Olivia Cohen

Rising costs — for fireworks and many of the services associated with hosting a fireworks show — have prompted the Cedar Boat Club to announce the cancellation of its Ellis Harbor fireworks show in July.

Animal Care & Control said it isn’t sure if the snake was abandoned by an owner — but Iowa Code outlaws owning that type of snake.

If the Trump administration ends the Energy Star program that for decades has clearly marked home appliances that meet energy efficient standards, consumers would have to do more legwork of their own to research products or risk paying higher utility bills.

The tree climbing competition, hosted annually by the Iowa Arborists Association, encourages camaraderie and attracts a “unique breed of people.”

Fifteen programs and 568 AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members in Iowa — half its current members — were affected by recent cuts from the Trump administration. Word of the most recent cuts came in by email late on a Friday night.

As of early May, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is estimating that there are three to four black bears in Iowa. But those numbers could increase.

In their latest round of cuts, the federal department DOGE has rescinded some grant funding to nonprofits with AmeriCorps volunteers.

The company says the solar field near Palo is the largest in Iowa.

Amber Markham, director of external affairs for the Nature Conservancy, has been working to keep the credits in Iowa, through her work with the Nature Conservancy.

MidAmerican Energy has asked Iowa regulators to approve the addition a small charge to customers’ natural gas bills. If approved by the Iowa Utilities Commission, the charge would add about 17 cents to customers’ average monthly bills.

Volunteers who respond to disasters and aid nonprofits through the federal AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps were informed Tuesday they have been let go from service, effective immediately. One of the corps’ regional campuses, located in Vinton, was closed Tuesday.

Chronic wasting disease, which is fatal to deer, has been confirmed in 29 of Iowa’s 99 counties, according to the latest data from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s census data, Iowa has lost nearly 10,000 farms, marking a 10.1 percent decrease, down to 86,911 farms in 2022, from 96,705 in 1997.

The U.S. butterfly population — not just Monarch butterflies — declined 22 percent in two decades, according to recently-published research.

Alliant Energy is moving forward with its proposed project to store renewable energy in batteries near the company’s retired coal plant in Lansing.