Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Community journalism for democracy. We're a non-profit news site dedicated to hard-hitting and fair coverage of state government and politics.
A physician who worked 18 months at Iowa City’s Veterans Administration Medical Center has been denied a license to practice medicine in Iowa, Clark Kauffman reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/05/d...
Doctor who worked 18 months for Iowa City VA is denied an Iowa medical license • Iowa Capital Dispatch
A physician who worked 18 months at Iowa City’s VA Medical Center has been denied a license to practice medicine in Iowa.
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The deployment of National Guard troops hailing from all across the country to Washington, D.C. is expected to cost taxpayers more than $1.4 billion in additional funds through 2029, Sam Gauntt reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/05/p...
Price tag for Trump's D.C. deployment of National Guard: $1.4B more through 2029 • Iowa Capital Dispatch
The deployment of National Guard to Washington, D.C. is expected to cost taxpayers more than $1.4 billion in additional funds through 2029.
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The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services reported a case of West Nile virus in an eastern Iowa adult Wednesday, marking the state’s first reported case in 2026, Cami Koons reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/first...
First 2026 case of West Nile virus reported in Iowa • Iowa Capital Dispatch
The Iowa HHS reported a case of West Nile virus in an eastern Iowa adult Wednesday, marking the first reported case of 2026 in the state.
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Dr. Erica Schwartz will be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination Wednesday, Shauneen Miranda reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/05/r...
US Senate confirms Trump’s pick for CDC director • Iowa Capital Dispatch
The U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination Wednesday of Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The Department of Health and Human Services plans to award a $150 million contract to a small Texas firm to provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children, according to a notice in the Federal Register, Ariana Figueroa reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/05/r...
Small Texas law firm run by Trump ally wins contract for legal aid to immigrant kids • Iowa Capital Dispatch
U.S. HHS plans to award a $150 million contract to a small Texas firm to provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children.
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A federal judge lifted a stay Wednesday on the termination of temporary protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians in order to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Ariana Figueroa reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/05/r...
TPS for up to 350,000 Haitians officially ends as judge applies Supreme Court order • Iowa Capital Dispatch
A federal judge lifted a stay Wednesday on the termination of temporary protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians.
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Grinnell College will use grant funding to connect its areas of arts education with emerging technologies through new campus space, programming and more, Brooklyn Draisey reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/grinn...
Grinnell College receives grant for initiative connecting arts and technology • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Grinnell College received a grant to create a new arts space and support faculty development of curriculum and student opportunities.
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President Donald Trump is urging Republican senators to “release their holds” and pass a measure making daylight saving time permanent nationwide, Shauneen Miranda reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/05/r...
Trump urges US Senate to pass bill making daylight saving time permanent • Iowa Capital Dispatch
President Donald Trump is urging Republican senators to pass a measure making daylight saving time permanent nationwide.
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State regulators have suspended, without explanation, a nursing home administrator’s license to practice in Iowa, Clark Kauffman reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/05/b...
Board suspends administrator's license, for undisclosed reasons, to 'protect the public' • Iowa Capital Dispatch
State regulators have suspended, without explanation, a nursing home administrator’s license to practice in Iowa.
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Three states this year became the first to enact laws restricting companies from using personal data such as browsing history or shopping habits to set individualized prices on goods and services, a practice known as surveillance pricing, Stateline reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/05/r...
States begin banning ‘surveillance pricing’ that uses personal data to charge more • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Three states this year became the first ones to enact laws restricting companies from using surveillance pricing.
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The Libertarian Party of Iowa will hold a convention Sunday to nominate a new 3rd District candidate to appear on the November ballot after Libertarian Marco Battaglia ended his campaign. iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/iowa-...
Iowa Libertarian Party to hold 3rd District nominating convention after Battaglia ends campaign • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Libertarian Marco Battaglia ended his campaign for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District due to a medical emergency, the state party said.
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A state board has sanctioned an Iowa nursing home administrator for widespread quality-of-care issues in one of the facilities she managed, Clark Kauffman reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/f...
Former administrator at shuttered care facility is sanctioned by the state • Iowa Capital Dispatch
A state board has sanctioned an Iowa nursing home administrator for widespread quality-of-care issues a care facility she managed.
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An Iowa community college has become the first in the nation to earn federal approval for the Workforce Pell Grant program, allowing students in its emergency medical technician program to receive federal dollars for their education. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/i...
Iowa Central Community College first in U.S. to receive federal Workforce Pell approval • Iowa Capital Dispatch
State and federal officials announced Tuesday that Iowa Central Community College's EMT students are now eligible for Workforce Pell grants.
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Newly adopted rules from the Iowa Utilities Commission aim to “mitigate potential impacts” of proposed large-scale transmission projects, Cami Koons reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/i...
Iowa sets new transmission standards for noise, guy wires, field strength • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Newly adopted rules from the Iowa Utilities Commission aim to "mitigate potential impacts" of proposed large-scale transmission projects.
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U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday rebuked the Department of Education’s efforts to transfer its special education programs and civil rights enforcement to other agencies. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/r...
Dems continue to hammer Trump Education Department transfers • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Senate Democrats rebuked the Department of Education’s efforts to transfer special education and civil rights programs to other agencies.
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The stopgap spending bill supported by an overwhelming majority of U.S. senators does not address tens of billions in expiring transportation funding, leaving states facing a massive effective budget cut starting Oct. 1. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/u...
US Senate stopgap fails to renew more than $38B a year in state transportation funding • Iowa Capital Dispatch
The stopgap spending bill supported by U.S. senators does not address tens of billions in expiring transportation funding.
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Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said Tuesday that U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn played a key role in passing the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” Act — a law that he said has helped support and expand Iowa manufacturing sector, Robin Opsahl reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/r...
Rep. Zach Nunn, U.S. labor secretary say 2025 tax cuts help Iowa businesses expand • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling toured an Iowa manufacturer with U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn as part of his Tuesday visit.
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Iowa regulators have issued an emergency order suspending the license of a physician associate who was accused of having sex with a prison-inmate patient while working for the Iowa Department of Corrections, Clark Kauffman reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/s...
State-employed physician associate accused of having sex with prison-inmate patient • Iowa Capital Dispatch
The state has issued an emergency suspension of the license of a physician associate accused of having sex with a prison-inmate patient.
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The U.S. House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday that it will review allegations that Republican Rep. Max Miller of Ohio may have “engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use," Sam Gauntt reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/r...
US House Ethics starts probe of abuse allegations against Ohio Rep. Max Miller at his request • Iowa Capital Dispatch
The U.S. House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday that it will review allegations against Republican Rep. Max Miller of Ohio.
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A group of western Iowa businessmen are being sued over an alleged “brazen and coordinated scheme” to take over highly classified work for the federal government by poaching employees and stealing trade secrets from their employer, Clark Kauffman reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/c...
Company claims Iowa workers conspired to take over highly classified government work • Iowa Capital Dispatch
A group of Iowa businessmen are accused of a “brazen and coordinated scheme” to take over highly classified work for the federal government.
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The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a wastewater discharge from the City of Keokuk into the Mississippi River, Cami Koons reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/dnr-i...
DNR investigating wastewater discharge into Mississippi River from Keokuk • Iowa Capital Dispatch
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a wastewater discharge from the City of Keokuk into the Mississippi River.
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U.S. acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was one step closer to permanently leading the Justice Department Tuesday, after two skeptical Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans voted to advance his nomination, Ashley Murray reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/r...
Blanche nomination for attorney general advanced by US Senate panel on party-line vote • Iowa Capital Dispatch
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday advanced Todd Blanche's nomination for U.S. attorney general to the Senate floor.
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Today’s children could be the first generation since the 1970s to do better than their parents as young workers become more sought after and well paid. They may even see a surplus of housing after recent shortages, Stateline reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/04/r...
Today’s children could prosper in tomorrow’s shortage of young workers • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Today's children could be the first generation since the 1970s to do better than their parents as demand and pay rise for young workers.
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July ended with hot temperatures and record high dew point temperatures, according to a weekly weather report from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Cami Koons reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/recor...
Record heat and dewpoints recorded across Iowa • Iowa Capital Dispatch
July ended with hot temperatures and record high dew point temperatures, according to a weekly weather report from IDALS.
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States do not have time before November’s elections to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating overhauls of mail-in-voting systems, two dozen Democratic state officials told the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, Jacob Fischler reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/03/r...
Democratic state officials urge US Supreme Court to affirm pause on Trump vote-by-mail order • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Democratic officials told the U.S. Supreme Court their states do not have time before the elections to overhaul mail-in-voting systems.
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More than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children Monday lost their legal representation because the Trump administration has not entered into a new agreement to take over legal services after it let a longstanding contract expire, Ariana Figueroa reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/03/r...
Legal services contract expires, and unaccompanied immigrant children face deportation • Iowa Capital Dispatch
More than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children lost their legal representation Monday with the expiration of a longstanding contract.
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Six years after it first opened, a care facility in rural Iowa that has allegedly been operating without the required licensure has been temporarily shut down by a court order, Clark Kauffman reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/03/j...
Judge: Operators of rural, unlicensed care facility are 'a danger to the public' • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Six years after it opened, a rural Iowa care facility that is unlicensed by the state has been temporarily shut down by a judge's order.
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An audit released Monday shows the state has made “substantial improvements” in efforts to inspect nursing homes and now meets federal requirements, state Auditor Rob Sand said, Robin Opsahl reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/03/i...
Iowa now meets federal nursing home inspection requirements, audit finds • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Iowa is now in compliance with federal requirements for nursing home inspections after failing to meet standards in 2024.
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Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said Rep. Max Miller, also of Ohio and his former son-in-law, is not fit to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives as he faces allegations of domestic abuse from his ex-wife, who is Moreno’s daughter, Sam Gauntt reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/03/r...
Ohio US Sen. Moreno says former son-in-law Rep. Max Miller unfit to serve in Congress • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Sen. Bernie Moreno said Rep. Max Miller, his former son-in-law, is not fit to serve in the U.S. House as he faces domestic abuse allegations.
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Leaders of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee announced a bipartisan deal that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11 and pause the Trump administration’s effort to add new criteria for federal grants, Jacob Fischler reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/08/03/r...
Spending deal freezes Trump proposal to gain power over federal grants, extends highway law • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Leaders of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee announced a bipartisan deal that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11.
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