Warmer – and drier – weather last week helped out the state’s crop production. USDA says 82 percent of the corn crop and 78 percent of the soybean crop appear to be in good to excellent condition. Some of the crop had been lost due to previous heavy rains.… MORE
Iowa Democrats are calling for a special legislative session to override Governor Branstad’s last-minute vetoes of one-time education funding and funding for mental health institutes. Party members in both houses say they’ll join in the effort. Two-thirds of each chamber would have to sign a petition to convene a special session.… MORE
Sentencing starts over the next couple of months for the last of six Des Moines store owners busted for selling deadly synthetic marijuana and laundering the money. The bust was a major operation for the police department, and there’s been a dramatic drop in reports of the drug since.… MORE
A state environmental report shows more than 60 cities and towns in Iowa have been battling high nitrate levels in their drinking water supply over the past five years. In fact, DNR says about 30 percent of the state’s municipal water systems are highly susceptible to becoming contaminated by nitrates and pollutants.… MORE
The Governor has used his line-item veto pen on the state budget, crossing out funding to keep the mental health hospitals open at Mount Pleasant and Clarinda. He also eliminated 55-million dollars in one-time spending for the supplementary education budget.… MORE
State workers now have to report their medications and medical services to a private company that tracks their sick time. The new rule went into effect yesterday, and has resulted in lots of complaints about privacy and job security. Some relief is at hand for laid-off John Deer workers. Iowa Workforce Development is getting 3-million…… MORE
More than 900 complaints over the last five years have been filed against security workers at airports serving thousands of Iowans daily. The charges involved items lost, stolen or damaged in their luggage. TSA validated one of every three claims.… MORE
Some state agencies have been spending tens of millions of dollars on information technology contractors…that’s the upshot of a state audit. They specifically looked at the Department of Corrections, the Department of Administrative services, and the Department of Revenue. The report found cost overruns, excessive use of contractors, large hourly payments and questionable relationships between…… MORE
Some central Iowa counties will be able to get state assistance for storm damage under the governor’s latest disaster proclamation. Polk, Dallas, Guthrie, Warren, Lucas and Marion counties are among 18 covered by the measure. USDA has more than 23-hundred workers helping Iowa farmers deal with the aftermath of the bird flu. There haven’t been…… MORE
Law enforcement across the state came together to meet in Des Moines yesterday, calling for Governor Branstad to sign a bill that would create the first statewide police radio system. Police say it’ll help them better communicate across agencies.… MORE
