Latest Iowa Headlines
All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.
NW Iowa Derailment Dumps Sand, Railcars, into River
Sep 25 2018 // No injuries have been reported after a train derailed in northwest Iowa and 20 cars carrying soybean oil and sand fell into the flooded Floyd River. The Des Moines Register reports the bridge beneath the Union Pacific...
New Flood Maps Show Reduced Risks Around Dubuque, Iowa
Sep 25 2018 // New federal maps show that fewer buildings in Dubuque, Iowa, are at risk of flooding. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency recently updated flood insurance maps for the area...
Following July Tornado, 60 Iowa Buildings Deemed Unsafe
Sep 21 2018 // Officials in central Iowa have designated about 60 structures as unsafe following a July tornado that damaged about 2,000 buildings. The Times-Republican reports that the properties in Marshalltown now have small red...
Iowa Denied Federal Disaster Assistance for July Tornadoes
Sep 17 2018 // A federal agency has denied disaster assistance for residents and business owners of Marshall and Polk counties who endured tornadoes in July. Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office announced the Federal Emergency Management...
Iowa Governor Scrutinized for Accepting Flight on Sedgwick Jet
Sep 14 2018 // Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds received approval from an ethics regulator to fly with her family to Iowa State’s bowl game free of charge on the jet of a state vendor, despite a law barring public officials and their...
Hatten Taking on New Management Role at Iowa’s Holmes Murphy
Sep 5 2018 // Iowa-based insurance services firm Holmes Murphy has named Susan Hatten as senior manager, Corporate Community Engagement, a newly created position that fits Hatten’s expertise. Hatten was formerly an account...
Waterloo, Iowa, Rejects Plan to Bill Insurers for Emergency Response
Aug 20 2018 // Waterloo (Iowa) Fire Rescue’s proposal to bill insurance companies for its emergency response costs has been rejected. City council members have voted 5-2 against the plan that would seek payments for the...
Business Moves
Aug 20 2018 // TrueNorth, Gateway Insurance Services TrueNorth Companies has acquired Iowa-based Gateway Insurance Services, which will adopt the TrueNorth name and brand. With locations in Ames and Iowa Falls, Gateway Insurance Services...
BNSF Acknowledges Iowa Derailment Was Flood Related
Aug 13 2018 // BNSF Railway has acknowledged that flooding played a role in a derailment that loosed thousands of gallons of oil into northwest Iowa floodwaters. Railroad spokesman Andy Williams wouldn’t say whether the train...
City in Iowa Rejects Plan to Bill Insurers for Emergency Response
Aug 9 2018 // Waterloo (Iowa) Fire Rescue’s proposal to bill insurance companies for its emergency response costs has been rejected. City council members have voted 5-2 against the plan that would seek payments for the...
North Risk Partners Acquires Iowa’s Benefit Solutions
Aug 7 2018 // Benefit Solutions Inc. (BSI) located in Hiawatha, Iowa, has been acquired by Minnesota-based independent insurance agency, North Risk Partners. Greg Dunn, BSI’s co-founder and preceding owner, will continue to head...
Business Moves
Aug 6 2018 // BNC Insurance Agency, Murray, Schoen & Homer BNC Insurance Agency Inc., an independently owned retail brokerage firm with headquarters in Rye Brook, N.Y., has acquired Murray, Schoen & Homer Inc., also located in...
Nebraska Lawmakers Mull Stricter Texting Ban
Jul 24 2018 // A year after Iowa began cracking down on texting while driving, advocates and lawmakers in Nebraska hope to implement a similar policy. Nebraska and Iowa both banned texting while driving in 2010 but classified the...
Unexpected Iowa Tornadoes Flatten Buildings, Injure at Least 17
Jul 23 2018 // Thousands of people were without power Friday after a flurry of unexpected tornadoes swept through central Iowa, injuring at least 17 people and flattening buildings in three cities. The storms even surprised weather...
Iowa’s Holmes Murphy Welcomes 14 New Employee Shareholders
Jul 19 2018 // Iowa-based insurance services firm, Holmes Murphy, recently added 14 new employee shareholders. Holmes Murphy shareholders help lead the company in its mission to promote health, protect wealth, and deliver peace of mind....
Iowa’s Holmes Murphy Relocates to New Office in Davenport
Jul 13 2018 // Davenport, Iowa-based independent insurance brokerage, Holmes Murphy, has moved from its Research Parkway location to a newly renovated space adjacent to Russell Construction. The new office space was selected due to the...
Iowa’s Holmes Murphy Joins Forces with Construction Industry Leader CSDZ
Jul 5 2018 // Holmes Murphy has joined forces with privately owned Cobb Strecker Dunphy & Zimmermann Inc. (CSDZ), based in Minneapolis. Holmes Murphy said the merger is its largest to date and strengthens the firm’s depth in...
Survey: As Trade Fears Mount, Economic Growth Slows in Midwest
Jul 3 2018 // Business remains strong in nine Midwest and Plains states, but a new monthly survey suggests growth is slowing as concerns about trade and tariffs increase. The region’s overall economic index decreased to 61.8 in...
New Iowa Laws Include Expanded ‘Move Over’ Rule, Limits on Alcohol Liability
Jul 3 2018 // Gov. Kim Reynolds signed more than 170 bills during and after the legislative session and most of those laws took effect on July 1, the start of Iowa’s new budget year. Among the new laws in effect that may affect...
TrueNorth Acquires Iowa’s Gateway Insurance Services
Jul 3 2018 // TrueNorth Companies has acquired Iowa-based Gateway Insurance Services, which will adopt the TrueNorth name and brand. With locations in Ames and Iowa Falls, Gateway Insurance Services has been committed to providing...
