Recent Articles

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 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 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.