Wednesday, August 12th, 2026

Support for IPR comes from Hancher Auditorium. The 2025-20206 Broadway series has been announced and includes Kinky Boots, Clue, The Music Man, and more. Information at hansher.uIowa.edu slash Broadway. It's here first from IPR. I'm Megan McKinney. County auditors across the state are trying to recruit more poll workers for this year's general election. And later in today's episode, we're going to take a look at a state lawmakers effort to ban a toxic weed killer tied to a risk of Parkinson's disease. It's Wednesday, August 12th. A small community on the Mississippi River is creating more ways for citizens to influence future data center ordinances. IPR's Eliza Billingham reports. QTS is eyeing the city of Clinton for a 10-building hyperscale data center. The grassroots group Clintonians against data centers has organized in opposition. The city is in the midst of drafting a data center ordinance and is asking the group's steering committee to meet with them publicly to discuss the ordinance. line by line. Council member Greg O'Brien says prolonging the drafting process is a good idea. In the big picture, we're not really in any time constraints, so we have time and space to really do this the right way. The meeting between city officials and the grassroots group is set for September 1st at Eagle Point Lodge. The public is welcome to attend, but won't have a chance to speak. I'm Eliza Billingham, IPR News. The Waterloo School District is selling an old high school to be redeveloped as veteran housing. Here's more from IPR's Gavin McGoff. Waterloo developer, Victor Rottenhouse, will purchase the Expo High School. He says he'll turn the campus into a mixed-use development. The vision is a commercial level on the bottom floor, residential on the middle floor, and then green housing on that top floor. The thought process there is by putting a veteran in one unit of the fourplex. I can subsidize their living out of the other three units, the commercial level, and the fruits and vegetables that would be able to be sold off of the roof. Broughton House secured the building for $150,000, less than a third of the asking price. But he must invest in the campus, or it reversed to the district in two years. The Expo School housed alternative learning programs now located at the city's Career Center. I'm Gavin McGough, IPR News. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the Pentagon needs to be audited like other federal agencies. He is introducing a bipartisan bill requiring the Pentagon to pass independent audits or face fines. Chuck Grassley Republican is offering the bill with Senator Bernie Sanders and independent from Vermont. Chuck Grassley says national security is a primary responsibility of the federal government, and the Defense Department has been plagued by wasteful spending for decades. Chuck Grassley and Bernie Sanders first introduced the bill in 2021 and then reintroduced it in 2023. Chuck Grassley says he's optimistic the Pentagon Brass will comply this time. I've had meetings with leaders of the Defense Department now, and I think there's a real determined effort to have...

the Department of Defense in line with every other department and have a certified audit. But we're backing it up with legislation. Crasley says his support for the bill is not tied to any current military conflicts. It's less than 100 days until the general election. County auditors across the state are trying to sign up more poll workers for the election. Woodbury County Auditor Michelle Scaff says finding poll workers in rural precincts is the biggest issue for most counties. Sometimes we have to poll individuals from Sioux City that go to some of those areas like Odo and different areas. So any individuals from the rural area or from cities outside of Sioux City, we would be more than happy to have them apply. Poll workers do get paid. Scaf says they can expect to work from 6 a.m. to late at night around 10. The Iowa Secretary of State's Office is hosting a free webinar today at 11 o'clock on the website for those interested in becoming a poll worker. The website also has links where you can apply to be a poll worker. You're listening to Hear First from IPR. I'm Megan McKinney. Stay with us after the break, lawmakers across the Midwest this year tried and failed to ban Paraguay. It's a toxic wheat killer that's been tied to Parkinson's disease. Among them was an Iowa state senator. We're going to hear more about the effort than just a moment. Iowa Public Radio is 100% community supported. And so is this podcast. If you love listening, join the IPR community and making a gift to keep this going. Donate now at IPR.org slash donate. Welcome back. It's here first from IPR. I'm Megan McKinney. Exposure to a highly toxic weed killer called Paraquot is tied to a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Iowa Senator Art State is living with a condition and is trying to get Paraquot banned in the state. But as the Midwest Newsrooms, Luke Nozika reports, his efforts stalled this year. Art State first noticed trouble with his fine motor skills two years ago when he started struggling to write. And then there were other people in the community. I'm out in the community a lot. And they noticed changes in my standing and walking. A neurologist pointed out that Stade's facial expressions had changed. He didn't blink as often, and his balance was off. He went to the University of Iowa's Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease in the world. It affects all kinds of things. Your movements, your balance, your nerve, your response to your brain. Wanting your hand to move and it doesn't it freezes or your foot freezes.

So you stumble. Stade is among more than one million Americans who live with the progressive disease. He's also an Iowa state senator, which uniquely positions him to advocate for people with Parkinson's. As of 2023, just a handful of lawmakers nationwide had ever disclosed a Parkinson's diagnosis while in office. Last session, State introduced a bill that would have banned the use of paraquot, a highly toxic herbicide that researchers have linked to an increased risk of developing Parkinson's. It is banned in more than 70 countries across the world. This isn't about me. It's about anybody that is exposed to Paraquot, whether it's me or not. that the health of the common good was important. Stade does not know what caused his Parkinson's, and he did not grow up near a farm. But the correlation between Parkinson's and Paraguat is of particular interest to Midwesterners, as Nebraska and Kansas have the highest rates of Parkinson's in the U.S., according to a 2025 study. Those living with the disease include about 10,000 Iowans, nearly 9,000 Kansansans, more than 20,000 Missourians, and about 6,100 Nebraskaans. Stade isn't alone in his efforts to ban Paraquot. Lawmakers in at least 10 states, including Missouri and Illinois, have proposed restricting its use or sale. Three other states floated outlying its application near schools. But despite growing concerns about the weed killer, Vermont is the only state that has banned it. It is so closely connected to not just Parkinson's disease, but other health harms. And ultimately, this is a tool that needs replacing in the toolbox. That's Jeff Horsfield, the legislative director for the Environmental Working Group, which has pushed for Paraquot bans. He said while the EPA is re-evaluating Paracquot's safety, people who live near farms where Paraquot is applied can't afford to wait for the federal agency to act. Data shows that while Paraquot's use more than doubled in recent years, it accounts for only 2% of all pesticides applied across the U.S. Horsefield described it as an uncommon but dangerous chemical. We also know... Paraquot can cause other health harms, including threats to kidneys, thyroid. It's an endocrine disruptor. It's also been connected to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other types of cancers. In Iowa, Stade's Paracquot bill did not pass. One lawmaker who worked as a farmer told him it'd be a slippery slope that could lead to banning other pesticides. But proponents say outlying Paraquot has not harmed the food and agricultural industries in other nations, like Brazil. And they say there are safer options from other herbicides to non-chemical methods. I'm saying this is such a simple thing to do. It can really affect one. If it's affected one person's life or one family, they're not having to have this disease, it's worth it. Stade plans to introduce a Paraquot ban again next session in Des Moines. I'm Luke Nozica, the Midwest Newsroom. The Midwest Newsroom is a grant-funded collaboration, including NPR, IPR news, and member stations in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. It's also a member of the Trust Project. I'm Megan McKinney. Thanks for listening to Hear First today. Great reporting from the Midwest Newsroom. Glad to share it with you. I hope you have a great Wednesday.