Stories written by Freelance Writer

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 27, 2023 Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Statehouse Republicans said they planned to pursue more tax cuts in the upcoming legislative session, after the governor’s office announced Iowa ended the fiscal year with a $1.83 billion surplus. In addition to the budget surplus in the general fund, the […]
Sep 28 2023 | Posted in
State News |
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by Allison Winter, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 26, 2023 WASHINGTON — As the deadline for Congress to pass a new farm bill looms this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months – if not longer – until they reach agreement on a new bill. Lawmakers must rewrite […]

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 21, 2023 Iowa first gentleman Kevin Reynolds, husband of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. The governor’s office shared the medical diagnosis Thursday, along with a statement from Gov. Reynolds about her spouse’s plans for treatment. “We’re grateful to the incredible medical team caring […]
Sep 22 2023 | Posted in
State News |
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by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 18, 2023 Farmers so far have reported average or better corn yields despite their worries about the effect of this year’s drought, according to several Iowa State University Extension field agronomists who monitor different areas of the state. Virgil Schmitt, the field agronomist who monitors far southeast Iowa, […]

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 15, 2023 The Iowa Public Information Board is considering legislation that would enable government agencies to ignore, for up to one year, any public-records requests made by “vexatious requesters.” The board’s legislative committee met Friday to discuss draft legislation aimed at addressing what the board’s executive director called […]

by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 14, 2023 Almost all of the state is suffering from some measure of drought, and dry conditions intensified over large areas of western Iowa in the past week, according to a U.S. Drought Monitor report on Thursday. The only remaining pocket of the state with normal soil moisture […]

by Ariana Figueroa, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 12, 2023 WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday announced that he has directed several House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into unproven GOP allegations that President Joe Biden profited from his son’s business dealings when he was vice president in the Obama administration. […]
Sep 13 2023 | Posted in
National News |
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by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 9, 2023 Former President Donald Trump was headed Saturday to Iowa, where a new poll shows no other candidates have neared his large lead among likely GOP caucusgoers. Trump was scheduled to make an appearance this afternoon at Iowa State University in Ames, where tens of thousands are […]
Sep 12 2023 | Posted in
State News |
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by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 1, 2023 Iowa’s new child labor law conflicts with federal regulations by easing some restrictions on teenagers working in potentially dangerous conditions, the U.S. Department of Labor wrote in a letter to Democratic lawmakers. Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda and Wage and Hour Division Principal Deputy Administrator Jessica […]
Sep 5 2023 | Posted in
State News |
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by Casey Quinlan, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 1, 2023 The labor market is stable and healthy, economists and policy experts say, although the unemployment rate ticked up in the month of August. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report released Friday showed that unemployment rose to 3.8% in August from 3.5% in July. Meanwhile the economy added 187,000 […]