Iowa
States including Iowa, Nebraska reach $150M settlement with Mercedes-Benz
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – A coalition of states including both Iowa and Nebraska reached a nearly $150 million settlement with Mercedes-Benz.
The states allege over 200,000 diesel vehicles were illegally equipped with devices designed to cheat on emissions tests between 2008 and 2016.
Mercedes allegedly hid the existence of these devices from regulators and people purchasing the vehicles.
Copyright 2025 WOWT. All rights reserved.
As RAGBRAI passes by, farmer tells story of Iowa’s center point
Loren Book recalls the day when Grinnell College students came knocking to tell him the geographic center of Iowa was in his soybean field.
The share of Iowa experiencing drought or abnormal dryness fell by nearly 10 percentage points week over week, and even heavier rainfall has arrived since the latest report, signaling potential improvement.
The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide. New maps and forecasts are released each Thursday. What are the current drought conditions in Iowa?
U.S. Drought Monitor map: How much of Iowa is in a drought?
The latest Drought Monitor report, released on Aug. 13, showed about 37% of Iowa experiencing some form of drought or abnormal dryness. The previous report, released on Aug. 6, showed 45% of the state was experiencing some form of dryness.
The most recent report reflects conditions as of 8 a.m. Aug. 11. Here is the breakdown of current drought conditions in Iowa:
- 64% of the state of Iowa is experiencing no dryness or drought conditions
- 12% of Iowa is experiencing abnormally dry conditions
- 22% of Iowa is experiencing moderate drought conditions
- 3% of Iowa is experiencing severe, extreme or exceptional drought conditions
The share of Iowa land experiencing abnormal dryness fell 6 percentage points since the Aug. 6 report, while moderate drought declined by 4 points. However, the area experiencing extreme drought increased by nearly 3 percentage points, with the increase concentrated in western Iowa.
Current conditions are worse than they were a year ago, when 100% of the state was drought-free, according to the Drought Monitor report from Aug. 12, 2025.
Current U.S. drought conditions
About 74% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought or abnormal dryness, up 3 percentage points from the previous week. Drought conditions are less severe across parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
Iowa Drought Monitor tracks conditions weekly
The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide.
The intensity levels range from abnormally dry, or D0, to exceptional drought, or D4.
Typically with D0 conditions, corn can show drought stress. Pond levels start to decline under moderate drought conditions and soybeans abort pods, according to the Drought Monitor. The Drought Monitor also has a look-back chart that compares drought conditions from 3 months ago up to 1 year ago.
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 COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – One person was hurt in a crash in Iowa County on Thursday.
Iowa State Patrol reports a driver behind a BMW X5 was traveling westbound on I-80 at mile marker 218 around 6:35 p.m. at the time of the crash.
The driver left the roadway and crashed into a cable barrier in the median.
The driver was transported to an area hospital for treatment. There is no word on the driver’s condition at this time.
Officials say a medical emergency may have possibly contributed to the crash.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
2026 field of dreams game faces drama
Tim Anderson’s walk-off home run in 2021 will be hard to top when MLB returns to Dyersville for the third time on Thursday.
After a four-year hiatus, MLB is returning to Iowa for a regular-season game.
The American League’s Minnesota Twins and the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies will face off in a regular-season game at the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 6:30 p.m. CT.
The contest marks the third-ever “MLB at Field of Dreams” game, following regular-season games there in 2021 and 2022.
Here’s how to watch the 2026 MLB at Field of Dreams game.
How to watch the 2026 Field of Dreams game
The game will be streamed exclusively on Netflix, with coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on Aug. 13.
Actor Kevin Costner, who plays the protagonist, Ray Kinsella, in the 1989 film “Field of Dreams” and delivered a pregame speech before the 2021 Field of Dreams game, is expected to be part of Thursday’s broadcast in some capacity.
The 2026 MLB season marks Netflix’s first year carrying professional baseball, and the platform recently aired the league’s Home Run Derby on July 13.
How will the pregame show go?
More than 25 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame will appear as part of a pregame ceremony. It’s the largest gathering of living Hall of Famers at a game since the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, where nearly 50 showed up during the famous ballpark’s final season, according to MLB.
Who will be in Dyersville and how will they be involved? The pregame show could have a different flow, with Netflix streaming the game for the first time after FOX televised the first two games.
Are tickets available for the Field of Dreams game?
Official tickets for the 2026 Field of Dreams game sold through MLB are no longer available, as the official ticket lottery closed on June 18.
Last-minute tickets on through third-party resale platforms such as StubHub, have dropped significantly. Ticket prices were previously more than $2,000 each and were around $400 as of 9:15 a.m. Aug. 13.
Get Field of Dreams game tickets on StubHub
Des Moines Register sports reporter Tommy Birch contributed to this report
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
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