Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“There are people who say ‘Those inmates are in prison. They don’t deserve to have AC.’ But walk a mile in their shoes and see how you feel. Their attitudes, their demeanor affects how the day in the life of a correctional officer goes.” — Todd Copley, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 61, which represents Iowa correctional officers, on the Legislature’s repeated refusals to approve funding for air conditioning at two state prisons.
Exterior of Anamosa State Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison where one wing has air conditioning in cells and one does not. (Photo courtesy of Iowa Department of Corrections)
For years, the Iowa Department of Corrections has been asking lawmakers for funding to install air conditioning at the Anamosa State Penitentiary and the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility – prisons that regularly house more than 1,000 men each.
The Iowa Legislature adjourned in May without approving the $8.1 million for the projects. But something is different this year.
Excavation crews work to dredge Lake LaVerne at Iowa State University on July 2, 2026. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Dredging of Lake LaVerne’s depths has revealed the Iowa State University lake’s role as a time capsule, hiding spot and trash can as university officials look to its future as a campus landmark.
Lake LaVerne is a human-made body of water that started as a dammed stream on ISU’s campus more than a century ago. It’s currently empty of water as crews work to restore it and add new features.
A University of Iowa professor is celebrating his retirement with an international statistics innovation award, and he has no plans to slow down his decades of work on a statistical computation system used by millions around the world.
After being convicted last year of 10 felonies including theft and dependent adult abuse, a central Iowa nurse is facing sanctions from the state’s Board of Nursing.
The prime time for ticks is here in the United States, and after an especially active start to the season, experts are urging the public to stay alert and take preventive measures.
The long, often agonizing struggle for Black political clout in Washington faces a new, uncertain and potentially troublesome chapter.
COMMENTARY
Iowans are no longer restricted on what foods they can buy using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP but other U.S. Department of Agriculture programs are seeing staffing cuts in Iowa. Dave Price, Laura Belin and I also talk about new polls in the Iowa governor and U.S. Senate race.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
COMMENTARY
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