Iowa
‘Cutting the whole farm in half’: Farmer frustrated Iowa not passing eminent domain protections
IOWA FALLS, Iowa (Gray Television Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Landowners in roughly one third of Iowa are waiting to see if Summit Carbon Solutions will be given permission to build a carbon sequestration pipeline through their land. 75% of landowners have signed voluntary agreements with Summit to allow access, but the company may use eminent domain to allow it to force access for the rest.
House lawmakers passed a bill to make private use of eminent domain more difficult, but senate Republicans refused to take up the bill.
Kathy Stockdale’s family has farmed their land in Iowa Falls for more than a hundred years. “Corn and soybeans. And our son in the last eight years has come back to help farm,” Stockdale said.
The proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline will run through her farm. “It will be going all the way down to the road down there and then it will be cutting the whole farm in half all the way down to where our wetlands down at the next road,” Stockdale said.
She’s opposed to the pipeline. “I’m fighting for my property rights. I believe God gave us this land to take care of and with that comes those property rights, and if we lose property rights, we lose all control over anything and everything we want to do on our farms,” Stockdale said.
For the past three years, lawmakers in the Iowa House have passed legislation to reign in the use of eminent domain.
Most recently, a bill by State Rep. Charley Thomson of Charles City would allow landowners and pipeline companies to go to court to ask whether the use of eminent domain was constitutional and benefited the public. “Land is the original asset in Iowa. It’s in our souls. An unjust taking of land without remedy is not only irritating, it’s outrageous,” Thomson said.
State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton said, “Government does not exist to make the confiscation of private property easier for you. Government does not exist to make the confiscation of private property more financially advantageous for you.”
But like years prior, the Iowa Senate didn’t take those bills up for debate. Stockdale has been at the capitol nearly every week during the legislative session for the better part of three years, and says she’s talked to enough senators to know it would’ve passed if they brought it up. “As a Republican, and as an Iowan, it bothers me tremendously that only three or four senators can stop any legislation from going through,” Stockdale said.
Despite the setbacks, Stockdale doesn’t plan to stop fighting. “It just makes us fight harder. Especially with the new extensions. We’re already starting to reach out landowners and fill them in on what’s really going on,” Stockdale said.
Stockdale says she has a little more faith in legislation being passed next year, and she and other landowners are also looking at their legal options through the courts.
Summit Carbon Solutions CEO Lee Blank says their goal is to get 100% of landowners to sign voluntary easements. Blank says if and when the Iowa Utilities Board grants them a permit for the project, they expect many of the remaining landowners to sign agreements with the company.
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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Television-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.
Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.
An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.
Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.
On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.
Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.
The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.
Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.
The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.
Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.
As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Senator Chuck Grassley said he’s recovering from a gallstone removal procedure.
His media team shared that he is working in Iowa “in good spirits and looks forward to returning to Washington soon.”
“I’m gr8ful [sic] for the excellent care from local health care providers,” he shared on X.
Over the weekend in Iowa I had a procedure to remove gallstones I’m gr8ful for the excellent care from local health care providers Be back to capitol ASAP
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) April 20, 2026
Grassley, 92, is the oldest senator currently in office and the sixth-longest-serving senator in U.S. history.
The Senate is in session this week.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Former Iowa State center Audi Crooks has committed to Oklahoma State via the NCAA Transfer Portal. She has one season of eligibility remaining.
Crooks made 99 appearances and 95 starts during her three seasons at Iowa State. She averaged 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this past season, while shooting 64.9% from the field. Additionally, the 6-foot-3 star shot 1-11 from 3-point range.
Crooks played a leading role for the Cyclones from the moment she stepped on campus. She is a three-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection and two-time All-American. On April 2, Crooks announced her intention to enter the transfer portal.
“Cyclone Nation, thank you all for embracing me and showing up to Hilton every single game day. I’ve met so many of you out in the community, and I will cherish all of the genuine connections that I’ve built during my time at Iowa State,” Crooks wrote. “Words cannot fully express how grateful I feel to have called this place home.
“I want to thank my teammates for their friendship and all the great memories. … I still believe the grass is greener where you water it, and I’ve done that here.”
Now, Audi Crooks will aim to thrive in her new environment. Oklahoma finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-10 overall record.
The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened on April 6 and closes on April 20. The new 15-day window was enacted following a recommendation by the women’s basketball oversight committee. Athletes don’t have to commit to a new school by the April 21 deadline.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
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