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University of Iowa researcher says senators sought to silence him with funding threat
A researcher at the University of Iowa says two Republican senators pressed the university to halt his blog — which included unflattering critiques of the state’s agricultural practices and water quality — by insinuating that university funding was at risk, according to the researcher. Chris Jones, a research engineer for the university’s Iowa Institute of […]
Judge: Iowa’s pipeline land survey law is unconstitutional
State law that allows hazardous liquid pipeline companies access to private land for surveys is unconstitutional because it doesn’t provide compensation for intangible damages suffered by landowners, a district court judge has ruled. “The damages resulting from a landowner’s loss of his right to exclusive use of his property are subjective in the same way […]
Nearly a third of Iowa’s corn has been planted
Corn planting in Iowa is roughly on schedule this year and is 11 days ahead of last year, when planting was significantly delayed by rain in much of the state. An estimated 29% of the state’s corn crop had been planted as of Sunday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That is one day […]
Environmentalists net court wins against coal plants and cattle feedlot
State agencies did not properly evaluate plans related to coal plant electricity production and a controversial animal confinement that have the potential to pollute the air in the state and a cherished trout stream in northeast Iowa, according to recent court rulings. Those separate rulings were, at least, temporary wins for environmental groups that seek […]
COVID hospitalizations have declined throughout April
The number of people infected by COVID-19 who are receiving inpatient care at Iowa hospitals is at its lowest this year and is approaching the previous lows set in the past two years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An average of about 79 people were hospitalized with the disease on […]
EPA grants emergency waiver for summertime E15 sales in Iowa
Federal regulators approved a stopgap waiver on Friday that will allow the broad summertime sale of E15 fuel this year. For more than 30 years, gasoline blends that contain 10% ethanol — or E10 — have received a volatility waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that has not been permanently extended to blends that […]
Budget bills advance in both chambers as lawmakers aim to end session
As Iowa lawmakers hit their final day of paid work, House and Senate lawmakers advanced the first round of budget bills Thursday. The House Appropriations Committee passed four spending bills in Thursday’s meeting: Senate File 558 for the departments of natural resources and agriculture, Senate File 557 for state government administration and regulation, House Study […]
Board votes to reinstate grain fee for farmers
A long-dormant fee on grain sales is set to take effect in July to replenish a state fund that helps shield farmers from losses tied to dealer and warehouse failures. The Grain Indemnity Fund Board voted unanimously on Thursday to reinstate participation fees for grain dealers and warehouses along with a quarter-cent-per-bushel fee for initial […]
Ethanol plant fined for failing to control grain dust
An ethanol plant just west of Sioux Center that has operated for an unknown number of years without air filtration equipment on one of its grain bins was recently fined $10,000 by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Siouxland Energy Cooperative has been required for about 20 years to filter dust from the air emitted […]
Lawsuit: Woman was scared for her life in police custody
A 59-year-old Clive woman alleges she was wrongly accused of driving while intoxicated in 2021, mistreated by the De Soto police officer who stopped her, and thought she might be harmed by the officer when he took her to a city maintenance shed during her arrest, according to court records. Lisa Jungman Cretsinger recently filed […]
Senate modifies public notices bill to maintain newspaper requirement
An Iowa Senate bill that would have eliminated a requirement for public entities to publish certain notices in newspapers was significantly altered on Thursday to keep the newspaper requirement. Senate File 546 was then approved by a 37-12 vote. “Public notices will still be printed in the newspapers,” said Sen. Chris Cournoyer, a LeClaire Republican […]
Supreme Court denies appeal in pipeline trespassing case
The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a carbon dioxide pipeline surveyor who was charged last year with trespassing in northwest Iowa and wanted the case dismissed before trial, according to court records. Stephen James Larsen, 28, of Arlington, South Dakota, was cited in August for going onto a Dickinson County property to […]