Latest Iowa Headlines

All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Iowa’s Mandate to Reopen Schools Causing Chaos

Aug 20 2020 // An aggressive push by Iowa’s pro-Trump governor to reopen schools amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak has descended into chaos, with some districts and teachers rebelling and experts calling the scientific...

Report: Iowa Will Only Get Part of $4B Disaster Relief Request, for Now

Aug 19 2020 // President Donald Trump said he had signed an emergency declaration for Iowa to help supply federal money to help the state recover from an unusual wind storm that struck a week ago but federal emergency management...

Trump Approves Federal Emergency Aid for Storm-Damaged Iowa

Aug 17 2020 // U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he approved federal disaster aid for Iowa after a hurricane-force storm hit last week, causing widespread damage in towns and farms and leaving thousands without power.Iowa...

Derecho Storm Leveled Soybean and Corn Fields, Storage Tanks Across Midwest

Aug 16 2020 // A storm packing hurricane-force winds last Monday impacted 37.7 million acres of farmland across the Midwest, including 14 million in Iowa, the Iowa Soybean Association said on Friday, citing estimates from the U.S....

Damage Mounts from Midwest Derecho Storm

Aug 13 2020 // The impact of a windstorm that tore through the Midwest has continued to grow, as widespread power outages have kept businesses closed, limited communication, spoiled food and caused long lines at gas stations.The rare...

Some 10M Acres of Iowa Farmland Impacted by Derecho Storm

Aug 12 2020 // The Derecho storm that hit the Midwest on Aug. 10 potentially impacted some 10 million acres (4 million hectares) of Iowa farmland and millions of bushels of grain storage in the top U.S. corn growing state, Iowa...

Derecho Winds Tear Through U.S. Farmland, Leave 500K-Plus Without Power

Aug 11 2020 // A storm packing hurricane-force winds tore across the U.S. Midwest on Aug. 10, causing widespread property damage in cities and rural towns and leaving more than half a million homes and businesses without power.The storm...

Mother of University of Iowa Student Who Died in Freezing Temps Sues

Aug 10 2020 // The mother of an 18-year-old University of Iowa student who froze to death in January 2019 is suing the school for negligence.Michael Belz, of Cedar Rapids, was caught outside of his residence hall on the night of Jan. 29,...

2 Utility Workers in Iowa Die After Striking Buried Electrical Line

Aug 5 2020 // Two workers installing internet cables in Pella, Iowa, died after striking an underground, high-voltage electrical cable.Pella Police Lt. Paul Haase said the workers died Saturday morning after striking the electrical...

Virus Outbreak at Iowa Pork Plant Was Larger than Reported by State

Jul 23 2020 // The first confirmed coronavirus outbreak at an Iowa meatpacking plant was far more severe than previously known, with more than twice as many workers becoming infected than the state Department of Public Health told the...

Liberty Mutual Loses Bid to Charge Employer for Claims Paid from Exempt Workers

Jul 22 2020 // A workers’ compensation insurer cannot charge an employer an extra $1.7 million in premiums for the risk presented by employees who were exempt from coverage under Iowa’s workers’ compensation law, a...

Appeals Court Backs Immunity of Iowa Officer Who Stomped on Suspect’s Ankle

Jul 20 2020 // A Davenport, Iowa, police officer who stomped on the ankle of a suspect used unreasonable force but cannot be held liable for doing so, a federal appeals court ruled on July 9.The 2015 stomp by officer Brian Stevens...

Iowa’s First Mainstreet Insurance Acquires 3 New Agencies

Jul 14 2020 // Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based First MainStreet Insurance (FMSI), a TrueNorth affiliate, has added three new firms to its family of insurance agencies — two in Iowa and one in Tennessee.FMSI acquired Sisson and Associates of...

Court Upholds Immunity in Case of Iowa Officer Who Stomped on Suspect’s Ankle

Jul 10 2020 // A Davenport, Iowa, police officer who stomped on the ankle of a suspect used unreasonable force but cannot be held liable for doing so, a federal appeals court ruled on July 9.The 2015 stomp by officer Brian Stevens...

Iowa’s BrokerTech Ventures Gains 4 New Carrier, Wholesale Partners

Jul 9 2020 // BrokerTech Ventures, an insurance broker-led platform and accelerator program based in Des Moines, Iowa, has added four super-regional and national insurance firms as partners: The Cincinnati Insurance Companies,...

Families of 3 Deceased Workers Sue Tyson Over Iowa Virus Outbreak

Jun 29 2020 // The families of three workers who died after contracting the coronavirus in an Iowa meat plant outbreak sued Tyson Foods and its top executives on June 25, saying the company knowingly put employees at risk and lied to...

Iowa Lawmakers Dispute Finding of No Violations at Tyson Plant Despite Deaths

Jun 25 2020 // Iowa’s workplace safety agency says an inspection did not uncover any violations at Tyson Foods’ largest pork processing plant, where several employees died after contracting the coronavirus.The Iowa...

Absenteeism at Meatpacking Plants Tied to Workplace Safety Concerns

Jun 15 2020 // Smithfield Foods Inc. is missing about a third of its employees at a South Dakota pork plant because they are quarantined or afraid to return to work after a severe coronavirus outbreak, according to the workers’...

Remnants of Cristobal Bring Thunderstorms, Flooding to Midwest

Jun 11 2020 // The remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal were moving out of the Midwest and into Canada on Wednesday, with gusty winds and heavy rain leaving behind flooding in Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri and Iowa.High winds brought down...

Iowa Republicans Push to Limit Coronavirus Liability

Jun 11 2020 // Iowa Republican legislators are fast-tracking a bill that would give meatpacking plants, nursing homes and other businesses broad immunity from coronavirus lawsuits despite criticism that it would also enable them to...