Here First

Candidates for Iowa's open U.S. senate seat debated last night. High rainfall in September is connected to the El Niño weather event. And utility rates in the Midwest have been rising.

The candidates for Iowa governor had their first debate last night. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was in Iowa yesterday. And Des Moines is being considered for a pro soccer team.

The candidates for Iowa governor have different thoughts on supporting public and private schools. Waterloo is keeping a human rights director position. And the latest on data center regulations in Linn County.

State lawmakers passed legislation to support a proposed steel plant in Iowa. The Center for Intellectual Freedom is responding to criticism. And some worry a new state law could be harmful for LGBTQ foster youth.

The Democrat running to be Iowa secretary of agriculture says ethanol is an economic dead end. Scientists are worried the closure of a USDA research facility could hurt food safety. And September was the 4th wettest on record in Iowa.

People in eastern Iowa are calling for the release of a hospital worker who was detained by ICE last week. The candidates for Iowa governor both held rallies in Polk County last night. And what can local governments do about data center development?

A new report about Iowa's high cancer rates looks at behavioral and demographic risk factors. Dubuque is partnering with a research center to revive an underserved neighborhood. And the candidates for Iowa secretary of agriculture have different ideas about addressing water quality.

Just ahead of the midterm elections, President Trump has announced a steel plant investment in Iowa. Local health department's budgets could be tighter under a state plan to reorganize public health. And the latest on the effort to try to keep a historical research center open.

A possible new steel plant may bring lawmakers back to Des Moines for a special session. After losing half of its executive committee, the Center for Intellectual Freedom has four finalists to take the helm. U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson says she supports increasing cancer research funding.

A proposed change to Waterloo’s human rights department is dividing the city’s leadership. A business group is questioning why Alliant Energy wants to build three new power plants. And Dubuque’s Marshallese community celebrates its heritage this weekend.

President Trump's lawsuit against pollster J. Ann Selzer has been dismissed. A traveling exhibit is in Des Moines that features the Epstein files that have been released. And Dolly the mastodon is returning to southern Iowa.

Linn County is looking at the quality of its groundwater. Library hours are being reduced in Des Moines because of city budget cuts. And how has data from Flock Safety cameras been misused?

Prosecutors will retry a man accused in the cold-case killing of a Native American woman in Sioux City. The Dubuque City Council voted Monday to adopt a goal to zero out its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A Johnson County judge ruled against the state's decision to close a State Historical Society of Iowa facility, and the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club is disappointed by the EPA's decision to...

Vice President JD Vance and Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy are among the high-profile Republicans who’ve visited Iowa recently to rally GOP support ahead of the midterm elections. A nonprofit that supports low-income Iowans predicts more requests for help paying heating bills this winter. And hemp sellers are bracing for a ban on most of their products expected to go into effect in December.

The Democratic candidate for governor supports legalizing recreational marijuana. Republicans are urging support for a constitutional amendment. And how are voters feeling about Iowa's open U.S. Senate seat race?

Two Iowa representatives have voted to limit President Trump's war powers in Iran. Private well owners in certain counties are eligible for a free arsenic testing kit. And a county park in eastern Iowa is conserving the blue spotted salamander.

This year's Iowa Climate Statement calls for investing in renewable energy to meet electricity demands. Minden and Greenfield are receiving money from the USDA two years after devastating tornadoes. And Des Moines Public Schools has a new superintendent.

The city of Des Moines has approved an initial recommendation to cuts to its 2028 budget. The state attorney general's office has announced how it'll use some Meta settlement funds. And the latest on two proposed carbon pipelines.

The Department of Homeland Security secretary was in Iowa over the weekend. Child labor violations are disproportionately higher in Iowa. And a rare and federally endangered bumblebee species was spotted in eastern Iowa.

Iowans will remember the 9/11 anniversary today with observances. One former Iowan will return to the Pentagon for today’s commemoration. Republicans will go first in the 2028 presidential nominating process. And UNI is the only one of Iowa’s three public universities with an enrollment increase this year.

Iowans vote this fall on whether to make it tougher for lawmakers to raise income taxes. Iowa's agriculture secretary is promoting a science-based approach to addressing the state's water quality programs. And Waterloo is considering creating a city manager position.

University of Iowa marching band member Derek Phillips has died after collapsing from the heat in Iowa City Saturday. Waterloo passed a temporary ban on new data centers at its council meeting Tuesday, and the U.S. Department of Energy will loan NextEra up to $1.9 billion to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear plant near Cedar Rapids. American farmers will likely feel the squeeze of higher tariffs ex...

The candidates for governor share their thoughts on automated license plate readers. Johnson County officials are trying to figure out an AI policy. And what happened to the Monarch Highway?

Iowa is trying to bring back nuclear energy. Farmers across the country are losing access to federal workers to help with soil and water conservation. And how could proposed federal regulations to Head Start impact Iowa programs?

Many public schools in Iowa are trying to navigate rising costs and low enrollment. Iowa has been burning more coal to produce electricity than in the past. And data center opposition is growing in the Midwest.