Central Iowa

The public library's book club geared toward students in sixth through eighth grade chose to read and discuss This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson, but the event was ultimately canceled following community outcry.

The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City shared plans to reopen its visitor center, which has been closed for nearly two years due to major damage caused by a severe hailstorm. It's also seeking public input as it reevaluates what educational opportunities it can offer.

Democrat Renee Hardman beat Republican Lucas Loftin by more than 40 percentage points in a special election Tuesday night. Hardman's win makes her the state's first Black female state senator.

The Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation's AR Mural Project is the latest investment in interactive art in central Iowa.

This year, Winterset's annual Covered Bridge Festival is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the film, The Bridges of Madison County.

The Des Moines area’s first-ever lawn watering ban helps Central Iowa Water Works keep up with nitrate removal to provide safe drinking water to 600,000 people. Over the next decade, CIWW aims to increase its treatment capacity by 25%.

There is not a shortage from water sources in the area, but treatment facilities are struggling to keep up with high levels of nitrate in the rivers that supply the system.

Since the Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Perry closed in June 2024, some former employees have pivoted to new careers. But the 8,000-person community is still recovering and working to fill the gap left behind by the largest employer in town.

The Iowa Arboretum and Gardens near Madrid in Boone County celebrated the opening of its $2 million Adele and Dean Bowden Treehouse Village Wednesday.

A long-anticipated connection between the Raccoon River Valley and High Trestle trails in central Iowa opens on Saturday, Aug. 17.