Latest Iowa Headlines
All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Iowa Town Out of Money After Floods
Aug 14 2008 // City leaders in Palo, Iowa say they have spent the city’s entire general fund budget on flood recovery. Officials say the town, which has about 900 residents and a $300,000 budget, is out of money. City Hall alone...
Insurance Group Seeks Rebate Resolution in Iowa
Aug 12 2008 // Iowa’s law on insurance rebates is clear, and the Des Plaines, Ill.-based the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). The national group is urging the Insurance Commissioner Susan Voss to work with...
Iowa Woman Ordered to Pay Nearly $50k in Dog Bite Case
Aug 12 2008 // A Dubuque woman has been ordered to pay nearly $50,000 in a lawsuit filed by a man who was bitten by her dog. A judge has ruled that Michelle Kissee is responsible for Jon Gruetzmacher’s injuries. Court records show...
Officials Estimate It Will Cost $15 Million to Update Iowa Flood Maps
Aug 8 2008 // Iowa officials estimate it will cost $15 million to bring the state up to speed on flood plain maps. Only 50 of Iowa’s 99 counties have complete maps that meet federal standards. The outdated or incomplete maps are...
HUD Releases $85 Million to Iowa for Disaster Relief
Aug 6 2008 // The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has released $85 million to help Iowa recover from record flooding. The agency and the offices of congressmen Dave Loebsack, Leonard Boswell and Bruce Braley announced...
Iowa Lawmakers Say More Disaster Funding Expected
Aug 5 2008 // Three members of Iowa’s congressional delegation say House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has assured them that Congress will provide more disaster-related funding. Reps. Leonard Boswell, Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack, all...
Iowa Gov. Culver: $1.2 Billion in Flood Damages Unmet by Aid
Aug 4 2008 // Iowa Gov. Chet Culver said July 22 that state officials have identified $1.2 billion in flood damage that hasn’t been met by disaster aid, and he’s asking Congress to move quickly to provide more...
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Developing New Floodplain Map
Jul 30 2008 // A new floodplain map under development for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, shows a levee on the Cedar River’s west bank was too low to protect large sections of the city from a 100-year flood. That’s despite the fact that...
Iowa Gov. Culver: $1.2 Billion in Flood Damages Unmet
Jul 24 2008 // Iowa Gov. Chet Culver said July 22 that state officials have identified $1.2 billion in flood damage that hasn’t been met by disaster aid, and he’s asking Congress to move quickly to provide more...
Iowa Lawmaker Proposes Tax Breaks for Flood Victims
Jul 23 2008 // A Democratic state senator from Iowa who represents an area hit hard by record flooding is suggesting the state grant a one-year hiatus in property tax collections to regions most affected by the disaster. “Some of...
Mold Found in FEMA Mobile Homes in Indiana, Iowa
Jul 23 2008 // The discovery of mold in federally provided mobile homes sheltering Indiana and Iowa flood victims has prompted new anger and frustrations for those who have lost their houses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency...
Iowa Flood Victims Given Additional Tax Deadline Extension
Jul 22 2008 // Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has granted flood victims an additional deadline extension for tax returns and for paying state taxes. The deadline is now Aug. 29, a month later than the original date. That’s for returns and...
Midwest’s Flood-prone Communities Consider Government Buyouts
Jul 18 2008 // After the Great Flood of 1993, thousands of properties in flood plains around the Midwest were bought out by the government. Now, weeks after the latest massive flood, buyouts are again being considered in at least five...
Appeals Court Dismisses Nebraska Crop Insurance Company’s Lawsuit
Jul 17 2008 // A federal appeals court has dismissed the remaining portions of a lawsuit filed by a Nebraska crop insurance company against the Federal Crop Insurance Corp. American Growers Insurance Co. filed a lawsuit against FCIC in...
Iowa Attorney General Warns About Scams After Tornadoes and Floods
Jul 16 2008 // Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Attorney General Tom Miller recently reminded Iowans to beware of a variety of scams in the wake of the tornadoes and floods over the last several weeks. “It’s the definition of adding...
S&P Advises Floods Could Lead to Ratings Actions on Midwest-Focused Insurers
Jul 11 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it does not expect the 2008 Midwest floods to impact ratings or outlooks for the majority of companies that it rates. However, property/casualty writers that are...
Costs, Confusion Keep Flood Insurance Numbers Low in Iowa
Jul 9 2008 // A combination of costs and confusion keeps many Iowans from buying federal flood insurance. Only about 1 percent of Iowans owned flood insurance when last month’s record flooding struck. More than 4,000 homes in...
Iowa Court Deadlines Delayed Due to Widespread Flooding
Jul 9 2008 // The Iowa Supreme Court has issued an order delaying deadlines for the days that a half-dozen district court offices were closed due to flooding. That means the courts, lawyers and other people involved in cases in those...
Flooded Midwest’s Impact Could Be Felt at Dinner
Jul 7 2008 // Producers might benefit from the $3.8 billion disaster fund that is part of the 2008 farm law. Farmers must have crop insurance to qualify for the program. We have all watched with utter dismay and compassion as Midwest...
USDA Mulls Options on Midwest Flood Aid
Jul 7 2008 // The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) will look “at everything possible” to aid Midwest farmers hurt by the worst flooding in more than 15 years, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said in late...
