Lauren Mills - Investigate Midwest

Sidebar: Organic Certification And Pesticide Drift

Organic farm certification is automatically reinstated after three years without additional chemical impacts. The three-year window is the same as the requirement that land, upon initial organic certification, must go through a three-year period in which no non-organic products are applied.

By Lauren Mills

/ 15 Sep 2016

Sidebar: Organic Certification And Pesticide Drift

Drifting Pesticides Put Neighboring Farms At Risk

Iowa’s organic farms, vineyards, apiaries and other non-conventional farms surrounded by row crops treated with pesticides are at risk of being hit with drifting spray that can leave their farms’ futures uncertain.

By Lauren Mills

/ 15 Sep 2016

Drifting Pesticides Put Neighboring Farms At Risk

Growing Health Concerns Surrounding Pesticides, Including Two Commonly Used In Iowa

Some farmers applying pesticides to fields this summer might ignore symptoms of being exposed to the chemicals, like headaches or nausea. But mounting evidence shows chronic exposure to pesticides may increase risks for certain cancers, like prostate cancer, and for other chronic illnesses, like Par

By Lauren Mills

/ 21 Jul 2016

Growing Health Concerns Surrounding Pesticides, Including Two Commonly Used In Iowa

Database: Iowa Landfills Tonnage (2000-2015)

Each year, landfills must turn in information on the tonnage taken in, which is reported to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

By Lauren Mills

/ 17 Jun 2016

Database: Iowa School Americans With Disabilities Act Compliance

Data shows the results of school district equity reviews conducted by the Iowa Department of Education based on the letter of findings sent to districts as well as the date upon which school districts became compliant. Documents from reviews starting in the fall of 2010 through February 2016 were re

By Lauren Mills

/ 16 May 2016

Database: Iowa School Americans With Disabilities Act Compliance

IowaWatch Sunshine Week Report: The Cost Of Uncertainty In Iowa’s Public Record Laws

Costs and time spent defining what qualifies as an open record in Iowa are the biggest impediments to gaining access to information about how government functions and the way public money is spent. The cluster of rules defining public records in Iowa can be confusing or leave room for uncertainty. W

By Lauren Mills

/ 13 Mar 2016

IowaWatch Sunshine Week Report: The Cost Of Uncertainty In Iowa’s Public Record Laws

Water Issues Inspired University of Iowa Dance Program

Water — how it moves, its environmental and health impacts and its cultural significance —inspired upcoming performances by the University of Iowa Dancers in Company. The performance, called "Water Works," is based on water quality research and dips a toe into an emotionally fraught conversation tha

By Lauren Mills

/ 18 Feb 2016

Water Issues Inspired University of Iowa Dance Program

Database: 2016 Iowa Caucus Results

Maps provide a glance at the 2016 Caucus returns. A comparison of the Democratic votes in 2008 and 2016 show little consistency with counties won or lost by Clinton in the two caucuses.

By Lauren Mills

/ 2 Feb 2016

Database: 2008 Caucus Results

What did the Iowa Caucuses look like in 2008, the last time both parties had an open field in the competition for party nominations? We have turnout data and results from both parties.

By Lauren Mills

/ 1 Feb 2016

'Slow on the Draw': Iowa Repeatedly Nixed Expanded Access To Life-Saving Overdose Drug

SPECIAL REPORT: Kim Brown describes her son Andy Lamp as a normal, happy Iowa kid who played football and baseball. “It all fell apart,” Brown said.

By Lauren Mills

/ 14 Jan 2016

'Slow on the Draw': Iowa Repeatedly Nixed Expanded Access To Life-Saving Overdose Drug

Iowa's Judicial Branch Flunks Transparency Survey Despite Landmark Reports Availability

Iowa’s Judicial Branch flunked a recent transparency and accountability study because of barriers to public access to information, a lack of legal requirements for judicial evaluations and issues surrounding potential conflicts of interest. They include limited access judicial officers’ asset disclo

By Lauren Mills

/ 3 Dec 2015

Iowa's Judicial Branch Flunks Transparency Survey Despite Landmark Reports Availability

Jobs Exist After 50, But So Do Pay, Professional Challenges

Workforce participation rates for those over the age of 55 have been climbing over the past few years and are expected to continue growing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This, according to University of Iowa Public Health Professor Brian Kaskie, is the new normal.

By Lauren Mills

/ 19 Nov 2015

Jobs Exist After 50, But So Do Pay, Professional Challenges