Iowa City Planned Parenthood Transferring In-Person Services To Des Moines
(Iowa City, IA) — Planned Parenthood is shifting in-person services at its Iowa City health center to Des Moines. Planned Parenthood North Central States announced the transition on Monday, and says it’s seen an 80-percent decrease in Iowans using its abortion services in the last two years. Planned Parenthood says 38 employees lost their jobs in its North Central region as a result of the consolidation. Virtual care will remain available across Iowa.
Des Moines Mayor, City Council Votes Not To Give Themselves A Pay Raise
(Des Moines, IA) — The Des Moines City Council has voted not to give themselves a pay raise. The proposal called for the mayor’s salary to go from 70-thousand dollars a year to just over 81-thousand. Council member pay would have gone up by nearly three-thousand dollars annually to almost 38-thousand. The council voted unanimously to reject the raises, with some members citing the budget as the reason why. The city faces a 17-million-dollar shortfall in Fiscal Years 2028 and 2029.
Ames City Council To Hear Public Comment About Proposed Data Center
(Ames, IA) — The Ames City Council will hear public input on a proposed data center at a special session tonight. Des Moines-based company Lightedge says it wants to build a roughly 100-thousand-square-foot facility near the Ames Municipal Airport. The company says the project would not be an A-I data center and would use minimal water thanks to a closed-loop cooling system. Online petitions against the project have gathered thousands of signatures. The public listening session begins at 6 p.m. at Ames City Hall.
“Corn Sweat” Boosting Heat Index In The Midwest
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa corn doesn’t just feed people; it also helps fuel humidity. It’s called corn sweat, or its scientific name evapotranspiration [[ ee-VAP-oh-trans-purr-AY-shun ]]. The National Weather Service says Iowa’s cornfields can release up to 56-billion gallons of water vapor into the atmosphere each day. Plants draw water from the soil, pull it up through the stalk, and release it as vapor through tiny pores on their leaves. That can add five-to-ten degrees to an already hot day, and push heat index values to over 110.
Iowa State Fair Announces 40 New Seating Locations On Fairgrounds
(Des Moines, IA) — The State Fair may be weeks away, but officials are already thinking of ways to keep fairgoers cool. On Monday they announced 40 new seating areas. That includes several new shaded locations like picnic tables and benches. The areas were funded by the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation.
Iowa Wild Hockey Team Has New Head Coach
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa Wild has a new head coach. The hockey team announced Monday that Stu Bickel has been selected for the role. Bickel most recently spent five seasons as an assistant coach in the American Hockey League. The Minnesota native played ten seasons of professional hockey as both a defenseman and a winger, including time with the Minnesota Wild.
