MADISON, Wisconsin, May 7 -- American Family Insurance issued the following news release: Claims professionals from the American Family Insurance Group of companies are responding to customers impacted by tornados and other severe weather in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri after the late-April storms impacted customers. The storms caused major damage to neighborhoods near Omaha, Nebraska and left dozens of homes damaged or destroyed (see photos above). Missouri and Iowa customers also experienced d  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 8 -- Drake University issued the following news release: Drake University has selected Erik Maki, an accomplished and long-time faculty member at the University, as the next dean of its College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Maki will begin his role as dean July 1. "I am delighted that Dr. Maki will lead the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences," said Drake University Provost Sue Mattison. "His experience, collaborative leadership skills, institutional history, and n  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 8 -- The Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued the following news release on May 7, 2024: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today joined 20 other states in suing Biden for abolishing longstanding Title IX protections for women. Biden's new gender ideology mandate tears down more than 50 years of landmark protections for girls in preschool through college who will now be forced to share private facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms, and showers with males. The rule  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 8 -- The Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued the following news release on May 7, 2024: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today co-led a 24-state coalition in a letter to Congressional leadership, urging Congress to permanently cut all funding to the terrorist-embedded United Nations Relief and Works Agency ("UNRWA"). On October 7, 2023, dozens of UNRWA staff participated in the largest attack on the Jewish community since the Holocaust. UNRWA's ties to terrorism are  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 8 -- Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig issued the following news on May 7, 2024: Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is offering increased cost-share incentives for cover crop planting through the state's Water Quality Initiative (WQI). The popular annual cost-share program, which is available to eligible first-time users as well as returning participants, is now open for Iowa farmers to  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 8 -- Gov. Kim Reynolds, R-Iowa, issued the following news release on May 7, 2024: Today, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed HF 2618, a bill that requires evidence-based reading instruction and tailored interventions for students who aren't proficient, into law. "This legislation is an extension of our ongoing effort to make literacy a priority in every Iowa classroom and for every Iowa student. Iowa's reading scores have held steady over the last several years, in part because we k  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 8 -- Gov. Kim Reynolds, R-Iowa, issued the following news release on May 7, 2024: Today, U.S. News and World Report ranked Iowa the #6 Best State overall, #3 state for Opportunity, #7 state for Long-Term Fiscal Stability, #9 state for Health Care Access, #9 state for Affordability, and #11 state for Education. Iowa is up one spot from the 2023 overall rankings and up two spots in education. "Iowa is recognized as one of the best states to live, work, and raise a family b  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, May 7 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: The Soil Judging Team at Virginia Tech earned first place at the 2024 National Soil Judging Contest in Ames, Iowa. "With 25 teams and 205 students competing from across the nation our victory was hard-earned," said Clara Betts, a junior in ecological restoration at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. At the four-day event, students visited practice pits, or simulated soil profiles, where they were tasked with d  more