IPR News Stories

Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad testified Friday that he did not discriminate against Christopher Godfrey when he asked him to resign as Iowa’s Workers’ Compensation Commissioner before his six-year term was up.

Godfrey is suing Branstad, claiming he was asked to leave the position in 2011 because he is gay and that, after he declined, Branstad retaliated by slashing his salary.

Some Democratic presidential candidates are knocking the party for excluding them from debates later this month. The events pose a prime opportunity for lesser-known contenders to build a national profile, standing on the same stage as candidates currently leading in the polls.

Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, is leaving the Iowa Legislature during her ninth term to serve on the Story County Board of Supervisors.

Heddens said she has been interested in the position for “quite some time,” and said several people encouraged her to apply for the supervisor vacancy.

A new analysis shows Iowans may face higher risks of certain health issues due to nitrate pollution in drinking water. Across the country, thousands of cases of certain cancers and birth defects may be linked to the contaminant, researchers found.

This story is part of a collaborative reporting initiative supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. See all the stories at taken.pulitzercenter.org.

A 2018 recreational brand vehicle, $500,000 in cash, a quarter and a red Bass Pro Shop baseball cap.

This story is part of a collaborative reporting initiative supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. See all the stories at taken.pulitzercenter.org.

Increasing lawsuits and allegations of civil right violations prompted the Illinois legislature to pass reforms of civil asset forfeitures that went into effect last year.

Both federal and state civil asset forfeiture laws allow the seizure of property without a criminal charge being filed or case being filed in court.

A bubble of faith burst for a church in Ames this week after its gay pride flag was ripped down and burned.

The welcoming and affirming Ames United Church of Christ, located downtown, existed in a “happy bubble,” says senior minister Eileen Gebbie. And even after Adolfo Martinez allegedly destroyed the church’s gay pride flag in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Gebbie wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The Le Mars-based maker of Blue Bunny Ice Cream on Wednesday unveiled year-long renovations made to its ice cream parlor. Wells Enterprises celebrated its grand reopening alongside Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is creating a new public relations job in her office. The public relations manager will write speeches for the governor and make sure messages about the governor’s goals are consistent across state agencies. The office is also adding to her policy team with new funding from the legislature.

A senior official at the Department of Human Services testified in a federal court in Des Moines Wednesday that the state agency has been working to provide more mental health services to a state-run school for delinquent teenage boys.

The Republic of Kosovo is making a pitch for Iowa companies to invest in the young country’s economy. Representatives from Iowa’s sister-state in southeastern Europe were in Norwalk Wednesday to promote a program which includes 1,200 acres of land that will be parceled out to companies willing to build new operations in the country.

This summer’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” – an area with depleted oxygen – could be a near-record size. Models differ, but show the affected area growing.

The  U.S. Coast Guard has re-opened a portion of the Missouri River to commercial and recreational boat traffic after high waters forced it to close last week.

Former Vice President Joe Biden campaigned in Iowa Tuesday to run against President Trump, who was also in the state for a fundraiser.

At his first campaign stop of the day in Ottumwa, Biden called President Trump an “existential threat” to America and the country’s core values. He criticized Trump for policies he said are hurting farmers.

It’s been several days since high water forced the U.S. Coast Guard to close a 750 mile stretch of the Missouri River to boat and barge traffic. The closure is hurting some businesses that rely on the river.

An official at a state-run school for delinquent teenage boys testified in federal court Monday that the use of an isolation chamber and physical restraints is for the protection, not punishment, of the students.

A northwest Iowa city that was discharging untreated wastewater into the Little Sioux River has contracted with a manure hauler to stop the releases.

A state-run school for delinquent teenage boys has failed to meet professional standards for treating and screening mental illness, according to expert witness testimony during the opening day of a federal trial against the Boys State Training School in Eldora.

Progress is being made to repair the damage done to levees on the Missouri River by flooding this spring, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday.

An investigation by Iowa’s state auditor alleges a former employee of an Iowa City business group improperly spent nearly half a million dollars with a company credit card.

Rail workers using specialized heavy equipment are clearing wreckage from an early Thursday morning Union Pacific derailment in Stanwood in east central Iowa.

The train was traveling on one of Iowa’s busiest rail lines, carrying coal eastward through the state.  Several coal cars derailed, stalling the train in the Cedar County town, and blocking Iowa Highway 38 northward.  Those cars have since been moved, resuming highway traffic on Iowa 38.

The Union Pacific railroad runs parallel to U.S. Highway 30, and the derailment is one block north.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is sponsoring free fishing this weekend. State residents can try fishing without buying a license Friday through Sunday.

DNR Chief of Fisheries, Joe Larscheid, said there are a number of activities planned designed to help make memories.

Early, heavy and, in some areas, nearly relentless rains have led to a late planting season across much of the central United States, especially for corn.

Flooded fields can stymie planting — even if the rain lets up for a couple of days — because the ground is too wet and soft for heavy equipment. Even where farmers were able to plant, heavy rain sometimes required another round of seeds after the first ones were swamped.