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Iowa Senate panel advances 1.75% per-pupil spending increase for K-12 schools

Students worked on laptops as they completed a class assignment at Broadway Elementary School in Denison Jan. 7, 2026. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 3, 2026 Iowa Republicans senators said negotiations are ongoing but they were moving forward Tuesday with legislation setting a 1.75% per-pupil spending increase to “start the conversation” on school funding. Senate Study Bill 3100 proposes setting a 1.75% Supplemental State Aid rate for the 2026-2027 school year. This […]

EPA: Clean Air Act supports right to repair

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued guidance that the Clean Air Act does not interfere with farmers’ right to repair equipment. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA)

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 2, 2026 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a clarification letter Monday to manufacturers saying that the Clean Air Act does not prohibit independent repairs to offroad diesel equipment such as farm machinery. A news release from EPA said manufacturers “can no longer” use the act to “justify […]

RFK Jr.’s MAHA movement has picked up steam in statehouses. Here’s what to expect in 2026.

Many candies contain Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6. They are among the food dyes banned in West Virginia by a measure signed into law in March. Such bans are just one example of how the “Make America Healthy Again” movement has made inroads in state legislatures. (Photo by Carol Johnson/Stateline)

by Alan Greenblatt, KFF Health News, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 26, 2026 This article first appeared on KFF Health News. When one of Adam Burkhammer’s foster children struggled with hyperactivity, the West Virginia legislator and his wife decided to alter their diet and remove any foods that contained synthetic dyes. “We saw a turnaround in […]

Did Oskaloosa Throw Games?

Oskaloosa Quakers baseball team picture. (archive image)

by Mike Comfort As the league moved from May to June, attendance for the league games averaged 300-400 fans, while Sunday averages jumped to 800. Burlington was on top for Sunday games, averaging 2000 fans a game, while Boone led with 468 for the other days. Burlington’s attendance made them attractive to the Three I […]

Bill would allow state to close Historical Society center in Iowa City

The State Historical Society of Iowa Research Center in Iowa City. (Photo via Google Earth)

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 20, 2026 A Senate subcommittee advanced a measure Tuesday to remove the state requirement to maintain a State Historical Society of Iowa research center in Iowa City — a point of litigation as the state has already moved to close the facility. Senate Study Bill 3033 strikes the […]

THE GAMES BEGIN: MAY 1904

Oskaloosa Quakers baseball team picture. (archive image)

by Mike Comfort With the season scheduled to start May 6, the teams spent the month of April getting ready for the season. The stockholders of Oskaloosa, known as the Quakers due to the religious denomination in town, raised $2,000 for the team’s organization and made plans to build a new park which would be […]

Here’s what 3 Iowa statewide elected leaders are proposing in 2026

The Iowa State Capitol as seen Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 12, 2026 Ahead of the 2026 legislative session, Iowa statewide elected officials have released proposals they hope lawmakers will address, including DNA testing for arrested individuals, increasing penalties for public employees and officials who steal public funds and combating business fraud. Several offices, as well as state departments, […]

Here’s what Iowa ag and environmental groups want in the ’26 legislative session 

The Iowa State Capitol from the historic East Village in Des Moines on Oct. 30, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 9, 2026 Water quality, property rights and pesticide labeling are top issues that Iowa agriculture and environmental groups hope to see addressed in the 2026 legislative session. Property rights issues center on the use of eminent domain for a proposed carbon sequestration pipeline. Demands to improve water quality […]

Iowa becomes the first state to gain more control over federal education dollars

Gov. Kim Reynolds, left, and U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, center, as well as Denison Community School District Superintendent Kim Buryanek, right, listened in on a class at Broadway Elementary School in Denison Jan. 7, 2026. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 7, 2026 DENISON — U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced Wednesday in Denison that Iowa was the first state approved for a Returning Education to the States waiver, giving the state more control over nearly $9.5 million in federal education funding over the next four years. “We […]

THE CREATION OF THE IOWA STATE LEAGUE

Oskaloosa Quakers baseball team picture. (archive image)

by Mike Comfort Prior to major league baseball teams developing the farm system, minor league franchises were independent teams that operated in almost every town in the United States. By 1910, there were 50 different minor leagues which included large cities like Minneapolis, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Denver. However, minor leagues weren’t just limited to […]

           

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