DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Tuesday that provides additional funds for disaster recovery efforts related to last year’s severe weather. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Senate File 619 includes $13.6 million for the previous fiscal year to help offset losses from extreme flooding and tornadoes that occurred in 2024. The bill also expands use of disaster funds for emergency responders and extends tax exclusions for developers building in areas impacted by recent severe weather.

INDEPENDENCE – A group of former employees at a mental health facility in eastern Iowa claim they were repeatedly assaulted by patients and they were ignored by investigators. KCRG-TV reports former nurses at the Independence Mental Health Institute are accusing those who operate the state-run space of negligence. Those nurses in the suit claim they were attacked and assaulted, with no response from administrators.

DES MOINES – The Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield returned for another installment of the men’s and women’s USATF 1 Mile Road Championships and the Grand Blue Mile recreation and competitive divisions. It kicks off Drake Relays week, with high school, college, and professional track and field athletes converging on Des Moines. Native Iowans and Olympians Shelby Houlihan and Karissa Schweizer had their eyes on the prize from the gun but could not hang on towards the finish. A late push from Krissy Gear, one of the premier American steeplechasers, earned her the top prize.