The top two Republicans in the legislature are condemning the actions of protesters after 17 Black Lives Matter activists were arrested yesterday on the Iowa Capitol grounds. The protesters say the police involved should be investigated. In a written statement, House Speaker Pat Grassley and … [Read more...]
Governor deposits $490 million of federal funds to cover Iowa unemployment claims
Governor Kim Reynolds is using nearly 40 percent of the federal coronavirus relief money Iowa received to cover unemployment benefits. She's depositing $490 million dollars into the state's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Iowa Association of Business and Industry president Mike Ralston says … [Read more...]
Volunteers needed to rescue surplus vegetables
A report finds up to 10% of food grown in Iowa is left in the field because it's not visually attractive or can't be sold, while more than 300,000 Iowans can't cover their basic food needs. Those facts are prompting an effort to find volunteers to glean surplus vegetables from Iowa's fields to … [Read more...]
Continuing unemployment claims drop
The weekly unemployment claims dropped again this past week as more businesses keep opening up. The number of continuing unemployment claims dropped by about 9,200 in the last week to 143,488. It is the seventh straight week the overall unemployment claims have dropped. Last week's drop in … [Read more...]
Number of retail fireworks licenses dropped this year
State Fire Marshal Dan Wood says the number of licenses approved by his office to sell consumer fireworks was down this year. "We are at 550 for 2020, in 2019 we had 621. In 2018 -- it was our high year -- we had 891. And in 2017, our first year, we had 674," according to Wood. He says the … [Read more...]
Clay County Fair cancels for this year
The Clay County Fair in northwest Iowa is joining the list of casualties from coronavirus. The Clay County Fair Association says the decision was made amid concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After weeks of looking at various options, the fair decided it could not protect the health and … [Read more...]
Lake Park manufacturing plant damaged in fire
Fire damaged a manufacturing plant in Lake Park Wednesday, temporarily halting production. The fire at Northern Iowa Die Casting was reported at around 6:30 Wednesday morning. "We had to be particularly careful in this situation because they've got a lot of liquid hot metal inside the building … [Read more...]
Banks asking for your spare change as pandemic creates coin shortage
Brother, can you spare a dime? Or maybe a quarter, penny, nickel, or any other change? That's what banks and credit unions are asking right now as the country is seeing a coin shortage. Iowa Bankers Association president, John Sorensen, says it stems from the slowdown in business brought on by … [Read more...]
Protesters, police clash outside Iowa Capitol
Des Moines police and state patrol troopers arrested 17 Black Lives Matter protesters at the Iowa Capitol Wednesday afternoon. Des Moines Police Sergeant Paul Parizek said officers arrested three activists inside the building on charges related to a June 20th protest at a Des Moines … [Read more...]
After years of work, new Iowa law boosts animal abuse penalties
A new state law that took effect yesterday enhances the penalties for those caught abusing, neglecting or torturing pets. The law makes it easier for prosecutors to pursue these cases. A person convicted of seriously injuring or killing a pet could be sentenced to up to two years in prison. A … [Read more...]