It’s been a scandal-filled week in Washington, one where Iowa’s Congressional delegation has united, at least in the need to sort out what went wrong. First was a committee hearing on the Benghazi incident, followed by news that the Internal Revenue Service had been targeting Tea Party groups to investigate misuse of non-profit status, and [...]

Internet users in China, a country with a long tradition of petitioning, are appealing to a new authority to resolve grievances and controversies such as the merits of salty or sweet tofu – the White House petitions website. Created by President Barack Obama, the online petitioning system was designed as an “easy way for Americans [...]

Gov. Terry Branstad gave a strong vote of confidence Monday to managers at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, but acknowledged that his staff is reviewing concerns that have been raised regarding the facility’s operations. Branstad and his chief of staff, Jeff Boeyink, told reporters the more than 600 Veterans Home residents are receiving “a [...]

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is getting ready for a facelift. As the next phase of the $1.3 million 3RD Capital Campaign — which began in December to reinvent, rejuvenate and revitalize the museum, spurred by a $250,000 matching gift from the Hall-Perrine Foundation — construction will begin this summer on the museum’s Third [...]

Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev posted links to Islamic websites and others calling for Chechen independence on what appears to be his page on a Russian language social networking site. Abusive comments in Russian and English were flooding onto Tsarnaev’s page on VK, a Russian-language social media site, on Friday after he was identified as [...]

UPDATE: Two explosions struck the Boston Marathon as runners crossed the finish line on Monday, witnesses said, injuring at least four people on a day when tens of thousands of people pack the streets to watch one of the world’s best known marathons. Pictures from the scene showed blood stains on the ground and several [...]

When big dollars are at stake in a divorce settlement – a situation faced by billionaire oilman Harold Hamm after his headline-grabbing breakup – the litigation tends to drag on for months, if not years. But a protracted court battle is expensive and may seem unaffordable for the “less moneyed” spouse divorcing an estranged partner [...]

The Dubuque Catholic Archdiocese will welcome a new archbishop today. Pope Francis appointed Bishop Michael Jackels to become the new archbishop in Dubuque. He will be introduced at a news conference at 10 am in Dubuque. Bishop Jackels is currently the Bishop of Wichita, Kansas, where he’s served since 2005. According to his biography, Bishop [...]

A contractor working to relocate a natural gas line at a southeast Cedar Rapids home was injured Thursday morning when the gas line suddenly exploded. The explosion was reported at 11:17 a.m. Thursday at 3600 Skylark Lane SE. Dawn Stephens, one of the home’s owners, told dispatchers she had heard an explosion outside her home, [...]

Program reductions in Iowa caused by the federal budget sequestration likely will total about $46.5 million and hit education reading programs, public health areas and workforce development areas the hardest, a top state official said Thursday. David Roederer, director of the state Department of Management, said initial reviews indicate about 236 positions that are funded [...]