State Government

The Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control shelter is working to remedy sanitation and building maintenance issues — including roof leaks, ceiling damage and mold — that were identified during an inspection by the the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship earlier this month.

For the first time in two years, the three-person state panel that regulates Iowa’s public utilities held a general, public meeting — and Iowa landowners who are opposed to a hazardous liquid pipeline and have been critical of the panel’s approval of the project did not miss the opportunity.

Also in the notebook, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s office is supporting legal coalitions addressing Instagram users’ privacy and safety, and a ‘designer Xanax’

Woman worked for the Iowa Department of Corrections at the Anamosa State Penitentiary from November 2023 through February 2025

The federal government’s most recent assessment of health-facility inspections indicates Iowa has failed to meet three key standards.

A state-licensed pharmacy in Washington, Iowa that has been sued by business partners for millions of dollars is now being sanctioned by the state for distributing counterfeit Ozempic.

Also in the notebook, Iowa’s unemployment rate remained at 3.7 percent in July

Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley and other statehouse leaders say they have no interest in pursuing changes to the state-run retirement program for public employees despite a proposal from a state government efficiency panel last week.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Tuesday that 20 members of the Iowa National Guard will provide U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in the state with administrative and logistical support after receiving a request from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Allowing some cities to become independent of counties, aligning public sector employee compensation and benefits with the private sector, and basing teacher compensation on student outcomes were some of the emerging recommendations discussed by the Iowa DOGE Task Force on Wednesday.

Kevin Kincaid, the CEO of Knoxville Hospitals and Clinics, hosted a roundtable discussion with Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia on Wednesday to discuss how hospitals can work with government partners to minimize that impact of new federal reductions in Medicaid spending.

State, city and company leaders spoke at a ceremony Wednesday celebrating a planned $50 million upgrade and expansion to Ingredion's operations in Cedar Rapids. The company will expand the production of industrial starches used in packaging and papermaking to meet growing demand. The starches use corn sourced entirely from Iowa.