by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
January 15, 2026

Chris Jones, an author, researcher and Iowa water quality advocate, launched his campaign for Iowa secretary of agriculture Thursday outside of Des Moines Water Works. 

Jones’ platform for the role includes a more diversified agricultural landscape, more regulations on polluters and concentrated feeding operations and greater access to locally grown food. 

“We need a secretary of agriculture that is for the people … and not just for corporate agriculture,” Jones said. “And so that’s what I endeavor to do if I’m elected secretary of agriculture.” 

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
January 15, 2026

A federal judge has ordered the Muscatine County Jail to release an ICE detainee who had been incarcerated for almost a year after a judge ruled in his favor on an asylum request.

Court records indicate Jose Yugar-Cruz, 36, entered the United States in July 2024 after fleeing his home country of Bolivia. In court filings, Yugar-Cruz alleged that while living in Bolivia, he operated a small business and had “refused to facilitate the drug trade by police officials” who then detained him and tortured him.

In the court filings, Yugar-Cruz said he fled to Mexico, entered the United States on foot at the Arizona border, and then “sought out and surrendered” himself to federal immigration officials. He was then taken into custody and jailed, after which he applied for asylum based on the threat of persecution in Bolivia.

Iowa Capital Dispatch
January 13, 2026

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners is now being sued for soliciting complaints about teachers who made negative public comments about Charlie Kirk in the wake of the conservative activist’s death last fall.

Teachers Katherine Mejia of Manchester and Jennifer Smith of Johnston are suing the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and its executive director, Michael Cavin, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

The lawsuit challenges Cavin’s written solicitation of professional licensing complaints related to the shooting death of Kirk in September 2025. That solicitation, the teachers argue, resulted in complaints of unethical conduct filed against them by their employers. The lawsuit alleges the actions of Cavin and the board have violated the teachers’ First Amendment right to comment on matters of public concern.

Florida billionaire David Hoffmann will be the new chairman of the board of Lee Enterprises, Inc. after leading a $50-million investment in the struggling media company headquartered in Davenport.

As a result of the planned private equity deal announced Tuesday (12/30), Lee's long-time President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mowbray will retire and receive $1.5 million as part of his severance package. Mary Junck also will step aside as chairman of the board. It was unclear if she will remain on the Lee board.

With no explanation, Lee Enterprises, Inc. canceled a special shareholders meeting seeking approval of a "rights offering" intended to raise $50 million for working capital and company operations.

In a three-sentence filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) posted Thursday, Dec. 18, the company stated it "decided to cancel the special meeting" set for the next day, Dec. 19, and had "withdrawn from consideration the proposal set forth in the Proxy Statement."

The company – owner of some 70 print and online publications including the Quad City Times and Dispatch/Argus – announced Nov. 13 it was planning to seek approval of the unusual "rights offering" as a way to pay for its "digital transformation" and lower the interest rate on its $450 million debt.

Iowa Capital Dispatch
December 11, 2025

A federal judge has ruled federal animal-welfare inspectors can no longer conduct “courtesy visits” at dog-breeding operations while allowing violations to go unreported.

The ruling could have major implications for animal-welfare inspections in Iowa, which is home to roughly 265 federally licensed dog breeders and dealers — more than any other state except Missouri, Ohio and Indiana.

The ruling was handed down recently as part of a federal lawsuit filed four years ago in the District of Columbia by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS.

Lee Enterprises, Inc. – owner of the QC Times, the Dispatch-Argus and some 70 other newspapers and online new sites nationally – lost $37.5 million during its 2025 fiscal year ended Sept. 29.

For the fourth quarter, the media company headquartered in Davenport lost $6.4 million.

Despite the underwater earnings, Lee President and CEO Kevin Mowbray pronounced in the earnings news release Nov. 26 that the company "was pleased with our fourth quarter results as we continue to outperform the industry.

"Digital subscription revenue increased 16 percent on a same-store basis, marking five consecutive years of industry-leading performance," Mowbray stated. "This consistent strength reflects the effectiveness of our Three Pillar Digital Growth Strategy and the exceptional execution of our team."

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
November 28, 2025

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is seeking feedback on its 25-year wildlife action plan, which must be reviewed every 10 years per federal law. 

The action plan, according to DNR, is a strategy for how the department will conserve wildlife in the state. It was last updated and reviewed in 2015, but was initially approved in 2006. 

A draft version of the 2025 update to the plan is available for review on the DNR’s website and public comments will be accepted on the plan through Dec. 5. 

The Region 7 administrator for the EPA sent out a news release recently (11/18) patting the back of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and "local businesses" for reducing SO2 (sulfur dioxide) pollution, enabling Muscatine to achieve compliance with national air quality standards.

Truth is, legal action by the Iowa Attorney General's office (under Democrat Tom Miller) and a civil lawsuit by local residents led to the significant improvement in local air quality and forced the primary polluter – Grain Processing Corporation (owned by Kent Feeds) – to install millions of dollars in new plant equipment to curb SO2 emissions.