Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

The state agency described the proposed bill as ‘first-of-its-kind, comprehensive legislative package designed to support Iowa farmers’

Republican candidates in Iowa’s congressional and governor’s races picked up new endorsements this week, adding support from local officials as campaigns head into 2026.

Also in the notebook, Gov. Kim Reynolds establishes a task force on nuclear energy in Iowa

Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek of Council Bluffs picked up a new labor endorsement in Iowa’s U.S. Senate race, while state Sen. Charlie McClintock threw his support behind Adam Steen in the open race for governor.

Iowa Methodist Medical Center-UnityPoint, in Des Moines, will receive the Medicare funding to support 2.92 additional positions

Sage’s first television campaign ad will air on New Year’s Eve during the Iowa Hawkeyes football team’s appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

A $200,000 state grant will help support NewBoCo’s development of the Iowa Aviation Technology Center, the state’s economic development agency announced Friday.

Iowa’s congressional delegation has introduced resolutions in the U.S. House and Senate honoring two Iowa National Guard members killed in a weekend terrorist attack in Syria.

Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation will travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday alongside President Donald Trump to attend the dignified transfer of the two Iowa National Guard soldiers who were killed in an attack in Syria.

National Democrats are adding the Iowa House and Senate to their 2026 target map, citing recent over-performance in special elections and new opportunities to cut into GOP control in Des Moines.

New numbers show Iowa’s jobless rate fell slightly in September, though more Iowans remain unemployed than a year ago. State officials are also seeking proposals for a federally backed effort to boost rural health care access.

Tiffin Democrat Travis Terrell calls for a $20-an-hour federal minimum wage and tougher corporate accountability in his campaign for Congress, and Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner seeks another term after helping Democrats break GOP super majority.

Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of Turning Point USA, endorsed Mitchell, who was described as a longtime friend of Kirk’s

An Iowa-led coalition is urging a federal court to halt an IRS rule requiring nonprofits to submit donor lists, citing privacy risks and past data breaches. Plus: USDA unveils updates to crop insurance, Iowans are asked to weigh in on lake restoration plans and Iowa’s public pension system’s funded ratio topped 92 percent.

New Iowa House Minority Leader Brian Meyer is endorsing Trone Garriott instead of previous House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst