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Iowa Capital Dispatch
Iowa’s water needs protection from aquifer raiders
Bubbling up beneath the surface of the Iowa Utility Board’s pending decision whether Summit Carbon Solution’s proposed pipeline is justified by “public convenience and necessity” is the equally critical question of whether granting permits allowing Summit to siphon significant amounts of public water resources meets the state’s legal standard of being “put to beneficial use […] The post Iowa’s water needs protection from aquifer raiders appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Don’t give up on the FAFSA, advocates for student financial aid urge
WASHINGTON — Though the new version of the form to apply for federal financial student aid has had its fair share of highly publicized hiccups, U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal says the department has made a lot of progress in the past couple of months. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — better known […] The post Don’t give up on the FAFSA, advocates for student financial aid urge appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Iowa-licensed attorney sanctioned for sex offense, stalking a child
The state of Iowa has suspended for three years the law license of an attorney recently convicted of a sex offense and stalking an 11-year-old child. Adam Kehrwald, an Iowa-licensed attorney who also practices in South Dakota, was first sanctioned by the state of Iowa in March 2020 when he was given a private admonishment […] The post Iowa-licensed attorney sanctioned for sex offense, stalking a child appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Bird flu infects two more Sioux County dairies
State officials have detected avian flu in cattle of two more Sioux County dairy farms for a total of eight in the past two weeks. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced the new highly pathogenic avian influenza detections Friday. One of the affected herds has about 500 cattle and the other has […] The post Bird flu infects two more Sioux County dairies appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Supreme Court upholds $4.75 million verdict for dairy affected by ‘stray voltage’
The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday backed a jury’s $4.75 million award to a northeast Iowa dairy that for years suffered from stray electrical current in the ground from a nearby natural gas pipeline. The justices unanimously rejected an appeal by the Northern Natural Gas Company, but they disagreed about how similar lawsuits should be […] The post Supreme Court upholds $4.75 million verdict for dairy affected by ‘stray voltage’ appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Iowa justices uphold guilty plea in abuse case but set aside sentence
The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday refused to set aside a woman’s guilty plea in a dependent adult abuse case despite finding several defects in the plea-agreement process and the sentencing. The case stems from Shannon Hightower’s 2020 arrest in Black Hawk County on felony charges of dependent adult abuse and theft in the second […] The post Iowa justices uphold guilty plea in abuse case but set aside sentence appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Exclusive: DNC moves ahead on all-virtual roll call for Biden presidential nomination
WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee has taken a significant step toward formally designating Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee before the Democratic convention in August — a move that’s necessary to place him on the Ohio ballot for November’s election, States Newsroom has been told. DNC members finalized their vote Thursday to move […] The post Exclusive: DNC moves ahead on all-virtual roll call for Biden presidential nomination appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
D.C. Dispatch: Social Security, Boeing and lawmaker expense repayments
Iowa lawmakers this week introduced a bill that would factor inflation into Social Security and called for more investigations into Boeing’s safety record. Also this week, new data from the U.S. House of Representatives shows how much food and travel expenses were claimed by members of Iowa’s delegation in 2023. Read all about it in […] The post D.C. Dispatch: Social Security, Boeing and lawmaker expense repayments appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
ISU students, instructors chase storms across Tornado Alley
Always make sure you have an escape route. Stay on paved roads when you can. Don’t get too close. Iowa State University students and instructors chasing storms this spring knew those rules well, remembering their own experiences and having lessons on storm chasing drilled in over the past eight weeks. Looking back at their observation […] The post ISU students, instructors chase storms across Tornado Alley appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
U.S. Supreme Court upholds law that prevents domestic abusers from owning guns
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Friday upheld a federal law that bars people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from owning a firearm. In an 8-1 decision on United States v. Rahimi, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion that “our Nation’s firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others […] The post U.S. Supreme Court upholds law that prevents domestic abusers from owning guns appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Guns win. Americans lose.
They sounded like they cared. In the aftermath of a mad gunman’s horrifying massacre of 60 people at a concert in Las Vegas seven years ago, members of Congress from Iowa sent this message: It made no sense that bump stocks — the device that allows semi-automatic weapons to act like machine guns — could […] The post Guns win. Americans lose. appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state
The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state since 2022, better aligning the numbers of unfilled jobs and people seeking work. Nationally, for the first time since before the pandemic, the number of job openings and unemployed people is roughly in balance: a little more than one opening per person looking for […] The post The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Congress silenced free speech in TikTok law, platform tells federal court
TikTok and its parent company argued Thursday in a federal court in the District of Columbia that the recently enacted law forcing a nationwide ban or sale of the popular platform violates the First Amendment. TikTok Inc., which operates the video-sharing service in the United States, and its parent company, ByteDance Ltd., which was founded […] The post Congress silenced free speech in TikTok law, platform tells federal court appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
‘Extremely low pay’ cited at U.S. Senate hearing as prime reason for teacher shortage
WASHINGTON — The only reason John Arthur is able to be a public school teacher is because his wife makes much more money than he does. Arthur — the 2021 Utah Teacher of the Year — testified on Thursday at a hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on the […] The post ‘Extremely low pay’ cited at U.S. Senate hearing as prime reason for teacher shortage appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Bird flu found in Sac County turkey flock
A very transmissible avian flu recently infected a flock of about 46,000 turkeys at a commercial farm in Sac County in northwest Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. It is the third poultry flock to be infected in Iowa this year. The last detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in […] The post Bird flu found in Sac County turkey flock appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Iowa unemployment rate remains at 2.8% in May
Iowa’s unemployment rate has remained steady at 2.8% in May, according to data from Iowa Workforce Development, despite slightly lower workforce participation. The state’s labor force participation rate fell slightly from 66.8% to 66.7% in the past month, despite the number of unemployed Iowans decreasing by 300 to 46,900 people in the same time period. […] The post Iowa unemployment rate remains at 2.8% in May appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Iowa nurses accused of lethal errors, theft and being impaired while on duty
The Iowa Board of Nursing has taken action against nurses accused of stealing medications, being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at work, and inadvertently contributing to a hospital patient’s death. One of the cases involves Rahni Brower, 40, of Carroll, who was charged by the board with misappropriating patient medications and committing an […] The post Iowa nurses accused of lethal errors, theft and being impaired while on duty appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Democrats stress reproductive rights in fight for control of Congress, White House
WASHINGTON — Top Democratic campaign officials Thursday pressed their case for control of Congress and the White House by pointing toward the upcoming two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to an abortion. More than a dozen Democrats also introduced legislation in Congress to prevent a future Republican administration from using […] The post Democrats stress reproductive rights in fight for control of Congress, White House appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
We need warning labels on social media to protect children but that’s not enough
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is advocating for warning labels on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X and Facebook, informing users about mental health risks for the nation’s youth. He bases his analysis on tobacco warning labels changing users’ behaviors and addictions. You can read his New York Times guest essay here. He writes, “The […] The post We need warning labels on social media to protect children but that’s not enough appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
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Iowa has long enjoyed a reputation for clean government. But what would happen if nobody was watching? The Iowa Capital Dispatch is a hard-hitting, independent news organization dedicated to connecting Iowans to their state government and its impact on their lives. The Capital Dispatch combines state government coverage with relentless investigative journalism, deep dives into the consequences of policy, political insight, and principled commentary. We deeply believe in sharing the stories of people outside the halls of power, connecting the actions of state leaders to their impacts on Iowans. We also believe that without strong community journalism, Iowans risk losing the government integrity and accountability they have long valued. The Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Iowa Capital Dispatch retains editorial independence.
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