Latest Iowa Headlines
All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Amended Iowa Workers’ Comp Overhaul Advanced to Senate
Mar 24 2017 // Republicans in the Iowa House passed a bill to overhaul how workers in the state are compensated for on-the-job injuries, though they backed off some key proposals amid internal concern over the extent of the changes. The...
Texas-Based ProAg to Acquire Iowa’s International Ag Insurance Solutions
Mar 23 2017 // Producers Ag Insurance Group Inc. (ProAg), a member of the Tokio Marine HCC group of companies, has agreed to acquire crop managing general agent, West Des Moines, Iowa-based International Ag Insurance Solutions LLC...
Reported Dakota Access Pipeline Vandalism Exposes Risk of Sabotage
Mar 23 2017 // The developer of the Dakota Access pipeline has reported “recent coordinated physical attacks” on the much-protested line, just as it’s almost ready to carry oil. Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners...
Iowa Researchers Say Big Data May Help Improve Trucking Safety
Mar 20 2017 // Helping drivers avoid congestion would increase productivity and improve safety, according to a team of Iowa State University and industry researchers, who believe a solution is using big data technology. The challenge is...
Thousands of Safer Ethanol Rail Tank Cars Sit Idle: Reuters
Mar 17 2017 // While crossing a small wooden bridge in northwestern Iowa last Thursday, 20 rail tank cars in a mile-long train transporting ethanol flew off the tracks, sending fireballs into the sky, while thousands of gallons of the...
After Fiery Iowa Derailment, Safety Official Calls for Faster Rail Car Upgrades
Mar 13 2017 // A federal safety official called on the rail industry to move faster to upgrade aging rail tankers following a fiery train derailment in rural Iowa that spilled ethanol into a creek and was still burning nearly two days...
Mentor-Driven Global Insurance Accelerator Is Enjoying its Own Growth-Spurt
Mar 9 2017 // A three-year-old Des Moines, Iowa-based business startup accelerator focused solely on the global insurance industry has developed into a streamlined organization with more applicants, more investors and more mentors than...
Iowa Firefighter Testing Scandal Expands
Mar 9 2017 // Hundreds more firefighters than initially known were improperly issued nationally-recognized certifications despite failing their exams at Iowa’s statewide fire academy, authorities said on March 8. The Iowa...
Hundreds of Homes, Businesses Damaged by Storms in Midwest
Mar 8 2017 // A severe storm system has pummeled parts of the Midwest with tornadoes, huge hailstones and powerful winds, damaging nearly 500 buildings and injuring a dozen people in one Missouri city. The Storm Prediction Center in...
Iowa Researchers Say Big Data May Be Answer to Improve Trucking Safety
Mar 6 2017 // Helping drivers avoid congestion would increase productivity and improve safety, according to a team of Iowa State University and industry researchers, who believe a solution is using big data technology. The challenge is...
Mentor-Driven Global Insurance Accelerator Is Enjoying its Own Growth-Spurt
Mar 6 2017 // A three-year-old Des Moines, Iowa-based business startup accelerator focused solely on the global insurance industry has developed into a streamlined organization with more applicants, more investors and more mentors than...
Iowa Workers’ Comp Bill Limits Job Injury Claims, Unions Say
Mar 2 2017 // Dozens of public workers gathered on March 1 at the Iowa Capitol in opposition to a bill that would reduce compensation for getting injured on the job, just weeks after legislators voted to severely limit their collective...
Iowa Jury Awards $127M in Teen Party Assault Case
Mar 1 2017 // An Iowa man, who allowed his teenage child to invite friends to his house for a party, provided them alcohol and then had sex with a 13-year-old girl after she was drunk, has been ordered to pay $127 million to the victim...
Oklahoma Pipeline Company to Reimburse Iowa Entities for Spill
Feb 27 2017 // An Oklahoma pipeline company says it will reimburse north-central Iowa agencies for expenses they incurred while responding to a diesel pipeline spill near Hanlontown last month. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that...
Grinnell Mutual Grows from Complacent to Dynamic
Feb 20 2017 // A mutual insurer created more than 100 years ago to reinsure farm mutual insurance companies in Iowa has grown faster in the past five years than it did during the previous 10 decades, its president and CEO says. Organized...
New Venture Capital Firm Looking for Insurtech Startups
Feb 8 2017 // The insurance industry has a new venture capital firm looking to make early to growth-stage investments in innovative insurance technologies. David Miles, a 30-year insurance investment veteran and owner of the insurance...
Lawyers: Iowa Hospital Sued Over Pain Medication Thefts
Feb 7 2017 // Attorneys for nine patients have filed a lawsuit against Iowa Methodist Medical Center, blaming the hospital for a pharmacy tech’s theft of potent painkillers from hundreds of vials. The lawsuit accuses the hospital...
Report: Many Iowa Lawmakers Underpay for Health Insurance
Feb 3 2017 // An analysis by The Des Moines Register shows more than two-thirds of Iowa legislators are paying hundreds of dollars less a month than appropriate for their health insurance, a potential violation of state law. Data...
Iowa Firefighter Test Scandal Could Affect 560 Fire Departments
Feb 3 2017 // Fire departments in nearly every pocket of Iowa have members who were awarded nationally-recognized certifications by the state fire academy despite failing their tests, according to documents released. The Fire Service...
Iowa Supreme Court Rejects Water Utility’s Effort Against Drainage Districts
Jan 30 2017 // A divided Iowa Supreme Court on Jan. 27 upheld a legal doctrine going back 100 years that protects agriculture drainage districts against lawsuits. The ruling presents an obstacle for the Des Moines Water Works, which is...
