The Des Moines Register
Cancer clinic sale costly for patients
TFirst of two parts. im Day was determined to bring a positive attitude to his treatment after a scary stage 4 cancer diagnosis in 2019. But he learned soon enough he’d need to bring a lot of money, too. Aggressive prostate cancer, already...
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New study calculates cost of tariffs in Iowa
Ton and David Stam had grand plans for how they wanted to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their Chocolaterie Stam business in the coming year. Then came President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The owners of the European chocolate shops, with locations...
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WATER WARS
Iowa water quality emerges as key 2026 issue as GOP targets Muhlbauer.
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Iran, mediators focus on reopening Hormuz
DUBAI – Iran condemned the United States’ new economic sanctions on Aug. 28 as “state terrorism” and said other countries were legally obliged not to implement them. The Iranian foreign ministry’s statement came as mediators stepped up efforts to...
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Iowa clergy also stuck in immigration limbo
Some of Apou Aderbuk’s friends and family don’t quite understand why the 28-year-old is pursuing the life she chose. The South Sudanese woman left her home and family, including her four children, to come to the United States and pursue her American...
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Familiar path for Reynolds at Fair
The women knew Gov. Kim Reynolds would be at Chuckies. h Normally, this group of friends meets up for a picture with the governor and their annual, “How ya doin’?” at the Iowa State Fair’s historical walking tour, but, this year, the kickoff was rained...
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LOVE, ALWAYS
Dolly Parton, the “Queen of Country” singing and songwriting icon with a personality as bold as her signature blond coif and rhinestoneencrusted outfits, has died. She was 80. Parton’s death was announced by her family on her social media pages and...
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School’s back, but Moulton detours
It was raining and thundering as dozens of Moulton Elementary students waited for a bus to take them to their new classrooms on the first day of school. Their old Des Moines school slated for demolition, the kids sheltered under the eaves of the...
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Folksy fun combines with intense politics
Iowa’s candidates for governor have capped off an Iowa State Fair week as loaded as a hot beef sundae. h They flipped pork, served up eggs on sticks, cooed at baby animals, conducted interviews and posed for selfies along the fair’s Grand Concourse...
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Baked with love
When Iowa’s famed “Pie Lady” passed away, fair friends found a sweet way to remember her. Read the story behind the memorial green tomato pie contest, and find the winning recipe inside.
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IOWA POTATO FOR PERFECT POUTINE
The best poutine needs a particular kind of potato. The Goldilocks spud? High starch, low sugar. That’s the perfect combo for the deliciously appetizing toasted amber of crisp outside and soft inside. High starch, you see, keeps the potato pillowy,...
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TENT
On a sweltering August afternoon at the Iowa State Fair, the longest lines often aren’t for pork chops on a stick or deep-fried novelties. Increasingly, fairgoers wind toward a different kind of Iowa staple: the Iowa Craft Beer Tent. It has grown from...
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Rob Sand, Zach Lahn pitch cancer plans
“To me, when people have access to care, everyone does better.” Rob Sand State Auditor, Democratic candidate for governor Iowa’s two candidates for governor are laying out policy prescriptions they hope will reverse the state’s sky-high cancer rates...
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This Iowa State Fair garden brings hope
Caitlin Remington, On this little patch at the reaches of the Iowa State Fair, what, exactly, will grow is the question at hand for this group of high school plant scientists. There’s the Iowa climate to consider, of course, which is, being kind,...
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Happy Meal ordering woes feed innovation
McDonald’s seems like the safest bet for lunch. Tin Lam, then about 14 and a recent immigrant from south Vietnam, doesn’t speak a lick of English. We’re talking: “Hello.” “Yes.” “No.” “Thank You.” That’s it. But when he’d gone to the same McDonald’s...
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Crowds turn out for Soapbox speeches
Neither rain nor oppressive humidity could stop Iowans from appearing for the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox, an Iowa State Fair tradition. Nearly two-dozen candidates are scheduled to speak at the Soapbox during the State Fair.
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Story County considers renewing contract for 2 license plate cameras
Story County is considering a contract renewal to keep a pair of license-plate-recognition cameras in place in Ames. Flock Safety Group offers LPR cameras, or automated license plate readers, that automatically detect and record license plate...
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Nightmare trip ends in a Field of Dreams
DYERSVILLE – One pitch – then two, then three – pop off the barrel of a bat with a crack, halted from dropping into the crowd by the large foul-ball net hung behind home plate. On a baseball field tucked among the cornfields in western Dubuque County,...
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FAIRLY WET
The storm began at 6 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13. Polk County areas were under severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. By 10 a.m., the rain had calmed down, turning into a drizzle. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, crowds of fairgoers still showed...
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BIG DREAMS
DYERSVILLE — Keith Rahe steps out of his red Dodge Ram truck and surveys a part of the Field of Dreams Movie Site rarely, if ever, seen by fans. The spot is about a quarter of a mile from the diamond made famous by the 1989 film about an Iowa farmer...
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FAST AND FAIR-IOUS
Setup was underway Tuesday, Aug. 11, to prepare for 11 days of livestock competitions, deep-fried goodies, animal calling contests and more. The Iowa State Fair kicks off Thursday, Aug. 13, with an opening ceremony at 9 a.m. Stick around for the Big...
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Lahn: ‘I’ve got to talk to all the voters I can’
FREDERICKSBURG – Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn is ramping up a series of public town halls – hitting the road in an effort to introduce himself to general election voters across the state. And, in a recent swing through northeastern...
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Smithsonian exhibit features Iowa artists
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Debra Wykert was ready to be creative again. Finally. This was 2022 after a few tough years for the family. There was COVID-19, of course, and her husband had been diagnosed with cancer, too, right as the pandemic seeped into our...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you.
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Racing fans converge on NASCAR Fan Fest
NASCAR fans gather in downtown Des Moines for Iowa Fan Fest ahead of the Iowa Corn 350 race weekend on Aug. 6 in Des Moines.
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TH N E
For attorneys and litigants not dealing with medical malpractice cases, the recently concluded Iowa Supreme Court term may have been a quiet one. Iowa’s highest court heard and decided 107 cases in its 2025-26 term, which concluded June 30. While the...
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Impending budget shortfall may hit police At ‘bare minimums’ but cuts considered
Des Moines’ looming budget gap may mean cuts to the Des Moines Police Department, even as officers say they’re stretched too thin with inadequate staffing and an increasing workload. City police officers say Des Moines already has an insufficient...
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Blanche gets closer to becoming the AG
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche won the support of a key Senate committee Aug. 4 to be confirmed in his role permanently, but his pathway to approval from the full Senate isn’t assured. The 12-10 Senate Judiciary Committee vote on party lines...
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Family Leader wins Polk tax break
The Family Leader Foundation, a high-profile Iowa conservative group, has won its fight to exempt its new headquarters in rural northeast Polk County from paying property taxes. The nonprofit Christian organization led by prominent activist Bob Vander...
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HINTERLAND 2026 TAKES A BOW
Hinterland Music Festival wrapped up its 2026 event Sunday night after a weekend of music cascading across genres and cultures. Music-lovers flock to St. Charles yearly for the event, which this year was anchored by musical acts KATSEYE, Lorde, Mumford...
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‘My flesh was cooking’ HEAT HITS UNHOUSED
Selma Stewart woke up on July 26 with a clear goal in mind: Find a way to get out of the heat and into a place with air conditioning. Stewart, 36, has been living outside in encampments or in shelters since 2024. On that hot Sunday, when the heat...
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‘WITCH OF WOKE’
Piano notes filled St. James Lutheran Church as self-described “free-range” pastor Sarah Trone Garriott led congregants in worship. Wearing a traditional white alb as she stood before the churchgoers in Johnston, the Lutheran minister and state...
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State House, Senate hopefuls amass cash
Democratic state legislative candidates in several of Iowa’s most competitive races hold a firm cash advantages over their Republican opponents as the Nov. 3 general election approaches, new filings show. But GOP leaders are amassing hefty war chests...
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Dem Sand stumps in Iowa’s deep red areas
SANBORN — About 40 minutes into Rob Sand’s O’Brien County town hall, Sutherland resident Chuck Virgil takes the microphone. “There’s a lot of things I’d like to talk about,” the 78-year-old lifelong Republican said, launching into a conversation about...
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FLAGBRAI honors vets across Iowa
MARSHALLTOWN – On the fourth day of RAGBRAI 2026, a crowd of over 100 gathered to watch a group of riders install a flagpole for the family of Nate Howard, a soldier killed in Syria at the end of 2025. Howard’s family, his unit, friends and Iowa...
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‘Have to give up some things to do the loop’
RAGBRAI 2026 already was challenging, starting with two days of nearly 100-degree heat and thousands of feet of elevation gain as it ascended from the Missouri River valley. Even the cooler Day 3 on Tuesday, July 21, was a challenge on the Register’s...
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CENTER OF ATTENTION
THE MIDDLE OF IOWA — To get here — right here — you take the interstate, I-35, the one that carves the country straight down the middle like the scalpel of a steady surgeon. Get off at the exit just past Ames and follow the curve onto E-29. Two miles...
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LOOP-SHE-LOOP
If you see a girl with pink piggy ears attached to her cobalt-blue bike helmet on the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa this week, you should feel a sense of awe. That’s 11-year-old Shirah Snodgrass. Since age 8, she’s ridden three...
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Rider reunites with lifesaving trooper
HARLAN — Tait Williams, 63, remembers next to nothing about his brush with death in the first hour of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa in 2025. But in the year since, he’s met or heard from many of the people who came to his aid...
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DM mayor seeks help closing deficit
Des Moines’ mayor is asking the state, hospitals and other tax-exempt property owners in the city to make voluntary payments to help patch up a projected budget hole. In letters addressed to the State of Iowa, local hospitals, and a university, Des...
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Iowa, Midwest advocates for wrongfully convicted hit by federal funding cuts
A shortfall in funding is endangering one of the last lifelines for imprisoned Iowans seeking to challenge their criminal convictions. Affiliated with the national Innocence Project, the Midwest Innocence Project investigates and litigates wrongful...
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Trump repeats election claims
President Donald Trump in a July 16 prime-time address sought to further sow distrust in U.S. elections, claiming broad vulnerabilities with voting systems and potential for interference from other nations. Trump specifically pointed to China,...
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Preview the forecast for RAGBRAI routes
The 53rd edition of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa will get a hot start. The weeklong ride begins Sunday, July 19, in Onawa, and as riders labor for the first two days through the scenic but steep Loess Hills of far western Iowa,...
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‘ICE are doing a GREAT job’
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump overturned an order to suspend most immigration-related traffic stops one day after administration officials announced the pause following the deadly shootings of two people in Maine and Texas by federal agents, a...
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A political shift
With several high-profile Republican incumbents opting not to run for reelection in November’s midterm elections, including Gov. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, Democrats in the state are hoping to break the GOP’s hold on deep-red Iowa. But the...
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Balloons paint downtown skies
The skies over downtown Des Moines had a pop of color the morning of July 13 thanks to the annual Flight over Des Moines. Expect to see more balloons in the weeks ahead as Indianola hosts the National Balloon Classic from July 31 to Aug. 8.
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Downtown Des Moines permit denied for Hyper Energy Bar
Plans to build a Hyper Energy Bar with a drive-thru in downtown Des Moines have hit a roadblock after the city’s Plan and Zoning Commission denied the proposal in a narrow vote. First reported by the Register, the energy drink and coffee bar chain...
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Hannah-Jones to host Waterloo read-in featuring banned authors
Authors whose work has been removed from schools around America, including Iowa, will headline the 1619 Freedom School Read-in at Waterloo West High School on July 18. The free event — now in its second year — will feature award-winning authors Jason...
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‘Once a Cyclone, always a Cyclone’
Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard, the longest-tenured athletics director in school history, is retiring after more than two decades at the helm. The 61-year-old plans to leave the role on June 30, 2027, or sooner if Iowa State hires his...
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Skyline changes as 515 Walnut tops out
After climbing up Des Moines’ skyline for nearly a year and a half, Des Moines and Iowa’s tallest residential tower has topped out. Construction crews on Thursday, July 9, stood atop the 347-foot-tall building, paying little attention to the vistas...
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Harvest festival coming to Iowa Capitol grounds
Iowa will host a fall festival spanning the State Capitol grounds in Des Moines as its signature event to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced. The “America’s Harvest Festival,”...
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Democratic Party to Platner: Drop out or be defunded
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the head of Senate Democrats’ midterm operation, told Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, to immediately withdraw after a woman said he...
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‘Where do I put my stuff, where do I go?’
Eight years after Fourmile Creek flooded his Parkside East apartment and sent him to sleep on a cot inside Hoyt Middle School, Stanislaus Sesay was back in the same room, displaced again from the same Des Moines apartment complex. Sesay, 39, lives on...
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Kum & Go brand lives on through apparel
Dylan Lampe, in the fashion of born-and-raised Iowans, loves Kum & Go, the former Des Moines-based convenience store chain that leaned into online fun with its name. h “People grew up with the brand,” said Lampe, 41, a longtime Des Moines resident....
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Action that led to bald eagle recovery is a ‘story of hope’
MILWAUKEE – Big, powerful and beautiful, they would have drawn the attention of the first humans to set foot in the area we now call the United States. They attained spiritual significance as Native American cultures developed over the following...
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Rain totals as holiday enters
Finally, some rain to beat down the heat — just in time for what could be a stormy holiday weekend. How much rain did Des Moines get? Des Moines saw 3.56 inches from 9 a.m. July 2 to 9 a.m. July 3. Most of that rain — 3.42 inches — fell between 9...
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Celebrating the 4th of July with a bang
It’s nearly time for fireworks to fill the air in celebration of Independence Day. This year comes with the celebration of America’s 250th birthday, adding even more flair. While cities across the Des Moines metro and the rest of Iowa are celebrating...
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TENANTS TAP OUT
A renovated, century-old building that has contributed to the Highland Park neighborhood’s revitalization is losing tenants over a landlord-tenant dispute publicized by one of the building’s small businesses. Nicole Nayima, owner of the Black Sheep...
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Top court rejects citizenship curbs
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump called on Congress to take action ending birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court on June 30 rejected his attempt to redefine who is born American, a centerpiece of his hard-line approach to immigration. “The...
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FAST LANE
For the first time in decades, Iowa is taking the brakes off its 55 mph speed limit. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 378 into law on June 1, effectively raising the default speed limit in areas where no speed limit is posted to 60 miles an...
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NEW LAWS, BIG CHANGES
Higher speed limits, steeper criminal penalties and restrictions on abortion medication are a few of the new Iowa laws taking effect July 1. h The Iowa Legislature passed 206 bills this year, and 200 of those became law – Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed five...
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Pentagon reinstates some flu shot mandates
Some military personnel are once again required to receive flu vaccines in the wake of an outbreak, two months after Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth did away with the 80-year-old mandate. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told USA TODAY in a statement...
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Sounds of summer
The Pork Tornadoes (with Zachary Freedom) performed Thursday evening, June 25, as part of Jasper Winery’s 2026 Summer Concert Series, held Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. The Nadas are set to perform next week, followed by Pianopalooza Band the week after.
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More than 160 killed in Venezuela quakes
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodrı́guez said an initial fund of $200 million would be created using resources from the International Monetary Fund dedicated to rebuilding infrastructure, after back-to-back major earthquakes struck the country’s...
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ORGANIC FARMERS TURN BACK TIME
WARE – Once Andrew Hopkins and his family plant organic corn and soybean seeds, they’re in a battle with weeds that they can no longer rely on chemicals to kill. “The clock starts ticking,” Hopkins told three representatives of House Foods Group who...
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CARP-E DIEM
Cody Doornenbal watches the Des Moines River for carp as he bow fishes from shore on June 22, in Johnston. Logan Rasko draws his bow as he fishes for carp at the Saylorville Dam.
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Post Kum & Go, Krause leads Boys & Girls Club
Leading the C-suite of a convenience store corporation may not seem like relevant work experience for taking the helm at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa, but, please, let Tanner Krause explain. Yes, the scale is different. Kum & Go, the...
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Pleasant Hill pauses tax breaks after law change
One of Des Moines’ suburbs has indefinitely paused its tax incentive program due to changes in state law. The Pleasant Hill City Council voted to discontinue applications for the program, which provided a property tax deferment on the incremental...
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Kennedy: $700M set for mental health, addiction
DETROIT – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced more than $700 million in funding for mental health, addiction and homelessness after a roundtable discussion June 17 with leaders at the Easterseals MORC in Clinton...
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Rare marine species make splash at DMPS
Rare, ornate sea dragons have joined the students at Des Moines Public Schools’ marine biology program. The sea creatures were donated to the Central Campus aquarium for students to study and learn from this year. They’re a welcome addition to the...
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Des Moines increases ambulance fees 20%
From treatment to transport, the Des Moines Fire Department is increasing its fees for ambulance services to align with other regional departments. The new costs for emergency medical services and fire prevention services will be increased effective...
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EDUCAT SAVIN ACCOU Immigration status costs Iowa family ESA funding
For two years, a northwest Iowa couple applied for and received an education savings account to send their two children to private school. The couple, who are legal Iowa residents but not U.S. citizens, used the taxpayer-funded program to help pay to...
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Libertarian hopefuls kicked off the ballot
A state panel voted to remove Libertarian candidates for governor and Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District from the Nov. 3 general election ballot — and the candidates are vowing to appeal the decision in court. Republican voters, strategists and...
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DMPS gives families assurances on FOCUS
For decades, Des Moines Public Schools families have seen the FOCUS program as a lifeline to ensure their children with disabilities receive a quality education and help them navigate sometimes complicated mental health conditions. Landon Wheeler, a...
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GOAL! Des Moines fans cheer U.S. opening win
The U.S. Men's National Team opened their World Cup bid outside of Los Angeles on June 12 against Paraguay, winning their first game in Group D by a final score of 4-1. The United States next plays in Group D action on June 19 against Australia. That...
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