Drew Johnson grew up in Cedar Rapids making movies with his friends in his backyard. Now an adult, his filmmaking career has flourished without Johnson needing to leave the Midwest. He’s was one of the founding members of Loose Films, an award-winning production house based in Columbus, Ohio. Johnson founded the company with Noah Dixon […]
Water Quality
Posted inCommunity/News
Despite the health crisis in Iowa and beyond, the EPA has stalled its long-planned nitrate cancer review
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has backed off its reassessment of cancer-causing nitrates despite decades of research suggesting the contaminant is more harmful than previously thought and that nitrate pollution is at crisis levels in U.S. drinking water. The agency would not confirm the assessment was canceled, but the work has been stagnant for more […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Photos: Iowa City water plant opens its doors for a public tour
On July 21, Little Village graphic designer Kellan Doolittle toured the City of Iowa City’s municipal water treatment plant, located at 80 Stephen Atkins Dr. The facility treats around 6 million gallons of water a day for use by Iowa City and University Heights residents. (However, most University of Iowa campus buildings, including UIHC, are supplied by […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Rob Sand talks cancer research, nicotine taxes and Zach Lahn’s opposition to mRNA vaccines in Des Moines
Gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand said he would support increasing pediatric cancer research funding, raising taxes on tobacco and nicotine products and ensuring access to cancer-preventing vaccines — but warned advocates Tuesday these actions will require GOP support. Sand, a Democrat who currently serves as Iowa state auditor, met with organizers and volunteers with the American […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Central Iowa Water Works ends all watering restrictions as record-setting nitrate levels dip back down
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 […]
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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 inCommunity/News
Iowa had twice the drinking water violations for nitrates in 2025 as in 2024
A report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) shows Iowa had 36 nitrate-related drinking water violations in 2025, which is more than double the number reported in 2024. Each year, DNR submits a compliance report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency detailing violations of federal drinking water standards, from excessive contamination levels to […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Lawn watering ban enacted in central Iowa due to high nitrate levels, affecting 20% of the state population
Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) imposed a lawn-watering ban on Monday. This is the second year in a row the water utility has banned watering by its 600,000 customers in the greater Des Moines area and beyond. “The lawn watering ban is not due to a lack of water in our rivers or reservoirs,” according […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Central Iowa Water Works asks its 600,000 customers to ‘use water wisely’ as nitrate levels spike
It has been almost a year since Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) had to impose an unprecedented outdoor watering ban on the 600,000 residential and business customers it serves in the Greater Des Moines area and beyond because of the high levels of nitrate pollution in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. Now, the water […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s most important water monitoring network still has no state funding
Advocates of the state’s widest-spread and fastest-with-data water quality monitoring system are feeling frustrated by a lack of state support, and say appropriations that did make it through the legislative process won’t help every Iowan. The Iowa Legislature went back and forth on funding for water quality during the final days and hours of its […]
Posted inCommunity/News
A ‘skyscraper of risk factors’ are giving Iowans cancer
For the third year in a row, Iowa has the second-highest rate of new cancers in the country, according to the annual report from the Iowa Cancer Register (ICR) published in March. It’s also one of only three states where the rate of new cancers is rising, according to data from the National Cancer Institute. […]
