The attorney for an immigration detainee held in the Polk County Jail says federal officials maliciously staged a “sham” court hearing orchestrated to keep his client behind bars. The case involves Suraj Vasal, who four years ago came to the United States from India seeking asylum and was then released on his own recognizance. Court […]
Polk County
Posted inCommunity/News
Polk County water report pins unhealthy rivers on ag pollution
A long-awaited scientific report commissioned by Polk County says farm pollution threatens the ability to drink clean water and to safely interact with central Iowa streams, Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. The county announced its Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment in 2023 and heralded it as a first-of-its-kind, unbiased and comprehensive examination of the watersheds […]
Posted inStatewide
Bill shuts Iowa’s largest counties out of economic development funds for three years
Iowa’s four most populous counties would not be able to access state economic development programs and their funds for three years under a bill advanced Wednesday by an Iowa House subcommittee. The legislation, HSB 310, would impose a three-year moratorium, from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028, on all programs administered by the Iowa […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
New study documents costs, stress and confusion unhoused families face in Des Moines area
A study from Drake University, in partnership with homelessness planning organization Homeward, found that the amount of family shelters and affordable housing need to be expanded in order to meet the need from families experiencing homelessness, and the community needs to come together and try to lower barriers for those putting everything they can into […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Polk County ballots with amendment spelling error remain valid, Secretary of State’s office says
The Iowa Secretary of State’s office has determined that a spelling error on some Polk County ballots on a proposed constitutional amendment will not invalidate these ballots. When early voting began Oct. 16, some ballots in Polk County were found to have contained a typo in its language on the gubernatorial line of succession amendment. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Phill, the wandering water buffalo of Polk County, has a new home at the Iowa Farm Sanctuary. So do two of his friends.
Phill the domesticated water buffalo’s escape into the suburban streets of Pleasant Hill in late August captured the attention and imagination of people nationwide. It came to an end after five days when Phill was found, subdued with a tranquilizer dart and sent to Iowa State University’s Large Animal Hospital in Ames to receive medical […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
DART providing free rides to Polk County warming centers through Monday
DART will provide free bus rides to warming centers and overnight shelters in Polk County through Monday, as central Iowa experiences brutally cold temperatures. “Riders should tell bus drivers when they board that they want to go to the warming center or shelter,” the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) said in a written […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Where and when to vote early in Polk County for the June 7 primary
Early voting for the June 7 primary election began on Wednesday, as county auditors started mailing out absentee ballots requested by voters, and opened their offices for in-person early voting. According to Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald, on Wednesday morning his office mailed out over 4,500 absentee ballots requested by voters . It’s not too […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Take a walk among the dinosaurs in ‘that one Des Moines garden’ this July
After a four-year hiatus, the Polk County Master Gardeners’ Garden Tour is back, highlighting 11 exceptional gardeners and garden enthusiasts across the county, including Urbandale, Clive, Des Moines and Ankeny. The tour is part of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Polk County. One stop on the tour — enticingly dubbed “That One Des […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘This has been a nightmare’: Why the Easter Bunny was listed as prosecutor in hundreds of Iowa court cases
The Easter Bunny is representing the prosecution in several hundred Polk County criminal cases. At least that’s what Iowa Courts Online, the court system’s official, statewide web-based repository of court records, indicates. On April 4, the online docket sheets for hundreds of Polk County cases — primarily misdemeanors and drunken-driving cases — were revised to […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Not guilty: Jury acquits 18-year-old charged with assault for touching state trooper’s arm during a protest
Josie Mulvihill was still a senior at Norwalk High School when she was arrested for touching the arm of an Iowa State Patrol (ISP) officer during a protest at the Iowa State Capitol in April. The 18-year-old was charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer, even though Officer Dylan Hernandez said Mulvihill “pushed my arm […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Delays loom ahead for Iowa Bakken pipeline
The Iowa segment of the Dakota Access pipeline could be delayed after the recent discovery of a possible archaeological site in northwest Iowa. If confirmed, further delays to the controversial project would come from relocation and rerouting of that part of the pipeline. Construction has already begun on the 1,150-mile pipeline through Illinois, North Dakota […]
