Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) has lifted all restrictions on outdoor watering. The utility, which provides water to 20 percent of the state’s population, imposed a ban on lawn watering on June 8. “The lawn watering ban is not due to a lack of water in our rivers or reservoirs,” CIWW said in a news […]
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Posted inCommunity/News
Democratic candidates attend farmers’ forum: ‘We can’t be saying we feed the world when we can’t feed Polk County’
Nearly 100 Iowa Farmers Union members from across the state came out Saturday to learn how several Iowa Democratic nominees plan on leading change — especially for the ag industry and the struggling farm economy. The event at Big Oak Barn in Elkhart kicked off with Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat who is running for […]
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Nonprofits partner to furnish ‘The Row,’ six new houses for victim-survivors in Johnson County
Since opening its first shelter for people threatened by domestic violence in 1980, DVIP, now DVIP/RVAP, has seen the need for its services grow exponentially. The nonprofit, which grew out of an initiative launched by the University of Iowa’s Women’s Resource and Action Center in the late 1970s, now provides immediate and long-term crisis support […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
New Mary Oliver documentary inspires Iowa City orgs to celebrate a poet often disregarded in elite circles
Film director (and former University of Iowa professor) Sasha Waters first recalls being struck by the work of Mary Oliver as a new parent, listening to A Prairie Home Companion in her Iowa City kitchen. Years later, PBS would ask her to make a documentary about the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet for the American Masters […]
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With another record-breaking haul, Rob Sand widens fundraising lead; one GOP PAC donated 78% of Zach Lahn’s campaign fund
Democrat Rob Sand broke fundraising records again, as his campaign for governor took in $9,385,646 between May 27 and July 14, according to newly published campaign finance reports from the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. Republican candidate Zach Lahn raised $6,372,831, although 78 percent of Lahn’s total amount raised this period came from one […]
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Turek took in more money than Hinson over last reporting period; three of four Democrats running for U.S. House outraise Republicans
U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek and three of the four Democrats running for U.S. House in Iowa raised more money than their Republican competitors during the most recent campaign finance reporting period, according to reports published by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) this week. The reports are for the FEC’s second quarter, which covers the […]
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Polk City will pay almost $200,000 to paramedic fired over comments about Charlie Kirk
Polk City announced it is settling a lawsuit filed by Alissa Furry, a paramedic voted the 2025 Medic of the Year by her peers, who the city fired last October after posting on Facebook about the death of rightwing activist and media figure Charlie Kirk. “The city’s insurer will pay Ms. Furry $189,000 on the […]
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More Iowans are turning to ketamine therapy when other depression treatments fail
Joshua Bohnsack is a member of the Chicago band Gold Dust, but he’s currently touring a solo album, Desire Path. The songs were inspired by his experience with ketamine. Growing up in the Quad Cities, mental health wasn’t really talked about, Bohnsack explained to Little Village. While attending the University of Iowa, he sought help […]
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Iowa has 15,309 animal feeding operations, aerial mapping finds — thousands more than the state monitors
An analysis from Environmental Working Group (EWG) mapped 15,309 animal feeding operations in Iowa, which is several thousand more than what is tracked and monitored by the state. The group utilized satellite and aerial imagery to map animal feeding operations across Iowa and estimate the amount of manure they produce. The report also notes a […]
Posted inElection Coverage
‘Anti-establishment’ candidate Zach Lahn celebrates (familiar) Trump endorsement, pledges to continue Gov. Reynolds’ work
“I will tell you, something very special happened today to me,” Zach Lahn told the audience of Republicans gathered at the downtown Hilton in Des Moines on Friday night. “A boy who grew up north of Sioux City in a small town of less than 300 people. I was endorsed for this campaign by President […]
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Lax oversight of hog CAFOs harms endangered species, study finds
Large concentrated hog farms that send manure contamination into local waterways not only impact human health but threaten the existence of more than a dozen endangered species, according to a new study published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice. Researchers examined the overlap between endangered species and hog concentrated animal feeding operations, CAFOs, in […]
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Kembrew McLeod’s Prairie Pop column has covered the culture of flyover country since 2001
When I wrote about Awful Purdies’ 20th anniversary for last month’s column, Kate Rowe joked that the band was her longest-running relationship. “It’s actually been part of my entire adult life,” she said. “I was one year out of college when I joined this band.” Rowe’s quip struck a chord because…
