A south-central Iowa man was arrested Friday on a felony charge for allegedly threatening a Fremont-Mills school board member before its Aug. 19 board meeting.

Deputies were able to determine that the threatening call came from Eric Ballanger, 52, of Russell. Authorities said they examined Ballanger’s phone and found he had made a second call to another board member that went unanswered and that he had viewed a social media post concerning an upcoming vote.

Ballanger was charged with threat of terrorism and was released from the Fremont County Jail on $5,000 bond. The school board vote scheduled for Aug. 19 concerned approving the contract of Ace Rios as the district’s band instructor. The board voted 2-2, with one member abstaining, meaning the motion was defeated.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

State officials are warning Iowans to stay away from synthetic kratom products as the number of overdose deaths from the drug are up this year.

Kratom originates from a plant in southeast Asia and can produce opioid-like effects. But officials reported Tuesday that Iowa has seen an increase in unregulated, highly potent lab-created versions of kratom. The products are often sold in convenience stores and marketed as herbal supplements. 

Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens said these products can be very potent, leading to accidental overdoses. 

“There is no way of knowing what these products actually contain,” Bayens said. “They are often misbranded, and if you choose to use them, you could be playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette.”

State Medical Director Robert Kruse said lab testing shows some of these products may be 13 times more potent than morphine. 

“Some people may start using these products because they're trying to manage pain or because they're trying to manage withdrawal from another substance,” Kruse said. “But these products themselves can lead to dependence and withdrawal.”

Federal officials recently issued an emergency classification of several types of synthetic kratom as Schedule I drugs. State officials said this move allows Iowa to do the same. 

A whistleblower report released Monday alleges the U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with plans to restrict mail-in voting, in defiance of a court order.

Last week, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said he didn’t think any changes to voting by mail would take place before the midterm elections.

During a call with reporters Tuesday, Grassley was asked about the whistleblower’s report and whether he thought changes to mail-in voting were being rushed. Grassley said he still isn’t sure there’s time to clear the changes before the November election.

“I'm going to applaud the president in anything that's within his constitutional power or within power given to him by statute, that there's nothing wrong with trying to get fraud out of elections and to make sure that only citizens can vote,” he said.

The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office reported that they received over 675,000 absentee ballots in the 2024 general election. The record was set in 2020, when over 1.6 million absentee ballots were received.

A new data analysis suggests the number of heat-related deaths may be significantly undercounted in Iowa. 

NPR partnered with Boston University to create a model that looked at the number of heat-related deaths from 2018 to 2025. It excluded 2020 because the COVID-19 pandemic skewed mortality data. 

The analysis estimated that Iowa had about 93 heat-related deaths on average per year. That's much higher than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official count of about nine deaths per year. 

Clint Hawthorne, an emergency room doctor with UnityPoint in Des Moines, said the very old and very young, as well as people with underlying issues like heart conditions, can be vulnerable to heat-related illness and death. 

“You can imagine, as you increase the blood flow to the skin surface, you have to pump harder. You have to pump more blood, and so if your heart's just not as fit, then that's more challenging,” Hawthorne said.

The report comes as the southeast part of the state is under a heat advisory through Wednesday afternoon.

As Iowa cancer rates continue to climb, the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network is asking eastern Iowa candidates for Congress what they plan to do about it.

At a roundtable event Monday with advocates and survivors, Iowa’s 1st District incumbent Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said the causes of cancer are complex. But when it comes to water quality, she said ground water filtration is an issue in both urban and rural areas — and she has an idea about how to address it. 

“I have a bill for a biochar research institute,” Miller-Meeks said, referring to an organic material that filters water. “It purifies water as it filters through the ground — better water quality, better water purification. I'm trying to get this biochar research institute at Iowa State University.” 

At her own roundtable with the Cancer Action Network on Aug. 14, Democrat Christina Bohannan talked about supporting local public health departments to increase radon testing.  

Bohannan also supports increased research funding to better understand cancer causes and cures. 

A heat advisory is in effect through Wednesday evening for 31 counties in south central and southeast Iowa. The steamy and muggy weather returns as meteorological summer comes to an end on Monday in the Northern Hemisphere.

“We’ve got hot temperatures coming in these next couple of weeks, with heat indices reaching into the 100s this week,” said meteorologist Abby Wyss, with the National Weather Service in Johnston.

Many Iowa communities are reopening their cooling centers as daytime highs are predicted to reach into the 90s. Wyss said there may be some showers in the forecast later this week.

“There’s a slight chance most of the days,” she said. “It looks like Thursday morning in the north might be the best chance, but we’re keeping an eye on it.”

Phineas Pope

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Iowa Public Radio

Iowans may notice some black walnut trees turning yellow and dropping their leaves earlier than usual this year. A fungus called anthracnose could be the cause, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

DNR District Forester Mark Vitosh said the disease is affecting walnut trees at an unusually high rate this year. Speaking on IPR’s Talk of Iowa, he said the fungus is unlikely to impact a tree’s health long term.

“Having some defoliation a little earlier than normal generally isn't going to kill that tree,” Vitosh said. “It may set it back a little bit, but since things are starting to shut down a little bit, they'll be all right. They'll come out next year and they'll look pretty good.”

Walnut caterpillars are also affecting walnut trees in some parts of the state. Vitosh said the insects are also unlikely to cause long-term damage during this time of the year.  

The last holiday weekend of summer is just ahead, and many Iowans are making plans to vacate the state for short Labor Day getaways.

AAA Public Affairs Specialist Brian Ortner said the cost of vacationing has risen in recent months. But higher prices aren’t keeping Iowans from hitting the road or the runway.

“The AAA booking data is showing some strong demand for destinations across the U.S., Canada and Europe as popular choices for travelers, even as we see higher fuel costs, airfare costs and hotel costs this time of year,” Ortner said.

For Iowa motorists, gasoline prices are way up, as the statewide average is $3.92 — more than $1 higher than during Labor Day weekend last year. Ortner said other key costs of travel are up, too.

“People are seeing flights up about 2% more expensive compared to last year’s Labor Day, with the average price around $750 for a round-trip flight,” he said. “Hotels, a little more expensive compared to last year, about 8% or 9%. But rental cars are cheaper over the Labor Day weekend compared to last year.”

According to AAA, the top domestic destinations for the upcoming holiday are Seattle, Orlando and Boston. The top international cities are Rome, Vancouver and London. Ortner said there’s also strong demand for Alaska cruises and national park vacations.

Wastewater issues have been stinking up towns downwind of Clinton for six months.

The industrial town on the Mississippi River expanded its water reclamation facility without the required air quality permits. The expansion is supposed to treat industrial waste from the nearby Archer Daniels Midland processing plant.

Unexpected equipment failures have complicated bringing the expansion online and have stunk up the air in nearby towns like Camanche.

Brian Hutchins, who oversees the Air Quality Bureau at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said it’s hard to know if the odor is dangerous because no one has tested the air quality.

“Typically, in a situation like this you have a byproduct called hydrogen sulfide. That's the stuff that can smell like rotten eggs,” Hutchins said.

Clinton’s requests for emissions permits have been incomplete since January. The DNR will fine the city if it doesn’t submit a complete permit request by Sept. 8.

Nicole Baxter

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Iowa Public Radio

An independent study of five northeastern Iowa cities found that nitrate levels in tap water can vary between neighborhoods. The results indicate that some communities could face more health risks than others.

The study was conducted over five months this year. Environmental scientist Kamya Enshayan sent samples from home taps to the University of Iowa to be tested. The data revealed that in cities like Cedar Falls and Waterloo — which don't have centralized waterworks — nitrate levels vary across neighborhoods.

No taps exceeded the federal limit of 10 parts per million. But many exceeded 5 ppm, which some studies have tied to elevated cancer risk.

Utilities recognize that some wells have higher nitrates than others, but say all the water is safe to drink.

Read more.

The Clinton City Council and a steering committee of concerned citizens will meet next week to discuss a draft ordinance regulating hyperscale data centers. It comes as data center company QTS considers building a facility in town.

This week, council members discussed the best approach in soliciting public opinion about data centers, along with separate work sessions with experts on data center operations.

During council discussions on the draft ordinance timelines, Christine Voss, with the group Clintonians Against Data Centers, asked council members not to rush the process. Mayor Scott Maddasion said the city is taking its time.

“We're in the process to get an ordinance in place, and we need to work on it,” Maddasion said. “The only way we can do it is in a public meeting. That's really what my focus is, is to get everybody together so we can have the conversation, and we can work on it. The time that it takes is the time that it takes, is the way I see it.”

The city council will meet to discuss the first section of the draft data center regulation ordinance Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Samantha McIntosh

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Iowa Public Radio

Five years after renaming itself after Lulu Merle Johnson, Johnson County is dedicating a plaza and statue in her honor this weekend.

Johnson was the first Black woman in Iowa to earn a doctorate, which she received from the University of Iowa in 1941. In 2021, county officials voted to rename Johnson County after Lulu Merle Johnson instead of Richard Mentor Johnson, the ninth vice president of the U.S., who had no connection to the area.

Rebecca Conard, the project historian behind the commemorative plaza, hopes the new statue and plaques will offer the public plenty of information about Iowa’s diverse history.

“I think if they take away only a visual understanding that Iowa is not this all-white place and it never has been, if they can take that away, I think that’s really important,” Conrad said on IPR’s Talk of Iowa.

The dedication ceremony will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Johnson County Administrative Building.

Read more.

The latest forecast models from leading climate prediction centers calculate a 95% chance of a “very strong” El Niño this fall and winter. El Niño occurs when warm Pacific waters pool off the coast of South America, shifting the jet stream south.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan said the effects of El Niño are most pronounced during the winter months in the upper Midwest. Forecasters said this one could rival or surpass the 1877 El Niño, which caused drought and famine in the eastern hemisphere.

“What's going to interest me about this is it's going to be studied for the next few decades,” Glisan said. “If it is a very strong event, if it's the strongest event that we've seen in the observational record, this will be a much studied event.”

Glisan said El Niño years in Iowa are typically characterized by average temperatures well above normal in the fall and warmer, drier winters. Data gathered during this El Niño will help Iowa and the rest of the world better prepare for major weather events in the future, Glisan said.

John Pemble / IPR

Later this fall, cities will begin developing their budgets under restrictions in Iowa’s new property tax law. GOP lawmakers said the law aims to give more certainty and stability to taxpayers while reining in local government spending.

“Spending is what drives taxes — always has, always will. And the most reliable way to protect taxpayers is to limit the growth of government itself,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said in her 2026 Condition of the State address in January.

Under the new law, homeowners will have 10% of their home’s taxable value exempted from property taxes. For cities, general fund revenue growth will be capped at 2% each year, with some exceptions.

City officials say that while property owners may see only marginal changes in their bills, residents could see reduced city services due to the new law.

IPR News spoke with a dozen cities across the state about what the new law means for their community. Here’s what we learned.

Libertarian candidates for governor and in the 3rd Congressional District have lost a legal challenge aimed at putting their names on the ballot in November.

The Libertarian Party of Iowa renominated Nicholas Gluba for governor on Aug. 12 with a new running mate, Charles Aldrich, following a ballot challenge with Gluba’s original running mate. The party also put forward Jake Heard as a substitute in the 3rd District after Marco Battaglia faced a similar ballot challenge and ultimately dropped out.

But the Secretary of State’s Office rejected their candidacies because the office said the Libertarians followed the wrong process. 

Polk County Judge Joseph Seidlin sided with the Secretary of State, writing in his ruling that state law lays out specific requirements when original candidates are nominated by petition and the Libertarian Party did not follow them. 

The lack of a third-party candidate could play a factor in the closely contested races for governor and Iowa’s 3rd House District.  

Libertarian candidates have qualified for the ballot in the 2nd Congressional District and the U.S. Senate race.

Natalie Krebs

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Iowa Public Radio

Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, has reached a $17 billion settlement with 47 states, including Iowa, that filed lawsuits alleging the company’s platforms were harming children.

Iowa will receive $126.4 million over the next decade from the tech giant. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird sued Meta in April, accusing the company of violating Iowa’s consumer protection laws with smartphone apps designed to get minors addicted to social media.

“Importantly, they agreed to make changes so that their platform is better for kids and safer for kids and get rid of some of those very harmful aspects that they have that have been hurting teenagers,” Bird said.

The settlement concludes a trial in California, where four other states accused Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to keep teens on the platforms for hours and collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent.

Bird said as part of the national settlement, Meta has agreed to block teen usage on Facebook and Instagram from midnight to 6 a.m. and said parental control settings will be simplified. Bird called the modifications “a win for kids and the families that love them.”

“Kids under 13 are not supposed to be on their platforms at all. They are implementing better age verification to keep kids off the platform, so those kids do not have access to things that are not appropriate for them,” she said.

Meta has also agreed to include a two-hour daily time limit for teenagers on Facebook and Instagram accounts and periodic “hard stops” to keep kids from endlessly scrolling through pictures, videos and other content.

Bird plans to use some of the millions Meta will pay the state to audit the platforms to see if the company is following through on these promises. She said another portion of the settlement will finance counseling for kids diagnosed with mental health issues connected to their social media use. 

In a separate agreement, Meta agreed to pay Iowa an additional $9 million to settle claims that it shared information about Facebook users with third parties, including political consultants.

The state of Iowa’s lawsuit against TikTok is scheduled to go to court next year. The state has also sued the online gaming platform Roblox.

Black Hills Energy is facing scrutiny from Iowa utility regulators over compliance with state and federal pipeline safety regulations. The company provides natural gas to 133 Iowa communities.

An inspection of the Spencer service area in June 2025 found 100 safety issues spanning 16 different categories. Officials said none of the findings posed a threat to the public, but they are concerned about the high number of problems identified. They also said there are issues in other service areas across the state, including Council Bluffs.

Black Hills Energy attorney Adam Buhrman acknowledged the company needs to improve its practices during a hearing with the Iowa Utilities Commission Thursday in Des Moines.

“We've spent considerable time evaluating the issues raised by the commission, reviewing our processes and operational practices, and identifying opportunities to strengthen our compliance programs going forward,” Buhrman said.

Black Hills Energy presented seven company witnesses at the hearing Thursday. The commission will consider the testimony and other evidence in deciding what penalties and corrections are needed.

Read more.

A new state program is trying to make it easier for struggling Iowa families to find the help they need. Thrive Iowa assists families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. The initiative currently operates in 20 counties across the state.

The Storm Lake Community School District coordinates the program in northwest Iowa’s Buena Vista County. Superintendent Stacey Cole said the program is designed to give families more stability.

“The bottom line is we have kids in our school system who need that safety and that security in order for them to thrive also,” Cole said. “For us, that was the goal of this program: to help every single kid who walks through our door thrive. In order to do that, we're going to have to make sure that their families have what they need to be successful.”

Thrive Iowa provides help in 13 service areas, including housing, employment, food insecurity and childcare. The program also identifies gaps in services. Cole said they need more mental health and dental providers in her community.

Two other school districts serve as backbone organizations for the Thrive Iowa program: Fort Dodge Community School District in Webster County and Colfax-Mingo School District in Jasper County.

Organizations contracted by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to run Thrive Iowa receive $320,000 a year.

The Iowa Legislature approved up to $8 million for Thrive Iowa in 2024. Democrats, including state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, criticized the program at the time, saying Iowa already had organizations providing similar services for less money.

Iowa has been eliminated from the Little League World Series.

Davenport Northwest lost 7-1 to the team from Hamilton, Ohio, in the second double-elimination tournament Thursday morning.

Iowa was this year’s Midwest Regional champion. The team ended its run in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with two wins and two losses.

Eliza Billingham

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Iowa Public Radio

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek said he believes addressing Iowa's water quality issues is an important part to reducing the state's high cancer rates. 

Iowa has the second highest rate of cancer in the country. It also has higher levels of nitrate runoff in its water, which some studies have linked to certain cancers. 

Turek participated at a roundtable event hosted by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, where he said he wants to see more money go toward water quality sensors and nitrate removal plants, as well as more prevention efforts. 

“I would like to see more incentives to farmers, legitimate incentives for cover crops, land barriers and preventing farmers from putting down fertilizer in the winter months,” Turek said.

As a state lawmaker, Turek said he helped work on a bill that passed in the last legislative session that directs $3 million annually toward pediatric cancer research. But he pointed out that other states put more resources toward funding cancer research. 

“Funding for addressing the cancer crisis should not be a partisan issue,” Turek said. “That should be bipartisan supported. We all should be working together to address this.” 

The American Cancer Society said it has not confirmed a roundtable event date with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson. 

A historic park in Dubuque is getting a much-needed lift. The Jeffris Family Foundation awarded the city a $750,000 grant to restore buildings at Eagle Point Park.

The buildings date back to the 1930s and were designed by Alfred Caldwell, who’s known for his contributions to Prairie Style architecture.

Eagle Point Park is on the National Register of Historic Places. But Dubuque residents said the site has fallen into disrepair. Parks Director Matt Kalcevich said the grant could change that.

“That would be a seismic contribution to the improvements that are needed in the structures,” he said.

The grant was announced Tuesday. It comes with a two-to-one match, which means Dubuque must raise an additional $1.5 million within the next three years to secure it.

The Jeffris Foundation also helped preserve a church and a historic mansion in Dubuque.

Madeleine C King

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Iowa Public Radio

Iowans were able to begin requesting absentee ballots for the 2026 general election on Tuesday, even as the Trump administration continues to fight in court for changes to the process of voting by mail.

Tuesday was officially 70 days before the Nov. 3 election, which means Iowans can begin submitting Absentee Ballot Request Forms to their local county auditor’s office in order to receive a mailed absentee ballot for the election. The deadline for submitting an absentee ballot request form is 5 p.m. on Oct. 19 — 15 days before the election.

The process of beginning requesting absentee ballots comes one day after the U.S. Supreme Court issued an unsigned emergency docket opinion finding 23 Democratic-led states do not have standing to stop President Trump's executive order related to mail-in ballot processing by the U.S. Postal Service.

Read more.

Gavin McGough

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Iowa Public Radio

When John Verdon, the son of a commercial fisherman on the Mississippi River, was growing up in Lansing, he recalls a time when the Black Hawk Bridge was closed to traffic. An ice dam loosened by a passing ship damaged the piers on the Wisconsin side in 1945, making the bridge impassable until it reopened in 1957. The bridge still looms large in the 85-year-old’s memory.

“It had a profile that people got used to seeing, and it was on all the pictures and photographs. It was the Black Hawk Bridge at Lansing,” said Verdon, who retired back to the community. “You get attached to a major feature like that.”

This summer bears some similarities to those years of Verdon's childhood. The original bridge that opened in 1931 is now gone. It was demolished on Dec. 19, 2025, as the Iowa Department of Transportation worked to construct its successor, which is expected to open in spring 2027.

The closure has not only left the remote bluff towns of northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin without their iconic landmark. It has also brought a summer of construction, declining tourist traffic and 50-mile detours to a region that depended on the bridge for its daily life.

Lansing — with a population of 900 — has proved resilient, winning accommodations and steering the replacement project with a passion for its storied predecessor.

Keep reading.

The Emmet County Board of Supervisors has unanimously adopted a one-year moratorium on new data center developments.

Board Chair Lisa Hansen, of Armstrong, said the county now has time to investigate the issue.

“We have to have some rules and regulations on the data centers. Several counties have already got their policies made,” she said. “There are 116 bigger data centers in Iowa, and in about 14 different areas. Eventually, there could be a possibility of them coming to our county, and so we have to set regulations for them to come into our county.”

Hansen said the county has not been contacted by a company planning to build a data center in Emmet County. But residents are raising questions about a data center’s use of electricity and of water use.

“If they’re sucking up all the electricity and we have a blackout because they’ve taken all the electricity out of the area, residents are going to be a little upset then,” Hansen said. “Those are some concerns we have to look into and actually see if they’re true or not.”

The Emmet County officials are currently working on an ordinance governing the placement of solar panels in areas outside of cities and towns in the county. Hansen said the one-year moratorium gives the board, as well as planning and zoning officials, time to complete that project before they develop guidelines for a data center ordinance.

Iowa’s biofuel producers are responding to reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intends to double the amount of Small Refinery Exemptions (SRE), which allow refineries to opt out of renewable fuel blending requirements in the nation’s gas supply.

The news comes after the Trump administration sharply increased the mandated amount of renewable fuels to be blended into the nation’s gas supply in 2026 and 2027. 

Grant Kimberly, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board and the Iowa Soybean Association, said the move could cost farmers at a time when they were just beginning to recover from a two-year slump.

“These SREs would effectively — if they went forward as the rumors have been indicating, it would destroy roughly 500 million gallons of biomass-based diesel demand,” Kimberly said. “The estimates out there is that it would cost U.S. soybean farmers about $1 billion in lost revenue.”

The oil and gas industry has opposed renewable fuel blending requirements and lobbied for the exemptions. Ag groups and members of Iowa’s congressional delegation are opposing expanding the exemptions.

Iowa school districts have spent the summer deciding if they will adopt a new rule allowing eighth graders to play in varsity sports.

State lawmakers passed the bill in May, but school districts had to decide if and how they would implement it for this school year.

The state’s largest school district, Des Moines Public Schools, decided to consider eligible students based on their needs. Athletic Operations Director Jason Allen said each decision will be made on a case-by-case basis. When a student is interested, the school will evaluate their skill level, physical and emotional maturity and whether they are ready for a high school level workload.

Allen said the number one consideration will always be the safety of the player.

“That’s going to take priority over any situations that we have regarding our rosters and our participation rates,” Allen said.

Zac Sinram, athletics and activities director at West Des Moines Community Schools, said the district had to consider how the new model might affect junior high programs, which run shorter so students can try multiple activities.

“What I didn’t want to do was close that exploratory nature of what junior high years and junior high activities are all about,” Sinram said. “So that’s kind of how we landed with where we landed with varsity contributors or fill a roster.”

Sinram said skill level and the needs of a roster will determine an eighth grader’s eligibility to play at the varsity level. West Des Moines Schools will not allow eighth grade students to play contact sports like football.

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled an executive order from President Donald Trump restricting mail-in voting can stand for now.

Trump signed the order earlier this year, but the U.S. Postal Service only issued final rules on who gets a mail-in ballot on Friday. The Supreme Court’s emergency decision allows legal challenges to the executive order to make their way through lower courts. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley said he doesn’t think any restrictions will go into effect for the midterm elections.

“I think that all these decisions that are coming within two months of the upcoming election won't have time to be implemented,” Grassley said. “If they are legal and upheld by the courts, the first opportunity they'll have to play much of a role is in the 2028 presidential election.”

Iowa is among the states that have either provided or said they’ll provide their full statewide voter registration lists to the federal government.

The Trump administration has sued 30 states and Washington, D.C., for not complying with the request to turn over their lists. According to the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice, 23 of those cases have been dismissed.

Corn farmers in Iowa and the Midwest may get a little relief from this year’s high costs following a recent bump in the corn futures market.

For the first time in 18 months, corn prices have hit $5 a bushel after a U.S. Department of Agriculture report estimated lower yields ahead of this year’s harvest.

Higher prices are a welcome relief from inflated farm input costs for fertilizer and diesel. Despite that positive price increase, ag economist Abygail Peterson with the Nebraska Farm Bureau said she still expects many farmers will operate at a loss this year.

“It might help margins a little bit; it just kind of depends on how hard that land has been hit by drought, high temperatures, things like that,” Peterson said. “Hopefully, with all those factors combined, maybe the losses we're looking at won't be as severe. But unfortunately, I do still think we are looking at a loss this year.”

Demand for exports is expected to stay high.

The Marshalltown City Council voted Monday night to approve a four-month moratorium on data center construction. The moratorium is dated back to July, so the ban is slated to end in November.

Assistant Director of Housing and Community Development Clayton Ender said the city can seek an extension past the Nov. 23 deadline if it needs more time to consider the issue.

“There is a provision included within the ordinance to grant the city council the authority to do a one-time, 60-day extension if it’s found additional time is needed to study the topic or to process any amendments through the legal process,” Ender said.

Mayor Mike Ladehoff opened the floor for public comment and the first person to speak was Layne Pieri.

“We need the moratorium in place as soon as possible,” Pieri said. “Right now, the moratorium is not active. Even after a vote, it does not become real until it is printed in a newspaper. Waiving the third reading shortens that gap. It reduces the time where a developer could try to start something and later say they should be grandfathered in.”

A developer who was at the meeting vowed to move forward with the process of buying the land for a future data center.

Nearly all of the citizens who spoke were in favor of the moratorium and waiving the third reading, which the council voted to do.

Natalie Dunlap

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Iowa Public Radio

Biking is good for personal health and the economy — and there are new numbers to back it up.

The Iowa Bicycle Coalition released a new impact study 10 years after its previous one. In that decade, bike trails have steadily grown to connect more urban centers and rural communities. Matt Burkey, with the coalition, said that has been great for the state.

“We found that recreational riding and bike commuting in Iowa generates over $1 billion for Iowa's economy, and almost 1 million Iowans ride a bike annually,” Burkey said.

In addition to the Iowans who are getting out on the trails, bike tourists come to ride in the state and spend money along the way. Retail and restaurants are the biggest beneficiaries of those dollars. But riders are the ones who are lowering their rates of certain cancer, diabetes and poor mental health, according to the report.

Public health officials are encouraging parents to vaccinate their infants against measles amid a possible outbreak in the southern part of the state.

State health officials said 16 measles cases have been confirmed so far this year, with evidence of person-to-person spread. 

Sam Jarvis, community health division manager with Johnson County Public Health, said parents of infants under 1 year old should consider getting a zero dose MMR shot. 

“This is purely for protection, and why it's called the zero dose is it doesn't count towards the routine two dose series,” Jarvis said. “But if you fall between that time frame, we're wanting to make sure that infants between 6 and 11 months are afforded that protection, just in case.”

According to state data, about 84% of the state's 2-year-olds got the MMR shot last year. 

A jury was unable to reach a verdict in the first-degree murder trial of a man accused of killing a Native American woman more than 40 years ago in Sioux City.

Thomas Popp was accused of murdering Terri McCauley in 1983. A grand jury indicted Popp last year while he was living in Washington state.

Jurors said they couldn’t come up with a decision on Monday, leading the judge to declare a mistrial. The county attorney has 90 days to decide if he will retry Popp for the crime.

Read more.

Rachel Cramer

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Iowa Public Radio

Democratic candidate for secretary of agriculture Chris Jones is focusing his campaign on clean water. The retired research scientist laid out his vision for Iowa at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the state fair on Saturday.

“I tell people they should view this campaign as a referendum on the condition of Iowa’s water,” Jones said. “So, if you think the condition of our water is adequate, if you think progress towards cleaning it up is adequate, then I’m probably not your person.”

Jones said cleaner water will require shifting from agriculture dominated by corn, soybeans and concentrated animal feeding operations into something more diverse. This includes more pasture for raising sustainable beef, increasing small grain production, like oats, and growing more fruits and vegetables for schools and local consumers.

Jones said this type of change requires incentives and what he has called “common-sense regulations.” He’s running against incumbent Republican Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig in the Nov. 3 election.  

Libertarian Jake Heard said he hopes to give voters in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District a third option in November. But first he has to make it on the ballot. 

The criminal defense attorney from Urbandale was recently nominated by the Libertarian Party of Iowa as a replacement candidate. However, the substitution was rejected by the Secretary of State’s Office over its timing.  

Speaking at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the state fair on Saturday, Heard said blocking third party candidates prevents wider conversations on policy. 

“It shouldn't be that tough to let the people of Iowa choose,” he told the crowd. “If Republicans believe their policy ideas win the day, then they should be able to face any challenger on the ballot.” 

A Polk County judge will decide this week on ballot access for both Heard and the Libertarian ticket for governor. 

Maura Curran

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Iowa Public Radio

The Democrat running for Iowa attorney general promises to keep defending Iowans from wage theft. Nate Willems spoke during the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the state fair on Friday.

Willems, a labor lawyer, told the audience that there’s allegedly $900 million stolen from working Iowans each year. He said he has represented workers for 20 years, including 11,000 hospital employees in Iowa City whose wages were being paid late.

“We put together a class action, recovered $15 million for them and now that hospital follows the law,” he said.

Willems said his work as a labor lawyer is the kind of work the attorney general’s office should be doing.

The Democrat will face off against incumbent Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird in November.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is investigating a fish kill in Hecker Creek in northeast Iowa. The incident occurred during the same time as a massive fire at a meat processing plant in nearby Postville in late July.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch confirmed the DNR’s investigation on Friday. The department has not said the two incidents are related.

The fish kill was observed in late July. On July 28, a fire destroyed three-quarters of the Agri Star Meat plant, which is directly upstream. Over 20 area fire departments and emergency agencies responded to the fire over multiple days.

An environmental group sued Agri Star Meat and Poultry in 2025, alleging it polluted nearby waterways, including Hecker Creek.

Beginning in September, Scott County will launch a program that aims to combat chronic homelessness by leveraging both the courts and social services. The program hopes to serve 15 people, with a budget of roughly $270,000 for its first year.

The approach is called assisted outpatient treatment and it targets people who spend a lot of time in emergency rooms or shelters but refuse to stay in long-term programs.

Scott County Community Services Director Lori Elam said that when various providers in the county got together to identify their highest utilizers, they came up with a list of 17 people.

“Then we went back to our respective offices and calculated how much we had spent on those 17 people over the last five years, and we came up with $7.1 million for those 17 people, and we have not made their lives any better,” Elam said.

The new program is fully grant funded. Starting in September, a judge can order someone to participate in the program. Providers then coordinate to make sure the individual is following their medical regimen, showing up for appointments or connecting to the social services they need.

Johnson County has a similar program, but it’s not court ordered.

More imports of foreign ground beef will be allowed into the country following an announcement from President Donald Trump. Agriculture leaders say the move could be bad for American cattle producers.

Beef prices are up significantly this year due to a smaller cattle herd, but people are still buying beef products at the grocery store.

Trump said more tariff-free, low-price imports of ground beef could help save consumers money and give farmers time to grow their cattle herds. But Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue disagrees.

“We're just short cattle, and that drives the market up,” McHargue said. “But what that does is also provides added dollars into those ranchers' pockets to do the expansion that is needed to actually get more supply in the market.”

The White House said more imports will be allowed for 90 days.

Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson called the decision a “bad idea.”

Union workers at John Deere voted down a proposed contract extension on Sunday, setting the stage for bargaining in 2027. The United Auto Workers (UAW) union represents workers at major Deere factories in Iowa.

Deere proposed the two-year extension in July, saying it hoped to provide "continuity" to its employees until the farm economy stabilizes. But UAW members chose to seek better terms when the current contract expires in October 2027. 

The company laid off nearly 4,000 employees between 2023 and 2025. But recent hiring has reversed those trends, with roughly 400 workers returning to jobs in Iowa and Illinois this year.

Deere also announced rising profits this summer, attributed to tariff refunds and demand from the AI building boom.

Nebraska Public Media

Iowa Public Radio has named a new CEO. Peter Clowney will take over for Myrna Johnson, who retired in July. 

Most recently, Clowney served as the chief operating officer at Nebraska Public Media. His career goes back more than 30 years and includes experience as an editor and executive in public media and podcasting. Clowney spent more than a decade with American Public Media and also held positions with Gimlet Media and SiriusXM. 

Clowney will oversee IPR’s $10 million annual budget and around 70 employees around the state, including at offices in Ames, Des Moines, Cedar Falls and Iowa City.

Read more.

Madeleine C King

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Iowa Public Radio

The 2026 Iowa State Fair ended Sunday by breaking multiple attendance records.

The state fair saw a record-breaking 1,218,834 people over the 11-day run, topping the previous record of 1,182,682 from 2024. Saturday broke the record for the biggest single-day attendance with 130,654 people entering the fairgrounds.

Rainy conditions dampened attendance on the first two days of this year’s fair, but once the skies cleared, single-day attendance records were set multiples times until finally reaching the record on Saturday.

Libertarians running for governor and in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District are challenging the Secretary of State in court to try to make it on the November ballot.

The party nominated substitutes to replace candidates for the 3rd District seat and lieutenant governor.

The Secretary of State’s office rejected the new candidates, saying the wrong process was followed. That means the ticket for governor and candidate for the 3rd District are not officially on the ballot.

A Polk County judge said he plans to rule on the matter by late next week.

At the Little League World Series, Davenport pitchers threw a combined no-hitter to beat California 1-0 in their opening game in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Cooper Thissen struck out 15 batters and had a no-hitter going until he was removed from the game with one out in the sixth inning after reaching the little league maximum pitch count of 85. Thissen also scored the game’s only run with a home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning.

Iowa will play the winner of tonight’s Pennsylvania-New Jersey game on Sunday.

The Libertarian running for Iowa governor said property rights need to be reformed and more needs to be done to improve water quality. Nicholas Gluba made his comments at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox Thursday at the state fair.

Gluba is calling for changes to property tax law, eminent domain and agricultural pollution in waterways. He promised to sign a bill restricting the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines, if elected. Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed a similar bill last year.

He also touted a property tax plan that would base tax assessments on the last fair sale purchase price.

Gluba said he has a proposal to expand water quality efforts too, like increasing fine amounts for chemical dumping in waterways.

“There’s also going to be restrictions on how close you can use pesticides, herbicides or various like glyphosates, nitrates and what not, around moving waters,” he told fairgoers.

Libertarians recently chose a new running mate for Gluba after the State Objection Panel disqualified his first choice. The Secretary of State’s Office said the substitution was filed too late and doesn’t count. Gluba is challenging that decision in court to try to force the Libertarian ticket onto the November ballot.

Isabella Luu

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Iowa Public Radio

Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James, a candidate in Iowa’s 2nd District race, said the U.S. needs to end the war in Iran and redirect the billions in war spending back to the U.S.

James called the Trump’s administration’s foreign policy decisions “reckless” and said they’re harming Iowans. She pointed to the Iowa soldiers who were killed and the jump in fertilizer and gas prices. 

James talked to reporters after appearing at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox. When asked whether she supports the U.S. mission in Iran, she said there’s no longer a nuclear threat. 

“I would say that we need accountability for sure when there's nuclear weapons involved. But that has been well established that that is no longer a threat,” she said. “The war needs to be ended, and we need to bring those our soldiers home, and we need to bring our resources back to the United States.”

James is running against Republican Joe Mitchell, Libertarian Rick Stewart and independent Dave Bushaw.

Sheila Brummer

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Iowa Public Radio

A small northwest Iowa town at the center of a data center debate has voted down a one-year moratorium. Even though several people at the Salix City Council meeting voiced support for a moratorium Thursday night, the measure failed in a 3-2 vote.

Salix annexed 900 acres of farmland south of Sioux City for a potential project involving MidAmerican Energy and Google.

Council member Denise Burkhart voted against the moratorium."

“We need to open conversations with Google to see what they want to bring here, what they're capable of doing for our community,” Burkhart said. “And it may not be right for us, but we're not going to know until we ask the questions.”

Another council member said he thought the moratorium was already approved in July and that the council was only supposed to vote on its language on Thursday.

The vote was delayed a week after city officials received death and terroristic threats on social media.

Read more.

Meghan McKinney

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Iowa Public Radio

A Libertarian who has run for several public offices in Iowa is now vying to represent Iowans in the 2nd Congressional District. Rick Stewart last ran for governor in 2022. At the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox, he talked about different tax policies.
 
“This country is so rich. We are not going to run out of money because we have free riders. We're going to run out of money because we have a tax and spend system that taxes way too much, spends way too much, causes us to borrow too much money, causes interest rates to go up. We have regulatory expense. The government has made everything more expensive,” Stewart told state fairgoers. 

Talking to reporters after his speech, Stewart said income taxes should be eliminated and replaced with a land tax. He also supports a universal basic income program, regardless of income, and wants to end all public assistance programs.  
 
Stewart cofounded Frontier Natural Products Co-op in 1976. He faces Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James, Republican Joe Mitchell and independent Dave Bushaw in the general election.

Isabella Luu

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Iowa Public Radio

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is the latest Trump administration cabinet official to make a stop in Iowa. But he said it’s not because Republicans are worried about losing Iowa in the midterms.

Blanche visited the Iowa State Fair Thursday, less than two weeks after he was sworn in. He said Sen. Chuck Grassley invited him and that they have a personal relationship beyond work.

“I saw an influx of cabinet officials a few weeks ago in Wyoming. I saw an influx of cabinet officials a few weeks ago in Miami as well. So I like that there could be a narrative that we run around compensating for fear about what's going to happen in the election, but it's not true,” Blanche said.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins visited the state fair earlier this week. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have also been to Iowa recently.

Natalie Krebs

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Iowa Public Radio

Incumbent Attorney General Brenna Bird said she will continue targeting people who scam Iowans if she’s reelected this November.

While speaking at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the state fair on Monday, she said her office has aggressively gone after scammers during her first term, and she plans to continue doing so. 

“We were the first state in the union to sue the crypto ATMs that were being used as the getaway driver for people's money when they were getting scammed and ripped off,” Bird said. “We sued them, and now today, one of those companies has declared bankruptcy, and we are still moving forward with those lawsuits to protect Iowans.”

Bird said she also wants to ensure there are additional protections for law enforcement and increased services for crime victims. 

The Republican was first elected to be Iowa’s attorney general in 2022, narrowly beating out longtime Democratic incumbent Tom Miller. This election, she faces Democrat Nate Willems.

Meghan McKinney

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Iowa Public Radio

The independent candidate running for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District said he would work to improve water quality, if elected. Dave Bushaw said the president should deem America’s water quality a national emergency.
 
Bushaw, a farmer and labor organizer from West Union, said he would work on legislation for a federal work program to keep nitrates, PFAS and other contaminants out of the water supply.

“We have the technology to do it, but capital is the problem, and we can't wait for private investment to come in,” Bushaw told fairgoers at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox. “We can't wait for it to trickle in through localities raising money or states raising money. We need a federal, principled, targeted approach on this.”
 
Bushaw also said he supports citizen ballot initiatives and universal healthcare. He faces Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James, Republican Joe Mitchell and Libertarian Rick Stewart in the Nov. 3 election.

The incumbent candidate for Iowa secretary of agriculture said he has worked to expand markets for Iowa’s farmers and scale up conservation practices across the state. Secretary Mike Naig spoke at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the state fair on Monday.

The Republican touted his work leading international trade missions, fighting for nationwide E15 and launching Choose Iowa, a program that promotes products grown, raised and made in the state.

He also talked about the acceleration of conservation practices, like cover crops. Naig believes more needs to be done but said the approach should remain voluntary, drawing a distinction with his opponent, Democrat Chris Jones.

“He just has a very fundamentally different opinion about how to work on the issues that we need to work on: taxing and regulating farmers instead of working together,” Naig said. “What that leads to is a smaller agriculture, a diminished agriculture, and frankly, that kind of taxing and regulating drives farmers out of business.”

Jones has called for what he says are “common sense regulations,” which include banning fall tillage on corn-soy rotations and returning local control of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to counties. 

Jones will speak at the soapbox on Saturday.

Spirit Lake Community School District leaders unveiled plans for an ambitious renovation project estimated to cost nearly $70 million.

Superintendent David Smith said the project would address aging infrastructure and longstanding maintenance needs.

“We have numerous areas where we need brand new HVAC,” Smith said. “We need new lights. We need new roofs. We need new electrical, windows and doors. We’re focused mainly on the elementary and in the high school.”

The plans also include improvements to the bus barn and a $13 million “athletic bubble” that would include a new field house. But Smith has recommended removing the latter from the project. He said the entire effort would be a major undertaking.

“We would have full, new classrooms in numerous parts. Basically, we would take down 50% of the elementary and about 50% of the high school and rebuild it from scratch,” he said. “We would move our vo-tech [vocational-technical], which is not connected with our high school building. It basically needs to be knocked to the ground. It needs to be a complete overhaul.”

The plan was unveiled Wednesday after a community tour of both schools. The Spirit Lake School Board voted Wednesday night to move forward on a $69.9 million bond referendum this November.

A few thousand people were recognized at the Iowa State Fair Thursday for having a farm in the family for over 100 years.

The Century Farm program launched at the 1976 Iowa State Fair, with 5,000 farms that had been in the same family since 1876 or receiving recognition.

This year’s ceremony recognized 274 Century Farms and another 240 Heritage Farms that have been in the same family for at least 150 years. The nearly day-long event was held in the Iowa State Fair’s Livestock Pavilion, which was built in 1902 and was the first major building on the fairgrounds.

“I could not think of a better place to celebrate those families,” said Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

Families were invited on stage individually, where they received a sign to put up at their farm showing that it’s been in the same family for generations.

Sheila Brummer

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Iowa Public Radio

The Democrat running for Congress in Iowa’s most conservative region wants to flip the traditionally Republican 4th District.

Dave Dawson is a former state lawmaker and prosecutor from Lawton, just outside of Sioux City. He believes both parties need to come together to fix the problems facing the U.S.

“My campaign slogan is ‘Let's Grow Iowa Together,’ because I truly believe if we work together, whether you're a Democrat, Republican or an independent, we can come up with the best solutions for our country to help move our country forward,” Dawson said during his Des Moines Register Political Soapbox speech at the state fair.

He told the crowd that he’s committed to expanding healthcare, addressing the cancer crisis and improving rural communities. He also said it’s important to run a civil and respectful campaign.

Dawson’s challenger is Republican Chris McGowan, the head of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce. Both candidates recently ran into each other at the Woodbury County Fair and took a photo together holding an American Flag that has been circulating on social media.

The 4th Congressional District covers 36 counties in western and north-central Iowa and includes the cities of Council Bluffs, Ames and Marshalltown.

Eliza Billingham

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Iowa Public Radio

Independent candidate Michael Bridgford is a new voice in an eastern Iowa congressional race that’s been dominated by the same candidates in recent election cycles.

Democrat Christina Bohannan is challenging Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks for the 1st District seat in the U.S. House for the third time. But Bridgford, who’s a financial advisor from the Quad Cities, told state fairgoers at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox that the two-party system isn’t benefiting anyone.

“Nothing's getting better. Nothing's changing,” he said. “Unfortunately, when people get elected now to go to Washington, you're given a red jersey, you're given a blue jersey, and you go to battle. You're doing what's best for the party, not what's best for the country, and that's what's putting us in this place.”

Bridgford said he would push for things like term limits and campaign finance reform if elected to Congress.

Iowa’s 1st District is one of 19 House races considered a “toss up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

Natalie Krebs

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Iowa Public Radio

Some employees of the Agri Star Meat and Poultry plant in Postville are returning to work after a massive fire closed the facility in July.

The company made the announcement on Facebook, saying limited operations could resume next week. Agri Star said significant rebuilding efforts are underway and will continue even as some workers return to the facility.

The fire destroyed roughly three quarters of the facility, impacting over 600 employees. Argi Star is one of the region’s largest employers.   

Sheila Brummer

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Iowa Public Radio

A western Iowa community is dealing with the environmental fallout of a Cold War missile site 62 years after it was deactivated. More than 100 people packed a public meeting in Missouri Valley Wednesday night to find out when the contaminated water will finally be cleaned up.

An environmental investigation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started in 2012. But now the Corps is telling residents that it needs up to two more years to decide how to tackle the trichloroethene (TCE) left behind by the former Atlas "D" missile site in the Loess Hills of Harrison County.

Courtesy of the United States Air Force

TCE has been linked to cancer, Parkinson’s disease and other health complications. Resident DeAnn Paul spoke about her health concerns at Wednesday’s public meeting.

“I've had two dogs die of cancer. I've had a brain tumor removed. I have all sorts of neurological issues,” she said. “Why did it take so long to tell us?”

Project manager Scott Sawyer said federal law restricts how quickly the agency can move.

“I apologize that it's not what you want. It's not at the speed you'd like to see it. It's just not going to be because I can't change the rules. We cannot change the rules,” Sawyer told the crowd.

The federal government has provided some property owners with water purification systems. But residents worry that any level of TCE is too much.

The Corps said it has tested three different treatment methods, each showing some reduction in TCE.

Read more.

Madeleine C King

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Iowa Public Radio

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has shifted its prediction of two key Iowa races. It changed the governor’s race from a “toss up” to “lean Democrat” and Iowa's U.S. Senate race from “lean Republican” to a “toss up.”

The changes were made after analysts reviewed recent poll results and the current political environment in the state.

In the governor’s race, Democrat Rob Sand is running against Republican Zach Lahn. In the Senate race, Republican Ashley Hinson, Democrat Josh Turek and Libertarian Thomas Laehn are on the ballot this November.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is investigating a spill into Bulger Creek in Dallas County that occurred after a large structure fire south of De Soto. 

The fire at an auto salvage facility caused the release of an unknown amount of fuel, oil and water into the nearby creek, according to a news release from DNR.

When DNR staff responded to the incident Wednesday, they observed an “oily sheen” on the creek, according to the release.

Local officials are assisting with placing absorbent booms in Bulger Creek to minimize the amount of spilled materials that flow downstream. Bulger Creek flows into the Raccoon River near Van Meter. 

According to the news release, the fire was extinguished and no dead fish have been observed in the creek, though downstream users are advised to use precaution in the water. 

WHO 13 reported that the Aug. 19 fire at Hawkeye Auto Salvage left one person injured.

Indianola has joined other Iowa cities in discontinuing its Flock camera program due to privacy concerns. Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers are used by police to scan passing cars for license plate numbers and other vehicle information.

Indianola Police Lieutenant Tye Sparks said there have been national and local concerns about third parties accessing the data that Flock cameras collect.

“As useful as they were for us, some of those questions, we didn’t have the answer for. And that’s with the third-party association involved with it,” Sparks said.

Sparks said the Indianola Police Department is halting the program until more regulations are put in place to address the data transparency concerns.

Other central Iowa cities, including Ankeny and Urbandale, are still using Flock cameras. Urbandale amended its contract in April to prohibit Flock from sharing its data with third parties without the city’s consent.

Sen. Chuck Grassley said President Donald Trump and Congress don’t get enough credit for steps taken to address inflation and concerns about affordability.

According to the Federal Reserve of New York, credit card debt is nearing record levels as more Americans use credit cards to pay for basic expenses. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Grassley was asked if the president has done enough to acknowledge concerns about inflation and affordability.

“Not enough to acknowledge it, but he is doing the right things by appointing [Kevin] Warsh to be the Fed director to get inflation down,” Grassley said.

Kevin Warsh took over as chairman of the Federal Reserve in May. So far, he has kept interest rates steady. Grassley also pointed to Americans saving an average of $3,400 on their taxes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law last year, along with steps Trump has taken to reduce input costs for farmers.

Gavin McGough

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Iowa Public Radio

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said he’ll keep working to build trust in elections if voters give him another term this November. Speaking at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair, the Republican said he wants to increase voter turnout and feels the issue is related to election security.  

“Our voter participation numbers are up from when I started in office,” Pate told the crowd of fairgoers. “I point this out to you because part of my job — and a big part of it — is dispelling misinformation, disinformation that's being put out there. We have foreign actors who do this, trying to cause us to lose confidence in our elections, and we can't let them do that.”

Pate said poll worker training programs, paper ballots and voter ID laws keep Iowa elections secure. The Cedar Rapids resident served a term as secretary of state in the 1990s before returning to the office in 2015.

He faces Democrat Ryan Peterman in the general election.

A woman was killed and a state trooper was wounded in a shooting in the town of Stuart in central Iowa. 

Officers from the state patrol and local agencies responded to reports of shots fired Tuesday afternoon. They found Toni Elena-Ann Salazar, 42, had been shot and killed.  

They also found Nichols Reed, 46, carrying a shotgun. Reed fired at State Trooper Chase Carruthers. Carruthers was taken to a hospital in Des Moines, where he’s reported to be in stable condition. 

Reed was arrested and faces charges of murder and attempted murder of a police officer. 

The Democratic candidate for Iowa Secretary of State said elections need to be secure and accessible while addressing fairgoers at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.

Ryan Peterman criticized Republican state lawmakers for shortening early voting to 20 days and said he would advocate for a longer window if elected.

“I don't see how going from our previous period down to our shorter period now benefited anyone,” he said. “The same amount of work has to be done. We have a shorter amount of time to do it.”

Peterman doesn’t think the new voting laws in Iowa improve election security. Rather, he said they “hinder accessibility.” He pointed to voter attestation, which is when someone attests to someone else’s identity at the polls, as something that should be brought back.

Peterman grew up in Bettendorf and was an officer in the Navy. He is running against Republican incumbent Paul Pate.

Electric scooters and e-bikes can be a lot of fun or a terrible menace, depending on who you ask. Communities across Iowa are working to better regulate the speedy two-wheelers to make trails and roads safer.

This week, Estherville City Council voted to put new restrictions on what it calls “micro-mobility devices.”

“We took the city’s existing bicycle regulations and added the other types of micro-mobility devices that people are using these days,” said Estherville City Administrator Penny Clayton. “That would include things like electric scooters and e-bikes, among some other items.”

The ordinance states that riders of these devices need to operate them in a safe and responsible manner, following all traffic codes like stopping at stop signs and giving the right of way to pedestrians.

“They need to not operate in a reckless manner. So stunting, speeding, zigzagging, just generally making a nuisance of themselves, they need to not do that,” Clayton said.

Those who violate the ordinance could face fines or impounding of the device for between seven and 30 days.

Several Iowa cities have adopted similar ordinances to regulate the use of e-bikes and scooters. Marion, for example, has set a 10 mph speed limit for sidewalks.

A Sioux City man is accused of threatening Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis and the Sioux City Police Department. Christian Burford, 28, has been charged with two counts of threats of terrorism.

On Monday morning, police were alerted to the 300 block of Court Street, where papers were left that appeared to be threatening in nature. One of the papers had a photo of Loomis and a handwritten note claiming there would be a bomb under his vehicle.

Sioux City police were also contacted by the Fort Bend County Justice Center in Richmond, Texas. They received an email just after 11 p.m. on Sunday that made threats to bomb the Sioux City Police Department.

The department investigated the threats and obtained information from a social media account, which led to the arrest of the defendant. Burford is being held on $10,000 bond in the Woodbury County jail.

Isabella Luu

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Iowa Public Radio

Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn told state fairgoers that his bipartisan record makes him an effective choice for Congress. Nunn, who’s running for his third term in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, spoke to Iowans at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox on Monday.

The nonpartisan group Bridge Grades recently ranked Nunn as the third most bipartisan member in the U.S. House. At the fair, Nunn highlighted his work on a bipartisan housing bill that became law in July. Nunn’s provisions on rural housing made it into the final version.  

“We've been able to pass three bills and get them signed to law under Joe Biden, and I don't always agree with Joe Biden on very much,” Nunn said. “But we also passed 27 bills signed into law under President Trump. They were all the reflection of our hard work here.”

Nunn also highlighted his past bills to ban congressional members from trading stocks and touted his support of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law in July 2025.

Nunn is running against Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, of West Des Moines.

Trone Garriott criticized Nunn for voting for Medicaid cuts included in the law. The nonpartisan group KFF estimated it will reduce Medicaid spending by $137 billion in rural areas over the next 10 years. 

Gavin McGough

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Iowa Public Radio

Republican 4th District U.S. House candidate Chris McGowan said he’ll focus on economic development and property rights if Iowans elect him to Congress.

Speaking at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair, McGowan said he wants to work on legislation to reduce the government’s power to take private land.

“The reason for that is because people want to be reassured — assured and reassured — that their property, their investment in property, is sacred, and that they can dictate and they can have input on how their property is used,” McGowan said.

He said this issue is important to Iowa farmers, especially those who’ve been trying to stop the use of eminent domain to build a carbon capture pipeline in the state.

The Sioux City native works as an economic developer and is running against Democrat Dave Dawson for the open 4th District seat. The district is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and includes 36 counties in western Iowa.

Sheila Brummer

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Iowa Public Radio

The Republican running for Congress in Iowa’s 2nd District said Washington, D.C., needs a shake-up. Joe Mitchell of Clear Lake is a former state lawmaker and homebuilder, who served as a regional director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Mitchell said he doesn’t accept PAC money and supports term limits and a ban on insider trading by elected officials.

“There's too many people. They're out there, they're working their butts off, and they're getting ripped off. And their government screwed them over. So that's why we're running for Congress,” Mitchell said.

Speaking at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair, Mitchell also took aim at Democratic challenger state Rep. Lindsay James of Dubuque, calling her too liberal and criticizing her attendance record in the Iowa House.

The 2nd Congressional District covers 22 counties and includes Mason City, Waterloo and Cedar Rapids.

The Dubuque Community School District has proposed a set of school consolidations to reduce costs.

In a letter released Monday, the district announced it must reach roughly $17 million in savings by 2031. The preferred plan involves merging the city’s two high schools and closing multiple middle schools.

The district will hold a series of public input sessions over the next two weeks, with the goal of recommending a final plan to the school board in October.

Reduced state funding and low birth rates are behind the change, according to the district. Twenty years ago, Dubuque served over 10,000 students. Estimates show that number will be down to 8,000 by 2031.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn said he would like to redirect existing University of Iowa funding to increase pediatric cancer research. Lahn participated in a cancer roundtable hosted by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Tuesday in Urbandale. 

As governor, Lahn said he would like to look at ways to reallocate university resources to support cancer research before increasing funding from the state.

“Would you say that a degree in the humanities is more important than funding more pediatric cancer research? I don't think it is. I think pediatric cancer research is actually more important,” he said. 

This year, Iowa lawmakers approved directing up to $3 million annually to the University of Iowa for pediatric cancer research. 

During the event, Lahn also said he would support a $1.50 per pack increase to the state’s tobacco tax, but only if there's a commeasurable increase in resources to help Iowans stop smoking. According to the Iowa Cancer Registry, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the state. 

Lahn’s Democratic opponent Rob Sand participated in a cancer roundtable in July. 

KSCJ

Hundreds of colorful backpacks packed with essential school supplies were passed out Monday in Sioux City. Parents and students lined up at the district’s downtown Educational Service Center ahead of the first day of school to receive the free back-to-school supplies.

Lizzy Diaz, a family communications specialist with the district, said local businesses and other donors provided all of the items for the students.

“A lot of great people in the community come together and donate a lot of school supplies, along with backpacks, and we end up giving them out to our families that are in need,” Diaz said. “The need is great and we do help out a lot of our families.”

The district’s English Language Learner, Dual Language and Student Services Department said there were about 800 backpacks filled with supplies available during the event. Diaz said all families in the district were invited to the event, regardless of income.

More free backpacks will be passed out across the Sioux City Community School District Tuesday during Back to School Night.

Gavin McGough

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Iowa Public Radio

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the Iowa State Fair Monday to boost support for Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn and to sell the defense department’s hefty budget proposal.

Hegseth said that Nunn is a needed ally to champion the Trump administration’s contested defense budget in Congress. Nunn, a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, is running for reelection in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. 

The defense secretary lauded Nunn as a supporter of defense spending.

“President Trump needs the type of leaders who understand why a $1.5 trillion budget, a one-time generational investment, is what is necessary to ensure that my kids and your kids, that your grandkids and my grandkids, live in a free country, defended by the most powerful military in the world,” Hegseth said.

Politico reported that the $1.5 trillion request would be the biggest defense budget in modern history if passed.

In July, Hegseth estimated the war with Iran has cost the U.S. nearly $40 billion since it started in February.

Hegseth’s visit to Iowa comes as the U.S. and Iran pass their 60-day deadline for a deal to end the war. Both countries signed an agreement framework back in June that expired on Monday. 

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Natalie Krebs

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Iowa Public Radio

U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson called herself a bipartisan fighter who will focus on making things like healthcare more affordable for Iowans. Hinson made her comments at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the state fair on Monday. 

The Republican U.S. representative from Marion said she will work to lower healthcare costs for Iowans and protect certain public benefits if elected to be Iowa’s next U.S. senator.

“I know there is more to do to protect Medicare and Social Security,” she told the crowd. “I know there is more to do to make sure we're standing up for our veterans and delivering every single benefit that you all have earned.”

Hinson said that as a representative in the U.S. House, she has worked to enact policies like no taxes on tips or overtime and has reduced Social Security taxes. 

Hinson faces Libertarian Thomas Laehn and Democrat Josh Turek in the Nov. 3 election. Read more from the Iowa State Fair’s political soapbox.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Unsplash

A measles outbreak has been confirmed in southern Iowa.

As of Aug. 16, 12 cases of the respiratory infection have been identified by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Health officials said there is evidence of person-to-person spread. The highly contagious illness is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Iowa HHS did not identify specific counties in southern Iowa that are being impacted by the outbreak.

The department released a list of locations individuals visited while contagious, including Des Moines, West Des Moines, Clive and Bloomfield. Iowa HHS recommends that anyone who was at those locations during the listed dates and times monitor themselves for symptoms.

Libertarian candidate Thomas Laehn warned state fairgoers over weekend that his opponents for U.S. Senate are too concerned with special corporate interests.

At the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox, Laehn targeted Republican U.S. Rep. Ashely Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek for being beholden to PACs and deep-pocketed donors.

“I will not be beholden to any political party or interest group,” Laehn said. “There are no PACs funding my campaign. Every donation I've received has been from an individual Iowan, and I will go to Washington, D.C., and I will represent all of you.”

According to campaign finance data, Laehn’s top two contributors are individuals from Colorado and South Carolina. Laehn has raised just over $30,000, compared to Turek’s $6 million and Hinson’s $10 million.

Laehn was elected Greene County attorney after teaching university courses on American government and constitutional law. He’s the first Libertarian in Iowa to be voted into a partisan office.

Grant Gerlock

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Iowa Public Radio

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Trump administration’s new presidential fitness test is aimed at making kids healthier and more active. 

Kennedy stopped at the YMCA in Newton on Monday with 1st District U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks to promote the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. While there, they also observed kids practicing planks, push-ups and other exercises benchmarked in the test.

The Obama administration moved away from the test to its own youth fitness program, which Kennedy called a mistake. 

“We think the sedentary condition of many of our children is contributing to this malaise, to the mental health crisis, to the physical fitness crisis, to the chronic disease crisis in our country,” Kennedy said.

A new state law requires Iowa schools to make the fitness test part of physical education classes.  

U.S. Drought Monitor

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought conditions have improved overall in Iowa, but dry soil continues to persist in the western part of the state.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan said drought conditions are still able to pop up quickly in Iowa due to lingering effects from the multi-year drought that lasted from 2020 to 2024.

“There are many [monitoring] stations across the state that missed out on at least one year’s worth of rainfall,” Glisan said. “So, when you think about agricultural drought, it’s not so much because we’ve had regular rainfall through the growing season. But when we start to talk about hydrological or ecological drought, that’s where we look at those longer-term precipitation deficits having impacts on water availability in some parts of western Iowa.”

Around 36% of the state has abnormally dry conditions, which is an improvement from a week ago, when it was 44%. Just over 24% of the state has moderate drought conditions — all in western Iowa — with a pocket of severe drought in parts of Ida, Monona, Woodbury, Sac, Crawford, Carroll and Calhoun counties.

Glisan said the counties that have soil moisture deficits are now seeing more water demand.

“Particularly, as we warm up in summertime, with vegetative demand increasing from corn and beans, that’s where we start to extract soil moisture,” Glisan said. “So, you wrap in these warm temperatures, these windier conditions that we’ve seen, that’s where you start to see drier conditions prevail, and that’s where we see these drought conditions expanding.”

Three months ago, just 27% of the state had abnormally dry conditions. One year ago, none of the state was considered abnormally dry.

Sioux City Police Department

The funeral for the first woman to serve as a Sioux City police officer was held Monday. Janell Armstrong died Aug. 9 at the age of 84.

She was born Janell Clare Daws and grew up on a farm in Willis, Nebraska. She graduated from Bishop Heelan Catholic High School in 1960 and joined the Sioux City Police Department after going to the police academy in 1972. Her good friend Janet Comeau said joining the all-male department was not easy for Armstrong.

“It was difficult, breaking that glass ceiling and stepping into that with such fortitude and strength,” Comeau said. “Sometimes it was on a daily basis, just trying to get through the shock of her being on the force as a woman. She really set such a precedent and paved the way for all the women that are there now.”

Comeau said Armstrong was able to help many female victims of domestic abuse and assault cases because she had a different understanding of what they were going through.

“That role, as a woman police officer, was so impactful to the women who were injured, because there’s a compassion that comes from women who are victims that comes with an understanding that most men could not, especially at that time,” she said.

Armstrong published her autobiography, Patrolling the Darkness, in 2015, which told the story of how her faith guided her through her journey as the first female officer. Comeau said Armstrong started the first Bible study in the police and sheriff’s department, and she said many officers’ lives were changed through Armstrong’s courage in sharing the gospel.

Sheila Brummer

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Iowa Public Radio

Between the funnel cakes, midway rides and people-watching, the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox has become a fixture at the Iowa State Fair. This year, Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand drew large crowds as they made their cases to become Iowa’s next governor.

Lahn told the crowd that his priorities include keeping young people in Iowa, protecting family farms, strengthening public education and addressing cancer rates and water quality. He also took aim at Sand’s campaign finances, criticizing the millions of dollars his opponent has received from family members.

During Sand’s appearance on the soapbox stage, he pointed to his record as a state prosecutor and as Iowa’s only Democrat currently elected to statewide office.

He said state leaders should focus more on people than political parties and work together to solve problems. Sand acknowledges that some of his positions have upset members of his own party but said elected officials should tell people what they believe rather than what voters want to hear.

Keep reading.

Food manufacturers are under pressure from consumers and federal agencies to phase out synthetic, petroleum-based dyes, which have been linked to certain health risks. Researchers at the University of Missouri say a purple corn variety from South America could offer a natural alternative.

Pavel Somavat and his team of scientists found the extracted pigments largely retained their color, even when exposed to 250 degrees Fahrenheit for more than an hour. 

“If the colors are stable after that much heat exposure, it’s a very good thing because natural pigments, they tend to break down,” Somavat said.

They also found colors from purple corn held up well for weeks in both low- and high-acidic beverages stored at different temperatures.

The researchers are collaborating with a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher who’s developing purple corn varieties better suited to growing in the U.S. They say this could provide a new economic opportunity for farmers.

Read more from Harvest Public Media.

Smoke from distant wildfires has drifted into parts of Iowa, and mental health experts say that the dangerous air can affect more than just a person’s lungs.

Clinical health psychologist Dr. Kristi White said many of her patients are bringing up the smoky conditions during appointments.

“It can cause stress, it can cause anxiety and depression symptoms,” White said. “From just a physiological perspective, in terms of what it does to the brain, that particulate matter or pollution can actually cross over the blood-brain barrier.”

White said wildfire smoke can affect both physical and mental health, and it’s fueling concerns about the future. She said many people worry that smoke-filled summers could become more common.

“There’s kind of this background stress of climate change that’s making extreme heat and wildfires worse, and so this is starting to become something that is more regular and people don’t want it to become a new normal,” she said.

It’s recommended that people with various sensitivities consider lighter and shorter outdoor activities and go inside to cleaner air if symptoms appear. White said some people are feeling frustrated about missing opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.

“People are feeling like some of the best days of the year to get outside and spend time are kind of ruined for them,” White said. “A lot of people like to get outside, spend time in nature, really enjoy the summer weather.”

She said losing access to outdoor activities can take a real emotional toll.

Shaun Griswold

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Source New Mexico

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Saturday approved by voice vote its lineup of six early primaries for the 2028 election cycle, kicking off with South Carolina and Nevada. Notably, the early lineup excludes Iowa, despite a push from its state party officials to keep it among the initial contests.

In a speech opposing the 2028 calendar Saturday, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said that it “fundamentally misses the mark.”

“The 2028 calendar has no representation of states with a majority of central or mountain time zones, and no Midwest state is among the first four,” she said.

Hart noted that Republicans have kept the Iowa caucuses as the first contest of the 2028 presidential nominating process, and the resulting surge in spending in the state during its contest could harm Democratic candidates for elected office in the state if that spending is not met by Democrats.

DNC Chair Ken Martin said during Saturday’s meeting that the early lineup reflects the diversity of the party’s electorate.

“Our 2028 nominee, whoever they are, will have to earn the support across the full breadth of America — every region, every demographic, every generation, every economic station in life,” he said. “No shortcuts. No coronation. You want to lead this party? You go earn it.”

Saturday’s vote ratified the DNC’s rules and bylaws committee vote in late July to recommend the lineup for approval by the full party.

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