Latest Iowa Headlines
All the headlines from our Iowa Topic Page, ordered by recency.
FEMA to Help Replace University of Iowa Buildings
Oct 26 2012 // After months of lobbying and pressure from Iowa’s governor, congressional delegation and others, the federal government said the University of Iowa will get nearly $84 million to replace a flood damaged auditorium...
Iowa on Pace for Slowest Tornado Year in 5 Decades
Oct 17 2012 // Iowa is on pace to see its least active tornado season in nearly 50 years, thanks to the drought. There have been only 16 recorded tornadoes this year, the fewest since 1963, according to State Climatologist Harry...
Iowa Judge: Texas Firm Must Pay Disabled Workers $1.4M
Sep 20 2012 // A Texas company that profited for decades by supplying mentally disabled workers to an Iowa turkey plant at wages of 41 cents per hour must pay the men $1.37 million in back wages, a federal judge has ruled. The judgment...
US Bank: Lawsuit in Iowa Fraud Scandal ‘Without Merit’
Sep 19 2012 // US Bank is rejecting allegations in a lawsuit that claims one of its employees helped Peregrine Financial Group CEO Russ Wasendorf Sr. mislead regulators about his misuse of customer funds. Wasendorf, the founder of the...
Cedar Rapids, Iowa Sets Record for Construction Projects
Sep 18 2012 // Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has set a record for construction projects thanks to some large city-backed flood-recovery work and building by private businesses. The Gazette reports there were $346.65 million in construction starts...
Prosecutor: CEO in Iowa Fraud Case Admits to Fraud
Sep 13 2012 // The founder of an Iowa brokerage has signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in which he admits to carrying out a $200 million fraud and embezzlement scheme that bankrupted his company and could result in him...
Grinnell Mutual Promotes Menary, Eaves
Sep 10 2012 // Jeff Menary has been named vice president of Reinsurance at Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co., located in Grinnell, Iowa, and Kurt Eaves has been named vice president of Direct Underwriting/Production. Both position changes...
Drought, Low Export Demand Sap Midwest Economy
Sep 5 2012 // An August survey suggests that the continuing drought and lessening export demand for U.S. products are among the drains on the economy in nine Midwest and Plains states, according to a report released Tuesday. The...
Interstate Crash Deaths Rose in Iowa, Records Say
Sep 5 2012 // State records suggest higher interstate speeds have proved fatal for more Iowa motorists. The Des Moines Register reports that rural interstate fatalities are up about 10 percent since the speed limit was raised to 70 mph...
Nebraska, Iowa Officials Watch For Contaminated Corn
Aug 30 2012 // Farmers, crop inspectors and grain elevators in Nebraska, Iowa and other corn-producing states are keeping an eye out for corn contaminated by a poison-producing fungus. They’re watching for signs of aflatoxins that,...
Cedar Rapids, Iowa Gets Key OK for Flood Plain Projects
Aug 29 2012 // Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has gotten state permission to make rule changes that could lead to redevelopment in four downtown historic or commercial areas in the 100-year flood plain. Those areas are New Bohemia; Czech Village;...
Report: Iowa School Bus Inspection System Has Gaps
Aug 28 2012 // Almost 100 Iowa school buses have been repeatedly labeled unsafe to transport children in the past five years. The Des Moines Register reported that gaps in the bus inspection system make it possible for those buses to...
Iowa Brokerage Founder Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud
Aug 20 2012 // The founder of an Iowa-based brokerage pleaded not guilty on Aug. 17 to fraud charges in a suspected $200 million embezzlement scheme that drove his firm to bankruptcy and left thousands of customers without their...
Sedgwick Announces Job Openings at 2 New Midwest Offices
Aug 16 2012 // Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. announced the planned opening of two new Midwest service centers, located in New Albany, Ohio, and Coralville, Iowa. The Coralville location is contingent on the approval of...
Is Peer Pressure Better Employee Motivator Than Money?
Aug 7 2012 // A sense of belonging and attachment to a group of co-workers is a better motivator for some employees than money, according to a new study by University of Iowa researchers. “We found that self-managing teams exhibit...
Midwest Light Rain Not Enough to Stave Off Crop Losses
Jul 26 2012 // Light showers overnight in the southwestern U.S. Midwest were too little too late to prevent further losses to corn and soybean yields, and next week will bring the return of high heat and drought, an agricultural...
Crop Insurance Helps Farmers Now More Than in 1988 Drought
Jul 24 2012 // U.S. crops are taking a beating in the worst drought since 1988 but most farmers are not sweating like they did 24 years ago when a drought hit as they were just starting to recover from a farm depression that brought down...
Officials Tracking Down Assets of Disgraced Iowa CEO
Jul 20 2012 // Officials are moving quickly to seize the wide-ranging personal assets of the disgraced founder of an Iowa brokerage so they can try to reimburse thousands of customers and workers affected by his alleged $200 million...
Severe Drought Includes Much of Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana
Jul 20 2012 // The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows that severe drought affecting much of the Midwest and Great Plains now covers more than half of Iowa and three-quarters of Nebraska. More than half of Indiana is now listed in...
Record Number of Farmers Expected to File Crop Insurance Claims
Jul 20 2012 // The drought ravaging America’s prime farmland is having an unexpected consequence that could shape the future of agricultural finance: in some cases, farmers who have amped up their insurance coverage may be giving...
