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Man convicted of breaking cop’s back claims both share fault
CARROLL — An Illinois man who sped away from a western Iowa traffic stop in 2021 with an officer on top of his car claims the officer was partly at fault for the incident for pointing a gun at him and stepping onto the hood of the vehicle. The officer suffered a broken back when […]
DeSantis courts Republican voters in weekend trip to Iowa
SIOUX CENTER — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wooed Iowa Republicans on Saturday by drawing parallels between the two states, especially in regard to newly passed legislation that restricts what can be taught in schools and that prohibits gender-affirming surgeries for minors. “The survival of our American experiment requires a revival of the American spirit and […]
Landowner battles against pipelines vary by state
Sprawling Midwestern pipelines that would carry captured carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and other facilities would change little when they cross state lines. The proposals would be constructed the same way in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and the Dakotas – with carbon steel pipe ranging from 4 to 24 inches in diameter with operating pressures […]
DNR tells controversial cattle operation to submit new manure plans
A northeast cattle feedlot must submit a new plan to manage the manure it produces now that a district court judge nullified its previous plan that had been approved by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, according to a letter the DNR sent to the feedlot’s owner. It further must cease withdrawals of manure from […]
Judge says Iowa’s pipeline land survey law is constitutional
An Iowa district court judge decided this week that a state law is constitutional that allows land surveys for carbon dioxide pipelines regardless of landowners’ consent, according to court records. The ruling — in a Hardin County case — is at odds with another judge’s ruling last week in Clay County, which said the law […]
Confinement owner fined for switching from hogs to cattle without permit
An east-central Iowa livestock producer converted a multi-building hog confinement into a cattle facility that likely yielded a significant increase of manure without state approval, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The department recently levied a fine of $5,000 against Bryon Hook, of Holland, who owns the livestock facility. The facility is managed […]
Camanche has switched to untainted well to avoid PFAS
An eastern Iowa town whose drinking water was found to be contaminated with “forever chemicals” has switched to an uncontaminated, backup well to temporarily deplete the chemicals that residents drank for years. “The city of Camanche has been very proactive in working to address this issue,” said Scott Marquess, a compliance officer for the U.S. […]
Farmers plant 41% of Iowa corn crop in one week
Generous weather conditions for field work last week allowed Iowa farmers to make substantial planting progress — they seeded about 41% of the state’s corn crop and about 33% of soybeans in that week. That’s according to the latest progress report on Monday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which estimates that 70% of the […]
Long-time Dubuque water employee decertified for falsifying test data
State regulators recently revoked the certification of a drinking water treatment operator in Dubuque, who was fired by the city in late January and was found to have falsified test results. There is no evidence that the falsifications led to unsafe drinking water for the city, said Amber Sauser, a senior environmental specialist for the […]
Judges in two states differ on pipeline land surveys
A North Dakota judge has granted a carbon dioxide pipeline company access to private land for surveys and denied claims that the state’s law that allows that access is unconstitutional, according to court records. That is different than a recent ruling in Iowa, in which a judge said the state’s law about similar surveys violates […]
Prominent home builder fined for soil erosion at construction sites
A well-known residential development company based in Ankeny was recently fined $9,000 for failing to adequately contain soil runoff at a project site in Elkhart, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. It was the third time in three years that Kimberley Development Corp. has been fined for erosion at the sites, DNR records […]
Legislature votes to delay reinstated grain fee for farmers
The reinstatement of a fee on grain sales to replenish the state’s Grain Indemnity Fund would be delayed by two months under legislation that was approved by the Iowa House and Senate this week. The fund will be nearly depleted by pending payouts to farmers who suffered losses when a soybean dealer went bankrupt last […]