Latest Iowa Headlines
All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Former Iowa Deputy Gets $500K Settlement in Paternal Leave Dispute
Dec 30 2021 // A former Linn County sheriff’s deputy and his lawyers will receive more than $500,000 to settle a lawsuit he filed claiming that he was harassed and discriminated against because he took paternity leave. Scott Becker...
Insurance Agent Wins Iowa State Senate Seat
Dec 17 2021 // An Iowa insurance agent has overwhelmingly won a state Senate seat in a northwest Iowa special election. Spirit Lake insurance agent Dave Rowley, a Republican, won the special election Tuesday to fill the Senate District 1...
Iowa to Pay $1.9 Million to Settle Religious, Speech Rights Cases
Dec 8 2021 // A state panel agreed Monday to spend nearly $2 million to settle two federal lawsuits brought against the University of Iowa in 2017 after a religious group denied a gay student a leadership role. The Iowa State Appeal...
Former Iowa Insurance Agent Charged with Fraud
Nov 30 2021 // A former West Des Moines, Iowa insurance agent was recently charged with one count of insurance fraud – presenting false information, a Class D Felony. Tanya A. Schettler, age 48, was arrested on Nov. 24 and booked into...
Des Moines, Iowa Officials to Investigate Pungent Odor from Pork Plants
Nov 23 2021 // Parts of downtown Des Moines have been so transformed in the past decade by new apartments, trendy shops and microbreweries, it’s sometimes hard to reconcile the present with the not-so-distant past. But one strong...
Iowa Governor Signs Law Allowing Exemptions to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
Nov 1 2021 // Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Oct. 29 signed into law a bill that allows Iowa workers to seek medical and religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates and guarantees that those who are fired for refusing a vaccine will...
Chemical Giant to Pay $50M-Plus to Resolve Air Pollution Concerns in Texas, Iowa
Oct 21 2021 // Federal officials say three U.S. subsidiaries of Dutch chemical giant LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (Lyondell) have agreed to make upgrades and perform compliance measures estimated to cost $50 million to resolve...
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Iowa’s River Valley Capital Insurance
Oct 11 2021 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, acquired Dubuque, Iowa-based River Valley Capital Insurance Inc....
Cybersecurity Incident Knocks Iowa Farm Services Firm’s Systems Offline
Sep 21 2021 // Iowa-based farm services provider NEW Cooperative Inc. said its systems were offline to contain a “cybersecurity” incident just as the U.S. farm belt gears up for harvest. The cooperative operates grain storage...
Russia-Linked Ransomware Group Hits Iowa Grain Cooperative, Violating Biden Warning
Sep 21 2021 // After a furious run of ransomware attacks in the first half of the year, President Joe Biden in July warned his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that Russia-based hacking groups should steer clear of 16 critical...
USI Acquires Iowa’s Reynolds & Reynolds
Sep 10 2021 // Global insurance broker USI Insurance Services announced the acquisition of Des Moines, Iowa-based Reynolds & Reynolds, Inc. Founded in 1976, Reynolds & Reynolds is an independent risk management and employee...
Northeastern Iowa Tornado, Storms Damage Buildings, Crops
Aug 30 2021 // Officials in northeastern Iowa say a tornado caused significant damage, especially in the small town of Marble Rock. KCRG-TV reports that emergency management officials cited power lines and trees knocked over after a...
Former Iowa Anchor Wants Age Bias Lawsuit to Change TV News
Aug 27 2021 // As a prominent reporter and anchor at one of Iowa’s biggest local television stations, Sonya Heitshusen was known for doggedly investigating injustices and holding the powerful accountable. A year after WHO-TV in Des...
New University of Iowa Utilities Contractor Fined After Worker’s Fall
Aug 20 2021 // A contractor that recently took over management of the University of Iowa utility system has been cited for safety violations after a worker fell into an underground steam tunnel and was injured, newly released records...
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Settle Police Dog Attack Suit for $50K
Aug 17 2021 // The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, City Council approved a $50,000 payment to settle a lawsuit brought by a man who said he was unjustly attacked by a city police dog last year. The lawsuit was filed by Howard Cones, who said he was...
Former Iowa Insurance Producer Sentenced for Insurance Fraud
Aug 6 2021 // A former Iowa insurance producer was recently sentenced after pleading guilty to an insurance fraud scheme. Dustin French of Red Oak, Iowa, pled guilty in July to one count of Theft 3rd Degree (Aggravated Misdemeanor). The...
Iowa Agent Placed on Probation Owes $30K, Has License Revoked
Jul 23 2021 // Des Moines, Iowa, Chad Mackland, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, recently submitted an Alford plea to the charge of Ongoing Criminal Conduct (Class B Felony) in Pottawattamie County District Court following an investigation by...
26 Tornadoes Swept Iowa on July 14, Preliminary Data Shows
Jul 19 2021 // Preliminary data shows more than two dozen tornadoes tore across Iowa on July 14, according to the National Weather Service. The service said in a tweet that it appears 26 tornadoes touched down. If that number holds true,...
No Injuries but Iowa Tornadoes Damage Buildings, Overturn Vehicles
Jul 16 2021 // No deaths or injuries were immediately reported from tornadoes that tore through central and eastern Iowa, but many found damaged buildings, shredded trees and overturned vehicles in the path of the storms, officials...
Teen on Life Support After Deadly Iowa Adventure Park Incident
Jul 9 2021 // A teenager injured in an accident on an Iowa amusement ride that killed his younger brother remained on life support Wednesday as he turned 16, his family pastor said. David Jaramillo has been in a medically induced coma...
