Iowa News & Current Events | Public News Service

Alex Watters works at Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. He says he's had to turn down promotions and other opportunities to keep his income below the threshold that allows him to receive benefits as a quadriplegic. (Alex Watters/IDDC)

Monday, October 21, 2024

Iowans with disabilities see employment gains but challenges remain

State data show more Iowans with disabilities are employed. And advocates with the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council point out that - during …

A rest stop along Interstate 80 near Adair, Iowa, was one of the first in the state to include an adult-size changing table. (Tony Leys/KFF Health News)

Iowa interstate rest stops equipped with adult changing tables

By Tony Leys for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Big Sky Connection reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service Collabor…

The practice of agroforestry combines traditional agricultural practices of raising livestock with growing trees and shrubs acting as carbon sinks on the same land. (Mongabay/Natural Resources Conservation Service)

Paying Iowa farmers to expand 'climate smart' acres

By Sarah Derouin for Mongabay.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service…

AARP Iowa traveled the state this summer in a recreational vehicle called the

AARP Iowa presses candidates on support for family caregivers

AARP Iowa has released a series of videos asking congressional candidates how they would support Iowans who are unpaid caregivers. The group …

The pay gap between the CEO of Casey's General Stores and the average worker has risen to 623-to-1, according to new data from the Iowa Federation of Labor. (Adobe Stock)

IA leads nation for wage gap between workers, CEOs

A new report from the American Federation of Labor showed the pay gap between CEOs and their workers continues to widen and Iowa has among the biggest…

The Des Moines City Council passed a resolution that bans tent camping and criminalizes falling asleep in public, which can result in a $15 fine. (Adobe Stock)

Critics push back on Des Moines' homeless ordinance

The Des Moines City Council has passed an ordinance to reduce the homeless population and help people find alternatives to being on the street…

Health care providers say changes in mood, energy levels or thoughts can be subtle clues that new mothers may need treatment for postpartum depression. (Adobe Stock)

Rural Iowa mothers face severe postpartum depression

Iowa doctors are assessing how a new medication is working for moms with postpartum depression. That's timely right now, as more babies are born in …

The Walk to End Alzheimer's is held in 600 communities nationwide. Participants raise money to research the brain disease and provide education and support to families living with it. (Adobe Stock)

Iowans march for Alzheimer's research

Advocates for people battling Alzheimer's disease and their families are marching in Des Moines this weekend to raise money for brain research and ult…

More than 90 % of the large tractors used on Iowa farms are sold by two companies, Deere & Co. and CNH. (Adobe Stock)

New data show increasing consolidation in Iowa's ag industry

Advocates for a fair, sustainable, and healthy food system have released a report showing that nearly all of the corn seed in Iowa is controlled by …

AI queries require about 10 times the electricity of traditional internet searches and the generation of original music, photos and videos requires much more, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa researchers shine light on the future of energy use

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

Iowa seniors list the out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications as one of their main health-care concerns, according to AARP Iowa. (Adobe Stock)

Prescription costs soon to be capped for Iowa seniors

A new report from AARP Iowa predicts thousands of seniors on Medicare Part D in the state will save money on their prescriptions, thanks to a cap on …

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources must report annual greenhouse gas inventories to the legislature and governor each year. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa releases 'Condition of the State' report on clean energy goals

Alternative energy advocates say Iowa is making significant progress on reaching its green power goals by 2035. The state has become a national …

Iowa has provided more than $3.3 billion to communities to help finance water quality improvement projects over the years, according to the Iowa Environmental Council. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa seeks to remove dangerous lead water pipes

Iowa is getting federal help to eliminate lead water pipes in the state. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is working with local water …

Independent agriculture producers are asking Congress to consider small family farmers in the next Farm Bill, which has yet to be debated in the nation's capital. (Adobe Stock)

Family farmers call for a level playing field

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering new rules, seeking to level the playing field for independent farmers in Iowa and across the …

Practical Farmers of Iowa is offering landowners incentives to restore habitat to low-yield areas. (Adobe Stock)

Incentives for farmers work to restore Iowa habitat, protect soil

Practical Farmers of Iowa is looking for landowners who want to help restore natural habitat on their property, and get help doing it. It's part of …

Iowa's newly released Child Care Connect website displays child care providers with vacancies by geography or along a designated driving route. With the tool, people can identify child care providers close by between their home and office. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa releases real time online child care finder

Iowa has released an interactive website to help parents find real-time child care options for their kids. Iowa Child Care Connect, which the state …

Labor and Delivery doctor Taylor Swartz talks with a pregnant patient and her husband at Mahaska Health Hospital in Iowa. (Tony Leys/KFF Health News)

Shrinking rural Iowa loses maternity units

By Tony Leys for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service Collabora…

The objective of the Health Connector program is to ensure enhanced and equal access to healthcare options for all residents, according to Dallas County officials. (Dallas County Health Department)

Iowa transportation program aims to reduce missed health appointments

County health officials in rural Iowa are using a new app to connect people to their doctors and cut down on missed appointments. The Health …

Iowa policymakers recently considered legislation to allow municipalities to opt out of mandatory library taxes for residents. (Adobe Stock)

Libraries push back on Project 2025

The latest report from the EveryLibrary Institute showed the Republican Party's agenda, as outlined in the document known as Project 2025, takes aim …

Critics of the commercial meatpacking industry said conditions are inhumane for the animals and dangerous for the people who work in processing plants. (Adobe Stock)

Rights group calls for review of meatpacking plants

A U.S. Department of Labor investigation this spring found the number of minors employed in livestock slaughterhouses nearly quadrupled between 2015 …

There is a 50% chance a chick hatchling will be male but the males hatching in egg-laying operations are often destroyed because they are not profitable to be raised for meat. (Adobe Stock)

Animal advocates call for chicken egg gender testing

By Seth Millstein for Sentient.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration Eve…

A recent poll by the Save the Children Action Network shows 90% of swing-state voters want the government to help struggling families afford food, groceries and child care. (Adobe Stock)

Poll: Address child hunger in next Farm Bill

Results of a poll by the Save the Children Action Network show voters of all backgrounds are struggling with the cost of living and want the governmen…

Graduates of the 2024 Youth Leadership Academy. (Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council)

Iowa mints new disability advocacy leaders

Thirteen students, ranging in age from 14 to 21, have just graduated from the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council Youth Leadership Academy…

The rusty patched bumble bee is a critical pollinator and keystone species in many ecosystems, including in Iowa. (Adobe Stock)

$635K allocated for Iowa rusty patched bumble bee habitat

An Iowa county has received money as part of a $48.5 million federal grant to protect the rusty patched bumble bee and preserve its habitat. The …

Researchers have announced a blood test they say can predict with 90% accuracy whether a patient has Alzheimer's disease. (Adobe Stock)

Iowans to benefit from new Alzheimer's blood test

Researchers have announced a new blood test that will predict whether someone has Alzheimer's disease far better than current tests can. A new law in …

The Hechinger Report's Tuition Tracker allows students to calculate the likelihood of successfully completing their degree on time, a factor affecting affordability. (Adobe Stock)

'Tuition Tracker' helps Iowa's rural college-bound students

For Iowa students thinking about attending college in the fall, an interactive online "Tuition Tracker" can help them figure out some of the costs …

It's estimated that one in three victims of human trafficking globally is a child, according to the United Nations. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa enlists businesses to thwart human trafficking

Iowa has enlisted the help of businesses across the state to take on human trafficking. Tomorrow marks World Day Against Trafficking in Persons…

Created by a bipartisan act of Congress in 2022, what is now called the Sun Bucks program provides $120 in nutrition benefits nationally during summer months to households whose children who qualify for free and reduced-price school meals. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa advocates rally for kids' summertime food

Iowa is one of 13 states not participating in a federal summer food program for children. The Iowa Hunger Coalition has launched a petition drive to …

A high-tech approach to studying Iowa's future soil health

Farmers in Iowa are studying interactions between crops, water usage, carbon and nitrogen storage, and how those factors combine to affect longterm …

Family members often become caregivers overnight and are suddenly responsible for helping with medications, medical care, meals, bathing and dressing, chores, finances, grocery shopping and transportation. AARP is traveling the state of Iowa to help educate caregivers. (AARP Iowa)

AARP 'road trip' educates IA caregivers where they are

AARP Iowa is on a road trip, taking knowledge to family caregivers wherever they are and helping them learn more about the resources that may be …

Cover crops protect soil from erosion and also help with weed control. (Practical Farmers of Iowa)

Helping IA farmers get more cover crops into the ground

An Iowa nonprofit group helps ag-related businesses grow to serve more farmers and get more cover crops planted in the state. Cover crops like rye …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends drinking 8 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes when doing strenuous activity outside, which translates to 24 to 32 ounces per hour. (Adobe Stock)

Health care professionals urge caution in Iowa heat

Health care experts are reminding Iowans to be careful in the summertime sun. From sunburns and bike safety to water accidents and sports injuries…

Garret Frey was honored with the Lifetime Advocacy Award from the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council in 2023. (Courtesy of Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council)

Iowan with disability wins federal support

The U.S. Office for Civil Rights has issued a ruling ensuring that an Iowa man with disabilities is able to live in his home and receive round-the-…

A report by the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable showed one in five police shootings involve someone with a mental illness. (Adobe Stock)

Paying for Iowa's 988 mental-health crisis line

A national mental health advocacy organization called Inseparable has released a report on the rollout of the 988 crisis line for people going through…

The 1,117 tornadoes reported for the January-through-May period this year is second only to 2011's 1,238 tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Adobe Stock)

Changing climate contributes to record Iowa tornado season

Weather researchers at Iowa State University say a shifting climate and warmer ocean temperatures are partially responsible for a record number of tor…

Corporations have raised retail pork prices by 20%, but the farmers supplying California with crate-free pork are only receiving about 5% more for their hogs, according to data from the USDA. (Adobe Stock)

California 'price gouging' ripples to Iowa

Farm advocates claim price gouging on meat and poultry in California is spreading across the country, including in Iowa, which is the nation's …

Council Bluffs, Iowa, is working with Union Pacific Railroad to reschedule trains and install traffic beacons to ensure residents and emergency service providers are not blocked by trains across multiple sets of tracks at intersections. (Adobe Stock)

Dangerous rail crossings topic of Council Bluffs town hall

Representatives from Union Pacific Railroad will attend a town hall meeting in Council Bluffs tomorrow night to hear about the so-called "triangle of …

The Alzheimer's Association is seeking 55,000 volunteers for more than 180 clinical trials to study the disease at younger and younger ages. (Adobe Stock)

IA researchers say brain shows changes 20 years prior to Alzheimer's symptoms

Researchers in Iowa say changes in an Alzheimer's patients' brain can occur at least 20 years before they are diagnosed with the disease and they are …

Iowa family farm advocates are calling on Congress to reduce the subsidies given to large-scale factory operations in the Farm Bill, and invest more in conservation programs that help small ag producers. (Adobe Stock)

Family farmers call for tougher CAFO regulations in Farm Bill

Family farm advocates are calling for cuts in federal subsidies to large animal feeding operations - technically known as Concentrated Animal Feeding …

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are targeted to people with the greatest need: 92% go to households with incomes below the poverty line, and 54% to households at or below half of the poverty line, about $12,900 for a family of three in 2024, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa Hunger Coalition pushes back on SNAP cuts in Farm Bill

One version of the Farm Bill being debated in Congress would cut billions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from agricu…

The historic Abbe Creek School is listed as the oldest standing one-room brick schoolhouse in Iowa. It's located in Mount Vernon. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Iowa students' reading, math deficiencies 'concerning'

New data rank Iowa seventh in the nation for the overall health and well-being of its kids. The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book …

Iowa is among 11 states to outlaw or restrict restaurants' use of meat products from producers using gestation crates to raise their livestock for the food chain. (Adobe Stock)

Animal welfare report calls for livestock gestation crate bans

A prominent animal safety group is calling on restaurants to do more to ban the use of animal gestation crates where livestock and poultry are grown f…

Scientists at Iowa State University are creating biochar to mix with Iowa's rich soil to sequester carbon, create prime growing conditions for crops and soak up climate-warming fossil fuel emissions. (Adobe Stock)

Scientists in IA target 'low-hanging fruit' to sequester carbon

By Lindsey Byman for Inside Climate News.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public N…

In Iowa, voters must be registered as Republican, Democrat or Libertarian, and vote on their party's ballot. However, they may change party affiliation at the polls. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa's older voters projected to decide primary election outcome

Advocates for Iowa's older population are calling on seniors to vote in Tuesday's primary election and have identified their priorities for candidates…

The Iowa Federation of Labor is remembering workers who died on the job over the last year, while fallen military veterans are honored nationwide. Iowa is home to nearly 160,000 veterans. (Adobe Stock)

On Memorial Day, IA labor leaders honor fallen workers

Memorial Day commemorates Americans who lost their lives while serving in the military. But the Iowa Federation of Labor takes the opportunity to …

Iowa's hunters and anglers are advocating to increase wildlife habitat and ecosystem funding in the next Farm Bill, which the U.S. House Agriculture Committee is set to discuss for the first time this week. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa hunters, anglers push for Farm Bill support

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to take up the first version of the new Farm Bill tomorrow morning. Outdoor enthusiasts in Iowa …

Iowa will consider amending its state Constitution to require a flat state income tax. (FranciscoJavier/Adobe Stock)

Iowa lawmakers' $2 billion tax cuts put services 'at risk'

The latest state tax cuts are expected to cost Iowa more than $2 billion in revenue over the next two years. Advocates for tax fairness argued …

Educational Savings Accounts cost Iowa $104.7 million in the first year of the program, nearly $31 million more than lawmakers had approved. (Adobe Stock)

GOP threatens rural Republicans for school voucher opposition

By Lane Wendell Fischer for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for The Daily Yonder-Public News Service …

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