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State discovers COVID glitch: 6,700 unreported tests
State health officials have discovered about 6,700 previously unreported positive COVID-19 tests that date to the beginning of the pandemic nearly two years ago. The error was found as the state decommissioned its website dedicated to COVID-19 statistics on Wednesday and scaled back reports to once each week on the Iowa Department of Public Health’s […]
Bill to block eminent domain for pipelines faces ‘uphill climb’
Proposed legislation that would block private companies from using eminent domain to build liquid carbon pipelines on agricultural land won support from an Iowa Senate subcommittee Tuesday. Senate File 2160 was introduced about two weeks ago by Sen. Jeff Taylor, R-Sioux Center. Its approval by a commerce subcommittee gives it a narrow window to remain […]
Fuel stations want more money for E15 requirement
State lawmakers should quadruple the money they might provide to upgrade outdated fueling stations as part of a proposed requirement to sell a gasoline blend that is 15% ethanol, according to convenience store owners. The current proposal would provide up to $50,000 per store to upgrade tanks and pumps to accommodate higher concentrations of ethanol, […]
Manure leaks into creek from new ‘green’ facility
A new facility in northwest Iowa that was built to create environmentally friendly fuel from cow manure polluted a creek this week when it leaked an estimated 376,000 gallons of manure water, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The manure digester near Rock Valley is among three in Lyon and Sioux counties being […]
Bill would penalize landowners who sell property for public use
Proposed legislation that was advanced by an Iowa Senate subcommittee Thursday would limit the amount of money the state and its counties can pay for timber, pasture and cropland to use for public parks and other amenities. Opponents of Senate Study Bill 3134 said it would diminish the ability of county conservation boards and the […]
New coronavirus cases plunge as state scales back reporting
The number of new daily coronavirus infections in Iowa is precipitously declining, according to the final expected major update to the state’s COVID-19 tracking site. Tests have confirmed that an average of more than 1,600 Iowans have been infected per day in the past week. The rate is higher than most other points of the […]
Carroll superintendent: No litter boxes in schools
There are no litter boxes in the restrooms of the Carroll Community School District, its superintendent stressed, despite internet rumors that some schools are installing them for children who “identify” as cats. “Staff members are not encouraging or accommodating anyone behaving or identifying as a cat or any other animal,” Superintendent Casey Berlau said Tuesday […]
Committee clears path for final E15 vote
A proposed law that would require most fueling stations to sell gasoline blends that are 15% ethanol is ready for a potential final vote in the Iowa Senate. “This is about Iowa, this is about the people that live in Iowa, this is about supporting Iowans,” said Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, chair of the Senate’s […]
USDA pledges $1B for ‘climate smart’ ag products
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to spend up to $1 billion to foster the creation of climate-friendly agricultural and forestry products by offering grants to facilitate their production and the markets to sell them. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon in those industries. “Agriculture is such an exciting but […]
DNR fines Conesville for wastewater mismanagement
The city of Conesville, with a population of about 350 in southeast Iowa, has repeatedly failed to properly monitor and manage its wastewater in the past seven years and will pay a fine of about $2,500 to the state, according to an agreement with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Conesville treats its wastewater with […]
Reynolds to end COVID-19 disaster proclamation
Iowa’s official disaster status for the coronavirus pandemic will end in less than two weeks, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday. She first issued the public health disaster emergency proclamation in March 2020 — in the days after the State Hygienic Laboratory identified the virus in the state — and has extended it many times until […]
State continues to revise December COVID deaths upward
Iowans who were infected by the coronavirus died at rates of about 150 per week in late December, based on the latest information provided by state health officials. Death reports can be delayed for more than a month because they are relayed through a federal agency before the state tallies them on its COVID-19 website. […]