier because you have a warm lake to fuel that snowstorm.”

But because of the warmer temperatures, that snow may melt faster, which could hurt outdoor recreation this winter.

Read more.

The auto industry would be required by federal rules to install AM radios in new vehicles under a bill that passed Tuesday in the U.S. House. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which was cosponsored by all four of Iowa's representatives, cleared the House by a voice vote.

Iowa Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are among the bill’s cosponsors in the U.S. Senate, where it has been eligible for debate since last year.

Supporters say AM radio provides an essential, free service and an important lifeline for broadcasting emergency information when cellphones and the internet aren’t working. If the bill becomes law, AM radio would be classified as standard equipment in a vehicle and automakers would not be allowed to charge extra for it.

A similar bill stalled in Congress three years ago, after industry giants like Ford, GM and Toyota complained about the cost of installing AM receivers and argued the motors of electric vehicles interfere with AM signals.

The president of the National Association of Broadcasters said AM radio provides listeners “with trusted news” and “a vital connection to their communities.” According to the most recent data from Nielsen Media Research, over 90% of U.S. adults listen to the radio every month, and 74% of people who commute listen to the radio while they’re driving.

Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to be in Council Bluffs Friday to headline a rally for Republican candidates. The event will be held at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs at 11 a.m. The venue previously hosted a rally with President Donald Trump before the 2018 midterms.

Republican Chris McGowan, who’s running in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, said Vance’s visit underscores the importance of Iowa races in this year’s election.

“We’re coming off the heels of the first-ever Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas. I was there. I saw the vice president speak,” McGowan told KSCJ Radio. “He is a phenomenal orator and a great communicator.”

Iowa’s open U.S. Senate race has Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson facing off against Democratic State Rep. Josh Turek, who is from Council Bluffs. McGowan said called it a key race that could determine which party will have a majority in the U.S. Senate next year.

“My job is to make sure that Iowa 4 comes out en masse, in complete and total support and helps Ashley Hinson win her Senate seat statewide,” McGowan said.

Democrat Dave Dawson, assistant Woodbury County attorney, is running against McGowan in the 4th House District. On Sept. 1, Republicans held a voter registration edge of nearly 183,000 over Democrats in the western Iowa district.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said Iowa Republicans “keep parading politicians from the Washington, D.C., swamp through Iowa in hopes it will save them from record-high diesel and gas prices.” Hart said it’s not going to work “because Iowans are smarter than that.”

Madeleine King and Grant Gerlock

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Iowa Public Radio

Two Iowa representatives in battleground U.S. House races voted to limit President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran. Iowa’s 3rd District Rep. Zach Nunn and 1st District Rep. Mariannette Miller Meeks joined five other House Republicans in voting against the majority of their party Tuesday. 

The war powers resolution directs the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress gives authorization. 

Both Nunn and Miller-Meeks come from military backgrounds and are running in two of the most competitive House races in the country, according to political forecasters. 

Iowa’s other two Republicans in Congress, 4th District Rep. Randy Feenstra and 2nd District Rep. Ashley Hinson, did not vote to limit the president’s war powers.

Read more.

Maura Curran

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Iowa Public Radio

Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) has named Matt Smith as the district’s new superintendent. Smith has served as interim superintendent since last year, after former Superintendent Ian Roberts was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Des Moines School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to appoint Smith. The board did not consider other candidates in the process.

District leaders said Smith has expanded outreach for multilingual families and helped shape the Reimagining Education initiative at DMPS.

Smith said the district can expect him to be the same kind of leader he was in his previous role.

“I look at working with my team and with others and getting their feedback around, ‘How do we need to continue to evolve and shift our infrastructure to make sure that we are delivering on these promises and these commitments to students and families?’” Smith said.

Smith’s top priorities include improving literacy outcomes and graduation rates, as well as moving forward with the district redesign.

Nearly 200 scientists who endorsed the 2026 Iowa Climate Statement say the state is at a critical crossroads for meeting growing demand for electricity.

The 2026 Iowa Climate Statement states the electrification of buildings, transportation and industry contributes to new electricity demand, but most of it is driven by the growth of data centers.

Iowa is among the top five states for the number of data centers per capita.

“Iowa may see over a 30% increase in peak electricity load in the next decade,” said Jacqueline Dowling, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iowa. “That's huge. It's like adding another major metro area's worth of power demand to the state.”

Rather than investing in new gas plants and higher coal usage to meet demand, Dowling and the other scientists advocate for more wind and solar, saying renewable energy is critical for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and price fluctuations.  

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded $2.8 million to help two Iowa communities rebuild after devastating tornadoes more than two years ago.

In Greenfield, more than $800,000 will go to Adair County Hospital to replace its emergency medical services building and ambulance. Another grant will help the city pay for fire station construction and replace outdoor warning sirens.

The City of Minden is receiving nearly $2 million to help build a new water treatment facility. The city is currently leasing a temporary system.

The Des Moines City Council approved initial budget recommendations that are projected to save the city $11.5 million. The cuts stem from the state’s new property tax law, which capped the city’s revenue growth and created a $12 million gap in Des Moines’ upcoming fiscal year budget.

The city council voted 6-1 Monday night to approve staff and service cuts across departments, including public safety, libraries and parks and recreation. Council member Josh Mandelbaum voted in favor of the proposal but said the staff cuts are concerning.

“We don’t have the dollars, and every single department, we are now, after this process, asking to do more with less,” Mandelbaum said.

Mandelbaum said some departments already don’t have enough staff. Other council members called the circumstances concerning but said the city must meet the numbers.

The state of Iowa will create a $25 million restitution fund for teens who were harmed by having accounts on Facebook or Instagram. Attorney General Brenna Bird said Monday that Iowa is the first state to announce this kind of fund using settlement money from the social media giant, Meta. 

In all, Iowa will receive $126 million in the Meta settlement. Bird estimated the restitution fund could pay around $100 to each affected person. 

“I think it's important that the money that Meta made making profits by having these types of accounts, that at least a portion of it goes back to those who were hurt by those accounts,” Bird said.

The Attorney General’s Office is hiring an administrator to work out the details for families to file claims.  

Bird also announced a $10 million fund that will be used to help prosecute online sexual exploitation and to help schools address harms related to social media. 

A former central Iowa police chief will avoid jail time after pleading guilty Monday to charges of misconduct in office.

Bill Daggett was charged in January with felonious misconduct and first-degree theft after a state audit turned up more than $51,000 in improper payroll and compensation time payments. Daggett was serving as the police chief and interim city administrator in Mitchellville when the State Auditor’s Office report was released. He resigned after he was charged.

As part of a plea deal, Daggett pleaded guilty in Jasper County court to one charge of non-felonious misconduct in office. He was ordered to pay a $430 fine. The state dismissed the theft charge. 

KCCI reported Daggett admitted to failing to report using accrued sick time from the city of Van Meter while serving in the same role in Baxter.

Iowa regulators proposed timelines Monday for gathering evidence and deciding whether to grant two pipeline permits to SCS Carbon Transport, an affiliate of Summit Carbon Solutions.  

The two proposed pipelines are each under 5 miles. If approved, they would connect POET Bioprocessing in Ida County and Valero Renewables in Floyd County to Summit's larger pipeline network, which has not been built and faces legal hurdles.  

On Monday, the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) proposed schedules that would conclude with hearings in February and March.  

SCS Carbon Transport, the Iowa Corn Growers Association and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association asked for the hearings to be moved up to mid-December.  

“The evidence from our side of the case will be very similar, if not identical in many respects to evidence already heard once by the commission in the original docket,” said Brant Leonard, an attorney on behalf of SCS Carbon Transport. 

Grant Gerlock

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Iowa Public Radio

Landowners like Terry Beek said they feel like the process is being rushed.  

“This does not seem to accommodate the people that are going to be impacted. This schedule seems to accommodate the people that are trying to get the pipeline in,” Beek said, adding that he wasn’t notified by the commission about the scheduling meeting and found out from someone else.   

Many of the pipeline opponents also said a hearing should not be set for these new permits unless the first part of Summit’s project moves forward. 

“We have the cart before the horse, because we don’t even know the purpose of this project,” said Deborah Main. “And that’s entangled now in chaos and litigation.” 

In 2024, Iowa’s regulators granted a permit to build the first phase of the project, on the condition that Summit receive agency-level approval from North Dakota and South Dakota for pipelines and underground storage.  

After a law banning eminent domain for pipelines passed in South Dakota, Summit requested the IUC remove the state-specific condition on the construction permit in Iowa. The IUC granted that change. However, the permit approval is being challenged in Polk County District Court. 

Ann Hammond

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Courtesy of Monarch Research

Conservationists are calling a rusty patched bumblebee sighting in eastern Iowa a good sign that habitat restoration efforts are helping the federally endangered species.

Danielle Holthaus, a research station manager at Monarch Research in Linn County, said she spotted the rare bee in a cluster of flowers near their building.

“Just to see one in Marion, right outside our research station building, that's incredibly special for us because it suggests that there's some habitat characteristics around here that are attracting the species and supporting them,” Holthaus said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers many parts of eastern Iowa “high potential zones,” which are places rusty patched bumblebees are most likely to be.

Holthaus said the bees benefit from native prairies and healthy woodlands. She said the two best things someone can do to help the species is to plant some native flowers and then be on the lookout so the bees don’t go undetected.

Read more.

New federal data shows Iowa accounted for nearly 10% of the nation’s child labor violations in 2025.

Records from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division show there were 1,114 child labor violations nationwide last year, with 108 found in Iowa. 

Sean Finn, with the nonprofit Common Good Iowa, said the problem is Iowa has less restrictive labor laws than the federal government. He said that can be confusing for employers. 

“Iowa changed the law to make it less restrictive than the federal standards, even though everybody still has to follow federal law, even if the state law isn't as strict,” Finn said.

In 2023, Iowa lawmakers loosened child labor restrictions for 14- and 15-year-olds. Supporters said it would give kids more opportunities to work and help address labor shortages in the state.

Finn said many of the child labor citations are hours violations.

The nation’s top domestic security official said Iowa Republicans will be critical in this year’s midterms. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin spoke at a fundraiser for Iowa’s 1st District Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks on Saturday.

Mullin told the crowd of about 180 attendees that Democrats want to throw the country into “chaos.”

“We’re not fighting socialism right now; they’re communists,” he said. “It’s flat out, no question. The president has called it that. He knows exactly what he’s talking about too because we’re seeing it.”

Mullin replaced Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary in March. He’s the latest in a string of Trump allies to stump for Iowa candidates ahead of the midterms.

Political analysts say the races for Iowa’s 1st and 3rd House districts, as well as the U.S. Senate, are some of the country’s tightest. In the 1st District, incumbent Miller-Meeks faces Democrat Christina Bohannan and Independent Michael Bridgford.

As the country marks 25 years since 9/11, Iowa’s governor at the time said ensuring safety and stability was a top priority after the attacks. 
 
Former Gov. Tom Vilsack had served as governor of Iowa for just under three years when the country was attacked by al-Qaeda in 2001. Speaking on IPR’s River to River, Vilsack said evaluating risk was an immediate top concern, but so was showing that state leaders weren’t discouraged from carrying out their responsibilities.  
                      
“My staff wanted me to go to the command center, and I felt that it was important and necessary for people to see me out and about, so that they understood and appreciated that — notwithstanding this attack — we were going to continue to move on,” Vilsack said Friday.
 
Vilsack said the state felt the long-term impacts of that day in many ways, including in the lives of Iowans killed in Afghanistan and by becoming more insular as a whole. Remembering the sacrifices of first responders and service members, he said, is a call to rebuild a sense of community in the country.  

Water quality is often the subject of intense debate in Iowa, and the Iowa Great Lakes area will host the 2026 Iowa Water Conference next week.

Organizers said the goals include making connections, learning and seeking solutions. The conference theme this year is “Life Depends on Water. Water Depends on You.”

“We try to focus the conference on the role that people’s lives play within the watershed, on how it impacts water quantity,” said Iowa Water Center Director Rick Cruse.

The 20th annual gathering takes place Sept. 16-17 at Arnolds Park along Lake Okoboji in northern Iowa. Cruse said there will be a wide range of water-based topics for breakout sessions and panel discussions, including how water quality relates to public health as well as flood and drought resilience.

“One is the integrated watershed and agricultural solutions,” Cruse said. “We’re working out what we can do within the watershed as a team, as a community, to make water better.”

Other workshop topics will include water recreation and tourism, as well as fisheries, wildlife and aquatic ecosystem health. Cruse said there will even be a couple of preconference tours of the Iowa Great Lakes.

“One is going to be an on-water tour,” he said. “That is actually going to be a tour in which the participant stakeholders are in canoes or in kayaks, so they’ll be paddling around the lake. The other tour is a bus tour.”

This is the first time the conference is being held in the Iowa Great Lakes, according to Cruse.

KSOU

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Sioux County Radio

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst joined Gov. Kim Reynolds in Sioux Center Thursday night at an Iowa GOP fundraiser. The event was the last in a six-stop series the party dubbed the governor’s “Legacy Tour.”

“I hope that if Iowans remember anything about me it’s that I wasn’t afraid to take on the big issues, the tough issues,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds told the crowd that when she was a kid in St. Charles, she thought she’d grow up to be a teacher.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would have the opportunity to serve Iowans in this capacity,” she said.

Reynolds, the first woman to be elected governor of Iowa, announced last spring that she would not seek reelection. Ernst, the first Iowa woman to be elected to federal office, met Reynolds when the two were county officials in southwest Iowa.

“It’s not just a friend here today, gone tomorrow, but it is truly a lifetime of friendship and admiration that I have for this incredible woman, who has made such a mark on Iowa that can never easily be erased,” Ernst said.

Republican Party of Iowa Co-Chair Linda Upmeyer, the first woman to be speaker of the Iowa House, was also at the event. Reynolds has served as governor since May 24, 2017, when then-Gov. Terry Branstad resigned to become U.S. ambassador to China.

The fundraiser Thursday night took place at the same venue Reynolds held a rally on Nov. 5, 2018 — the day before she won her first four-year term as governor.

Many firefighters from across the state gathered in Manchester Friday to attend the annual convention of the Iowa Firefighters Association.

Former Iowa Firefighters Association president and retired Osage firefighter Gene Evans said the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is on everyone’s mind.

“Whether it be by blood or the badge, we are all brothers and sisters,” Evans said. “And if you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us.”

Evans said the dark day in the nation’s history still lingers for firefighters across the country.

“Sept. 11, 2001, was a bad day for America, for the fire service; 343 of our brothers and sisters perished in the initial collapse of the towers. That memory haunts us to this very day,” he said.

The firefighters at the convention in northern Iowa paused their drills for a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. Friday, the time the first plane hit the World Trade Center.

ReLeaf Cedar Rapids has reached a milestone. Six years after Cedar Rapids lost about 70% of its trees in a derecho, the program to restore the tree canopy in the city has surpassed its half-way goal.

The group has planted more than 22,000 trees, putting the urban reforestation initiative at about 52% of its 10-year goal of 42,000 trees.

Michelle Beisker is CEO of Trees Forever, which put together the ReLeaf program in cooperation with the city of Cedar Rapids. She said part of the plan is to diversify the city’s tree canopy to make it more resilient to future disasters or invasive species.

Beisker said replanting in public spaces and private neighborhoods has benefits beyond simply curb appeal.

“We know that there is the need for shade and that trees provide improved soil quality and water quality and they're key to creating a beautiful neighborhood,” she said.

Around 670,000 trees in Cedar Rapids were lost during the 2020 derecho.

The University of Iowa Hawkeyes host the Iowa State Cyclones Saturday for this year’s CyHawk football game. But moments of the raucous rivalry will take a more somber tone in the wake of a recent tragedy.

The Hawkeye Marching Band will honor Derek Phillips, its mellophone section leader who died after collapsing in the heat during last Saturday’s game. The marching band posted on Facebook that the entire stadium will observe a moment of silence to honor Phillips before the CyHawk kickoff.

Band members will wear black ribbons and spell out Phillips’ name at end of their halftime show.

A new report from the State Auditor’s Office found the City of Hudson overpaid developers nearly $583,000 for projects partly supported by tax increment financing agreements.

Hudson officials said they’re consulting with the city’s legal counsel to see what can be done to recover the overpayments to six developers. Two of the projects were for apartment complexes, one of which was built on the border of Hudson and Cedar Falls.

The city clerk in Hudson called the State Auditor’s Office a year ago, raising concerns about the city’s finances. A reaudit report covering a two-year period found multiple city accounts had deficits.

For example, the City of Hudson issued bonds to cover a more than $700,000 deficit in its Capital Projects Fund. City officials told auditors they are looking into the reasons for the deficit balances and exploring ways to “bring the funds to a positive balance.”

Madeleine Charis King

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Iowa Public Radio

The Iowa Environmental Council is leading a new campaign to improve water quality and reduce environmental cancer risks. The Protect Water Prevent Cancer campaign includes state-level policy recommendations, along with guidance for individuals to contact lawmakers and advocate for change in their communities.

Iowa Environmental Council Executive Director Sarah Green said the campaign follows nearly two years of listening sessions around the state, as well as a report released in March that digs into the science on four environmental risk factors driving Iowa’s high cancer rates.

“Nitrate, pesticides, PFAS and radon,” Green said. “We listened to Iowans, we followed the science and now we’re ready for action.”

Green also announced new polling results commissioned by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, in which 60% of 800 Iowa voters surveyed chose drinking water quality and the environment as one of their top five most important issues.

Read more.

Courtesy of White House Photographer Eric Draper

A former Iowan who survived the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11 said it’s time for the men accused of plotting the attacks 25 years ago to finally face trial. 

John Grote grew up in Sioux City and was working at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, when a plane was crashed into the building. He received the Soldier’s Medal for his rescue efforts and a Purple Heart for injuries he suffered that day. 

In late August, a trial date was set for 2028 for the four men who have spent years at Guantanamo Bay for their alleged roles in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

Grote has been named as a prosecution witness and has traveled to Cuba many times for legal proceedings. 

“My heart of hearts knows that they're eventually going to get through this, sentence these guys, hopefully to death, like they're on trial for," he said. "But I look at it and say, 25 years later, really? It's just incredible to me that it's taken this long."

Grote retired from the military in 2015 and now lives in Wyoming. He plans to attend a ceremony at the Pentagon Friday, marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. 

Read more.

The total enrollment at Iowa’s public universities has leveled off after a period of post-pandemic growth, according to student data released Thursday.

The total student population fell 0.49% from last year, but not all three Regent campuses lost students. While the University of Iowa and Iowa State University saw slight declines, enrollment at the University of Northern Iowa actually increased by 162 students year over year — reaching its highest numbers since 2020.

Total enrollment at the three Regents schools reached a peak in 2016, with over 80,000 students. After falling to a low in 2022, the colleges have climbed back to 71,520 this fall.

Organizers of a rally planned in northwest Iowa this weekend are calling on Iowans to support immigrants and refugees. The Rally for Human Dignity is scheduled for Saturday morning at Central Park in Sioux Center.

The event was organized by Maria Magdalena Reformed Church, where Jason Lief is co-pastor. He said immigrants in the community are still worried about being deported.

“They're going now after people who don't have criminal records,” Lief said. “Nobody wants criminals living in their neighborhood, but when they start going after the people who have lived here for a longer period of time, have businesses, families and are just good members of our community, that's when we decided, ‘OK, we need to speak out.’”

Lief is urging 4th District Rep. Randy Feenstra, who represents the region, to support the Dignity Act, which allows limited legal status for some immigrants. Lief said the bill isn’t perfect but would be a start toward broader reform.

Ankeny is moving forward with a 1% local option sales tax. During Tuesday’s special election, 64% of voters approved the tax, according to the Polk County Election Office.

Ankeny was one of five cities in Iowa without a local option sales tax.

City officials said Ankeny needed more sources of revenue, especially after new property tax legislation was passed this year that caps some revenue growth.

The new sales tax is expected to generate $12 million annually. The revenue will be split between property tax relief, street improvements and public infrastructure, according to city officials.

Ankeny residents will pay the 1% tax on top of the 6% sales tax that goes toward the state and school district starting Jan. 1, 2027.

Waterloo could soon have its first-ever city manager. It is one of Iowa’s largest cities without the position.

At a council meeting this week, Mayor Dave Boesen said the position would provide continuity as city politics shift.

“Waterloo already has talented and capable department heads. What's missing is leadership that does not change every election cycle,” Boesen said. “The success of this city should not be based on the next election cycle.”

The city council could create the position as soon as this month. Boesen said he would then seek to reduce the mayor’s pay to help fund it.

Of Iowa’s 10 largest cities, only Waterloo and Council Bluffs lack a top administrator.

The position would serve at the will of the council.

This November, Iowans will vote on a constitutional change on their ballot. The change would make it harder for state lawmakers to raise the personal income or corporate tax rate.

Any increase would need support from two-thirds of lawmakers in both the Iowa House and the Iowa Senate. Currently, only a simple majority is required.

A coalition led by the progressive group Common Good Iowa claims the change would give lawmakers fewer tools to fill budget deficits and lead to possible cuts to Medicaid or SNAP.

Kylie Spies, senior policy advocate with Common Good Iowa, said making it harder to raise the income tax will drive lawmakers to raise other taxes that overly burden lower-income Iowans.

“It can be used to offset other taxes like sales and property tax that hit low and middle income people hardest. If it's too hard to raise the income tax, lawmakers will look to all of the other taxes not subject to supermajority," Spies said.

Iowans for Tax Relief has launched a campaign to approve the amendment, saying it would protect taxpayers. As of 2025, 16 states require supermajorities to increase or impose new taxes, including California, Arizona and Colorado.

The general election is Nov. 3.

American farmers will likely feel the squeeze of higher tariffs exchanged with Canada on both their supply costs and sales.

President Donald Trump's administration recently put in place 50% tariffs on Canadian goods after trade talks between the two countries fell apart.

Canada came back with their own import taxes, which will affect everything from dairy products to ag equipment, effective this week.

Jayash Paudel, an associate professor of economics at the University of Oklahoma, said machines like tractors and combines are often built by moving materials back and forth over the border.

"A tariff can hit the same component more than once, and what that really does is it ends up raising the machinery cost for American farmers, even though the tariff is Canadian,” Paudel said.

Powdered milk and whey are among the American dairy products facing added tariffs from Canada.

U.S. dairy leaders say lost sales could lead to an oversupply of milk and lower prices.

Read more.

Torrential rains caused flash flooding overnight in the Des Moines area.

Thunderstorms dropped 5-7 inches of rain over much of the metro.

Classes were cancelled at North High School in Des Moines because of a power outage related to the storms.

According to Polk County Emergency Management, as many as 17,000 people initially lost power.

The agency says the Raccoon River near downtown is expected to crest this evening below moderate flood stage.

Waterloo passed a temporary ban on new data centers at its council meeting Tuesday night. It joins a growing list of Iowa communities with a moratorium in place.

Residents have asked for a moratorium since learning a data center developer was eyeing a 12 acre industrial site in Waterloo this summer.

The council approved an initial agreement with the company last December. It included tax breaks and a $1 land transfer.

Council member Steve Schmitt said the 3-month moratorium will allow the city to pause before any next steps.

“It would just be great if we could get everybody somewhat on the same page, or all kind of operating from the same set of information,” Schmitt said. “I think that would be very beneficial to everybody.”

Dubuque’s city council is also moving toward adopting a moratorium. The northeast Iowa communities join dozens across the state working to regulate the projects.

At a Labor Day rally in the Quad Cities, Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker expressed his support for Democrat Rob Sand in the Iowa governor’s race.

Sand is running against Republican Zach Lahn in the November election.

Pritzker spoke at a picnic for party leaders and union members in East Moline on Labor Day. He said it would benefit the Quad Cities region to have Democratic governors on both sides of the state border.

“We share a common belief that we need to lift up working families; that we’ve got to make sure we’re putting more money in people’s pockets; we’ve got better education for people by investing in it,” Pritzker said.

Pritzker is currently seeking a third term in office. Iowa last elected a Democratic governor in 2006.

The Duane Arnold nuclear plant officially has enough money to restart the energy center.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly visited rural Linn County to announce a loan of up to $1.9 billion from the Department of Energy.

When the energy center lost its contract with Alliant Energy and suffered damage from the derecho, it closed in 2020. Danly said recommissioning Duane Arnold is part of the Trump administration’s plan for an “American nuclear renaissance.”

“But most importantly, the value of Duane Arnold is for Iowa and the people of Linn County. We're going to see an economic benefit of about $9 billion,” Danly said. “That's $40 million to local schools, $70 [million] plus to taxes, 450 permanent jobs here.”

Most of the power produced by Duane Arnold will be bought by Google Energy. Google is eyeing nearby land for a data center.

But about 50 megawatts annually will serve roughly 300,000 nearby homes.

The plant is scheduled to come online by 2029, pending regulatory approval.

Lincoln Savings Bank is merging with Equity Bank in a $128 million stock and cash deal.

The deal was announced last week. Lincoln, which is headquartered in Reinbeck, operates 16 branches in central and northeast Iowa. Equity has 85 branches across the Midwest and South. The two companies combined would control around $9.2 billion in assets.

Brad Elliot is chairman and CEO of Equity Bancshares, a holding company of Equity Bank. He said one reason they looked to expand further into Iowa is the strong agricultural sector.

“We currently have about 12% of our portfolio in ag loans. That makes up about $700 million,” Elliot said. “We'll add a couple $100 million with this merger to that ag portfolio so we're probably one of the largest ag lending banks in the region.”

Elliott said Lincoln’s retail customers will not see any major changes, as the two companies share the same online banking platform.

If approved by regulators, it would be the second bank merger in Iowa this year.

In June, Illinois-based First Mid Bancshares announced an agreement to acquire Burlington-based Two Rivers Financial Group.

Iowa has the most community banks per capita in the U.S.

Iowa's economic development office is betting on advanced manufacturing and aerospace to drive the state's economy. It has announced $4 million in grants for three projects focused on those industries.

The University of Northern Iowa recently received almost a million dollars from the state’s economic development office to buy an automated furnace and a massive 3D printer for the UNI Metal Casting Center & Foundry 4.0 Center.

Nathaniel Bryant, associate director of the center and one of the country’s leading researchers on the industrial applications of sand, said the investment will keep his lab at the cutting edge.

“The state has always been very generous in helping us because they know the value we provide to — not just John Deere — but all of the foundries in Iowa, and frankly in the nation,” he said.

Bryant said that value comes in the form of workers and research findings.

Other grants will support aerospace innovation and medical technology at the University of Iowa.

A member of the University of Iowa marching band has died after collapsing from the heat in Iowa City on Saturday.

The heat index surpassed 100 degrees at the football game against Northern Illinois, causing the band’s halftime performance to be canceled.

The family of Derek Phillips said he suffered cardiac arrest and was admitted to intensive care. They were told the damage to Phillips' brain was too severe for him to survive.

In a statement, the University of Iowa said it is “heartbreaking.” The university is providing counselors for fellow students in the marching band and school of music.

Phillips played horn in the marching band. He was studying business analytics and planned to graduate in 2028.

The candidates running to be Iowa’s next governor use words like “creepy” and “invasive” to describe the tens of thousands of Flock cameras that are capturing and storing license plate images, and both would support state regulations for automated license plate readers.

Republican candidate Zach Lahn uses the word “suspicious” to describe the dramatic growth of Flock’s national network of cameras.

“This is a private company that is owning your data of where you drive anywhere, anytime you’re in Des Moines or some of these other cities. They’re popping up everywhere,” Lahn said. “This is what a surveillance state starts out as.”

Rob Sand, the Democrat running for governor, said companies with better data protection measures are now competing with Flock.

“I think that people who have privacy concerns [about Flock] are being reasonable,” Sand said. “I think what we’ve seen is a company that built this stuff out and did not put checks and balances into place to make sure that what they were doing wasn’t going to get abused … That doesn’t mean that we need drastic, immediate action. We are seeing the market work right now. They’re losing contracts.”

Sand said if concerns remain down the road, he’d be “happy to sign” a law that establishes some safeguards for the collection, storage and sharing of data from cameras that read license plates.

Iowa cities like Oelwein, Coralville and Indianola have ended agreements with Flock over privacy concerns. Critics said Flock’s data can be used to track the movements of millions of Americans, without a warrant. A Kentucky policeman, for example, has been charged for using 2,000 Flock searches to track his ex-girlfriend.

Respiratory virus season typically begins around the holidays when temperatures drop and people start spending more time indoors, where germs spread more easily.

Jon Crosbie, a family physician at the Des Moines University Clinic, said Iowans don't have to wait until the weather gets cold to get the shot. He said everyone who is eligible should consider getting it.

“Even if you're in a low-risk category, the flu can still put you in the hospital,” Crosbie said. “People always seem to think that the flu is just a really bad cold, and when you get the flu, you know all about it. It's a tough, tough illness.”

Additionally, Crosbie said when low-risk people get the shot, they are helping to protect those who may be more vulnerable to getting seriously ill.

According to state data, 63% of Iowans got a flu shot last season.

Johnson County employees may soon have to report if and how they use artificial intelligence.

It’s the latest county in Iowa drafting an AI policy for staff.

IT Director Bill Horning said these types of policies are important for protecting sensitive information.

“AI tools are a great assistance in doing things. But we can't just put data out there … AI learns from being fed information,” Horning said. “So you put county data in there, it has that county data going forward. You can't just say, ‘Oh, erase everything I told you.’ It doesn't work that way. Once it's there, it's there.”

He said staff need to protect residents’ identifying information and health data.

Iowa state employees also have to follow an AI policy.

Sioux, Pottawattamie, Black Hawk and Woodbury are some other counties that have created their own local guidelines.

A new mentoring program wants to help medical professionals make connections across Iowa’s healthcare industry.

The Iowa White Coat Network is meant to strengthen the state’s workforce and encourage physicians to stay in Iowa. The Iowa Medical Society launched the platform last month.

Past president Brian Privett said making stronger connections across career stages can help support the entire medical workforce, which he said is key to addressing the state’s shortage.

“We really want to take a long-term approach and think about this as a pipeline for the future — to really make those connections early on so that down the road we can really make an impact on the physician shortage,” Privett said.

He said statewide connections will be especially important in rural Iowa, where a physician may be the only one practicing in the area.

The system uses information like specialty, interests and location to match mentors and mentees.

Iowa State University is developing a demonstration site for showcasing conservation measures designed to reduce nutrients in agricultural runoff.

The Watershed Innovation Farm will include wetlands, grassed waterways and edge-of-field infrastructure designed to intercept and filter field tile drainage before it enters a creek.

Another area will educate visitors about some common issues in Iowa’s wooded areas and methods for removing invasive species that crowd out native trees, like oak and walnut.

The exhibits will be accessible by trails and feature educational signs designed by Iowa Learning Farms.

Project leaders are also planning to showcase nearby cover crops and possibly prairie strips in fields.

Faculty and students are involved in research and developing programming at the Watershed Innovation Farm, which will open next year south of Ames.

Writer Ruth Suckow filled her short story collection Iowa Interiors with episodes of small-town life while living as a beekeeper in Earlville. The book came out in 1926. At the time, Suckow was a nationally recognized writer. This week, a small press in Cedar Falls is releasing a centennial edition of the collection.

Julie Husband co-edited the new edition. She said the stories recapture an Iowa of long ago.

“It's just not the same. You know, there's no ‘Big Ag’ in Ruth Suckow, and there are a lot of very small farmers, a lot of itinerant ministers. There are a lot of people who are living hand to mouth. I suppose that's similar to today … that part.”

Jim O’Loughlin, a professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa who co-edited the new edition, said Suckow’s books are hard to find.

“Her work has been out of print, and a lot of those publishers are not around anymore. I mean, some of her work has been reissued through the years. There was a wave of publications in the 1970s, but that's still 50 years ago,” he said. “So I think there's a reason why a kind of reissue makes it possible for her work to be more widely available.”

Editors of the new edition said the work still has literary merit and they hope the new edition revives her legacy.