SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – January 1st means new laws are now on the books in Iowa and some neighboring states, one new law focuses on school bus safety.

Until now, Iowa school districts had the option to require applicants for school bus driver jobs to complete an approved course. New legislation goes into more detail about what could be required by districts for their school bus drivers.

House File 395 spells out what school districts may require of their new and current drivers. According to the law, an approved course of instruction for school bus drivers includes one or more of the following:

• A course of instruction for school bus drivers approved by the Department of Education.
• Entry-level driver training completed in compliance with Federal regulations.
• Other training as described in a resolution adopted by the school district.

If a school district does elect to require completion of an approved course for school bus drivers, the driver has to complete the course before – or within – their first six months on the job. And then, they’ll need to complete the course again once every 24 months.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill sought by a farm chemical company facing tens of thousands of lawsuits in the U-S that allege Roundup causes cancer did not come up for a vote in the Iowa House in 2025, but House leaders say they’ll talk with fellow Republicans to see if there’s enough support for it to pass in 2026.

There are 67 Republicans in the Iowa House, well over the 51 votes required to pass a bill and House Speaker Pat Grassley says he understands some of his fellow Republicans oppose the bill. “At the same time, I would say as a farmer myself I would much rather be able to buy a product that’s manufactured here, especially here in the state of Iowa, than I would in some of our foreign companies completely owning the supply chain when it comes to those, so we have to be mindful of that as part of the conversation.”

Bayer’s plant in Muscatine makes about 70 percent of the Roundup sold in North America and the company has suggested that facility could close due to financial burden of lawsuits.

The bill would give liability protection from so-called “failure to warn” lawsuits as long the label of a pesticide or herbicide follows E-P-A guidelines. The agency says there’s no risk to human health if Roundup is used according to label instructions. Grassley and House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann are both farmers and Kaufmann says he’d prefer Roundup be made in Iowa rather than China. House Democratic Leader Brian Meyer says the bill is a disservice to Iowans who have been and could be harmed by the use of glyphosate (gl’EYE-foh’sayt) — the main ingredient in Roundup.*

The Iowa Senate has passed the bill and Governor Reynolds has indicated she’d sign it into law.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who resolved to lose weight in the new year might need a little help to reach their goal. Rebecca Cripe, a registered dietician and nutritionist with Emplify Health by Gundersen, says it’s not an easy task to change our eating habits and consulting with a professional will increase the chances for success.

If you want to make a change and drop some pounds, Cripe says don’t wait until March, find a registered dietician now, as she says their primary goals are education and problem solving.

Especially with the new year, there’s a lot of messaging with fad diets that there’s a problem with the individual if weight loss goals aren’t met, and that’s not right, according to Cripe. She says we need to go into the process with realistic expectations.

Emplify Health by Gundersen properties include clinics in Fayette, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Postville and Calmar, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – NASA has provided grants to support robotics teams at four Iowa high schools. Chris Stevens is the Industrial Tech teacher at North Union High School in Armstrong where students are building robots.

North Union received a 63-hundred dollar NASA grant. Stevens says North Union is one of the smaller schools to have a team at robotics competitions.

Members of the North Union Robotics team fill a variety of roles.

The other NASA grants went to the “Tech Tiger” robotics team at Grinnell High School, the “Wild Wires” robotics team at Earlham High School and the B-C-L-U-W robotics team.

(Radio Iowa) – New Year’s Day is a time for reflection, resolutions and renewal, but for some Iowans, it’s just another blah, boring winter day to hole up inside, which could be a sign of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. Christie Harris, wellness education specialist at Emplify Health by Gundersen, says some of us will feel depressed, low on energy, having no interest in anything, with a worst-case scenario being thoughts of death or suicide. In many cases, Harris says it’s a relatively easy cure.

That light therapy involves sitting under a special, high-intensity lamp for a period of time daily. Studies find between 35- and 50-million Americans suffer from SAD, and those who were susceptible to it one winter are likely to see it return. Harris says if you think you may have SAD, there are several questions to ask yourself.

Another indicator could be difficulty concentrating, or a change in sleeping patterns, where you’re tired all the time and find it hard to get out of bed in the morning, or just the opposite, having a difficult time falling or staying asleep. If any of the symptoms sound familiar, Harris says to seek professional help.

Some people can overcome SAD by engaging in physical activity which can boost their mood and energy levels, while others may benefit from practices like yoga, meditation, tai chi (ty CHEE), and deep breathing exercises.

Emplify Healthy by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh (KLEH-mish) says he’ll have a conversation with his fellow Republicans about whether vaping products — the liquid pods or cartridges used in e-cigarettes — should be taxed in Iowa, just like cigarettes.

That would hurt retailers in Iowa’s border areas, Klimesh says, as Iowans who vape might start going to a neighboring state to buy their supplies. Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois all tax vaping products. South Dakota and Missouri don’t. Klimesh is a former smoker who says he’s tried to wean himself off nicotine for the past 20 years and he introduced a bill this past year that would have taxed vaping liquid as well as nicotine pouches which are wedged inside a person’s bottom lip like smokeless tobacco.

This fall, Senate Republicans chose Klimesh to be their new leader and he says that means he has a different role in the lawmaking process.

According to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, the cigarette smoking rate among Iowa adults has dropped to five-point-six percent, but the use of e-cigarettes continues to rise — with 23-and-a-half percent of 18 and 24 year olds vaping regularly.

HIAWATHA, Iowa (KCRG) – UPDATED Jan. 2nd – A carjacking suspect is in custody and hospitalized with critical injuries after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement Wednesday morning following a high-speed chase on I-380. KCRG reports that at approximately 8:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to a robbery in progress at the Marine Recruitment Office on Brandilynn Boulevard, where they learned a vehicle was stolen.

A Linn County Deputy located the suspect’s vehicle at 9:30 a.m. southbound on I-380 near Center Point. The adult male driver – later identified as 32-year-old Samuel Reese III, of Center Point, Alabama – took off southbound at high speed and officers chased him from Cedar Falls on I-380. Reese exited onto County Home Road and lost control, hitting a road sign. He then allegedly opened fire at officers out the driver’s side window. The chase continued southbound on I-380 until the vehicle came to a stop in the median ditch in Hiawatha near the Tower Terrace exit.

Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner told KCRG Reese fired several rounds at officers. As officers returned fire, Reese was shot by an officer and was taken into custody. He was taken to a local hospital and later transferred to University of Iowa Health Care for critical injuries. The sheriff said Reese used a rifle to shoot at officers and may have had more guns. No officers were reported injured and the officers directly involved have been placed on critical incident leave, which is standard procedure in this type of incident, which remains under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.

DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – James Bruton grew up in rural Texas where the night skies were full of constellations. As he moved to larger cities, before ultimately settling in Des Moines, evening star gazing faded away for Bruton and could only be found with intentional trips away from the light-polluted metropolitans. Bruton hopes rural Iowa can keep that sense of wilderness, lower its electricity costs, help out local wildlife and even benefit from the growing astrotourism market, by enacting “dark sky” ordinances that limit light pollution.

While the effort in Iowa is just getting off the ground, across the globe, nearly 200,000 square kilometers, or more than 77,000 square miles, are recognized as dark sky places by the international, volunteer organization, Dark Sky International. The open spaces of the west and national parks are the spots most people think of for prime stargazing, but Bruton said Iowa can develop its own dark sky areas and give people that same sense of wonder, but without a 10-hour drive.

Bruton told the Iowa Capital Dispatch, “Most of our days are spent looking at screens … being able to step away from that and truly just take in something as magnificent as a clear, dark night sky and everything that it beholds, it just creates (a) perspective that we don’t get when we live in so much light pollution. “It’s not about turning off the lights, It’s just about using light wisely so that communities can thrive.”

A night sky outside of Johnston, Iowa on Oct. 10, 2024. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

A 2023 published study, analyzing citizen science observations, found that on average the night sky got brighter by 9.6% annually, from 2011 to 2022. According to the National Park Service the light pollution increase “exceed(s) the population growth rate” and has been caused by more light emitted per capita and more “uplight” or light that is directed or reflected upwards, emitted from fixtures. Dark Sky International recommends communities be more intentional with their outdoor lighting, in terms of brightness, direction, purpose and warmth.

The organization has five principles for “responsible” lighting, which Bruton said would inform dark sky ordinances in a community. Dark Sky calls for lights that have a “clear purpose” and are only used when needed. It says light should also be “targeted” so that it doesn’t spill beyond where it is needed. Targeted lights could be something like street or parking lot lights that have a cover over the top to direct light down on the street and not up into the sky. The third principle is that lights should be “no brighter than necessary” with the idea that when something is excessively lit, it causes glare on surrounding surfaces and can be less effective than a dimmer light.

An ordinance could specify, for example, that outdoor light fixtures not exceed 25% of guidelines set by the Illuminating Engineering Society, a technical and educational authority on lighting. The fourth principle asks for controlled lights, those on a motion censor, timer or dimmer so that light is only used when it’s needed. Those principles help to reduce energy costs by eliminating unnecessary lights. The final principle calls for warm colored lights – below 3000 Kelvin – because they are less disruptive to wildlife and don’t travel as far into the sky, according to Dark Sky International.

A city could add an ordinance with guidelines on where cool colored lights are allowed, like in a public safety setting or a sports arena, to adhere to this principle. He said dark sky ordinances shouldn’t be prohibitive to new businesses or economic development and can actually make a community appear “more forward thinking.”

Astrotourism, or the cross of astronomy and tourism, relies on dark sky places. Bruton said this could make a small rural town a destination during an astrological event like an aurora borealis, meteor shower or eclipse. Beyond a potential camera and telescope-wielding tourist market, Bruton said a dark sky can help to protect the “rural heritage” of a community and sense of community pride. Learn more about Bruton’s initiative at the Dark Sky Iowa page on Facebook.

(Iowa DNR Conservation News; Des Moines, IA) – Iowa’s trumpeter swans attempted a modern-day record 158 nests in 2025, which is an increase of 17 percent over 2022. The nesting data is from the most recent statewide observation survey completed in December. In a news release, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) state waterfowl biologist Orrin Jones, says  “It’s a neat story about the restoration. We spent a lot of time and effort to get the population established and its really taking off right now.”

Recovery has taken time, but is a true modern-day conservation success story, he said. The restoration effort was supported by the Iowa DNR’s Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund; a constitutionally protected fund where hunting, fishing and trapping license fees are deposited and used, in part, to protect, restore, or manage fish and wildlife. The largest waterfowl in North America, trumpeter swans have come a long way since the 1930s, when conservation efforts began in order to protect small populations in Montana and Alaska.

A trumpeter swan with two cygnats on a Chickasaw County wetland. Photo courtesy of the Iowa DNR.

Native to Iowa, trumpeter swans were once as widely distributed as Canada geese, but had been extirpated by the early 1880s. Early and aggressive reintroduction efforts in the Midwest by Minnesota and Wisconsin, followed a few years later by Michigan, and then Iowa, sought to return these iconic waterfowl to their traditional place on the prairie wetlands.

Iowa began with a restoration plan in 1993, followed by the first release of four swans in 1994. The plan included monitoring the swans to evaluate reintroduction success. The DNR released a total of 1,218 swans, ending in 2022. Iowa’s first trumpeter swan nest in the modern era was in 1998, in Dubuque County, followed two years later by one in Winnebago County. Nesting attempts increased slowly following the growing number of released swans. After averaging in the mid-50s for nearly a decade, nest attempts jumped to more than 120 in 2020, followed by nearly 140 in 2022.

“Reintroduction has been successful and we continue to monitor the population as time goes on,” said Taylor Ballard, wildlife research technician with the Iowa DNR’s Clear Lake office. “We ask our staff to record any observations of swans – active nests, swans with a brood – let us know if they see a successful nest and the number of cygnets that nest has, which gives us our number of cygnets of per successful nest.”

Ballard said the active nests average 4.4 cygnets, or young swans, which is helping grow the local population. Of the 158 active nests, Ballard said 98 were known to be successful in hatching. Population surveys begin in mid- to late-April, with peak surveys from May to September. Iowa DNR staff, along with staff from local county conservation boards, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and private citizens check areas with preferred habitat or where nests have previously occurred.

The data is passed along to the Mississippi Flyway Council, who coordinates management with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The birds are doing best on the large semi-permanent wetlands in the prairie pothole region and their trend is continuing to expand in abundance, like we thought it would,” said Jones. “It takes time for swans to reach maturity but once they begin nesting they are productive and we have vacant habitat available for them.”

The Iowa DNR has captured and collared cygnets as part of a survival study. Swans live as a family unit with parents providing protection and teaching the young skills needed to survive. More than 70 percent of cygnets that fledge in September will survive to March. “Trumpeter swans are emblematic of healthy wetland systems, clean water – and are a way to tie a species to the habitat,” Jones said. “It’s a neat story about the swan restoration – and we’re seeing a similar response with the sandhill cranes – they’re expanding, too – and likely will increase until population reaches the carrying capacity of the habitat.”

Iowa swans, along with swans from Minnesota and Wisconsin, are part of the interior population of trumpeter swans. Some of these birds follow traditional winter migration to Missouri and Arkansas, while others will remain in Iowa, to be joined by swans from up north. The 2025 midwinter waterfowl survey recorded more than 4,700 swans in Iowa.

While the population has been increasing, threats do remain. Collisions with powerlines is a major problem, as is ingesting lead. In the last few years, avian influenza has claimed some swans, as well.