Erin Jordan

The Gazette researched where Iowans get their water, how it is or isn’t treated, and threats to the vital resource.

Spring is right on track in Iowa, with daffodils and tulips expected to bloom in early to mid-April with fruit trees flowering a few weeks later, said Patrick O’Malley, a Linn County-based commercial fruit and vegetable field specialist with Iowa State Extension.

Face masks now are optional in all University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics facilities, including Iowa River Landing and QuickCare clinics, except for people who have symptoms of a respiratory virus or unvaccinated employees.

Bear River Cottages, a “pocket neighborhood” of affordable houses, involved design work by University of Iowa students, state and local down payment assistance and donations by local businesses and utilities.

Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, filed objections Monday with the Iowa Utilities Board to oppose pipelines proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions and Navigator CO2 Ventures.

Face masks now are optional in all University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics facilities, including Iowa River Landing and QuickCare clinics, except for people who have symptoms of a respiratory virus or unvaccinated employees.

The cleanup of Marengo is underway, as private contractors -- some paid for by taxpayers -- treat water and remove soil contaminated in a December explosion and fire at C6-Zero.

A quilt made of cloth masks is the centerpiece of the Red Thread Project, commemorating the third anniversary of COVID’s arrival in Linn County.

A December explosion and fire that injured a dozen people and caused a small-scale evacuation in Marengo was caused when an “unknown mechanical failure” ignited flammable air vapor, the State Fire Marshal reported.

The Wonderful Westside Neighborhood Association will unite a community with many immigrants. “Our goal was to have neighborhood safety, celebrate diversity, and support new people coming to Iowa,” said Mohamed Joreya, the new group’s president.

Iowa-based grocery store chain Hy-Vee has agreed to pay a $5,374 civil penalty for continuing to sell a prohibited pesticide product that could have been dangerous to consumers.

Iowa now is considering selling more than 4,000 acres of farmland surrounding Iowa prisons and other residential treatment facilities for an estimated $32.7 million. About one-third of the land a consultant recommended Iowa sell is near the Anamosa prison, and likely includes a farm on the National Register of Historic Places.

Iowa has a new drought plan — the first since the 1980s, when droughts were less frequent and less intense than what Iowa has seen in recent years because of climate change.

Wolf Carbon Solutions will not use eminent domain to build a 280-mile carbon dioxide pipeline through eastern Iowa, according to the company’s permit application filed Thursday with the Iowa Utilities Board.

The county’s Zoning Adjustment Board on Jan. 24 signed two conditional use permits allowing the MiningStore, headquartered in North Carolina, to install mining sites next to two electrical substations owned by Midland Power Cooperative.