Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“The primary education and workforce challenges from a statewide perspective, therefore, are not how to produce more college graduates, or how to align programs with occupations better, but instead how to motivate college graduates to stay in Iowa, how to retain workers, and how to provide working adults with continuing education and upskilling while they remain employed.” — A consultant’s report commissioned by Iowa Department of Education assessing access to higher education and Iowa institutions’ ability to address workforce needs.
The Iowa Department of Education contracted with NCHEMS to develop a report on Iowa's higher education field and workforce alignment. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch, Report title and logo from NCHEMS "Higher Education and Workforce Alignment in Iowa: Final Report")
Iowa’s community colleges told lawmakers this year that portions of Iowa are lacking access to a higher education and one solution to eliminate “education deserts” is to offer bachelor’s degrees at their institutions. Private colleges pushed back against this premise, disagreeing about the perceived need.
A state-commissioned study received by the Iowa Department of Education last month, but not released until now, says the vast majority of the state is in reach of higher education resources, and that Iowa’s colleges and universities are rising to meet student and workforce needs.
Dave Muhlbauer, Democratic candidate for Iowa lieutenant governor, tours Ember Recovery, a rehabilitation and recovery facility in Cambridge, July 23, 2026. (Photo by Kadin Luhmann/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Dave Muhlbauer, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, defended the Sand campaign’s cannabis legalization plan and discussed the importance of accessible behavioral health treatment for children Thursday during a campaign visit to the Ember Recovery facility in Cambridge.
Andrew Allen, president and CEO of Ember Recovery, told Muhlbauer that he is concerned about the Sand campaign’s plan to “legalize, tax and regulate” recreational cannabis for adult-use in Iowa.
Iowa Senate Democrats criticized the state attorney general's office Thursday for not distributing money from the Opioid Settlement Fund to organizations focused on opioid addiction treatment and prevention services.
The Senate Majority PAC is investing an additional $17 million in Iowa, with plans to roll out a fall ad campaign criticizing U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s voting record in Congress as she runs for U.S. Senate.
Members of the U.S. Senate tasked with advancing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to be the nation’s top law enforcer on Thursday pushed the vote one week.
One day after President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of the remains of four U.S. service members killed as a result of the Iran conflict, the two chambers of Congress were at odds over whether to rein in the president’s military powers in the monthslong war.
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the addition of Republican governors, legislators, utility services and tech companies into his voluntary pledge aimed at keeping data center construction and operation costs off the shoulders of American consumers.
The Trump administration has a new plan for teenagers learning about pregnancy: Beginning this summer, it will steer millions of dollars toward organizations that focus on anatomy, fertility tracking, hormonal production and “reproductive goals counseling,” Stateline reports.
COMMENTARY
“As the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s continues to grow, we can no longer afford to treat this as tomorrow’s problem,” guest columnist Jim Culbert writes.
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