DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Environmental groups are sounding alarms that a Republican-led House subcommittee has inserted language into the budget bill for the Department of Agriculture that critics say would prevent the public from accessing information about water quality improvement practices. The budget bill deals in part with farm practices the state will help pay for as part of the state’s strategy to reduce manure and fertilizer that runs into rivers and streams.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has denied the applications of 18 inmates seeking commutation. The governor made the announcement Thursday in a news release. The individuals seeking commutation are serving different sentences, including life in prison. Some have been convicted of crimes like first-degree murder. Other convictions involve kidnapping and robbery.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A couple has purchased the historic Hibernian Hall in downtown Davenport and plans to use the space as loft housing. The Quad-City Times reports developers Manoj and Manisha Baheti bought the hall, several adjacent buildings and a house. The real estate deal closed Tuesday. The hall, built in 1889, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

NEW YORK (AP) — Iowa State and UConn are meeting today in the Sweet Sixteen with similar NBA-inspired offenses. The third-seeded Cyclones tip off Friday evening versus the seventh-seeded Huskies in the NCAA tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden. Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg and UConn’s Kevin Ollie were briefly teammates with the Chicago Bulls in 2001 and 2002.