Stories written by Freelance Writer

by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch August 31, 2023 Overall dryness in Iowa expanded last week amid unrelenting heat and a lack of rainfall and is now worse than it’s been since March 2013, according to a Thursday report by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Drought conditions eclipsed their previous worst of this year, which occurred […]

by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch August 28, 2023 Last week’s temperatures in Iowa averaged about 10 degrees above normal — and much of the state had little or no rainfall — which led to a substantial decline in crop conditions, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Monday. The share of the […]

by Jacob Fischler, Iowa Capital Dispatch August 23, 2023 Eight Republican presidential candidates gathered onstage Wednesday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a heated first primary debate heavily influenced by former President Donald Trump, though the party’s front runner refused to attend the two-hour event. Trump instead recorded a competing 46-minute interview with former Fox News […]
Aug 24 2023 | Posted in
National News |
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by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch August 12, 2023 While much of the political attention at the Iowa State Fair was focused on the Republican 2024 presidential contenders, two Democratic challengers to President Joe Biden also took the stage Saturday at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox. Democrats Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., […]
Aug 14 2023 | Posted in
State News |
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by Casey Quinlan, Iowa Capital Dispatch August 10, 2023 Consumers are getting some relief from higher prices as core inflation, which excludes food and energy, continues to show signs of cooling — an encouraging sign for the U.S. economy, according to economists. The Department of Labor’s report on Thursday showed the consumer price index rose 0.2% in […]
Aug 12 2023 | Posted in
National News |
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by Ashley Murray, Iowa Capital Dispatch August 3, 2023 WASHINGTON — A deadline for a year’s worth of backdated benefits is fast approaching for U.S. veterans suffering illnesses after exposure to open burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxins. Nearly a year ago, President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act, a law supporters describe as the largest […]
Aug 4 2023 | Posted in
National News |
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by Jay Waagmeester, Iowa Capital Dispatch August 1, 2023 Gov. Kim Reynolds hit the road Tuesday to meet with three Sioux County hospital administrators and discuss issues facing Iowa’s rural health care providers. Sioux Center Health CEO Cory Nelson said his biggest ask of Reynolds in the meeting — which was closed to members of […]
Aug 2 2023 | Posted in
State News |
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by Jacob Fischler, Iowa Capital Dispatch July 31, 2023 PORTLAND, Ore. — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sees the Biden administration’s climate agenda as a boon for rural economies, he said Monday during a visit to Portland’s World Forestry Center. The U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the Agriculture Department, will begin accepting applications […]
Aug 1 2023 | Posted in
National News |
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by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch July 28, 2023 Vice President Kamala Harris stopped in Des Moines on Friday to call on Iowans to fight back against what she called a “full-on attack against hard-won freedoms.” During an hour-long stop at Des Moines’ Drake University, Harris focused on the Iowa Legislature’s recent passage of a […]
Jul 29 2023 | Posted in
State News |
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by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch July 28, 2023 Iowa Republicans emphasized they were open to hearing from all 13 presidential candidates Friday at the state party’s Lincoln Dinner, but many in the audience were ready to send former President Donald Trump back for a rematch. “In Iowa, we are a neutral, objective state,” Republican […]