Latest Iowa Headlines
All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Nebraska Corn Crop Diminished by Strong Winds in Late October
Dec 11 2017 // Several days of strong winds in late October arrived at the wrong time for many farmers who saw their crops shrink as ears of corn fell to the ground in Nebraska and western Iowa. The extent of the damage varied, but in...
Iowa Man Suing Gun Maker Savage Arms Over Exploding Rifle
Dec 7 2017 // It was the opening day of deer hunting season, and Iowa farmer Ronald Hansen says he loaded his rifle the same way he had countless times before, aimed at a target and fired a shot. This time, the gun barrel exploded,...
Iowa Exhausts Appeals in Lawsuit over Worker Injury; Costs Could Top $1M
Dec 1 2017 // Iowa has exhausted its challenges to a lawsuit filed by a former state employee who said an agency fired him because of a work injury, and the costs to the state could top $1 million. The Iowa Supreme Court on Nov. 9...
Number of Road Construction Work Zone Deaths High in Iowa
Nov 26 2017 // Iowa officials say a surge in construction projects and an increase in miles driven by motorists have led to a high number of people dying in road construction work zone crashes this year. Ten people have died in work zone...
Western Iowa County Supervisor Dies in Grain Bin Accident
Nov 9 2017 // Authorities say a western Iowa county supervisor has died in a grain bin accident. Harrison County Sheriff Pat Sears says 63-year-old Russ Kurth, of Logan, died in the bizarre Tuesday morning accident outside a grain bin...
Manure Runoff from Iowa Dairy Farm Blamed for Death of 60K Fish
Nov 1 2017 // Authorities are blaming a manure runoff from a dairy farm for killing about 60,000 fish in eastern Iowa. The farm is situated about three miles east of New Vienna. The fish kill was reported Oct. 9 after fish carcasses...
Thousands of Chickens Killed in Iowa Facility Fire
Oct 25 2017 // Authorities say firefighters from at least eight departments responded to a blaze that heavily damaged a building at an egg facility on the west side of Charles City in northern Iowa. Firetrucks were dispatched a little...
Iowa’s Millhiser Smith Agency, The Accel Group to Merge
Oct 24 2017 // Millhiser Smith Agency, an independent insurance agency in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, specializing in risk management, has entered a definitive merger agreement with The Accel Group, a Cedar Valley, Iowa-based insurance agency...
Iowa’s Grassley in ‘Violent Opposition’ to Withdrawal of Rule Protecting Animal Farmers
Oct 20 2017 // The Trump administration’s decision to kill a rule designed to protect the rights of farmers who raise chickens, cows and hogs for the United States’ largest meat processors has infuriated farmer advocates,...
Common Reasons FEMA Denies Disaster Funds
Oct 17 2017 // Local governments and nonprofits trying to recover from major disasters have sometimes learned the hard way that money spent on protective measures, cleanup and rebuilding is not always reimbursed by the U.S....
Feds Shut Down Iowa Trucking Company Tied to Trafficking Deaths
Oct 13 2017 // Federal safety regulators have shut down a troubled Iowa trucking company that owned the semitrailer involved in a human trafficking case in which 10 immigrants died in Texas. Pyle Transportation was placed under an...
Brost to Join Board of Iowa’s Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co.
Oct 10 2017 // Crop insurer, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa (FMH), announced that James A. Brost, retiring senior vice president with Holborn Corp., will join the FMH board of directors on Jan. 1, 2018. Brost began his...
Iowa Officials Seek Federal Approval of Levee Repair Plan
Oct 9 2017 // Officials in western Iowa are worried that $50 million in levee repairs won’t be completed quickly enough to avoid having an area deemed a flood zone, which would require costly insurance coverage. The Federal...
W. R. Berkley Corp. to Invest in Iowa’s Global Insurance Accelerator, Join Board
Oct 4 2017 // The Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA), based in Des Moines, Iowa, announced that W. R. Berkley Corp. (W. R. Berkley), will join the GIA board of directors through a commitment to be an investor. Founded in 1967 and based...
A.M. Best Upgrades Credit Rating of Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Group in Iowa
Oct 3 2017 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a+” from “a” and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of “A” of Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Co. and...
Iowa Workers’ Comp Rate to Drop in 2018; Debate On as to Why
Sep 19 2017 // Iowa’s governor and the organization that sets workers’ compensation rates are disputing whether a new law influenced a recent rate reduction in premiums for employers. The National Council on Compensation...
Iowa Judge: ‘Shadow Insurance’ Documents Are Confidential
Sep 18 2017 // An Iowa judge has ruled that the details of “shadow insurance” subsidiaries created by several life insurers can remain confidential. Indiana University professor emeritus Joseph Belth sought the documents last...
Donaghy Joins Iowa’s Crop Pro Insurance as Director of Data Science
Sep 15 2017 // Crop Pro Insurance, a Des Moines, Iowa-based managing general agent (MGA) specializing in crop insurance, has expanded its experienced leadership team with the addition of Brian Donaghy as director of Data Science. Donaghy...
Iowa City Sues Engineers Over Water Plant Design, Operation
Sep 1 2017 // Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, officials say the city’s water treatment plant doesn’t function as promised and so are suing the engineering firm that designed it. The Sioux City Journal reports that the city sued...
Judge Rules Against Iowa DOT in Noncommercial Vehicles Citations Case
Aug 29 2017 // Another judge has ruled that Iowa Department of Transportation officers didn’t have authority to issue speeding tickets to drivers of noncommercial vehicles. Scott County District Associate Judge Christine Dalton...
