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Farmers planting crops are close to caught up
Iowa corn farmers who were at least two weeks behind the typical planting schedule earlier this month have narrowed that gap to just three days, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Monday. About 86% of the state’s corn crop had been planted as of Sunday after back-to-back weeks of favorable weather for […]
Bottle bill that will exempt many grocers heads to governor
The Iowa Senate gave its approval Monday to sweeping changes to the state’s can and bottle redemption law — commonly known as the bottle bill — that will triple the amount of money redemption centers receive per container and will allow many retailers to stop taking back the containers they sell. Senate File 2378 passed […]
Iowa unemployment rate drops to 3% in April
The percentage of Iowa’s workforce that is unemployed continues to fall and is nearing its pre-pandemic level, according to an Iowa Workforce Development report on Friday. The state’s unemployment rate fell to 3% in April, down from a peak of 10.5% two years ago. That rate was about 2.6% in the months that preceded the […]
Former city clerk bought car, sex toys with public money, auditor finds
The former city clerk of Silver City in southwest Iowa improperly spent more than $60,000 from the town over the course of three years when she used city funds to pay for dozens of personal items, including adult sex toys and a new car, according to a state audit report. Artema Gray, 44, was forced […]
Democratic Senate candidates seek to distinguish themselves in debate before primary
The three Democrats vying for Iowa’s U.S. Senate nomination diverged on fiscal issues pertaining to student debt, universal health care and taxes for the super wealthy during a final televised debate before the June 7 primary. Abby Finkenauer, of Cedar Rapids, Michael Franken, of Sioux City, and Glenn Hurst, of Minden, are competing for a […]
U.S. Senate confirms Chet Culver for Farmer Mac board
Former Iowa Gov. Chet Culver is returning to his leadership position at the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, which boosts farmers’ access to loans and is better known as Farmer Mac. Culver, a Democrat, was appointed to the 15-member board of directors by President Joe Biden in 2021. That appointment was approved by the U.S. Senate […]
Early voting begins for Iowa primaries
Absentee voting for Iowa’s June 7 primary elections started Wednesday, and residents who wish to vote by mail must get those requests to their county auditors by Monday. The early voting time frame has been shortened from 40 to 20 days prior to elections by successive state legislation in the past five years. Also, mailed […]
CDC warns of rising COVID risk in Iowa
For the first time in two months, an Iowa county has a high level of community risk for COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poweshiek County has that distinction, due to a combination of its infection and hospitalization rates that the CDC uses to characterize the threat of infection. It […]
Governor signs mobile home protections bill
Mobile home park tenants will get an additional month’s notice before evictions or increases to their rent and utility fees under a new state law that was signed Tuesday by Gov. Kim Reynolds. House File 2562, which got final approval from state legislators in April, also creates protections for tenants of parks that do not […]
New ethanol law could spark regional trend, biofuels exec says
A new state law that requires most of Iowa’s fuel stations to sell a gasoline blend with 15% ethanol will rapidly expand the fuel’s availability, but the law’s long-term effects might be more potent, according to the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed House File 2128, aimed at boosting […]
Farmers plant nearly half of Iowa’s corn in past week
A hot and dry week finally gave Iowa farmers their best chance yet to plant corn this year, and they put about 43% of the crop seed in the ground in that time, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Monday. Corn planting was about two weeks behind the five-year average a week […]
Antique tractor parts dealer cited for burning tires
A Strawberry Point man who strips antique tractors for parts to resell had been illegally burning the tires from the tractors until March, when someone reported a fire on his property north of town, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Jerry Everitt, 81, has agreed to stop burning the tires and is in […]