For the first time ever, the Republican Party of Iowa will be participating in the Iowa Black and Brown Presidential Forum festivities this year. The party’s Jeff Kaufmann says having forums that showcase candidates from both parties will further justify Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status. Republicans will host a forum at Drake University on December 3rd…while the Democrats…… MORE
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
For the first time since its inception, the Iowa Black and Brown Presidential Forum (IBBF) is including the Republican Party of Iowa in its presidential forum activities this election season. Leaders from both parties, as well as honorary co-chairs Governor Branstad and Congressman Lobesack joined IBBF co-founders Wayne Ford and Mary Campos in announcing the…… MORE
The Iowa Black and Brown Forum, a minorities-focused presidential forum group, has announced two forum dates for the winter. For the first time in the history of the group, the Republican Party of Iowa will help organize a GOP event, which will be on December 3rd at Drake University. The traditional Democratic event will be…… MORE
Iowans are pretty split along party lines when it comes to some key issues, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll. 70 percent of Republicans say the federal government should not pursue policies to reduce the income gap…but 91 percent of Democrats feel otherwise. 72 percent of Republicans want to send U-S ground troops to…… 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
There’s a fifth Democrat seeking the nomination for president. Former Virginia senator Jim Webb announced on his campaign website that he’s running for president…noting that he wants to bring focus to the election. Webb was last in Iowa on several stops last month…where he talked about his positive bipartisan track record while in Congress. Some…… MORE
