Iowa
Out of the spotlight, democracy keeps working for betterment | Opinion
The basic machinery of democracy, for all its flaws, can still produce good decisions when used in good faith.
FIFA World Cup host cities lay out security plans ahead of matches
Host cities ramp up security and anti-human trafficking efforts ahead of FIFA World Cup matches across the U.S.
The news has felt best to avoid lately. It ranges from “discouraging” to “somehow real life, not the Onion.” And political news is the worst. Washington seems to be drawing from the movie “Idiocracy.” The Iowa Statehouse is no better. More voting restrictions. Less access to healthcare. Required propaganda at the University of Iowa. Another year of failing our schools and our youth. State finances aptly described as “a time bomb.”
These hot messes are real. They are also not the whole story. They are the sexy topics that stir controversy, satisfy donors, and get views. But underneath all the bold type, a shocking amount of work is happening with bipartisan support and following the “regular [legislative] order” that produces good decisions.
To give you a break from the daily doomscroll, here are some good things that happened this session. They remind us that the system can work outside big money and wedge issues.
Let’s start with slavery, euphemistically referred to as “human trafficking” these days. It’s second only to drug dealing in scale, but it’s rarely in the news. Iowa probably has a few hundred people enslaved at any given time. This year, Iowa passed several different bills addressing trafficking. Commercial drivers and child-protective services will be trained to recognize it. Victims now have a bill of rights and will be treated as victims, not as prostitutes, and Iowa is funding services for them. Prosecuting traffickers will be easier, and conviction will have more serious consequences. These are significant improvements.
There are bright spots on civics and government, too. Despite going backward on voting, the Legislature significantly improved our open records and open meetings laws. These changes include much-needed modernization, such as requiring notices to be online and not just on a physical bulletin board. They also crack down on bad-faith practices that have been used to block requests, such as unreasonable fees or labeling reporters as “vexatious requesters.” This is a win for Iowans.
Iowa also moved to shore up our citizens’ lamentable lack of civics knowledge, recognizing a Civics Seal of Excellence for high school graduates and reasonable requirements for graduates of Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa to have a basic understanding of America’s history and government. (Their requirements of the UI were not reasonable, but that is a topic for another time.) If only they had funded their mandates.
There are even rays of sunshine amid the gloom of reproductive rights and healthcare laws; minors can now consent to their own care before, during, and after giving birth, and miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies are clearly separated from abortions.
This session had numerous other, solidly positive bills, from modest water quality improvements to making animal torture a felony. The unifying theme among these bills is that they are either boring or address indefensible problems. No one campaigns in favor of nitrate-necessitated water rationing or animal torture. Elected officials want Iowans to know how the government works. Even some anti-choice politicians recognize the need for miscarriage care.
Unfortunately, this practicality breaks down in the face of partisan dogma and wealthy donors. More unfortunately, those partisan issues backed by wealthy donors are often the biggest issues of the day, and Iowa Republicans outdid themselves this year in passing inept and/or vindictive bills to campaign on.
But they aren’t the whole story, and it’s important to focus on the good things, too. They show that the basic machinery of democracy, for all its flaws, can still produce good decisions when used in good faith. It also reminds us that even the people passing the most atrocious, politicized bills aren’t always puppy-kicking cartoon villains. They’re often just people without the moral fiber to resist perverse incentives. And that understanding frames the challenge for us and those we elect in November: how do we change the system so that decency and good work matter more than wealthy donors and partisanship?
Kelcey Patrick-Ferree and Shannon Patrick live in Iowa City and write at www.ourlibertiesweprize.com. And biannual time changes must be abolished.
IOWA CITY, Iowa. — Fans at Kinnick Stadium for Savannah Bananas game are encouraged to take cover as storm hits Iowa City.
University of Iowa Police confirmed at least three children have been reported missing in the crowds below the concourse. One missing child is a two-year-old girl.
A lightning delay was issued at 5:45pm where announcements were made over the loud speaker and the video board provided instructions as to were instructed to exit the stands.
Stadium operations projected a map of shelter locations including the Indoor Track, Field House, Carver Hawkeye Arena and the Dental Building.
The hallways leading to the concourse are packed with fans trying to stay out of the rain, leaving little to no room to move around.
Security has paused entrance to the stadium, as hundreds of fans are outside in the rain.
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The game may not resume until 30 minutes following the last lighting strike.
INDIANOLA, Iowa (ICD) – After being convicted last year of 10 felonies including theft and dependent adult abuse, a central Iowa nurse is facing sanctions from the state’s Board of Nursing.
Registered nurse Holly Renee Carlson of Indianola is charged by the board with being convicted of a criminal offense that directly relates to the duties and responsibilities of the nursing profession, and failure to notify the board of a criminal conviction within 30 days. A hearing on the charges is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2026.
Court records indicate that in December 2025, a Warren County jury found Carlson guilty of one count of ongoing criminal conduct, six counts of first-degree theft against an older individual, one count of second-degree theft against an older individual, and two counts of dependent adult abuse.
According to prosecutors’ court filings, The Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Indianola Police Department launched an investigation into Carlson in 2024.
Prosecutors alleged Carlson financially exploited her parents while also working as a “legal nurse consultant and case manager” for her own company, Carlson & Associates. Prior to 2019, prosecutors said, she had worked as a case manager for the Des Moines office of the Veterans Administration.
According to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Carlson was granted power of attorney over the affairs of her mother and father in 2016. In 2019, her father entered Vintage Hills, an Indianola senior living facility, due to issues with dementia.
In December of that year, Carlson allegedly submitted a change-of-beneficiary form to John Hancock Insurance, switching the beneficiary of her mother’s life insurance policy from her father to herself. When her mother passed away a few weeks later, Carlson submitted a claim for her mother’s life insurance and was paid $251,027.70, prosecutors alleged.
According to MFCU investigators, Carlson also transferred the family farm, and all of its land, out of her mother’s name, preventing Vintage Hills from placing a lien on the property to collect money owed from the mother’s stay at the facility, and deposited loan proceeds into her own bank account rather than using the money to improve the farm.
Investigators also alleged Carlson regularly withdrew money from her father’s bank account, and also sold two of his vehicles, without paying the bills for his care at Vintage Hills. “ln the end, after reviewing all of the bank records and various other records, it was determined that Carlson had financially exploited (her parents) for $456,829.09,” a Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigator told prosecutors in a sworn affidavit.
Court records show that after her conviction, Carlson was sentenced to three years of probation tied to a 25-year suspended prison sentence.
Carlson referred the Iowa Capital Dispatch to her attorney, Trent Nelson, who declined to comment other than to say the criminal convictions are being appealed and the allegations against Carlson had nothing to do with her practice as a nurse.
Other Iowa-licensed nurses facing charges recently disclosed by the board include:
— Susan Louise Peden of Bondurant, an advanced registered nurse practitioner who is charged by the board with professional incompetence including a lack of knowledge, skill or ability to discharge her professional obligations; deviation from the standards of learning, education, or skill ordinarily possessed by a nurse; committing acts that might adversely affect a patient’s welfare; prescribing or distributing drugs in an unsafe manner, and prescribing or distributing drugs without assessing or evaluating the patient. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2026.
According to the board, Peden, also known as Susan Louise Deo, has been an advanced registered nurse practitioner since May 2018. State records indicate the investigation into her conduct was initiated in 2024, the same year Peden founded Bondurant Dermatology.
Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Peden for comment.
— Nicolette Rae Lovitt of Coon Rapids, a registered nurse who is charged by the board with deviating from the standards of learning, education or skill ordinarily possessed by nurses; engaging in behavior that constitutes unethical conduct or practice harmful to the profession; and engaging in unethical conduct or practice harmful or detrimental to the public by violating professional boundaries. A hearing on the charges is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2026.
Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Lovitt for comment.
— Jaci M. Moore of Preston, a licensed practical nurse who is charged by the board with misappropriating or attempting to misappropriate medications or supplies of a patient or clinic; committing an act that might adversely affect a patient’s welfare; and failing to assess or evaluate a patient or client. A hearing on the charges is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2026.
Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Moore for comment.
Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Copyright 2026 KWQC. All rights reserved.
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.
High temperatures over the Fourth of July weekend might have you looking to take a dip in one of Iowa’s lakes. But, you’ll want to be sure the water is safe for swimming before getting into the water.
A total of 11 state beaches are not recommended for swimming ahead of the holiday, up from 10 beaches last week.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources provides weekly updates on which state beaches are experiencing high levels of E. coli or algae that can be dangerous to swimmers. You can check the latest reports on the DNR website or by calling (515) 725-3434.
The DNR collects weekly samples at 41 state-owned swimming beaches to determine the public’s risk of coming in contact with waterborne diseases. Testing starts a week before Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day.
What Iowa DNR beaches are not recommended for swimming?
Backbone Beach
- Beach classification: Vulnerable
- Last test date: July 1
- Test results: Exceeded single-sample limit and five-sample Geomean standard for E. coli
Beeds Lake Beach
- Beach classification: Vulnerable
- Last test date: June 30
- Test results: Exceeded single-sample limit for E. coli
Big Creek Beach
- Beach classification: Less vulnerable
- Last test date: June 30
- Test results: Exceeded single-sample limit for E. coli
Black Hawk Beach
- Beach classification: Less vulnerable
- Last test date: June 30
- Test results: Exceeded single-sample limit and five-sample Geomean standard for E. coli
Emerson Bay Beach
- Beach classification: Vulnerable
- Last test date: July 1
- Test results: Exceeded single-sample limit and five-sample Geomean standard for E. coli
Lake Darling Beach
- Beach classification: Vulnerable
- Last test date: June 30
- Test results: Exceeded single-sample limit and five-sample Geomean standard for E. coli
Lake of Three Fires Beach
- Beach classification: Less vulnerable
- Last test date: July 1
- Test results: Exceeded algal toxin action level
Nine Eagles Beach
- Beach classification: Vulnerable
- Last test date: July 1
- Test results: Exceeded five-sample Geomean standard for E. coli
North Twin Lake West Beach
- Beach classification: Less vulnerable
- Last test date: June 30
- Test results: Exceeded five-sample Geomean standard for E. coli
Pine Lake South Beach
- Beach classification: Vulnerable
- Last test date: June 30
- Test results: Exceeded single-sample limit and five-sample Geomean standard for E. coli
Prairie Rose Beach
- Beach classification: Vulnerable
- Last test date: June 30
- Test results: Exceeded single-sample limit and five-sample Geomean standard for E. coli
Which Iowa beaches have improved to ‘OK for swimming’?
Two beaches have made it back onto the OK for swimming list since June 26:
- North Twin Lake East Beach
- Pleasant Creek Beach
Which Iowa beaches have special statuses?
- Blue Lake Beach: Monitoring by DNR is currently suspended due to low lake water conditions and the closure of Lewis and Clark State Park.
- Lake Keomah: Monitoring by DNR is currently suspended due to low lake water conditions. The DNR drained the lake in July 2024 for a major renovation and water quality improvement project that was set to last through spring 2026. The DNR warns people to stay out of the lake bed, which might look dry, but is soft and could quickly entrap people.
How does the Iowa DNR classify Iowa’s beaches based on their water quality?
DNR officials classify state park beaches into one of three categories annually based on their history of bacteria results in recent years:
- Vulnerable: Beaches are considered vulnerable when the geometric mean standard is exceeded in three or more of the five most recent sampling seasons.
- Transitional: The beach’s geometric mean standard is exceeded in two or fewer sampling seasons of the five most recent years of monitoring and was listed as “vulnerable” in the past monitoring seasons.
- Less vulnerable: The beach’s geometric mean standard is exceeded in two or fewer sampling seasons of the five most recent years of monitoring and was listed as “transitional” or “less vulnerable” in past monitoring seasons.
Brian Smith is a senior editor and audience strategist at the Des Moines Register. Contact him at bsmith@dmreg.com.
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