Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“Part of the pursuit of this data is one, so that we can actually determine, are we recycling at a reasonable amount?” - Jennifer Wright, the financial and business assistance supervisor with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Land Quality Bureau, on the state’s work to develop a reporting and data collection system for recycling streams and collection.
The Newton Correctional Facility in Iowa’s Jasper County. (Photo courtesy of the Iowa Department of Corrections.)
Iowa regulators have sanctioned a second state-employed nurse in the 2024 death of an inmate at the Newton Correctional Facility.
In October 2025, the Iowa Board of Nursing charged two Department of Corrections nurses — Penny Lynn Daniels of Newton and David Arterburn of Altoona — with committing an act that might adversely affect a patient’s welfare; failing to assess or accurately document a patient’s status; and committing an act that causes physical, emotional or financial injury to a patient. Court records indicate the two disciplinary cases stem from the September 2024 death of Malga Harun Yanga at the Newton Correctional Facility.
Democrat Nate Willems is running for Iowa attorney general. (Photo courtesy of the Nate Willems campaign)
Nate Willems, the Democrat running for Iowa Attorney General, said he plans to create an enforcement unit dedicated to wage theft recovery if elected in 2026.
Willems, a labor lawyer and former state representative, released a "Protecting Your Paycheck" policy platform Wednesday as part of his campaign for Iowa attorney general in 2026, focused on combatting wage theft in Iowa -- an issue he said costs Iowa workers $900 million through unpaid overtime, stolen tips, time worked off the clock and being misclassified as independent contractors rather than employees. In an interview, Willems said wage theft represents "ten times the amount of all other types of theft in the state of Iowa combined," and said the Iowa attorney general, as the state's top legal officer, should be focused on this problem.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is working to develop a reporting and data collection system to better understand recycling in the state.The report and call with Iowa stakeholders was part of DNR’s ongoing Sustainable Materials Management vision initiative to improve solid waste management programs and policies.
Osceola County has agreed to settle a legal malpractice lawsuit against its attorneys by accepting a payment of $1.22 million.
Clarke University plans to use a professional development grant to explore and strengthen its community ties in Dubuque and the surrounding area, bringing together college and community officials.
An Iowa nursing home worker charged with dependent adult abuse after being convicted of stealing medications can continue to practice in Iowa, the Iowa Board of Nursing has ruled.
President Donald Trump covertly traveled across Europe in a military plane in July after Iran threatened his life, according to a bombshell report Monday night by The Washington Post that revealed press and White House officials remained on a decoy Air Force One.
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