Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“We’ve tried to be Iowa nice for five years and that’s running kind of thin. We aren’t Iowa stupid. Even though this proposal has been cut back, there are still almost 4,000 parcels of Iowa land that we have no idea what’s going to happen to.” — Jann Reinig, a Shelby County landowner, calling on the Iowa Utilities Commission to deny Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed pipeline route changes.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered remarks at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines May 20, 2026 in support of Gov. Kim Reynolds signing into law a “Make America Healthy Again” measure. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in Iowa Wednesday, announced a surgeon general’s advisory on the harms of screen time for children.
His visit also came as Gov. Kim Reynolds signed legislation including a limit on digital instruction in schools.
An early start to bee season, which experts attribute to warmer temperatures, could have widespread impact. (Photo by Cavan Images/Brenda Howe/Getty Images)
On World Bee Day, experts say an unusually early North American bee swarm season, which began 17 days earlier than last year following record heatwaves in 2026, could reshape bee populations, pollination patterns, honey production and the timing of seasonal ecosystems.
While bee swarming is a natural reproductive process in which bee colonies split and form new groups, researchers and beekeepers say that early activity may be connected to broad environmental changes linked to warmer temperatures.
Iowa property owners asked the Iowa Utilities Commission Wednesday to deny Summit Carbon Solution’s recent filing seeking to modify its pipeline project, while ag group members and some others called for approval of the plan.
An Iowa nursing home where a resident called 911 to receive medical attention while struggling to breathe could be facing fines of more than $27,000.
An Iowa nursing home where hundreds of narcotic painkillers for residents were secretly replaced with vitamins or over-the-counter medications is facing a $500 fine.
The U.S. House passed a bill Wednesday, similar to one already on the books in Iowa, that would require parental consent before a public elementary or middle school can update a student’s pronouns, gender markers or preferred name on records in order to receive federal funding.
Across the country, potholes are more than a seasonal nuisance. They are a visible symptom of aging roads and bridges that many state and local governments say they cannot afford to fully maintain, Stateline reports.
About 100 rallygoers gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday to hear from activists and members of Congress protesting the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down federal protections for the voting power of minorities.
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