by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
April 17, 2026

The fire chief for the City of Eldridge, fired last year from his job as a city mechanic for the misuse of public funds, is not entitled to unemployment benefits, a judge has ruled.

State records indicate Keith Schneckloth worked for the City of Eldridge for 11 years, from December 2014 until his firing in December 2025, most recently as a city mechanic who reported to Public Works Director Tony Rupe.

In addition, Schneckloth served as the chief of the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Department until his resignation from that post in December 2025. In recent weeks, Schneckloth rejoined the department as its chief, Mayor Scott Campbell said Friday.

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
April 15, 2026

A western Iowa nursing home cited for 24 regulatory violations, including the sexual abuse of a resident, has been fined a total of $500 by the state.

State inspectors working for the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing visited Hillcrest Health Care Center in Hawarden in March 2026 in response to six separate complaints, all of which were deemed verified. The inspectors cited the home for a total of 24 state and federal regulatory violations — an unusually high number.

The violations included resident abuse; failure to protect resident funds; failure to notify a resident’s emergency contact about a hospitalization; failure to provide a safe, clean, homelike environment; failure to respect residents’ right to be free of chemical restraints; failure to self-report alleged violations; failure to meet standards for overall quality of care; failure to provide sufficient nursing staff; inadequate services or treatment for people with dementia; failure to prevent significant medication errors, and failure adequately prevent infections.

Iowa Capital Dispatch
April 9, 2026

A West Des Moines woman from Venezuela is asking a federal judge to intervene and prevent the Trump administration from blocking her path to citizenship.

Mirna Elena Marin De Marcano is taking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Xian Wang, the acting field office director for Des Moines’ ICE office, to court over the federal government’s alleged cancellation of her planned oath-of-citizenship ceremony.

According to her lawsuit, Marin De Marcano has had lawful permanent residency status in the United States for five years and submitted an application for full citizenship in March 2025.

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
April 1, 2026

An assisted living center in Iowa recently used a video camera owned by a female resident’s family to document the staff’s neglect of the woman.

The use of resident-owned cameras in senior care facilities is a hotly contested issue in Iowa with resident advocacy groups repeatedly pushing for legislation that would prohibit state-licensed care facilities from banning the use of such devices.

Over the past 10 years, industry lobbyists have vigorously opposed the legislation and state lawmakers have repeatedly failed to approve the measure.

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
March 23, 2026

The attorney for an immigration detainee held in the Polk County Jail says federal officials maliciously staged a “sham” court hearing orchestrated to keep his client behind bars.

The case involves Suraj Vasal, who four years ago came to the United States from India seeking asylum and was then released on his own recognizance.

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
March 16, 2026

A report from the environmental group Food & Water Watch found that the majority of counties that are in the top 20% for glyphosate application have non-Hodgkin lymphoma rates above the national average. 

In Iowa, the report concludes that 82% of high-spray counties have elevated rates of lymphatic cancer. The report, Food & Water Watch argues, “underscores the need to fight back” on proposed pesticide labeling policies and on the overall use of chemical pesticides. Glyphosate is a commonly used herbicide.

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
March 12, 2026

The Iowa House advanced legislation Thursday that would provide greater oversight of pet breeders in the state, expand dog ownership documentation and specify how the state can issue water use permits. 

House File 2674 updates state law pertaining to commercial animal breeders, commercial kennels, pet shops and related businesses in Iowa to increase state oversight of these operations. 

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
March 6, 2026

The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement determined regulations on fertilizers, animal feeding operations and agricultural drainage, among other things are policies that would improve water quality and public health in Iowa.

The Harkin Institute released a policy report Friday as a follow-up to the comprehensive Polk County water quality report released this summer. 

Adam Shriver, the institute’s director of wellness and nutrition policy, wrote in the report’s forward that it contains “a set of policies that, if followed, would dramatically improve Iowa’s waterways to protect the health of current and future generations.”

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch
March 3, 2026

The Iowa House passed several education measures Tuesday, including bills related to students’ free speech and social studies class standards.

House File 2336, approved in a 63-33 vote, would ban schools from discriminating against or penalizing students for engaging in religious, political or ideological speech. Specifically, the bill would prevent schools from taking action to limit the speech or punish students for expressing certain viewpoints on an issue, if other “similarly situated students” are not prevented from speaking on or presenting a different opinion the issue.

Iowa Capital Dispatch
March 2, 2026

A western Iowa teacher who was fired after publicly commenting that she wouldn’t miss activist Charlie Kirk after his death last year has been awarded jobless benefits.

Jana Aldrich of Council Bluffs was a special education teacher who last year worked for the Omaha-based Child Saving Institute, a nonprofit with a mission of helping children with behavioral, mental and social needs.

According to state records, on Sept. 10, 2025, shortly after conservative activist Kirk was shot and killed in Utah, Aldrich posted a comment to Facebook. The post included a widely circulating meme that included Kirk’s April 3, 2023, statement in response to a question about gun deaths: “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”