Here First

The Democrat running to be Iowa secretary of agriculture says ethanol is an economic dead end. Scientists are worried the closure of a USDA research facility could hurt food safety. And September was the 4th wettest on record in Iowa.

People in eastern Iowa are calling for the release of a hospital worker who was detained by ICE last week. The candidates for Iowa governor both held rallies in Polk County last night. And what can local governments do about data center development?

A new report about Iowa's high cancer rates looks at behavioral and demographic risk factors. Dubuque is partnering with a research center to revive an underserved neighborhood. And the candidates for Iowa secretary of agriculture have different ideas about addressing water quality.

Just ahead of the midterm elections, President Trump has announced a steel plant investment in Iowa. Local health department's budgets could be tighter under a state plan to reorganize public health. And the latest on the effort to try to keep a historical research center open.

A possible new steel plant may bring lawmakers back to Des Moines for a special session. After losing half of its executive committee, the Center for Intellectual Freedom has four finalists to take the helm. U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson says she supports increasing cancer research funding.

A proposed change to Waterloo’s human rights department is dividing the city’s leadership. A business group is questioning why Alliant Energy wants to build three new power plants. And Dubuque’s Marshallese community celebrates its heritage this weekend.

President Trump's lawsuit against pollster J. Ann Selzer has been dismissed. A traveling exhibit is in Des Moines that features the Epstein files that have been released. And Dolly the mastodon is returning to southern Iowa.

Linn County is looking at the quality of its groundwater. Library hours are being reduced in Des Moines because of city budget cuts. And how has data from Flock Safety cameras been misused?

Prosecutors will retry a man accused in the cold-case killing of a Native American woman in Sioux City. The Dubuque City Council voted Monday to adopt a goal to zero out its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A Johnson County judge ruled against the state's decision to close a State Historical Society of Iowa facility, and the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club is disappointed by the EPA's decision to repeal rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

Vice President JD Vance and Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy are among the high-profile Republicans who’ve visited Iowa recently to rally GOP support ahead of the midterm elections. A nonprofit that supports low-income Iowans predicts more requests for help paying heating bills this winter. And hemp sellers are bracing for a ban on most of their products expected to go into effect in December.