Derecho

Derecho-devastated Iowans wonder when more help will come: ‘This is beyond us’

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In 2008, residents of Iowa waited a day for a major disaster declaration when an EF-5 tornado struck Parkersburg. That twister cut through Black Hawk and Butler counties, killed nine people and injured dozens. It destroyed nearly 200 homes, totaling several millions of dollars in damages. 

President George W. Bush granted then-Gov. Chet Culver’s disaster declaration request within 24 hours. Culver used a provision in the federal code available to all governors: if a catastrophic event is so severe the state can ask for a waiver to begin the flow of federal help immediately. It’s been a week since the massive derecho storm hit.

opinion

Evans: Lawmakers Should Leave Traffic Cameras Alone

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There was a sobering news report a few weeks ago that did not get the attention it deserved here in Iowa. That’s unfortunate, because the report should put to rest once and for all the shortsighted attempts by some members of the Iowa Senate to interfere with public safety. Randy Evans
STRAY THOUGHTS
Randy Evans is the executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. He is a former editorial page editor and assistant managing editor of The Des Moines Register. Opinions are his own.

Iowa primary
Stray Thoughts columnist Randy Evans writes about a bill up for debate at the Iowa Statehouse in Des Moines. IowaWatch file photo

Republican Gubernatorial Primary Shows Different Approaches In Party

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Incumbent Kim Reynolds and former Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett give Iowa Republicans a choice for who their nominee for governor will be in the November general election. Reynolds, the incumbent via ascending to the governor’s office when former Gov. Terry Branstad left to be U.S. ambassador to China, and Corbett, a former Republican Speaker of the House in the Legislature, square off in Iowa’s June 5 primary. IowaWatch spoke with both in this IowaWatch Connection radio program podcast. Democratic candidates in the primary will be state Sen. Nate Boulton of Des Moines, nurse and SEIU Local 199 president Cathy Glasson of Coralville, businessman and donor Fred Hubbell of Des Moines, Des Moines doctor and former state party chairwoman Andy McGuire, former U.S. Department of Agriculture official John Norris and former Iowa City Mayor Ross Wilburn, now of Ames.  

 

railroads

Podcast: Growing Demand For Rail Shipping In Iowa

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Iowa’s 3,851 miles of track won’t be enough to carry all the freight state Department of Transportation planners think Iowa will handle in the future. Those planners expect demand on Iowa’s railroads for shipping goods to increase 52 percent from 2014 to 2040.

Center News

Inside The Reporter’s Notebook: Gazette Series Humanizes, Raises Awareness Of Heroin Addiction

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Heroin addiction is growing nationwide, and eastern Iowa is no exception with more than 61 non-fatal overdoses and 21 deaths in 2015. Cedar Rapids Gazette healthcare reporter Chelsea Keenan and public safety reporter Lee Hermiston spoke with IowaWatch intern Brittany Robb about their stories that formed part of an in-depth look at the epidemic in The Gazette’s June 2016 series, “Heroin’s Hold In Iowa.”

cedar rapids

Fire! Fire! Fire!

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It was a scene of complete chaos in downtown Cedar Rapids on May 3, 1919. An explosion had occurred at the Douglas Starch Works. Wrecking crews searched the debris for bodies as women gathered outside the gates of the factory hoping for word of their husbands who worked inside.

News Quizzes

News Quiz: Grant Wood

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Iowa painter Grant Wood, recognized mainly for his regionalist style and portrayal of the American Midwest, was born in Anamosa, Iowa, in 1891, and lived there for ten years until the death of his father. For the remainder of his life, Wood lived mostly in Cedar Rapids or Iowa City, and is still celebrated as a famous Iowan.