Iowa Ideas

Wed Apr 24, 2019

Sen. Joni Ernst ‘cautiously optimistic’ relief from tariffs will come soon

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst this morning sided with Iowa's other senator, Chuck Grassley, in calling for the Trump administration to remove the tariffs it im... READ MORE

Sat Mar 9, 2019

Cedar Rapids forgivable home improvement loan program issues first loans

CEDAR RAPIDS - The fledgling Neighborhood Finance Corporation of Cedar Rapids has closed on eight loans in the two months since the organization began... READ MORE

Sat Mar 9, 2019

$50K college scholarships fuels a wave of residential development La Crosse WI, Cedar Rapids has similar goals

LA CROSSE, WIS. - When the Lyons family was looking to move off French Island, a neighborhood on the outskirts of La Crosse that was closer to work an... READ MORE

Mon Feb 25, 2019

Broadband everywhere is the opportunity rural Iowans need

Smart cities, smart farms, artificial intelligence, internet of things - what do they all need to work properly? Broadband. ... READ MORE

Fri Feb 22, 2019

'Carroll is lucky' Its child care center has been an important element of the community's economic success

CARROLL - Community support has kept the Carroll Area Child Care Center and Preschool thriving for the past four decades in this rural city in west-ce... READ MORE

Mon Dec 24, 2018

Troubled times on the Mississippi

Brandon Phillips stood behind the controls of the Sierra Dawn in late October, adjusting the control sticks to steer the twin screw towboat up the Mis... READ MORE

Tue Oct 23, 2018

The cost of clean water

In Cedar County, water discharging from the city of Tipton's wastewater facility contains traces of ammonia above the level allowed by federal water q... READ MORE

Mon Oct 22, 2018

Charging up: What Iowa will need as it sees more electric vehicles

When Roger Brown had his first electric car, a Nissan Leaf, he would have to drive to Cedar Falls - more than 30 miles from his home in Allison - to c... READ MORE

Sat Oct 20, 2018

Autonomous vehicles are coming. Cities need to start planning. Now

The day autonomous vehicles outnumber manned vehicles is coming, and experts say transportation and urban planners, public policy makers and others mu... READ MORE

Fri Sep 21, 2018

Iowa Ideas: The key to growing rural Iowa, Des Moines Social Club founder says, is in leadership

CEDAR RAPIDS - Zachary Mannheimer believes any rural town in America can thrive as long as it has two things: a strong development plan and a leader t... READ MORE

Sat Jun 23, 2018

Keeping time: Tradition of big band and polka dances surviving, but smaller

A hundred years ago, Bill Ackerman's ancestors farmed the land surrounding his present-day home, which they also built.... READ MORE

Thu Jun 21, 2018

Some towns continue to shrink, but many Iowans are choosing to stay

BANCROFT - When Krista Looft first moved to the north-central Iowa town of Bancroft in 2012, she was a little concerned about starting a life here.... READ MORE

Wed Jun 20, 2018

How many Iowans are connected to high-speed internet? Depends on your source

For many Iowans, broadband internet connectivity has come to mean more than streaming their favorite TV show or hopping online to see how their fantas... READ MORE

Tue Jun 19, 2018

How Iowa towns can revitalize vacant buildings

Doors and window sashes are no longer made in Dubuque's Historic Millwork District. Even so, symbols that it was once a hub of industrial activity are... READ MORE