Stories

The union representing state troopers and game wardens has reached an agreement with the state aimed at saving 43 jobs, Gov. Chet Culver announced Tuesday.

The Des Moines Register showered more poll numbers on readers today, and the news is better for Democrats than it was over the weekend.
Though each Iowan seems to have his or her own ideas for how money should be cut from the budget, few blame the Democrats for overspending on their key priorities over the [...]

The latest Iowa Poll by The Des Moines Register finds Gov. Chet Culver losing to both former Gov. Terry Branstad and Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats in hypothetical head-to-head campaigns.

State Rep. Ralph Watts (R-Adel), an outspoken critic of climate change science, has been reappointed to the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council.

Iowa’s largest union has reached a tentative agreement with the state, avoiding 479 layoffs that could have resulted from Gov. Chet Culver’s 10 percent budget cut ordered last month, which many feared would impact public safety.

Iowa should privatize its prison system in order to alleviate budget problems, a conservative watchdog group said Monday.
Ed Failor Jr., president of Iowans for Tax Relief, said the privatization of Iowa’s prisons would result in many positive benefits, from making communities safer to minimizing inefficiencies. But the biggest benefit would be cost savings, he said.

The website designed to allow citizens to track how and where funds are being allocated as part of the $830 million I-JOBS infrastructure plan now includes an interactive tool to improve transparency, Gov. Chet Culver announced Thursday.
In June, Culver’s deputy chief of staff, Phil Roeder, told The Iowa Independent that 100 percent transparency was one [...]

In light of historic budget cuts recently implemented by Gov. Chet Culver due to a downturn in revenue projections, the state should increase its investment in postsecondary education for low-income adults. The investment would improve economic prospects for Iowa families, and in the process boost the state budget, according to the nonpartisan group Iowa Policy [...]

Gov. Chet Culver’s re-election campaign announced Tuesday it was launching its second television advertisement.
The ad will air in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids markets as well as some cable around the state. It is titled “Stronger Than Ever” and focuses on the governor’s response to last year’s flooding and to the state’s economic downturn.

A group of filmmakers has sued the Iowa Department of Economic Development alleging the state breached its contract regarding issuing tax credits to finance their work.
The suit, filed Oct. 28 and scheduled to go before Polk County District Court Monday, was filed by a group of filmmaking companies that had received initial approval from the [...]