economic development

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.

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.

When someone suggested the book The Lifespan of a Fact be adapted for the stage, authors John D'Agata and Jim Fingal thought it was a silly idea. In 2018, it made its Broadway debut.

An EF-3 tornado destroyed homes, businesses and lives in Minden on April 26, 2024. The traumatic experience shifted the perspective of the community's long-time mayor.

Progress is slow and steady after an EF3 twister struck Minden on April 26, 2024. Even with some concerns about insurance payouts, the mayor is optimistic about the future.

Local governments and the state face a challenge in how to pay for damage from historic high water. Leaders in one small community hope to find a way to fill an expected gap in funding and also improve the overall economic outlook.