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More than 2,000 incarcerated Iowans and correctional officers are enduring 90-plus-degree heat without air conditioning this summer, even as the state sits on nearly $8 million that advisers say could fix the problem, Iowa Capital Dispatch (ICD) reports.

Why it matters: Heat isn't just a comfort issue, but a safety one as well. In 2024, a man died at an unairconditioned Illinois prison during a heatwave.

Research on Mississippi inmates also found violent interactions rose 20% on days averaging 80 degrees.

State of play: Gov. Kim Reynolds, with the support of the Iowa Department of Corrections, requested $8.1 million from the Legislature last year to help install air conditioning at the Anamosa State Penitentiary and the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility.

Both facilities house over 1,000 men, and the department has requested funding for AC over the last 15 years.

Yes, but: Iowa lawmakers did not approve the funding this session, though the Department of Corrections has additional money that could go toward air conditioning.

The state has sold more than 1,500 acres of unused prison farmland, following a consultant's advice in 2023. After the state used some of the proceeds for repairs and office renovations, nearly $8 million is left over, ICD reports.

What they're saying: When ICD asked the Department of Corrections if that leftover money could be used for air conditioning, officials didn't say, noting that spending is based on "most imminent needs" that are at the discretion of leadership.

"I think the most important thing is to make sure the staff and inmates' health is the priority with the air conditioning," Trent Keller, chair of the Iowa Board of Corrections, told ICD.

The other side: Iowa Rep. Jacob Bossman (R-Sioux City) chairs the budget committee that helps decide prison infrastructure projects. He notes that Republican lawmakers have invested in prison projects, such as repairs and adding capacity.

"So long as Iowa House Republicans remain in the majority, the comfort of convicted criminals will never take priority over the safety of law-abiding Iowans," he said in a statement to ICD.

The intrigue: Iowa's new "three strikes" law is projected to increase Iowa's prison population by 50% and cost $1.9 billion in new capacity, according to the nonprofit Legislative Services Agency.

The law ends deferred or suspended sentences for habitual offenders, raises the minimum sentence for habitual offenders from three to seven years, and changes the maximum sentence from 15 to 20 years.

What's next: The sale of another 1,300 acres of farmland near Anamosa could bring another $10 million to the department, ICD reports.

Iowa prisons swelter without air conditioning

Two Iowa prisons have gone more than 15 years without air conditioning.

White, castle-like building with a tall, ornate central tower, curved balcony, and arched entrance; manicured shrubs and a stone wall frame the facade under a clear blue sky.

Anamosa State Penitentiary. Photo: Courtesy of State of Iowa

More than <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2,000 incarcerated Iowans" data-vars-click-url="https://doc-search.iowa.gov/dailystatistics" data-vars-content-id="0be63f80-cd51-49f4-8228-7028e4643aa2" data-vars-headline="Iowa prisons swelter without air conditioning" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://doc-search.iowa.gov/dailystatistics" target="_blank">2,000 incarcerated Iowans</a> and correctional officers are enduring 90-plus-degree heat without air conditioning this summer, even as the state sits on nearly $8 million that advisers say could fix the problem,<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" Iowa Capital Dispatch" data-vars-click-url="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/07/03/for-15-years-iowas-prisons-have-asked-for-air-conditioning-this-year-something-is-different/" data-vars-content-id="0be63f80-cd51-49f4-8228-7028e4643aa2" data-vars-headline="Iowa prisons swelter without air conditioning" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/07/03/for-15-years-iowas-prisons-have-asked-for-air-conditioning-this-year-something-is-different/" target="_blank"> Iowa Capital Dispatch</a> (ICD) reports.Why it matters: Heat isn&#x27;t just a comfort issue, but a safety one as well. In 2024, a man died at an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="unairconditioned Illinois prison" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wglt.org/illinois/2024-11-15/a-man-incarcerated-at-stateville-prison-died-during-a-heat-wave-now-his-family-is-suing" data-vars-content-id="0be63f80-cd51-49f4-8228-7028e4643aa2" data-vars-headline="Iowa prisons swelter without air conditioning" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wglt.org/illinois/2024-11-15/a-man-incarcerated-at-stateville-prison-died-during-a-heat-wave-now-his-family-is-suing" target="_blank">unairconditioned Illinois prison</a> during a heatwave.

News

West Des Moines is considering a new zoning district that would let developers build denser, more affordable neighborhoods.

Why it matters: Suburbs are known for their wide sprawl and huge backyards, but the new "blended neighborhood" district could create more entry-level homes in walkable neighborhoods.

Flashback: The effort is part of the city's first major rewrite of its residential zoning code in more than 30 years.

Traditionally, suburban development in West Des Moines focused on single-family homes with large lots and setbacks. These were built with the assumption that single people and young families could afford their own homes, West Des Moines planning administrator Linda Schemmel tells Axios.

Large apartment complexes, townhomes and condos were the alternative, with few options in between.

How it works: West Des Moines' blended neighborhood districts would allow construction of single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes within the same subdivision.

They would only be allowed in new areas. Existing neighborhoods, like Valley Junction, could not get this zoning.

Multiunit buildings would follow the same setback, driveway and yard standards as single-family homes. From the street, a fourplex lot could look the same as a single-family home.

The style is similar to some older Des Moines neighborhoods where single-family homes and duplexes are next to each other, like in the Drake neighborhood, Schemmel says.

What they're saying: Mayor Russ Trimble said the new zoning district could help people who want to live in a single-family neighborhood but can't afford it.

"I absolutely love this," Trimble said. "I think this is a way to get affordable housing in West Des Moines."

The intrigue: People aren't looking to give up their cars, but they do want the ability to walk to dinner or grab something quickly without going to a big-box store.

Denser neighborhoods help boost the creation of small businesses, which often rely on a regular customer base within walking distance, Schemmel says.

What's next: West Des Moines city staff are conducting more research and talking with local developers before bringing a formal zoning proposal to the City Council.

West Des Moines considers denser, more walkable neighborhoods

West Des Moines is reexamining its zoning code for the first time in 30 years.

Illustration of paper cut-out families under outlined houses

West Des Moines is considering a new zoning district that would let developers build denser, more affordable neighborhoods.Why it matters: Suburbs are known for their wide sprawl and huge backyards, but the new &quot;blended neighborhood&quot; district could create more entry-level homes in walkable neighborhoods.

Development

Linh here. I'm growing giant pumpkins in the hopes of showing one of them at the Iowa State Fair. 

They're aptly named Hope #1 and Hope #2 (just in case).

Flashback: Last week, I excitedly shared that both pumpkin plants were almost ready for pollination. 

Once a female pumpkin flower is hand-pollinated, the actual gourd growing begins.

When the giant heat dome draped itself across Iowa last week, the female flowers responded by ... dying.

I call last week "The Great Warm Moist Towelette of Doom 2026."

Two-panel close-up of a green, hairy squash stem with a pale yellow bud at a leaf node in a garden bed, surrounded by dark soil, dried leaves, and lush green foliage.

A female flower on Hope #1 on July 1, and then again on July 3. Photos: Linh Ta/Axios

Guys. No joke, it's rough over here in the 50311.

Zoom in: If I had until October, I would feel OK. But the fair is next month. 

I was so confident in my pumpkin-growing skills in April that I told my employer we may need to expense a forklift.

Now, I don't even know if Hope will take up a seat in the back of my Subaru.

🎃 Sometimes, you need to hit rock bottom before you make a change. 

I put out frozen almond milk cartons and a camping fan to keep them cool.

🥹 The bottom vine: Look at how beautiful and bulbous these female flowers look.

If I turn in the cutest tiny giant pumpkin next month, so be it.

Two-panel close-up of an okra plant in a garden: bright green, ribbed pods developing along a thick stem, with hairy buds at the top. Leaves and soil in a lush background.

Hope #1 and Hope #2's female flowers on July 9. The bulbs underneath the flowers will turn into pumpkins.

I'm scrambling to grow a giant pumpkin for the Iowa State Fair

Hope #1 and Hope #2 have a little over a month left to grow.

Man in a tan shirt and black shorts, wearing a mesh-back cap, bends over to fill a green watering can in a garden with large leafy plants and orange daylilies near a blue house.

Linh's spouse, Eric Burson, the true pumpkin master. Photo: Linh Ta/Axios

Linh here. I&#x27;m growing giant pumpkins in the hopes of showing one of them at the Iowa State Fair. <ul><li>They&#x27;re aptly named Hope #1 and Hope #2 (just in case).</li></ul>

Things to Do

Hidden behind Iowa corn and soybean fields is a hip-hop and arts festival that aims to show diversity in music, art and community in small-town Iowa.

Driving the news: Middle of Nowhere festival is hosting its third annual event Saturday at The Cellar Winery in Madrid.

State of play: Siriaco Garcia, the festival's founder, says the event is meant to break stereotypes about rural Iowa, showing there's an audience for hip-hop, graffiti art and diversity everywhere.

What's new: This year's event includes headliner and indie hip-hop artist Naethan Apollo.

A new "mini mural maze" will also include local art and feed into a cornfield where people can take photos.

The lineup also includes the festival's first Spanish-speaking performer.

The intrigue: The name "Middle of Nowhere" is a play on the phrase, "Now Here" — signifying that rural Iowa is a place that matters right now, rather than being overlooked.

If you go: 1-9pm, 2183 320th Street, Madrid. Free!

Rural Iowa festival brings hip-hop, arts to small town

Middle of Nowhere festival highlights hip hop and diversity in Iowa's rural towns.

Split image: left shows a man in a brown T-shirt and red bandana standing in a green crop field; right shows a group of people in a park dancing with hoops among trees on a sunny day.

Siriaco Garcia (left) and festival goers at Middle of Nowhere Festival (right) back in 2025. Photos: Courtesy of Garcia

Hidden behind Iowa corn and soybean fields is a hip-hop and arts festival that aims to show diversity in music, art and community in small-town Iowa.Driving the news: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Middle of Nowhere festival" data-vars-click-url="https://thecellarwinery.com/event-calendar/2026/7/11/middle-of-nowhere-rural-art-music-festival" data-vars-content-id="9ebb95b2-b0b0-4f7b-a751-5a23c9498580" data-vars-headline="Rural Iowa festival brings hip-hop, arts to small town" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://thecellarwinery.com/event-calendar/2026/7/11/middle-of-nowhere-rural-art-music-festival" target="_blank">Middle of Nowhere festival</a> is hosting its third annual event Saturday at The Cellar Winery in Madrid.

One year after Iowa's hands-free driving law took effect, new Nationwide Insurance data shows drivers are putting their phones down.

Why it matters: Distracted drivers are 3.5 times more likely to crash, per the insurance company.

Flashback: Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the law April 2, 2025. It took effect July 1, 2025, with a six-month warning period before full enforcement began Jan. 1 of this year.

How it works: Nationwide's data is based on information from its Iowa customers who opt into incentive programs that offer discounts based on safe driving habits, which are measured via an app.

By the numbers: Screen-tapping fell 13.6% during full enforcement, up from a 5.9% dip during the warning period.

Handheld calling dropped 9.1% during full enforcement, compared to 8.2% during the warning period.

Drivers logged 140,700 fewer phone-handling motions than expected based on pre-law behavior.

Zoom in: Separate data from Cambridge Mobile Telematics, covering July 2025–May 2026, found 85 of Iowa's 99 counties saw phone motion decrease.

The bottom line: The two data sets suggest the law has helped prevent an estimated 470 crashes, 210 injuries and three fatalities, per Nationwide.

Iowa data shows hands-free enforcement reduces distracted driving

Enforcement began Jan. 1 and Nationwide saw decreased distracted driving among its Iowa customers.

Illustration of a roadway on a cracked phone screen.

One year after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Iowa&#x27;s hands-free driving law" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2025/03/21/iowa-hands-free-driving-bill-2025" data-vars-content-id="e91259f9-694c-4199-a594-1cd2f4922c4b" data-vars-headline="Iowa data shows hands-free enforcement reduces distracted driving" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2025/03/21/iowa-hands-free-driving-bill-2025" target="_self">Iowa&#x27;s hands-free driving law</a> took effect, new Nationwide Insurance data shows drivers are putting their phones down.Why it matters: Distracted drivers are 3.5 times more likely to crash, per the insurance company.

Linh Ta

Featured stories

I'm scrambling to grow a giant pumpkin for the Iowa State Fair

Rural Iowa festival brings hip-hop, arts to small town

Iowa prisons swelter without air conditioning

Iowa data shows hands-free enforcement reduces distracted driving

West Des Moines considers denser, more walkable neighborhoods