Stories written by Freelance Writer

by Jacob Fischler, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 18, 2025 President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana, which Trump said reflected the drug’s potential medical benefits while discouraging recreational use. The order moves cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III on the Federal Drug Administration’s list of controlled substances. Schedule […]
Dec 21 2025 | Posted in
National News |
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by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 19, 2025 Iowa’s Office of Ombudsman, which investigates complaints related to local and state government, saw an almost 10% increase in cases opened during the last fiscal year. The agency’s annual report, published this week, indicates that during fiscal year 2025, the office opened 6,266 cases — a […]
Dec 21 2025 | Posted in
State News |
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by Jacob Fischler, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 18, 2025 President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana, which Trump said reflected the drug’s potential medical benefits while discouraging recreational use. The order moves cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III on the Federal Drug Administration’s list of controlled substances. Schedule […]
Dec 20 2025 | Posted in
National News |
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by Tim Henderson, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 16, 2025 A shutdown-delayed jobs report released Dec. 16 showed an increase of 64,000 jobs in November, rebounding from a large loss of 105,000 jobs in October. Unemployment ticked higher to 4.6%, the highest since September 2021. The October loss was the largest since December 2020, during a […]
Dec 18 2025 | Posted in
National News |
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by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 16, 2025 Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Roblox, the popular online gaming company, for allegedly putting Iowa children in danger of sexual exploitation. Roblox, an online game platform, has over 80 million daily users, “many of those are Iowans and most of whom […]
Dec 18 2025 | Posted in
State News |
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by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 15, 2025 U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said Monday the health care bill she is leading in the U.S. House would address the “root causes” behind rising health care premiums while not seeking to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. The “Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act,” sponsored […]

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 14, 2025 Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday ordered all flags in Iowa lowered in honor of the two Iowa National Guard members killed in Syria. The two service members were killed Saturday in Palmyra, Syria, by a lone gunman suspected to be affiliated with ISIS. The two […]

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 11, 2025 Former Gov. Terry Branstad, the nation’s longest-serving governor and a former U.S. ambassador to China, was granted the Iowa Award Thursday, the state’s highest citizen award. Branstad became the 26th recipient of the award, joining the ranks of other notable Iowans including President Herbert Hoover, Nobel […]
Dec 13 2025 | Posted in
State News |
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by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 11, 2025 Economic uncertainty due to tariffs and the effects of the federal government shutdown are expected to continue to impact Iowa’s economy, members of the Revenue Estimating Conference said Thursday as they met to discuss Iowa’s finances heading into the 2026 legislative session. Though the three-person panel […]
Dec 13 2025 | Posted in
State News |
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by Shauneen Miranda, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 10, 2025 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend $700 million to support regenerative agriculture as part of the Make America Healthy Again agenda, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday. The USDA pilot program for regenerative agriculture […]
Dec 12 2025 | Posted in
National News |
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