Barker holds on to District 51 Iowa House seat

November 4, 2026

Incumbent Republican Brett Barker has held onto his District 51 seat in the Iowa House of Representatives. In Tuesday’s election, Barker earned 8,617 votes, or 55 percent, of 15,549 total ballots and Democrat Teresa Perin drew 6,901 votes, or 44 percent. There were 31 write-ins. District 51 covers the northwest, southwest and northeast quadrants of Marshall County — including communities of Green Mountain, Albion, Liscomb, St. Anthony, Clemons, Rhodes, Melbourne and State Center — along with a large swath of Story County outside of Ames. Within Marshall County, Barker earned ...

Covalt seeks extension on old hospital appeal after Frese withdraws as counsel

November 3, 2026

The legal battle between the city and the former downtown hospital owner continues. On Saturday, Scott Covalt, owner of CD Marshalltown, filed a request with the Iowa Supreme Court for a 60-day extension of an appeal after former attorney Chad Frese submitted a motion to withdraw on Oct. ...

Election Day polling hours, locations in Marshall County

November 3, 2026

Election polls open for Marshall County voters today at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. As long as a person is in line at 8 p.m., they will still be able to cast their ballot. There are 11 poll locations in the county. Voters need to cast their ballots at the corresponding location, based on their residential address. In Marshalltown, the four locations are: Marshalltown Public Library, 105 W. Boone St., for Ward 1 voters; Iowa Veterans Home Malloy Hall, 1301 Summit St., Ward 2; Our Savior Lutheran Church, 3001 S. Sixth St., Ward 3 and; Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1600 S. Center ...

Satanic Temple wins right to stage holiday event in Iowa Capitol’s rotunda

November 3, 2026

The ACLU of Iowa has won a preliminary injunction that clears the way for The Satanic Temple to stage a holiday event next month in the Iowa Capitol rotunda. In August, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the state in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa over the state’s repeated refusal to grant permission for the temple to stage what the ACLU calls “a family-friendly winter holiday event.” The ACLU of Iowa cited the fact that other religious and civic groups are allowed to stage events in the rotunda. Shefali Aurora, ACLU of Iowa staff attorney, said Monday ...

As candidates call to fund IWiLL, some counties ask for local conservation bonds

November 3, 2026

Funding a trust to support Iowa’s natural resources and water has come up repeatedly on the campaign trail ahead of Tuesday’s elections, but some counties have successfully initiated bond referendums to support projects locally. On Tuesday, Dubuque County voters will be asked to approve ...

STORY AND VIDEO: ‘Doesn’t it look great?’

November 2, 2026

After six long years, the Martha-Ellen Tye Playhouse reopened for business and artistic pleasure on Friday night, which also marked the 50th anniversary of the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation. Tickets for the performance, which were all purchased by the foundation and distributed for free, went ...