Briefs
EPA fines owner of two Iowa fertilizer plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined Troy Elevator Inc. $37,063 for environmental violations at its anhydrous ammonia facilities in Bloomfield and Blakesburg. Troy had accidental ammonia releases that injured employees. The company has since taken action to meet regulations on how to prevent or respond to releases, EPA reported. EPA also filed Midland Marketing […]
Iowans on unemployment up 12% from two weeks ago
The ranks of the unemployed continued to grow in Iowa last week, as the state fielded more than 16,000 new claims for unemployment benefits. Iowa Workforce Development reported Thursday that between May 3 and May 9, a total of 16,735 new claims for unemployment benefits were filed. Of those, 15,411 were filed by people who […]
Des Moines Arts Festival canceled for the year
The Des Moines Arts Festival scheduled for June 26-28 has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers said they will focus on other ways to promote the arts over the months. They said they regret the “damaging setback” to artists, vendors and nonprofit organizations counting on the festival, one of the largest in Des […]
Des Moines airport traffic down 96% in April, 33% for year
Des Moines International Airport’s passenger traffic is down by a third for the year amid reduced travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Traffic was down 95.5% in April compared with the same month a year ago. Just 10,767 passengers flew, and no charters were booked. Leading the losses were United, down 98%, and Frontier and […]
MidAmerican Energy hits 61% renewable energy
Wind energy and other renewable sources supplied 61.3% of the energy that MidAmerican Energy delivered to its Iowa customers last year, the Iowa Utilities Board verified in an order. That is a 10 percentage point increase over the year before in the amount of renewable generation as a percentage of total retail energy delivered. “We’re […]
Sierra Club calls for hearings on water export proposal
The Iowa Chapter of the nonprofit environmental group Sierra Club has called for a scientific study of a northeast Iowa sand mine’s proposal to export water from Iowa’s Jordan Aquifer wells. Pattison Sand Co.’s proposal should also be subject to public hearings, Sierra Club maintained in a news release. The group called on the Iowa […]
Iowa to offer $1.3M in cultural grants
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs has reopened applications for emergency grants after federal aid boosted the account to $1.3 million. The grants are for cultural organizations that have suffered financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal money came from the CARES Act through the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment […]
Insurance division adopts rule to protect consumers, delays standards
The Iowa Insurance Division has set a final rule that will require annuity agents to act in the best interest of their customers, but related standards have been delayed. The new rule follows work by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to develop a model Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation that complies with U.S. Securities […]
Bloomberg: Reynolds considers self-isolating after Washington D.C. trip
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is considering self-isolating after she was possibly exposed to COVID-19 during her trip to Washington D.C. on May 6, according to a report from Bloomberg. Reynolds went to Washington D.C. to share Iowa’s COVID-19 plans and reopening the state’s meatpacking plants, where at least 2,000 workers have been struck with the […]
Grassley pushes bill to help families of first responders with COVID-19
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is co-sponsoring legislation to help provide disability benefits for the families of first responders who contract COVID-19. Grassley says the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program, first enacted in 1976, currently requires evidence linking deaths from infectious diseases to work-related exposure. “To erase shadows of doubt about whether first responders […]
Camp Dodge summer events canceled due to COVID-19
The Iowa National Guard has canceled its summer concert series in Johnston and other Camp Dodge events due to the pandemic and preparations to deploy several units later this year. “It’s difficult to make these decisions but it is the right thing to do,” said Maj. Gen. Ben Corell, adjutant general. The Iowa Gold Star […]
Another 403 Iowans test positive for COVID-19
An additional 403 Iowans tested positive for COVID-19 in results reported Friday by the Iowa Department of Public Health. That brings the state’s total to 11,457 who have tested positive to date. A total of 3,809 Iowans were tested on Thursday and 13.8% of those tests were positive. A total of 243 Iowans with COVID-19 […]