DES MOINES, Iowa – Erik Helland is stepping down from the Iowa Utilities Commission effective September 4, ending a tenure marked by deep controversy over the agency’s handling of major energy projects. Appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2023 and serving as chair until May 2025, Helland was a key vote in the commission’s decision to approve Summit Carbon Solutions’ multi-state carbon dioxide pipeline and grant the company eminent domain authority over unwilling landowners. That approval drew sustained backlash from Republican lawmakers, rural property owners, and critics who accused the panel of prioritizing industry interests over private property rights. Reynolds later replaced him as chair after the Senate declined to reconfirm him in the leadership role, a clear signal of lingering dissatisfaction inside his own party. Helland now says he is leaving for private-sector consulting and advisory work in the energy field, but the timing and the trail of criticism that followed make the departure look less like a clean career move and more like an exit under pressure. Landowners and lawmakers repeatedly argued that the commission under his leadership steamrolled local opposition and treated the pipeline process as a foregone conclusion. With his resignation, the three-member commission will operate with just two members until Reynolds appoints a replacement. For many who watched the Summit fight unfold, Helland’s exit is a late acknowledgment that the controversies surrounding the pipeline approval never really went away. Business inquiries, corrections, story leads, or contributor requests? Email us at [email protected].

MASON CITY, Iowa – Newly released police bodycam footage obtained by Iowa First Media shows just how selective Rob Sand’s so-called “public” town halls really are. On August 5, 2026, at an event held at NIACC, Sand’s campaign staff worked with local police to remove Ryan Schupick, a Catholic conservative and 2023 Mason City school board candidate, after first trying to quietly scrub him from the RSVP list. Bodycam video captures campaign staff confirming Schupick’s identity with a woman wearing a North Iowa Fights Back shirt, then approaching him with an officer, who already had a photo of Schupick pulled from the Cerro Gordo Republican Party’s Facebook page. Staff bluntly told him, “We’ve made a decision to not allow you at this event,” and the officer later explained that these gatherings are actually private campaign events where the Sand team can decide who gets in. This is not an isolated incident. Sand’s campaign has repeatedly barred or ejected Republicans and people tied to opposing campaigns from events it markets as open forums for all Iowans. One earlier video showed staff blocking a woman who had worked for a Republican primary candidate, citing a policy against anyone linked to “opposition.” While Sand spends his time on stage asking Republicans to raise their hands and applauding their presence, his team is busy screening out actual conservatives who might ask hard questions. For a candidate who claims to rise above party labels and welcome every voter, the pattern of kicking Republicans out of his own events says far more about his real priorities than any staged town-hall applause. Business inquiries, corrections, story leads, or contributor requests? Email us at [email protected]