POLITICS
Affordable & Professional: Breakthrough Web Design 515-897-1144
Gov. Reynolds names Martin Noven to lead Iowa’s $47 billion IPERS retirement system
DES MOINES — Gov. Kim Reynolds has appointed veteran public pension executive Martin Noven as the next chief executive officer of the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System, placing him in charge of the retirement system relied upon by hundreds of thousands of Iowa public employees and retirees.
Noven’s appointment will take effect August 24, 2026.
Iowa senators Ernst and Grassley fight to pass Farm Bill as Democrats block measure in committee
WASHINGTON — Both of Iowa’s U.S. senators backed a new five-year Farm Bill Thursday, but the sweeping agriculture package was defeated after every Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee voted against advancing the measure.
Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst of Iowa each voted in favor of moving the Farm Bill forward during the August 6 committee meeting.
“Democrats’ obstruction leaves the fate of the Farm Bill in serious jeopardy at a time when farmers need our help,” Grassley said following the defeat.
Iowa property tax reform ranked No. 1 in nation for tax-burden reduction
DES MOINES — Iowa’s sweeping 2026 property tax overhaul has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for reducing property tax burdens through a single piece of legislation during the past decade, according to a new analysis highlighted Thursday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The Common Sense Institute concluded that Iowa’s 2026 reforms produce the largest property tax reduction of any legislation enacted nationwide during that period, whether measured against statewide personal income or on a per-household basis.
The finding comes less than three months after Reynolds signed Iowa’s $4.2 billion property tax relief package into law.
Trump answers Supreme Court setback with new birthright citizenship, birth tourism orders
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump moved Thursday to salvage key pieces of his effort to restrict birthright citizenship, signing two new executive orders just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt his administration a major setback on the issue.
Trump signed the orders on August 6, 2026, with one directing federal agencies to deny recognition of birthright citizenship in several specific circumstances and the other launching a broader crackdown on so-called “birth tourism” — foreign nationals traveling to the United States on temporary visas for the purpose of giving birth to a child who would become an American citizen.
New Iowa poll gives Rob Sand edge for governor as Hinson holds slim Senate lead
DES MOINES — Democrat Rob Sand holds a five-point advantage in Iowa’s race for governor, while Republican Ashley Hinson maintains a narrow lead in the contest for an open U.S. Senate seat, according to a newly released statewide poll.
Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt after he repeatedly takes Fifth
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Senate committee voted Thursday, August 6, 2026, to hold former federal health official Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he repeatedly refused to answer questions about the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Winnebago County supervisors move nuisance ordinance toward final approval, table DNR agreement
FOREST CITY — The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors moved closer to adopting changes to the county’s nuisance ordinance Tuesday, July 28, after holding a public hearing and unanimously waiving the first and second readings of the proposed amendment.
Worth supervisors accept recorder Teresa Olson’s resignation, approve $719,000 in claims at July 27 meeting
NORTHWOOD — The Worth County Board of Supervisors accepted County Recorder Teresa Olson’s resignation, approved a new first deputy treasurer and authorized more than $719,000 in county expenses during its Monday, July 27, 2026, meeting.
ACLU targets police presence in Iowa schools, demands districts eliminate resource officers
DES MOINES — The ACLU of Iowa is demanding that schools eliminate their resource-officer programs, a sweeping proposal that would remove armed law enforcement officers from campuses despite concerns that doing so could leave children and school employees less protected during a violent emergency – and good kids and teachers at the mercy kids no better than Scooby Doo villians.
Trump administration probes “transgender dolls” aimed at children as young as 4 in Minnesota schools
MINNEAPOLIS — A controversial project offering gender-identity dolls with interchangeable body parts to educators working with children as young as 4 has triggered a federal investigation and renewed concerns that radical gender ideology is being pushed into classrooms without parents’ knowledge or consent.
The U.S. Department of Education announced July 29 that it had opened an investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education following a complaint submitted on behalf of parents by Defending Education.
At the center of the controversy are “MyGender Dolls,” described by their creators as a play-based therapeutic resource for transgender and “gender diverse” children between the ages of 4 and 10.
Iowa, a deep-red state, is so far holding these types of programs outside our borders…
Cerro Gordo supervisors to consider nearly $165,000 in funding for outside organizations at August 3 meeting
MASON CITY — The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider authorizing nearly $165,000 in taxpayer funding for 16 outside organizations during its regular meeting Monday, August 3, 2026.
The board will meet at 10 a.m. in the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse boardroom.
Cerro Gordo supervisors deny marina driveway request, approve Rockwell road payment
MASON CITY — The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors handled a brief agenda Monday morning, denying a driveway request tied to a local marina development, approving payment for a Rockwell road project, authorizing a payroll change in the Information Technology Department, and signing off on more than $310,000 in county claims during its July 27 meeting.
Clear Lake approves incentives for $10 million Gabrielson Clinic expansion, new surgery center
CLEAR LAKE — The Clear Lake City Council has approved a development agreement supporting a major expansion of Gabrielson Clinic that city leaders say will bring new medical services, millions of dollars in private investment and dozens of new jobs to the community.
The council approved the agreement at its July 20, 2026 meeting following the required public hearing and amendment to the city’s Consolidated Urban Renewal Area Plan.
New memo reinforces legal wall in Iowa against males entering girls’ sports
DES MOINES — A legal memo released Friday, July 31, 2026, is thrusting the hot-button battle over transgender athletes back into the public spectacle, delivering Iowa lawmakers and schools a clear message: the state’s biological-sex rules for girls’ and women’s sports now stand on considerably stronger legal ground.
Charles City Council advances plan allowing backyard chickens within city limits
CHARLES CITY — Charles City residents moved one step closer to being allowed to keep chickens in their backyards after the City Council approved the first reading of a proposed urban chicken ordinance Monday, July 20, 2026.
The council advanced Ordinance No. 1202, which would create a new chapter of the Charles City Code governing the keeping of chickens on qualifying residential properties.
The proposal would allow residents to keep as many as six hens on permitted properties. Roosters would remain prohibited.
How Eastern Iowa Families Navigate Bail with All American Bail Bonds
An arrest rarely comes with a warning. One moment a family is going about an ordinary evening, and the next they’re on the phone trying to figure out where a loved one
Iowa Supreme Court adopts new rules allowing judges to use artificial intelligence
DES MOINES — Artificial intelligence will soon have an officially sanctioned place inside Iowa’s court system, but judges will remain personally responsible for every fact, legal citation and decision produced with its assistance.
The Iowa Supreme Court on July 21, 2026, adopted a new chapter of court rules governing the use of artificial intelligence by judges, magistrates, law clerks, staff attorneys and others who assist with deciding cases.
All four Iowa GOP congressmen vote to crack down on congressional stock trading
WASHINGTON — All four of Iowa’s Republican congressmen voted Wednesday, July 22, 2026, to prohibit members of Congress and their immediate families from purchasing individual stocks, delivering unanimous Iowa support for a long-awaited crackdown on a practice widely viewed as a glaring conflict of interest.
Trump administration slaps illegal aliens with $84 billion in fines
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has issued more than 103,000 civil fines totaling approximately $84 billion against illegal aliens who have refused to leave the United States, the Department of Homeland Security announced.
The massive financial penalties are part of the administration’s escalating effort to enforce final removal orders and compel illegal aliens to leave the country voluntarily.
The fines can reach $998 for every day an illegal alien remains in the country after receiving a final order of removal.
Floyd County supervisors hear $25,000 food bank request, approve new dispatcher hire at July 21 meeting
CHARLES CITY — The Floyd County Board of Supervisors heard a request for $25,000 toward a major Northeast Iowa Food Bank expansion, reviewed upcoming county technology changes and approved several personnel and financial matters during its Tuesday, July 21, 2026, meeting.