Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“When the leaf is coming out, if it is natural, it’s a beautiful thing. But then they start spraying this pre-emergent herbicide, and the leaves get completely shattered.” — Tony Singh of LeClaire on damage to oaks from ag herbicide that drifts onto his 50-acre reserve land.
Wildfire smoke that has caused hazy skies in Iowa also leads to more surface ozone pollution, University of Iowa researchers say, leading to worse air quality. (Photo by U.S. Forest Service)
Wildfires have reversed years of progress toward mitigating ozone pollution, worsening air quality and causing premature deaths, University of Iowa researchers have found.
A UI research team produced a recently published report stating ozone reductions made between 2003 and 2015 were reversed in the following nine years due to wildfire emissions.
Oak tatters from herbicide contamination in 2026 at Prairie Oaks Reservation in LeClaire, Iowa. (Photo courtesy of Tony Singh)
In 1996, Tony Singh began rewilding a plot of land in LeClaire, hoping to restore its oak savanna, native prairie, woodlands and wetlands.
Less than five years later, he noticed the leaves on his oak trees were in tatters.
A state-licensed therapist who admitted burglarizing the apartments of assisted living residents in an effort to steal their medications is now facing licensing sanctions.
An Iowa-licensed nurse has been charged with stealing medications or supplies and being under the influence of drugs or alcohol while at work.
U.S. House and Senate Democrats, mostly from Western states, are demanding transparency from the Interior Department after media reports revealed the Trump administration redirected roughly $90 million in national parks fees to help fund renovations and upcoming celebratory displays in Washington, D.C.
As the Trump administration increases the scale of its immigrant detention program, now up to 68,000 immigrants in custody, reports have surfaced of inhumane conditions and inadequate medical care at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities.
With many of the nation’s climate and weather-focused and emergency response agencies facing proposed funding cuts, some policy analysts are warning that states’ ability to respond to serious weather events could be weakened.
COMMENTARY
Here’s a look at some of the most expensive projects in the Iowa Department of Transportation’s new five-year plan, from guest columnist Jeff Morrison via Iowa Writers’ Collaborative.
How much do Rob Sand’s and Zach Lahn’s running mate choices matter to their gubernatorial campaigns? Host Dave Price, Laura Belin and Kathie Obradovich hash it out, along with the fallout of the Libertarian Party’s losses at the State Objection Panel.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
COMMENTARY
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