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Hospital sewage flows into river from damaged pipe
A sewer line near a western Iowa hospital leaked an undetermined amount of sewage into the ground and the nearby Middle Raccoon River, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Workers who were installing an underground electrical line damaged the sewer line, the DNR reported. The leak was first noticed about 6 a.m. Monday, when […]
Reynolds poised to make fifth Supreme Court appointment
Five people have applied to succeed the lone remaining Democrat-appointed justice of the Iowa Supreme Court — Justice Brent Appel, who is required by law to retire this year because of his age. The Iowa Judicial Branch on Monday announced the following applicants: — Timothy Gartin, an Ames attorney, city council member and Iowa State […]
Prominent marina excavated Okoboji lake without permit
Parks Marina, a staple of East Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa, removed lake bed sediment last year near its boat forklift station without a permit — a repeat offense, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The marina was recently fined $5,000 for the infraction but was granted an “after-the-fact permit” to approve the […]
New hunting law will allow AR-15s for deer in January
A new law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday will likely triple the number of counties that host a January deer hunting season and also allow smaller-caliber AR-15 rifles to be used for it. Senate File 581 was passed by the Iowa House and Senate in May. January deer hunts have long been used […]
Supreme Court rules employer not immune from asbestos liability
A relatively new Iowa law does not protect employers from lawsuits brought by employees who were sickened by asbestos exposure at work, even if the asbestos-containing products were made or sold by someone else, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday in a split decision. The 4-3 decision reverses lower court rulings in a lawsuit brought […]
Iowa Supreme Court erases state constitutional right to abortion
The Iowa Supreme Court found there is no state constitutional right to an abortion, reversing a previous decision in a ruling Friday. The decision leaves Iowa open to an abortion ban or heightened restrictions if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns federal protections in a ruling expected in the coming weeks. The new interpretation of abortion […]
Iowa COVID cases flatten; hospitalizations rise 11% from last week
New confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to hover near the 4,000-per-week mark, and despite a slight dip this past week, hospitalizations were up 11%, according to state and federal data released on Wednesday. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 3,987 new cases — or about 570 per day — for the past week. That’s […]
All ‘forever chemicals’ detected in Iowa drinking water exceed new safety advisories
The treated drinking water of a northeast Iowa city had nearly 3,000 times the safe amount of a toxic, man-made chemical that persists indefinitely in the environment when it was tested in February, according to new federal advisories announced Wednesday. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been sampling water in dozens of cities in […]
Ernst proposes to boost stockpiles, production of ‘critical minerals’
China’s stranglehold on the production of certain minerals that are used to make high-capacity batteries, fighter jet airframes and a host of other advanced technologies is a threat to the United States’ national security, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said Tuesday. Her solution is new legislation — introduced with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, and co-sponsored […]
Planting is done, except for damaged fields, USDA says
Corn and soybean planting in Iowa is “virtually complete,” but some farmers were forced to consider replanting fields damaged by severe weather in parts of the state during the past week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Monday. Hail that was three inches in diameter was reported in Greene County and one-inch hail fell on […]
Manure water from one of state’s largest cattle feedlots flows into creek
A worker at one of the state’s largest open cattle feedlots pumped too much manure water onto a field, which caused the water to flow into a stream that feeds the Middle Raccoon River, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Someone who saw the manure water flowing into the stream near Willey in […]
City fined for wastewater laden with harmful bacteria
La Porte City has failed for years to adequately treat its wastewater to reduce bacteria and has routinely discharged it into a creek at levels that are hundreds of times higher than state limits, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The DNR recently levied a $7,000 fine against the city for its delays […]