SIOUX CITY – An Iowa Democrat has broken a Republican supermajority in the Iowa Senate following a special election held on Tuesday. The Des Moines Register reports Catelin Drey won in Iowa District 1 with 55% of the vote, as reported by the Woodbury County Auditor’s Office. Drey fills the seat held previously by the late Senator Rocky De Witt, who died from cancer in June. Democrats now hold 17 seats in the Iowa Senate, which breaks some of the party majority opportunities held by Republicans when it comes to nominations.

WINTERSET – A new county auditor has been elected in Madison County. KCCI-TV reports Independent Candidate Michele Brant won with 70% of the votes, defeating Republican Matthew T. Schwarz. he had been serving as the interim auditor after the resignation of Teri Kaczinski. This marks the end of the electoral conflict that included alleged misconduct against Kaczinski.

DES MOINES – In July, a water utility was notified of nearly $10 million coming its way following the conclusion of a court case. WHO-13 reports Des Moines Water Works is receiving $9.7 million from 3M and DuPont. The multi-district case comes from a 2023 lawsuit, where several public water systems sued the companies over what are called “forever chemicals.” Nearly $12.5 billion is in the settlement fund provided by the four companies accused of leaking the PFAs into drinking water sources.