Sheila Brummer
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Iowa Public Radio
Rock Valley will receive $22 million for flood buyouts from FEMA. City leaders say the long-awaited funding will help dozens of families close one chapter of recovery and begin another.
Sheila Brummer
/
Iowa Public Radio
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Data centers are massive and thirsty for water and power. Iowans are split on whether they're good neighbors. On this episode, the data center debate as cities and counties throughout the state are weighing potential data center installations. First, a Brookings Institution researcher on what rural communities stand to gain and lose from these developments. Then, Linn County Supervisor Sami Scheetz joins to discuss the ordinance they passed earlier this year and how it compares to other local governments' approaches to recent data center proposals. Iowa’s state geologist discusses whether Iowa's groundwater supply can handle the demand from data centers. And a public health researcher joins to discuss the public health implications from data centers powered by nonrenewable sources. -
Each year, Choose Iowa awards grants to local farmers and agriculture-related businesses. The state initiative also helps promote products made and grown in Iowa — and it’s continuing to grow. One western Iowa farm is thriving with support from the program. -
After the devastating floods in the summer of 2024, northwest Iowa communities continue to wait for federal buyout funds for nearly 270 homes, leaving local leaders urging swifter government action.
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After seven years in the dark, Waverly’s Palace Theatre is hosting a grand reopening celebration this weekend. The nearly century-old movie theater has undergone major renovations and is opening just in time for the release of Wicked: For Good. -
Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen celebrated the expansion of bioindustrial manufacturing in Iowa as they joined executives of BioMADE at the ISU BioCentury Research Farm Friday for a groundbreaking ceremony. -
NextEra Energy’s proposed reopening of the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in eastern Iowa is drawing mixed reactions. Local leaders laud the potential economic boost associated with the development, while environmentalists and some residents warn of concerns related to nuclear waste storage and water supply.
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JBS USA officially broke ground on a new sausage production facility at the Perry Industrial Park. It comes more than a year after the largest employer closed a pork processing plant in the central Iowa community. -
As the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors considers passing a new ordinance allowing for nuclear energy, several residents voice their disapproval. -
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.
