The Justice Department awarded more than 19-million dollars in grants to dozens of police departments seeking to start using body cameras, but only one Iowa city was among the recipients. The Dubuque Police department already had 60-thousand dollars in matching funds for the cameras, and received the allocation, while Des Moines was turned down for…… MORE
Repealing and replacing Obamacare is one of the main issues Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is campaigning on while touring Iowa this week. Known for his more social conservative values, the former Pennsylvania senator has recently come out hard against the Affordable Care Act, and touts a constructive reform plan. He spoke to the Torch’s…… MORE
After leading in Iowa throughout the spring and early summer, Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker has slipped toward the bottom half of the pack of contenders in the latest major polls. So not only is one of his Super PACs pouring millions into TV ads in the caucus state, but the Wisconsin governor himself is…… MORE
As the possibility of a government shutdown over defunding Planned Parenthood looms this week, Polk County GOP Women took their concerns about the issue to a meeting with Heidi Cruz, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz. The group of 15 or so women met with Cruz on Monday morning as part of a…… MORE
A Sioux County state senator will submit a bill in the legislature to block the Des Moines Water Works’ pollution suit against three upriver counties. Randy Feestra previously proposed a boycott of Des Moines businesses as a way of fighting the suit. Governor Branstad will head to Seattle this week to meet with the president…… MORE
Though he continues to poll in the bottom half of the group of Republicans running for president, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham continues to drill his message of a candidate who is strong on foreign policy and willing to work across the aisle to get things done in Washington. Graham toured the metro Friday afternoon…… MORE
The price of gas continues to dip in Iowa. GasBuddy says prices are down more than 9 cents per gallon from a week ago, and more than 37 cents from this time last month. Prices in greater Des Moines are hovering around 2-27 per gallon. Analysts say that while crude oil prices have been picking…… MORE
You’ll be able to register to vote online, starting the first of the year. Iowa’s secretary of state says if you have a valid Iowa driver’s license or photo ID, you can visit a state website and input the numbers from your ID to register, and it will go to a state database. You’ll still…… MORE
Polk County Republican Women are getting active in the Iowa caucus, and their enthusiasm and organization is receiving national attention. Last weekend, the group from central Iowa was awarded the largest jump in participation for a group of its kind from the National Federation of Republican Women. The local band of women saw its membership…… MORE
Governor Branstad wants to know what the president plans to do with the 10-thousand Syrian refugees he plans to allow into the U-S. The governor is concerned about the administration being as secretive as it was with unaccompanied alien children from Latin America, some of whom were settled in Iowa. Governor Branstad wants to continue…… MORE
