Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“Whether it was leading on Right to Repair, defending private property rights, or stopping corporate overreach, Derek has been there for Iowans, and I am very proud to have him partner with me on this campaign and look forward to serving with him at the Capitol.” - Republican candidate for Iowa governor Zach Lahn, on why he chose Iowa Rep. Derek Wulf as his running mate for the 2026 GOP gubernatorial ticket.
Northgate Care Center in Waukon. (Photo via Google Earth)
A northeast Iowa nursing home repeatedly cited for medication errors has been added to the federal list of the nation’s worst care facilities.
Northgate Care Center of Waukon has been added to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ list of candidates for special-focus status, indicating a history of serious, recurring resident-care issues. At any given time, no more than two nursing homes per state appear on the list of federally designated Special-Focus Facilities, although the list also includes hundreds of other nursing homes — typically, 10 per state — where ongoing quality-of-care violations have made them eligible for that status.
Iowa Rep. Derek Wulf, R-Hudson will run as the Republican lieutenant governor candidate alongside GOP gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn in the 2026 election. (Main photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch; inset photo courtesy of Zach Lahn’s campaign)
Iowa Rep. Derek Wulf, R-Hudson, will be Republican governor candidate Zach Lahn’s running mate in the 2026 election, Lahn’s campaign announced Friday.
Wulf, a fourth-generation farmer who has served two terms in the Iowa House, is the current chair of the House Agriculture Committee. In a news release Friday, Lahn said he chose Wulf to run for lieutenant governor as part of his gubernatorial ticket because of his work advocating for restrictions on the use of eminent domain in carbon capture pipeline projects, as well as leading legislation related to “right to repair” for farm equipment.
THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that Iowa GOP gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn was “much more Trump” than U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, whom he endorsed before Iowa’s June 2 primary.
The City of Des Moines is suing more than two dozen companies that sell life-saving apparatus such as fire trucks, alleging they have engaged in illegal and “parasitic” pricing schemes to “reap extraordinary profits” from taxpayers.
A caregiver at an Iowa nursing home resident recorded video of a resident urinating and then shared the video with others at a local high school and in a Snapchat group, state inspectors reported.
An Iowa jury has awarded $105,000 to a former college student whose YouTube video of a police traffic stop generated 1.6 million views.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday the state is committed to maintaining an Iowa-based workforce after contracting with private companies to manage state government data, servers and websites — a move that will result in the layoff of 200 state employees.
The advisory council for the University of Iowa Center for Intellectual Freedom discussed Monday how the center could implement Iowa’s new civics course requirement for public universities.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said a law targeting fraudulent businesses that use Iowans’ names and addresses to register their companies is a tool he plans to use in cracking down on fraud while working with organizations like the Iowa Better Business Bureau.
NEWS FROM THE MIDWEST AND IOWA'S NEIGHBORS
10K Illinois noncitizens to lose Medicaid coverage due to federal changes | Capitol News Illinois
Closed primaries are in vogue with Indiana Republicans. But what would they look like? | Indiana Capital Chronicle
Kansas City area boosted infrastructure for FIFA World Cup. Now, the games begin. | Kansas Reflector
Anti-ICE rally in Lansing demands Whitmer ‘Fight Like Hell’ against Romulus detention center | Michigan Advance
Lawmakers promised civility after Melissa Hortman’s killing. A year later, there’s work to do. | Minnesota Reformer
Missouri courts keep rewriting ballot language as fights over direct democracy intensify | Missouri Independent
One year after high-profile ICE raid, Omaha immigrant advocates say community not safer | Nebraska Examiner
Federal government to pay North Dakota $28M for Dakota Access Pipeline protests | North Dakota Monitor
FBI searches offices of Ohio voting-rights group | Ohio Capital Journal
Candidate condemns ‘whoever’ approved a runoff law, and it turns out to be a legend from his city | South Dakota Searchlight
Wisconsin Supreme Court agrees to hear second congressional maps challenge | Wisconsin Examiner
FEDERAL FALLOUT
States Newsroom relentlessly reports on how changes at the federal level are affecting people at the state level — and how state governments are responding in this volatile political climate. We post new stories each day; here are just a few:
FEMA’s interim leader gives assurances, despite local concerns over disaster response | Louisiana Illuminator
Michigan AG joins federal lawsuit challenging Trump’s DEI prohibition on federal contractors | Michigan Advance
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