Representative image Image credits: Wikimedia Commons For years, Ann Hammond worked to transform her 12-acre Iowa property into a welcoming place for native plants and wildlife. The effort eventually brought an extraordinary visitor to her flowers: a rusty patched bumblebee, a species listed as federally endangered in the United States. As reported by Iowa Public…

In 2011, the United States spent $861 million inspecting travellers and cargo for agricultural pests, but fees collected left a shortfall of more than $325 million. The funding gap stemmed partly from federal laws restricting which passengers and transport operators could be charged, alongside weaknesses in fee collection and differences between agency costs and revenue….

An Iowa developer has bought the 58-acre Valley West Mall site for $11 million (£8.2 million). The company is now starting a major redevelopment project, but it must first deal with complex lease agreements and get support from the city. Brian Martin, president and chief executive officer of Threshold Capital and Threshold Development, completed the…