by Brooklyn Draisey, Iowa Capital Dispatch
April 30, 2026

Both chambers of the Iowa Legislature have approved education appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2027, with Democrats decrying what they called straying priorities and a lack of will to fully support Iowa’s students.

House File 2783, as amended in the House to reflect agreement with the Senate, would allocate more than $1 billion to Iowa’s education systems, representing a 1% increase in the budget but keeping funding for the Iowa Board of Regents and Iowa Tuition Grant program flat for the upcoming fiscal year.

Sen. Mike Zimmer, D-DeWitt, thanked his predecessors for investing in public education when he was in high school, as it was the only reason he was able to go to college. He’s paid that investment back several times over, he said, through living, working and raising a family here.

“We didn’t view this as an expense, we viewed it as an economic development to keep people in Iowa,” Zimmer said. “And when I look at the funding that’s in here now, it’s certainly not indicative of looking at Iowans as an investment, it looks at, more as, Iowans as an expense.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch
April 28, 2026

A federal judge has cleared the way for ICE officials to deport a Bolivian asylum-seeker from Iowa to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Noting that José Yugar-Cruz is part of a class of people for whom the Supreme Court has twice issued orders lifting injunctions that prohibited such deportations, U.S. District Judge Stephen H. Locher ruled this week that he had “little choice” but to deny Yugar-Cruz’s motion to have the court block his removal from the United States.

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch
April 27, 2026

The Iowa Senate sent Gov. Kim Reynolds’ “Make America Healthy Again” legislation to her desk Monday, a package that includes SNAP restrictions, over-the-counter ivermectin and several school health and nutrition policies.

House File 2676, passed 30-16, seeks to make permanent the state’s currently implemented waivers restricting the purchase of unhealthy foods through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the the federal Summer EBT program. The bill does this by requiring the state to “continuously request” approval of these waivers.

by Sen. Janice Weiner, Democrat, Iowa City, District 45

Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers passed an insultingly low amount of school funding for the 2026-27 school year. The measly two percent increase ensures that Iowa’s public schools will remain underfunded and school districts around the state will be forced into steep budget cuts, teacher lay-offs, and service reductions.

At the same time, costs for the state’s unaccountable private school voucher program once again exceeded expectations, putting taxpayers on the hook for millions in higher costs.

The majority party called it “choice.”

Now those same Republican lawmakers would put their fingers on the scale again and shift more money and resources away from public schools – where over 90% of Iowa kids are educated – to support charter school expansion.

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.