Iowa News Archives

Iowa Department of Human Services officials said Monday that more Iowans are asking for food stamps.

Iowa's largest state worker union has approved about $26 million in concessions in exchange for a promise of no immediate layoffs of its members, union leadership announced Monday.

A Des Moines Register poll shows a big drop in the percentage of Iowans who support President Barack Obama's handling of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, is engaged to her boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky, CBS News confirms.

It's a subject many people avoid. But as the number of suicides in Iowa rises, people affected by it are speaking out.

An Iowa teenager who was injured when a tire exploded in his face is recovering faster than his doctors expected.

Amtrak ridership in Iowa broke a record this year, with more than 66,000 passengers getting on and off trains at Iowa stations during the federal budget year that ended Sept.

A Des Moines Register poll indicates more Iowans consider themselves conservatives, but many who have left the Republican party said it has become too partisan.

The owners of an apartment building located in a potential site for the new Hancher Auditorium have told the University of Iowa they're not interested in selling the building.

A 42-year-old Burlington man has been sentenced to six years in prison for attacking a co-worker in a fight over a power tool.

Leland Traiman, who runs a sperm bank in California, worries about his lesbian clients in more conservative parts of the country when he hears fellow gay rights activists talk about winning the right to wed.

Shoppers cross Adams Street in the downtown district of Carroll, Iowa, on November 13, 2009.

A two-month-old boy who was allegedly beaten by his mother's boyfriend has died.

For 100 years Henry Armstrong's family has farmed the same patch of central Montana land, hanging on through the Depression, low wheat prices and the ever-present risk that the next generation would move on.

An animal made a Thanksgiving meal out of a cable line, knocking out cable and internet service to roughly 1,000 customers in an eastern Iowa town.

Puzzled and tuckered out, 81-year-old Audrey Hogan drove into the lighted parking lot of Chris' Curve Cafe in Cambridge one night last month and asked two strangers: "Could you help? I think I'm lost." All she knew was that she had been driving for 14 hours and she wasn't in Iowa anymore.

The Thanksgiving holiday brings added travel risks for Iowans as they hit the road.

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Iowa will face a budget gap of more than $1 billion next year, the largest gap in state history.

Nine of Iowa's biggest cities are seeking a law to hold bar owners more responsible for crimes that happen in parking lots or other nearby premises.

An Iowa appeals court has overturned a $10 million award to a businessman who claimed a casino and its owner backed out of an agreement to let him manage the facility.

A liquid propane shortage could bring even more problems to Iowa's weather-slowed corn harvest.

State officials said Wednesday that projections for the fiscal year 2011 budget show a $1 billion shortfall, on top of the $415 million hole the state is currently trying to fill.

The mystery of a portable radio stolen 54 years ago from a Clarke College teacher's lounge may never be solved, but the anonymous thief has tried to make amends.

It didn't take long for proposals to house Guantanamo Bay detainees at a nearly empty Illinois prison to spark tough talk by Republicans -- across the Mississippi River in Iowa.

According to unofficial results, Democrat Kirsten Running-Marquardt appears to have scored a landslide win in the special election in Iowa's State House District 33.

A new report by Environment Iowa indicates the state has some of the oldest coal-fired energy plants in the nation.

Posted on Nov 24, 2009 by Rod Boshart . Iowans are approaching the day when the country has its most cooking fires - " Thanksgiving Day.

The state will move ahead with its film tax credit program in accordance with legal requirements, depending on the status of the specific film project, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said today.

Authorities said a man found in the parking lot of a bar early Sunday has died. Police were called to the Fourth Avenue Bar and Grill in Washington after the unconscious man was found in the bar's parking lot.

A new Iowa Poll by The Des Moines Register shows fewer than half of Iowans approve of President Barack Obama's performance in office.

Iowa conservatives give former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee the highest favorability rating among potential 2012 presidential candidates, according to the most recent Des Moines Register Iowa Poll.

Posted on Nov 17, 2009 by Admin . A clear sky can be deceiving, and could be hiding a lot of pollution in the air.

KCCI has learned that former Iowa State Coach Jim Gibbons will be filing papers Thursday to seek the Republican nomination for Iowa's third district seat in Congress.

A Canadian filmmaker should be able to begin filming an $18.7million movie in Iowa after a Polk County judge ruled Tuesday the state should award him up to $6.5million in tax credits.

As GOP gubernatorial hopefuls try to draw distinctions from their Republican rivals, the Iowa Democratic Party continues to co-opt their critiques with the hope of weakening potential challengers to incumbent Gov.

A poll published by The Des Moines Register Saturday indicates fewer than half of Iowans asked approve of President Obama's job performance.

State gambling regulators say they're worried about cannibalization in the Iowa casino industry as four communities pursue new gambling licenses.

The family of a Des Moines woman allegedly shot to death by her estranged husband has issued an open letter asking for better enforcement of laws for domestic violence victims.

A new poll for The Des Moines Register shows about 40 percent of Iowans believe they're worse off financially than they were four years ago.

Posted on Nov 20, 2009 by Admin . Scott DeMuth A journal and a lock-picking device seized during a search warrant at a Minnesota activist's home last year link him to the 2004 animal rights vandalism at the University of Iowa, federal authorities said Friday.

Iowa educators should expect scaled-back budgets for the foreseeable future, with little hope of increased tax revenue, Gov.

The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that a state law allowing landlords to notify tenants of eviction hearings by certified mail is unconstitutional.

Unemployment in Iowa showed a slight increase to 6.7 percent in October, compared to the previous month's 6.6 percent.

Iowa's first automated snow gates are arriving just in time for winter. The remote-controlled gates are being installed on Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 18 near Mason City, a stretch that sees some of the worst conditions.

Hoping to see the USA in your Chevrolet Volt or Nissan Leaf? The tiny Iowa town of Elk Horn will have plenty of electric charging stations and no wait _ if you can get there.

Iowa has officially recorded 21 H1N1 deaths, including seven in Polk County alone.

Gov. Chet Culver is ordering a review of 30 tax credit programs administered by six state agencies to determine if they are meeting goals established when they were enacted.

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin says he backs a proposal to move terrorism detainees from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to an Illinois prison.

Firefighters are on the scene of a fire in the flood-damaged Czech Village in Cedar Rapids.

A federal magistrate says a man accused of stealing more than $1 million from a Des Moines business will remain in custody because he's a flight risk.

When Gov. Chet Culver froze Iowa's film tax credits, dozens of movies scheduled to shoot in the state changed their plans.

A study says the poorest Iowans paid nearly double the percentage of their income in taxes than the wealthiest paid, a gap the authors argue underscores the need to reform Iowa's tax system.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting two more H1N1 flu-related deaths.

Authorities say an evacuation in the northern Iowa town of Greene is over after an anhydrous ammonia leak.

An attorney says a Minnesota activist has been found in contempt of court for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury in Davenport.

A Polk County District Court judge has ordered the state Department of Economic Development to promptly issue $6.5 million in film tax credit certificates to a film company that got caught by Gov.

The report issued Monday forecasts that by 2019, the state's nine prisons will hold about 9,000 inmates, up about 8 percent from current numbers.

Iowa conservative leaders are promising to make gay marriage a central issue in next year's elections.

Posted on Nov 17, 2009 by admin . A new Iowa Poll shows that Iowans are lacking confidence in state officials' budget cutting decisions.

Some Iowans are hoping to take their fight to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes all the way to the state's next legislative session.

It's possible to get up close and personal with the likes of Sens. Jeff Bingaman, John Thune, Barbara Boxer and Susan Collins -- for a price.

The Iowa Department of Public Health says the number of residents falling victim to Alzheimer's disease continues to rise.

Aides to Gov. Chet Culver say the state is no longer negotiating with one state employee union about concessions aimed at avoiding layoffs.

Des Moines police say officers shot a man who tried to rob a discount store at a mall when the man refused to cooperate.

For three years, the federal agency in charge of preventing Medicare fraud repeatedly ignored internal watchdog warnings about swindlers stealing millions of dollars by scamming several programs, documents show.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting three additional swine flu-related deaths in the state.

A report finds Waterloo is the most segregated of Iowa's largest cities. The report requested by the Waterloo Community Development Board finds that more than 62 percent of black households would need to move to a different part of Waterloo for the city to achieve full integration.

Some Iowans acknowledge they are not waiting for a state board's recommendation whether to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.

A poll for The Des Moines Register shows Gov. Chet Culver's job approval rating has fallen to 40 percent, a 20 percentage point decline since January.

Cedar Rapids fire officials said a garage collapsed on two workers, seriously injuring one of the men.

State Sen. Roger Stewart announced Thursday the upcoming legislative session in January would be his last.

The president of one of the largest unions in Iowa called on University of Iowa officials to cancel planning for a $130,000 trip to the Disney Institute in Orlando, Fla., aimed at improving customer service at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

The Iowa Department of Public Health reported Friday three additional 2009 H1N1 influenza-related deaths in Iowa.

Executive Director Clarence Key says state law dictates that anyone newly convicted of a crime is entitled to have the case reviewed after a year.

A Clinton man charged in a standoff at a grocery store has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Iowa Sen. Roger Stewart announced today that he will not seek re-election to the Iowa State Senate in 2010.

A hearing Monday is being held to review a lawsuit filed against the state over the Iowa film tax credit.

Iowa has a lot of classic car owners and many of them answered the call when NewsChannel 8 asked to see and even take a ride in some of the hottest sets of wheels around.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that 111 projects in 35 states, including two in Iowa, will receive funds to expand access to health care services in rural areas.

A review of Gov. Chet Culver's financial disclosure records shows a candidate focused on fundraising who never stopped raising money even in the months after he won election in 2006.

A fire this morning at the Iowa House hotel on University of Iowa's campus has displaced occupants of 33 rooms and caused water damage to four floors.

With less than a week before the red kettles come out, the Salvation Army said it will need more help this year than ever before.

The current financial crises hitting the state, may help Republicans regain power in Iowa.

By Becky Ogann Story Created: Nov 10, 2009 at 12:02 PM CST Story Updated: Nov 10, 2009 at 12:02 PM CST IOWA CITY - Officials say too much rain and an influx of debris from last year's flood are causing the stench drifting from Iowa City's landfill.

ACCORDING TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE VICTIMS ARE TWO POLK COUNTY ADULTS. OFFICIALS SAID BOTH VICTIMS HAD RISK FACTORS THAT INCREASED THE CHANCE OF COMPLICATIONS FROM THE H1N1 VIRUS.

The owners of a Shenandoah hotel infested with bed bugs are taking action to get rid of the pests.

Two more people have died from the H1N1 flu virus in Iowa. The Department of Public Health says the victims are two Polk County adults with risk factors that increased the chance of complications.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will visit the Hawkeye State next month to promote her new book, "Going Rogue," according to a press release from the bookstore chain Barnes and Noble.

With an $11,000 purse up for grabs, Babbitta s Monster Energy Kawasakia s Tyler Bowers, of Danville, Ky., claimed the AMA Arenacross class victory while Storm Lake Hondaa s Kurt McCabe, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa took the AMA Arenacross Lites win.

DNA entered from an Iowa convicted offender led Kansas City police to arrest a Des Moines man in connection with a 2002 rape in northeast Kansas City.

Gov. Chet Culver's office took a close interest in the state's film promotion efforts long before questions about spending and bookkeeping prompted the governor to freeze the program, e-mails obtained by the Associated Press indicate.

Four of the five groups expected to seek an Iowa casino license have now handed over their proposals to state regulators.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting two more H1N1 flu-related deaths.

FUELED BY FEDERAL STIMULUS DOLLARS, THIS IS RECORD CALENDAR YEAR FOR HIGHWAY PROJECTS IN IOWA.

Gov. Chet Culver and legislative budget architects will face a $543 million gap in funding for K12 public schools when they begin assembling a fiscal 2011 spending plan next session.

This contest is for you, local food and restaurant lovers. You know who you are: You debate who serves the best pork tenderloin.

A crystal meth operation is busted in northwest Iowa with arrests in Storm Lake, Spencer and Dow City.

A new trial has been ordered for a teenager convicted of first-degree murder in the 2006 shooting death of a Davenport woman.

November 5, 2009 Crews are working to get a University of Iowa building back open after an early morning fire.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty addresses Iowa Republicans at the Leadership for Iowa event, Saturday, Nov.

NEAR IDA GROVE, Iowa - As folks, in Maine, vote publicly on same-sex marriage, four men running for Iowa governor want voters in the "hawkeye state" to have the same chance.

THREE OF THEM HAD MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT INCREASED THE RISK OF COMPLICATIONS. THAT BRINGS THE STATE'S TOTAL THIS YEAR TO TEN ADULTS AND ONE CHILD.

An aide said Friday lawyer Roxanne Conlin intends to seek the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2010 and the right to oppose Republican Sen.

Authorities said Tuesday that an electrical malfunction caused the blaze that killed 65-year-old Karen Beecher early Sunday.

It is harvest season in Iowa. For Republicans who want to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012, though, it is time to start planting seeds.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved two candidates to become Iowa's top federal prosecutors.

Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley has dropped out of the race for governor, saying he'll focus on electing Republicans to the Legislature.

Posted on Nov 06, 2009 by James Q. Lynch . A garage roof rests against a home on C Street SW on June 16, 2008, after floodwaters began receding across the city.

The Defense Department has announced that 300 soldiers of a U.S. Army Reserve unit based in Des Moines have been alerted for duty in Iraq next spring.

Chanting "Kill the bill," thousands of conservatives incensed over the Democrats' health care overhaul protested at the Capitol on Thursday, arguing that the legislation amounts to a government takeover of the nation's medical system.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting the first death of a child linked to H1N1.

A jury has found an Iowa woman guilty of killing her 2-year-old son and seriously injuring his older brother when she slit the boys' throats before cutting her own neck last year.Michelle Kehoe's hands trembled and she wiped tears from her face as District Court Judge Bruce Zager read the verdict on Thursday.Kehoe, of Coralville, faces a mandatory ...

The University of Iowa is halting plans to ask University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics outpatients to sign a consent form at check-in so the UI Foundation can contact them about donations, school officials announced Tuesday.

After holding hearings throughout Iowa about medical uses of marijuana, pharmacy regulators will consider whether to recommend that legislators change the state's laws dealing with the drug.

A growing number of states are moving to allow higher alcohol content in beer, despite concerns from some substance-abuse experts.

Officials in Muscatine County have taken a 51-year-old Mechanicsville woman into custody on charges that she attempted to extort funds from a conservative anti-tax group.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says the states should continue to have a role in protecting consumers from fraudulent practices.

The Iowa Department of Public Health has reported four additional 2009 H1N1influenza-related deaths in Iowa.

An investigation is under way into a fire that destroyed a concrete plant in Lake View in western Iowa.

The Iowa attorney general's office is examining all of the roughly $32 million in tax credits awarded through a program designed to lure filmmakers to the state, a top official in the agency said Tuesday.

$11,000 in prize money is on the line for several of the worlda TMs best arenacross racers as they compete for bragging rights in a sneak peek of what lies ahead for the upcoming year.

The first child in Iowa has died of the H1N1 flu virus. The Iowa Department of Public Health said Tuesday that the child died in October and was from eastern Iowa.

Gov. Chet Culver is airing a new television commercial touting his approach to flood recovery and budget problems.

A central Iowa swine facility has started to clean up after 1,000 gallons of manure was released into a stream.

Posted on Oct 28, 2009 by admin . Iowa Supreme Court Justice Mark Cady speaks at Luther College in Decorah Tuesday night.

Four people will be inducted into the Iowa African American Hall of Fame on Dec.

Filmmakers have filed two lawsuits seeking to force the state to make good on promised incentives to make movies in Iowa.

A hospital in Newton in central Iowa says it will cut 46 jobs. Skiff Medical Center's board of trustees says the cuts are necessary because the bad economy caused the hospital to lose $174,000 in September.

A historic church that has served generations of Catholics in the Dubuque area will close next year because of declining membership and growing debt.

Federal aviation officials say a small plane that crashed in a corn field in northwest Iowa, killing all three Wisconsin men on board, last summer was low on fuel.

Authorities say an illegal drug lab sparked a house fire where a teenager had to be rescued in the central Iowa town of Luther.

A 65-year-old woman from Shenandoah in southwestern Iowa has died in a house fire.

Pivotal presidential campaigns are frequently defined in retrospect by documentaries.

An Iowa State Trooper is skeptical of a medical examiner's decision to rule a car accident victim's death a homicide, saying it was likely "a freak accident." Trooper Nathan Miller said a driver's visibility could be hindered by a hill just north of where a car driven by Paul Lauritson was broadsided by a sport utility vehicle in Benton on Oct.

The body of an elderly Iowa man charged in the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist has been found and police say it appears the man committed suicide.