Breaking News

‘A crown jewel’

MELBOURNE — What began in July 2025 came to fruition on Thursday — the opening of the Iowa Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA) Conservation & Demonstration Farm just east of Melbourne in rural Marshall County — a place for members to gather, collaborate and continue the work ...

Choose Iowa farm crawl returns with nearly 60 participating farms

Nearly 60 Iowa farms will open their doors Friday and Saturday for Iowans to peruse local goods – a trend that appears to be on the rise among Iowa grocery shoppers. The event is part of the state’s Choose Iowa marketing program that encourages Iowans to buy local produce, meat, dairy ...

Iowa one of nine states that won’t have to match portion of federal SNAP benefits

The majority of U.S. states will soon have to pay 5% to 15% of federal nutrition assistance benefits in their state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s release Wednesday of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rates. House Resolution 1, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was enacted in 2025, stipulated that states with SNAP payment error rates greater than 6% would be required to foot 5%, 10% or 15% of SNAP benefits costs in their state. Iowa, with a payment error rate of 5.34% in 2025, is just one of nine states with an error ...

No harm, yes fowl

Spurred by a petition in support of a longstanding local business on the western edge of the community, the Marshalltown city council moved forward with modifying its animal keeping rules to allow chickens on lots over five acres within the city limits during Monday night’s meeting. A ...