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Iowa crops in good condition following ‘unseasonably cool and wet’ conditions last week

Iowa had below average temperatures and above average precipitation last week, according to the weekly crop report. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 27, 2025 Iowa’s statewide temperatures were nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit below normal last week, and the state had almost double the normal amount of precipitation, according to State Climatologist Justin Glisan. The rain came at a good time following corn and soybean planting, which is more than 90% […]

Joe Biden diagnosed with a ‘more aggressive form’ of prostate cancer

President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mandel Ngan – Pool/Getty Images)

by Jane Norman, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 18, 2025 WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with “a more aggressive form” of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his office on Sunday. The statement said Biden, 82, last week was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing […]

‘Four years and another day’: Senators punt long-awaited eminent domain debate

Landowners opposed to carbon sequestration pipelines shout at senators for declining to debate an eminent domain bill Friday. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 9, 2025 “Shame, shame, shame,” a red-shirted group chanted from a Senate gallery after a full day waiting for senators to debate a bill impacting carbon sequestration pipelines. A group of landowners has been pushing lawmakers to take up the issue around property rights for four years. They, […]

Iowa House and Senate Republicans reach budget agreement

The rotunda in Iowa Capitol as seen May 8, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 8, 2025 Majority-party lawmakers in the Legislature have reached a budget agreement, House Republicans announced Thursday, signaling the 2025 legislative session is nearing an end. In a news release, House and Senate Republicans released the spending figures from their budget agreement — a total of $9.425 billion in […]

Senate panel hears feedback on latest version of Iowa property tax bill

Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs and Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton talk to reporters March 6, 2025 about their property tax proposal. The updated version of this package was discussed in a subcommittee meeting May 7. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 7, 2025 The latest version of a property tax bill discussed by a Senate subcommittee Wednesday is still expected to go through changes before a floor vote — but Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, said it’s still a priority to pass legislation on the issue this year. Restraining […]

Iowa receives federal waiver for summer nutrition program 

USDA approved a waiver from Iowa to implement its own program to distribute food to families in need over the summer. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA)

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 7, 2025 The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the Healthy Kids Iowa demonstration project in lieu of the federal government’s summer nutrition program for children, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday. A press release from the governor’s office called the program an alternative to the federal program that […]

‘We call it betrayal’: Veterans join Dems in D.C. to protest Trump’s sweeping VA job cuts

Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania joins veterans protesting the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, outside the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

by Ashley Murray, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 6, 2025 WASHINGTON — Veterans and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday protested the Trump administration’s planned cuts for the Department of Veterans Affairs that include slashing some 80,000 jobs, which many worry will affect the massive agency’s delivery of medical care and benefits. The group rallied outside […]

Iowa Senate committee moves budget bills as negotiations continue

Under Iowa's Golden Dome.

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 6, 2025 Though an agreement is yet to be reached on state spending for the upcoming fiscal year, the Senate Appropriations Committee moved four bills forward in a Tuesday meeting. Senators passed four budget bills through the appropriations committee Tuesday, making them available for floor debate in the […]

Nearly half of Iowa corn acres planted

Corn has begun to emerge in parts of Iowa. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 5, 2025 Despite another week of rainy conditions, which left an average of just over three days suitable for field work, Iowa farmers have more corn and soybeans in the ground than this time last year. Corn planted in the state reached 49%, which is three days ahead […]

Could black bears call Iowa home again? 

Black bear sightings might be more common in Iowa. (Photo of black bears in North Carolina by NC Garry Tucker/ USFWS)

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 2, 2025 Several black bears spent the winter tucked into dens in northeastern Iowa, which wildlife experts say is a “step up the ladder” toward an established breeding population of bears in the state. Black bear sightings in the region have been fairly regular over the past decade […]

               

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