Iowa
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Rob Sand says GOP bill to let state agencies bypass auditor’s office could lead to corruption
Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand doesn’t want Iowa to be like Illinois when it comes to anti-corruption work, and he doesn’t think anyone else should want that either. At a Thursday press conference, Sand went into detail about his opposition to a proposed bill—Senate File 2311, authored by Republican State Sen. Mike Bousselot of Ankeny—which…
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‘There’s no reason:’ Iowans question motive of Republican library bills
Librarians don’t want it. The public doesn’t want it. Even the Iowa Leagues of Cities is undecided on the matter, but Iowa Republicans want to change the law to diminish the authority of local library boards and make the institutions more susceptible to political whims. These points and more were raised on Thursday during an…
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Report: Majority of Iowa’s voucher recipients already went to private school
Two-thirds of students who received a private school voucher in Iowa this year were already enrolled in private school, according to new data from the Iowa Department of Education. The department released certified enrollment numbers—taken annually on Oct. 1—for public, private, and charter schools on Friday after about a month’s delay and the results were…
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Iowa bill would let public schools hire unlicensed chaplains… but unintended consequences may arise
Iowa Republican lawmakers advanced a bill out of a subcommittee Tuesday that would allow public school districts to hire chaplains to “provide support, services, and programs for students.” But while the lawmakers heavily implied this was about Christian services coming into public schools, others pointed out that it could just as easily open the door…
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New Iowa bill places extreme restrictions on abortion pill access, adds scare tactics and felony convictions
A new bill introduced by Iowa House Republicans would severely limit access to abortion medications through a 19-step process—including making them illegal to receive in the mail—and create an electronic record of who received the pill and the medical personnel involved in the process. HF 2122 was introduced by Republican representatives Tom Determann of Clinton,…
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Iowan speaks out against anti-abortion centers: ‘I thought it was legitimate’
For two hours, staff at an anti-abortion center told Mica Chase—then 19 years old—they would go to Hell for having an abortion. The staff also said the abortion could kill them (abortion is incredibly safe) and that the staff would do anything to help Chase keep a pregnancy they had already decided they weren’t ready…
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Iowa bill would force all phones, tablets to have age-limit filters
A new bill introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives would require all cell phone and tablet manufacturers to include a filter to prevent the device from displaying what the state legally defines as “obscene materials” to minors or face a civil suit. HF 2114 was introduced by Rep. John Wills (R-Spirit Lake) and would…
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Senate Dems try to bypass Reynolds to feed Iowa kids
Iowa Senate Democrats are attempting to work around Gov. Kim Reynolds to secure $29 million in federal funding to feed underprivileged kids over the summer. On Thursday, Senate Dems introduced SF 2039. This legislation would require the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and the Iowa Department of Education to jointly apply to the…
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West Des Moines teen arrested after making school shooting post
An 18-year-old West Des Moines resident was arrested after sharing a Snapchat post about shooting up a school the same day as a nearby school shooting in Perry. According to the criminal complaint, Lakeeve Fort made a post asking “Should I shoot up the school??” with a thumbs up and a thumbs down emoji. The…
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Perry principal stable after being shot while protecting students
Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger’s daughter said he tried to talk Dylan Butler down before the 17-year-old gunman shot the longtime administrator and five others at the school on Thursday. Claire Marburger shared this tidbit in a public Facebook post to let everyone know her father was in stable condition. “As I heard of…
