Week in Iowa, May 19, 2024: Recap of news from across the state

Tornadoes leave rubble in southwest Iowa: A spate of tornadoes across Iowa on Tuesday caused severe damage in the Adair County town of Greenfield, killing four people and injuring dozens of others. A fifth person was killed in Corning when her car was blown off the road by a tornado.

More than 150 homes in Greenfield were destroyed or suffered major damage from the twister, which was rated an EF-4 on Thursday by the National Weather Service. Photos from the town show houses reduced to rubble and crumpled cars in the street. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds requested an expedited presidential disaster declaration, which would open up federal assistance for four Iowa counties.

Half-staff flags for DOT worker: Iowa flags were flown at half-staff Thursday in honor of an Iowa Department of Transportation worker who was killed on the job on Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs. Matthew Dickerson, 36, was struck by a driver in a construction zone May 16.

Meta considering Davenport for data center: Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is considering building a data center in Davenport, according to city documents. The company is proposing an $800 million project on a 328-acre parcel in the city. The project would create 35 jobs paying $28.76 per hour or more.

Final bills of 2024 session signed: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the final bills of the 2024 legislative session May 17, marking the end of the lawmaking process that began in January when the Iowa General Assembly convened. Reynolds signed a total of 185 laws this year, on topics including education, health care, crime and justice.

Reynolds vetoed one bill that would have heightened penalties for violating Iowa's open meetings laws. A last-minute amendment to the bill caused concerns of a potential loophole that would have allowed public bodies to meet privately. Reynolds said the amendment added too much ambiguity to the law, but she said legislators should continue to pursue updates to the open meetings law.

Seeking penalties for spill: The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to ask the Iowa Attorney General’s Office to enforce penalties against the NEW Cooperative, which in March caused a catastrophic fertilizer spill on the East Nishnabotna River in western Iowa. An accidental release of 265,000 gallons of nitrogen-based fertilizer from a facility in Red Oak killed 750,000 fish in the river.

They said ...

“Kevin’s and my prayers are with all the communities and families impacted by today’s severe weather, and especially those who tragically lost their lives in the Greenfield area. I am committed to providing the full resources of the state to support the response and recovery effort. -- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on tornado in Greenfield

“Me being on the ground here today really helps me understand the actual impact ... We are going to continue to work with the governor’s team to assess all of the damages that have happened and make sure that whatever we can provide assistance for, that we’re able to do so.” -- FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on tornado in Greenfield

Odds and ends

State parks: Heavy rains and storms that pummeled Iowa early in the week caused state parks to close in some areas ahead of the busy Memorial Day weekend. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources urged visitors to plan ahead before heading to the parks.

Nutrition assistance: Forty-three groups, mostly schools, have applied for grants intended to provide food assistance to low-income families this summer. Gov. Kim Reynolds' administration created the grant program after Reynolds announced Iowa would not participate in the federal summer food assistance program.

Water cooler

Hy-Vee offers transition: After receiving criticism from local officials and community members for closing three stores in low-income areas in Eastern Iowa, Hy-Vee announced last week it would provide free transportation to nearby stores, free grocery delivery and more food bank assistance in the areas where stores closed. The company said the stores were losing money and it was no longer feasible to keep them open.

More Deere layoffs: Deere & Company, facing the prospect of fewer sales, announced a second round of layoffs coming to Waterloo. The company said about 190 production employees would be placed on indefinite layoff effective June 22. The company previously had announced that 308 Waterloo employees would lose their jobs in late April.