Iowa
Iowa Department of Agriculture hands out fund for lake watershed improvements
See how Iowa DNR conducts beach monitoring tests at Iowa’s lakes
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources conducts weekly tests to monitor beach water quality at 39 state-owned beaches.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture has awarded more than $450,000 in cost share funding to nine conservation districts for water quality improvement projects.
The Iowa Soil and Water Conservation Districts will use the funding, announced Tuesday, Aug. 5, to help private landowners implement practices like planting cover crops, installing sediment control basins and grassed waterways that will improve water quality in eight publicly owned lakes.
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the water quality improvement efforts go toward “ensuring these lakes remain vibrant and healthy destinations.”
“We are fortunate to have some beautiful public lakes in our state that significantly enhance the quality of life for many Iowans and provide valuable recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat,” Naig said in a news release.
The announcement is part of the Publicly Owned Lakes program administered by the agriculture department and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. This round of funding is more than double what was allocated through the program in 2024.
Three Mile Lake had the highest allocation — more than $133,000 — to be managed by conservation districts in both Union and Adair counties. The lake has undergone restoration projects for the past several years.
The rest of the funding went to conservation districts monitoring the watersheds of Hawthorn, Pleasant and 12 Mile lakes and Lakes Miami, Icaria and Geode.
DNR Director Kayla Lyon said investing in public lakes is “always a sound decision.”
“These invaluable assets offer numerous recreational opportunities, improving the well-being of countless Iowans,” Lyon said in a statement. “They also are vital economic drivers and strengthen community ties. These efforts, strengthened by the crucial cooperation of landowners within the watershed, are fundamental to ensuring these important resources remain healthy and accessible.”
Funding for the program comes from the agriculture department’s soil conservation cost-share budget and the DNR chooses the watersheds based on priority. Landowners in the selected districts are then eligible for additional cost-share funding for water improvement projects.
Many of the water quality improvement strategies surrounding Iowa lakes are dependent on voluntary participation by private landowners in the watersheds.
Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
TAMA COUNTY, Iowa — A pair of power outages left more than 700 people without power in Tama County Friday afternoon.
Alliant Energy says the larger outage, just north of Garwin, was caused by a semi-truck striking one of their power poles. That outages impacted 690 customers as of 5 p.m. Friday.
The smaller outage impacted roughly 36 people in Tama. The outage was caused by equipment needing repairs.
Alliant says crews are on site and working to fix both outages.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (KTIV) – The Iowa Great Lakes community is remembering Leo “Butch” Parks, a longtime lakes-area businessman and founder of Parks Marina.
He died Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the age of 81.
Parks established the marina on East Lake Okoboji in 1983, growing it from a small fishing boat operation into a business with marinas, sales, service, rentals, storage, and popular destinations like the Barefoot Bar.
Parks and his wife, Debbie, also owned Okoboji Boat Works for 23 years.
Funeral services are set for Friday, Jan. 16, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Spirit Lake. It will be followed by a celebration of life at Snapper’s restaurant in Okoboji that evening.
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Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Iowa woman accused of pandering for prostitution and harassment after incidents at Casey’s and a daycare
AURELIA, Iowa (KTIV) – A Northwest Iowa woman is facing charges of harassment and pandering for prostitution after two incidents took place in December 2025.
Forty-seven-year-old Kristal Miller of Odebolt was taken into custody on an arrest warrant and faces three charges: one count of pandering for prostitution and two counts of first-degree harassment, according to court documents.
The charges stem from two separate incidents that took place on Thursday, Dec. 18. 2025.
According to court documents, at 6:15 a.m., Miller reportedly went to the Casey’s General Store, located at 100 Pearl St. in Aurelia. Documents state Miller approached an employee and customers, requesting money from them.
Authorities state Miller claimed she was wanted by the FBI and told people, if anyone called the police, “she would kill them.”
During this encounter, she also allegedly asked an employee to remove the string from her hooded sweatshirt. Documents state when the employee refused this request, she threatened to strangle them.
That same day at 7 a.m., Miller reportedly approached a female employee outside an Aurelia daycare and asked them for money.
Court documents stated Miller suggested the unnamed employee leave her boyfriend. Miller reportedly told the employee, if she did, then she and Miller would both be paid.
Authorities say when she was told no by the employee, Miller became upset and started yelling at them.
Miller also allegedly threatened to “steal her car” and ”take her away to her guys to start a new life.”
She was booked into the Cherokee County Jail on a cash-only bond of $5,000. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled in Cherokee for Friday, Jan. 9, at 10 a.m.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
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