Latest Iowa Headlines
All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Could Trouble with Comp Products from Berkshire Affiliates Land in Brokers’ Laps?
Sep 26 2016 // Insurance brokers who sold allegedly illegal workers’ compensation products from Berkshire Hathaway affiliates involved in legal and regulatory troubles in New York and California could end up being strapped with...
Iowa Insurance Division: Assessments for Second Injury Fund Total $8M
Sep 22 2016 // The Iowa Insurance Division reported that insurers and self-insured employers in the state are being assessed $8 million to in order to pump up the coffers of the state’s Second Injury Fund. The IID said sufficient...
Case Before Iowa Supreme Court Pits Water Supplier Against Farmers
Sep 16 2016 // The Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments and must now decide whether to weigh in on a federal lawsuit that pits the water supplier to 500,000 central Iowa residents against upstream farmers accused of contaminating rivers...
Iowa Governor Declares Disaster for Northeast Counties
Sep 1 2016 // Gov. Terry Branstad has issued disaster proclamations for two northeast Iowa counties that endured severe storms and flooding. Branstad on this week issued the proclamations for Bremer and Chickasaw counties, allowing...
Iowa in Middle of Debate Over ‘Shadow Insurance’ Deals
Aug 31 2016 // For cash-strapped life insurance companies, the deal sounds almost too good to be true: A state law allows them to create complex financial instruments to transfer liabilities to new subsidiaries, instantly wiping huge...
Iowa Agency Proposes Fine for Theme Park over Safety Issue
Aug 30 2016 // An Iowa agency has proposed fining Adventureland park after an investigation prompted by the June death of a worker at the theme park. Officials have said Steve Booher was fatally injured June 7 when the Raging River ride...
Number of Iowa Drivers Penalized for Passing Stopped School Buses Declines
Aug 23 2016 // Fewer drivers are receiving the tough penalties Iowa lawmakers approved in 2012 for illegally passing school buses when they are stopped. The Des Moines Register reports that the number of people charged with violating the...
Workers’ Comp Rate Reduction Proposed in Iowa
Aug 18 2016 // The Iowa Insurance Division reports that a proposed workers’ compensation rate filing would lower rates by 4.7 percent next year. The National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. has made a rate filing that...
Derailed Train Car Hits Iowa Bar, DeRailed
Aug 10 2016 // Police say a freight train car that derailed in northern Iowa rolled into and damaged a trackside tavern called DeRailed. Police Chief Hugh Anderson says the accident occurred around 4 a.m. on Aug. 9 as crews moved rail...
$1M in Pipeline Construction Equipment Damaged in Iowa, Arson Suspected
Aug 3 2016 // Machinery located at three oil pipeline construction sites in central Iowa was found extensively damaged by fire on Aug. 1 in what the company building the pipeline called a shameful act. There’s little doubt the...
Former California Insurance Commissioner Served During ‘Crisis’
Jul 28 2016 // Wesley J. Kinder was a California insurance commissioner who served during a turbulent time. Kinder, a resident of La Habra, Calif., died Wednesday at age 94. “He was a great guy. He was the best boss,” said...
Iowa Governor Issues Disaster Proclamation for 3 Counties
Jul 20 2016 // A disaster emergency proclamation has been issued for three Iowa counties pummeled in weekend storms. The proclamation issued by Gov. Terry Branstad lets state resources be used in storm recovery in Benton, Humboldt and...
Jail Sentences Upheld for Iowa Egg Execs in Salmonella Case
Jul 7 2016 // A federal appeals court has upheld jail sentences for two egg industry executives whose Iowa-based company caused a nationwide salmonella outbreak in 2010. In a long-awaited decision, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals...
Iowa Distracted Driving Fatalities Doubled in 2015
Jul 6 2016 // The number of people killed or injured in accidents caused by use of electronic devices doubled in Iowa last year. Fourteen people were killed statewide in 2015, compared to seven the previous year, according to the Globe...
Data Shows 170 Motor Vehicle Deaths in Iowa 2016, So Far
Jul 1 2016 // New data from the Iowa Department of Transportation shows 42 more people have died on Iowa roads in 2016 than at the same time last year. The Des Moines Register reports seven people were killed in traffic accidents over...
Iowa Insurance Commissioner Sues Feds Over Failed Health Co-Op
May 23 2016 // Iowa Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart says federal health officials are unlawfully withholding millions of dollars owed to a failed health insurance co-op in his state. Gerhart, who is Liquidator for CoOportunity...
In Iowa, Technology Changes Rapidly Altering Trucking Industry
May 13 2016 // In the trucking industry, technology is driving change. Todd Smith, chief operating officer at Decker Truck Line Inc. in Fort Dodge, Iowa, told The Messenger that by the end of 2017 it will be mandated that all trucks have...
Background Checks For Uber, Lyft Drivers Established in Iowa
May 11 2016 // Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a bill into law that creates new statewide rules for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Uber to do business in Iowa. Branstad signed the bill this week following approval this...
Iowa Rail Safety Study: Dubuque County Vulnerable for Another Spill
May 3 2016 // A recent Iowa rail safety study says Dubuque County remains vulnerable to crude oil or biofuels spills more than a year after several railcars carrying ethanol derailed along the Mississippi River. The state’s...
Iowa State, Basketball Coach Sued by Former Star Player for Discrimination
Apr 19 2016 // Former Iowa State basketball star Nikki Moody has sued coach Bill Fennelly, the university and the state for racial discrimination and retaliation, saying she was repeatedly called a “thug” and labeled a...
