Latest Iowa Headlines
All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.
No Punitive Damages for Workplace Sex Bias, Iowa Court Says
Jun 24 2013 // Courts cannot award punitive damages to victims of workplace sexual harassment and gender discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, the state Supreme Court ruled in a victory for employers. The court said lawmakers...
Iowa Health Insurer to Seek Smaller Rate Hikes
Jun 19 2013 // Months after customers blasted the company for skyrocketing rates, Iowa’s dominant health insurer says it will limit premium increases in 2014 to less than six percent for individual and small business...
Midwest Pelted With Rain, Wind, Hail, Tornadoes
Jun 14 2013 // A massive line of storms packing hail, lightning and tree-toppling winds rolled through the Midwest on June 12 in the evening, driving people into basements for shelter, tearing down power lines and causing flooding in...
Final Judgment for 32 Disabled Men in Iowa: $3.4M
Jun 13 2013 // A judge in Iowa has entered final judgment of $3.4 million against a Texas company found to have mistreated 32 mentally disabled workers at an Iowa labor camp. U.S. Senior Judge Charles Wolle ruled on June 11 the men will...
Iowa Pharmacist ‘Vehemently Denies’ Fraud Charges
Jun 13 2013 // An Iowa City pharmacist will contest federal criminal charges alleging that he improperly filed insurance claims for expensive drugs needed to treat patients with hemophilia, his attorney said. Michael F. Stein made an...
Iowa Governor Issues Another Disaster Proclamation
May 31 2013 // Gov. Terry Branstad has issued a disaster proclamation for another eight counties hit by recent storms and flooding. Branstad made the announcement Wednesday. On Tuesday he issued a similar proclamation for 13...
Iowa At Tipping Point For Major Flood Event, Disaster Declared
May 30 2013 // This spring is now the wettest on record in Iowa. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says statewide average rainfall of more than 16.4 inches is the most rain in March, April and May in 141 years of records. The previous...
Storms Generate Iowa Tornado Damage, No Injuries
May 21 2013 // A storm system carrying high wind, hail and Iowa’s first tornadoes in nearly a year moved through the state Sunday, damaging some homes and knocking out power to thousands. No one was injured. Iowa had gone 358...
Iowa City in Insurance Dispute over Landfill Fire
May 20 2013 // Iowa City, Iowa, officials say their insurance claim over a costly landfill fire last year remains in dispute, and it may force legal action. The Travelers Companies claims the landfill cell that burned for 15 days last...
Nebraska Motorcycle Helmet Bill Will Get Another Ride
May 13 2013 // An effort to repeal Nebraska’s motorcycle-helmet law will get another ride in the Legislature, this time with a new crop of state lawmakers. Opponents who have tried for two decades to repeal the helmet law are...
Motorists Group’s Haack to Be Inducted to Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame
May 7 2013 // Susan E. Haack, senior vice president, corporate secretary and chief risk officer of The Motorists Insurance Group, has been selected for induction into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame, the company announced. The induction...
Abused Disabled Iowa Plant Workers Awarded $240M
May 2 2013 // A Texas company has been ordered to pay $240 million in damages to 32 mentally disabled workers who formerly worked at the company’s turkey processing plant in Iowa for what government lawyers described as decades of...
Rains Wash Away U.S. Drought, Shifting Farm Economy’s Prospects
Apr 19 2013 // Torrential downpours across a broad swath of the U.S. Midwest this week are easing the worst drought in more than 50 years, flooding streams, snarling river transportation, stalling corn plantings – and changing the...
Rain Prompts Flood Worries in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa
Apr 18 2013 // The Mississippi River, so low for much of the winter that barge traffic was nearly halted, could reach up to 10 feet above flood stage by the middle of next week in parts of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, National Weather...
Iowa Lawmakers Say State Could Pay for Flooded Homes
Apr 17 2013 // Some lawmakers say a bill recently passed by the Legislature could leave taxpayers vulnerable if future flooding damages homes surrounding a lake in eastern Iowa. The measure exempts Lake Delhi along the Maquoketa River...
Iowa Hospital Close to Finalizing $2M Bias Lawsuit
Apr 11 2013 // A Waterloo, Iowa, hospital is close to finalizing a $2 million class-action lawsuit that compensates African-Americans who say they were denied jobs and promotions because of their race. Allen Hospital will pay 35...
Iowa Senate Panel OKs Small Business Health Coverage Tax Incentive
Apr 5 2013 // An Iowa Senate panel approved a bill that would give a new income tax break to small businesses if they cover part of their employees’ health insurance. The measure passed a Senate Ways and Means subcommittee with...
GEICO to 100 Hire New Employees in Iowa
Apr 3 2013 // GEICO’s Coralville, Iowa, office plans to hire more than 100 new associates by July of this year, the direct-to-consumer insurance company announced. The new associates will fill positions in sales and customer...
Iowa County Settles Lawsuits Over Strip Searches
Mar 15 2013 // Woodbury County officials in northwest Iowa have decided to pay three women a total of $385,000 to settle their lawsuits over strip searches at the county jail. Woodbury County Board Chairman Larry Clausen said the board...
Des Moines, Iowa to Test Cameras in City Vehicles
Mar 13 2013 // The city of Des Moines, Iowa, will be installing surveillance cameras in 125 city vehicles to test whether the technology can hold employees accountable for their driving and reduce the number of accidents. The pilot...
