Iowa
Four Iowa hospitals ranked among the best for maternity care by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News and World Report releases annual “Best Hospital” rankings
This year’s list features an “Honor Roll” of 22 hospitals, replacing rankings and focusing on specialties, conditions, procedures & regions.
unbranded – Newsworthy, unbranded – Newsworthy
Four hospitals in Iowa, including one in Des Moines, have been named among the high performers for maternity care in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News analyzed 817 hospitals across the United States for seven metrics: rates for cesarean section, severe unexpected newborn complications, breast milk feeding, routine vaginal birth after cesarean deliveries and episiotomies and whether a hospital meets new federal criteria for “birthing-friendly” practices and tracks and reports outcomes for patients of different races and ethnicities.
Only half of evaluated hospitals were recognized as being among the best for maternity care.
The U.S. News ratings focused only on uncomplicated pregnancies and not high-risk ones, such as those involving mothers with diabetes or high blood pressure or who are pregnant with twins.
“The hospitals recognized by U.S. News as best hospitals for maternity care showcase exceptional care for expectant parents,” Jennifer Winston, a health data scientist at U.S. News, said in a news release. “These hospitals demonstrate significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.”
What Iowa hospitals were named best for maternity care by U.S. News?
The hospitals in Iowa City, Mason City and Cedar Rapids received excellent ratings for minimizing avoidable C-sections, with less than 24% occurring in connection with first-time, low-risk pregnancies at full term.
At MercyOne Des Moines, severe newborn complications were low compared to the other three hospitals, where complications occur at an average rate, U.S. News said. Severe newborn complications occur when full-term newborns with normal birth weight and no preexisting conditions are injured or develop infections.
The median hospital rate of severe newborn complications is 13 per 1,000 births, according to U.S. News.
MercyOne Des Moines, Mercy Medical Center Cedar Rapids and the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center all have an episiotomy rate of less than 5%. An episiotomy, a surgical cut made in the perineum during childbirth, is not recommended for routine use except in specific clinical cases.
The national and Midwest averages for babies exclusively breastfed during their hospital stay are 49% and 51%, respectively. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Mason City hospitals exceeded these averages, with Mercy Medical Center Cedar Rapids being the highest at 81%.
What other hospitals in the Midwest were named high-performing hospitals for maternity care by U.S. News?
Here are the number of hospitals recognized as high-performing for maternity care in states bordering Iowa.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
Iowa
Iowa DOT offers ‘Alive at 25′ program for young drivers facing suspensions
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Department of Transportation is working to help drivers facing suspension with a new behavioral education course called “Alive at 25” for drivers on intermediate-level licenses.
“Our goal is to focus on the negative behavior or poor behavior that we’re seeing behind the wheel,” said Vania Boyd, Iowa DOT driver education manager.
Young drivers who have received a second violation have the one-time opportunity to take the course instead of receiving a suspension.
“It’s not a retake of driver’s ed. It focuses on distracted driving, road rage, talks about peer pressure, talks about distractions behind the wheel, and helps guide students on ways to avoid those behaviors,” said Boyd.
The DOT partnered with the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council, which hosts the four-hour virtual course.
Boyd said from 2024 to 2025, more than 5,500 students on the intermediate level would have been eligible to take the program.
“We saw a lot of connection to speed, students not wearing the seatbelt, a lot of behavioral decisions behind the wheel that we want to correct,” Boyd said.
Lisa Elskamp lost her daughter, Kennedy, and Kennedy’s best friend, Chloe, to an accident involving speed in 2022.
“At one point, us being able to see on Chloe’s Life 360 that he was hit a max speed of 146 miles an hour,” she said.
After the crash, the families started Forever 17, a nonprofit aimed at speeding safety advocacy and working to change laws to make things more safe.
Elskamp said courses like these are a step in the right direction.
“Speed was never really talked about. Had I known now what I know then, I would have absolutely had my kids take this course just to learn the outcome of your actions,” she said. “This isn’t just about those teen drivers alone. It’s about the effect of what their driving can also do to everybody around them.”
The course is optional and costs $65 to take.
Boyd said they hope to educate new drivers so they can be as confident as possible when behind the wheel.
“It’s okay that they made a mistake, but it’s even more important to learn from it and to make smarter choices for the future because it’s not just that individual student on the road. There are hundreds of Iowans on the road every day and everybody wants to get home safe,” Boyd said.
The course can also be taken even if the driver doesn’t have a violation on their license. And while it’s geared towards younger drivers, anyone facing a suspension with an intermediate-level license can take the course.
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Iowa High School Football UNI-Dome MVPs
Now that the final Iowa high school football state champion has been crowned, it is time to look back on the incredible two-week journey of action we saw from inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The climate-controlled venue was home to all of the semifinal and final action in all seven classifications of Iowa high school football.
And there were plenty of incredible performances and players who took part in the games.
We have narrowed down the list to one MVP in each class for their efforts from the Iowa high school football state semifinals and championship games. And now the job is up to you to determine who was the MVP of the Iowa high school football state championships.
Cast your vote for your favorite from the nominees below. Voting will run through Friday, November 28 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
Complete recaps from all seven Iowa high school football state championship games can be found on High School on SI.
Ian Middleton was a man against boys in two games from the UNI-Dome, leading the Maroons to their first 5A state football championship and 11th overall in program history. In the finals against Iowa City Liberty, Middleton rushed 34 times for 206 yards, scoring two touchdowns.
In a 14-10 victory over rival Valley in the semifinals, Middleton rushed 29 times for 125 yards. He also caught two passes in the two games.
Carter Hoffmann had the first three touchdowns of the 4A final vs. Pella, finishing the night with 207 yards and three scores on 34 carries as the Saints finished off a perfect season with the state title.
In a thrilling 31-24 victory in the semifinals over Newton, Hoffmann rushed 20 times for 130 yards. He also had two catches in the two games.
And who says that the running back position is dead? Not in Iowa high school football, as our third MVP from the UNI-Dome is another running back in Austin Waldera. In a convincing win over Sioux City Bishop Heelan, Waldera rushed 34 times for 173 yards and a touchdown, averaging 46.5 yards while pinning both of his punts inside the 20. He also led the Cubs with seven tackles, adding two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.
Waldera also went off in the semis, rushing 36 times for 233 yards and one touchdown while adding 20 yards receiving on a pair of catches. Again, both of his punts were pinned inside the 20, averaging 55.5 per with a 70-yarder. On defense, he again led Nevada, recording 11 tackles, three for loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry.
Behind Brock Badding, the Knights secured gold, as the signal-caller was 17-for-30 passing for 153 yards with a touchdown in the finals over Van Meter. He also ran for a score and averaged 41.5 yards on four punts, putting two down inside the 20.
In the semifinals, Badding blew up, completing 27 of 38 for 405 yards and six touchdowns, hitting three receivers for two TDs each while four had at least five catches.
The Wildcats leaned heavily on Evan Hilding, and he delivered, rushing 26 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns to lead them to a second consecutive state title. He also had three catches for 21 yards and recorded six tackles with one for loss in the finals.
Hildring piled up 174 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just 18 carries in the semifinals, making seven tackles with two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.
The Royals had several worthy contenders, but it was Eli Harpenau who took home the hardware. In the finals, he was a precise 14 of 21 passing for 169 yards and a touchdown, adding 44 yards rushing and a second score.
Harpenau had a big semifinal performance, going 9 of 17 for 212 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for a team-high 53 yards.
There was not much that the Golden Bear senior didn’t do in earning his second state title in three years, as Tate Foertsch scored the game-winning two-point conversion in the finals to cap an incredible rally. He was 9 of 13 passing for 131 yards, rushing 36 times for 157 yards and three scores. On defense, Foertsch had four tackles and a pass breakup.
In the semifinals, Foertsch was 4-for-5 for 80 yards, with three of those completions going for touchdowns. He ran 15 times for 73 yards and had three more scores, recording 5.5 tackles with an interception on defense.
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
Iowa
Class 4A — Pella Dutch vs. Xavier Saints
ISHAA Football Championships | Game
The Pella Dutch play the Xavier Saints for the Class 4A title.
Programming support for the 2025 IHSAA Football Championships is provided by Fareway and Iowa Bankers Association.
View the full schedule.
This year brought a significant challenge: Congress eliminated federal funding for public media, resulting in a loss of $3.5 million—or 18% of our annual budget here at Iowa PBS. It’s the largest cut to public funding in our history. Our mission hasn’t changed—but without federal support, it’s harder to accomplish.
Through it all, our commitment to you remains the same. We know we can weather this challenge, but not without you. Your generosity has always powered Iowa PBS, and today it matters more than ever. Donate today to support future programming you love.
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