Latest Iowa Headlines
All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Pennsylvania’s IA&B Announces New CEO Following Russell’s Retirement
May 22 2017 // Insurance Agents & Brokers (IA&B), a Mechanicsburg, Penn.-based professional trade association, will have a new president and CEO at the helm beginning in January 2018. Deputy CEO and Counsel Jason Ernest will take...
Tornadoes Leave at Least 2 Dead as Storms Pummel Central U.S.
May 18 2017 // Storms whipped through a wide swath of the nation’s midsection, giving rise to tornadoes that flattened a Wisconsin mobile home park and an Oklahoma subdivision and killing at least two people and injuring dozens of...
Iowa School District Pays $160K in Bus Crash Lawsuit
May 15 2017 // The Sioux City (Iowa) Community School District has paid $160,000 to a woman injured when a school bus rear-ended her vehicle in 2013. The Sioux City Journal reports that the school board approved the settlement last week...
Iowa Woman Awarded Nearly $750K in Whistleblower Case
May 10 2017 // An Iowa judge has awarded nearly $750,000 in damages to a woman who reported what she thought was abuse of a student at a Keokuk boarding school for troubled youths. The Hawk Eye reports that the award was announced for...
Ex-Fire Academy Manager Pleads Guilty in Iowa Test Scandal
Apr 28 2017 // A former Iowa fire academy administrator has pleaded guilty to falsifying test scores that were used to improperly certify thousands of firefighters. Former Fire Services Training Bureau certification manager John McPhee...
‘Bachelor’ Star Soules Arrested, Charged After Deadly Iowa Crash
Apr 26 2017 // Chris Soules, an Iowa farmer who starred on “The Bachelor” two years ago, was arrested on April 25 after authorities say he caused a traffic accident that killed a fellow farmer and fled the scene. Soules, who...
Tens of Thousands of Turkeys Killed in Iowa, South Dakota Fires
Apr 24 2017 // More than 25,000 turkeys have been killed in separate fires at farms in Iowa and South Dakota A fire at a turkey farm south of Wapello, Iowa, killed about 10,700 juvenile turkeys and caused about $300,000 in damages to the...
Iowa’s Grinnell Mutual Launches National Reinsurance Unit
Apr 20 2017 // Grinnell Re, a division of Grinnell, Iowa-based Grinnell Mutual, has launched a new team, National Reinsurance. Rick Tjarks, assistant vice president, and Randy Dammeyer, senior account executive, have been chosen to lead...
Iowa House OKs $250K Limit in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
Apr 17 2017 // The Iowa House has approved legislation that would cap financial awards in medical malpractice lawsuits except in severe cases. The House approved the bill 65-32 to limit pain and suffering payouts at $250,000 in most...
Iowa GOP’s Workers’ Comp Bill Signed by Governor
Apr 17 2017 // Iowa Gov. Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a controversial workers’ compensation bill that reduces benefits for injured workers, notably benefits for shoulder injuries, and decreases coverage for injuries tied to a...
Iowa Lawmakers Pass Tougher Texting and Driving Law
Apr 13 2017 // The Legislature has sent the governor a bill that would let police officers stop and ticket drivers who were texting while driving. The legislation approved by the House would take effect July 1 if Gov. Terry Branstad were...
Iowa’s Global Insurance Accelerator Lands DuPont Innovation Award
Apr 7 2017 // The Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA) has been selected as this year’s winner of the DuPont Pioneer InnovationLEADER Award by innovationIOWA Magazine, an annual publication of the Des Moines Business...
Opposition Growing Against Iowa 911 Secrecy Bill
Apr 5 2017 // Civil rights groups, media advocates and some lawmakers are opposing an Iowa bill that would end public access to many 911 calls, a broadly-worded measure that also could shield some police videos. The bill declares that...
Iowa Legislative Session: War on Workers or Tough Budget Choices?
Apr 4 2017 // With Republicans in control of state government, Iowa union leaders approached this legislative session with apprehension, but say they never envisioned lawmakers would approve such dramatic changes to laws governing...
Bills Still Active in Iowa: Medical Malpractice Caps, Limits on 911 Call Access
Apr 4 2017 // Legislation capping recoveries in medical malpractice awards and a bill that would limit public access to 911 call information are still alive the Iowa Legislature. Medical Malpractice Caps The legislation would limit...
Iowa Workers’ Comp Overhaul Bill Sent to Governor
Mar 29 2017 // The Iowa Senate has approved a bill to overhaul how workers are compensated for on-the-job injuries, sending the measure to Gov. Terry Branstad. The legislation, which passed with only Republican support, reduces benefits...
Slapnicka Joins Holmes Murphy Team in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Mar 28 2017 // West Des Moines, Iowa-based independent insurance brokerage Holmes Murphy has added Justin Slapnicka in its Cedar Rapids location. Slapnicka has a background in the construction and safety industry. In his new role as loss...
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...
