Governor Branstad’s request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 19 Iowa counties from a storm in June has been approved. Residents impacted by the storms can now apply for grants through FEMA and the Iowa Department of Human Services website. More than 500 state inmates were successfully transferred to the new prison in Fort Madison…… MORE
Tens of thousands of balloon lovers from throughout the Midwest and beyond turned out for the National Balloon Classic in Indianola. Mike Paulsen with the Classic tells the Torch there are more than 30 pilots just in Warren County. A hundred balloons were in the air during the event. A federal judge has tossed out…… MORE
Urbandale is going to be a guinea pig for the EPA, according to the city manager. Agency officials will be checking out the city and its leaders at the end of the month to see how Urbandale plans to handle future development. They’ll specifically look at the city’s housing needs.… MORE
The new Fort Madison prison is open for business. More than 500 inmates were transferred there over the weekend. The 166-million dollar facility was supposed to open in March of 2014, but sat empty while a number of problems were fixed, including the ventilation and heating and cooling system.… MORE
Johnston police are reporting an uptick in the number of small thefts in the community this past month…and they’re telling residents to take extra precautions. Open garages and cars in neighborhoods near the library and Johnston Commons have been where the majority of thefts occurred…and police say residents should always lock their cars and keep…… MORE
Iowa drivers could be paying two dollars a gallon for gas by next year…that’s the word from GasBuddy. A slowing economy in China and the easing of sanctions against Iran could mean a big increase in oil supplies, which lowers prices. The drop in oil prices appears to be inspiring more investment in factories, according…… MORE
Scratch tickets have boosted the sales for the state’s lottery over the past year. Lottery sales are 3-and-a-half percent higher than this time last year, setting a new record at 212 million dollars.… MORE
The Central Iowa Regional Drinking Water Commission is pulling together a technical committee to consider a regional water system. Bill Stowe of Des Moines Water Works says now may be the time to think about a regional plan. He’s also willing to talk to water districts upstream about clean water solutions. … MORE
Local leaders in the mental health industry as well as a state representative gathered on Thursday afternoon on the capitol steps to turn in more than 5,000 Iowan signatures to an online petition that asks Governor Branstad to hold off on closing the remaining two mental health hospitals in the state. Des Moines resident and…… MORE
Trade secret-stealing charges against the wife of a Chinese billionaire’s wife have been dismissed in a Des Moines court this week. Mo Yun, her brother and five other Chinese nationals were accused of stealing seeds from Iowa cornfields and shipping them out of the country. Prosecutors asked that the charges against her be dropped when…… MORE
