House Republicans have scaled back their plan to change the commission that nominates judges for district courts, the Iowa Court of Appeals and the Iowa Supreme Court. Drew Klein, a lobbyist for American for Prosperity, said the amendment making those changes is still a good step toward making the commission more accountable to Iowans. “I […]Powered by WPeMatico
Two Republican senators are advancing a bill that would require every Iowa business — even businesses with just one employee — to use the federal E-verify system to check the citizenship status of prospective workers. Businesses caught “knowingly” employing an “unauthorized alien” would lose any license or permit to operate in the state. Republican Senator […]Powered by WPeMatico
A new superintendent will take over the embattled Davenport Community Schools, a district which is under a state review for its finances and practices, and is threatened with losing its accreditation. Bob Kobylski will start this summer, replacing Art Tate, who resigned last fall. Kobylski says his experience running two districts in Wisconsin will help […]Powered by WPeMatico
A Madrid woman is accused of stealing thousands of dollars of lottery tickets from the convenience store where she worked. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has charged Taylor Wiese with four felony counts of theft of a lottery ticket and one felony count of second-degree theft. The DCI says a routine audit found more […]Powered by WPeMatico
A central Iowa man will server time in prison for mailing a threatening letter to a local teacher. Sixty-seven-year-old Mondell Olson was sentenced 18 months in prison after he admitted to sending a letter to a Nevada school teacher which contained a white powdery substance inside and a note indicating the substance was anthrax. Tests […]Powered by WPeMatico
A group of Iowa legislators who are under the age of 40 have formed an “Iowa Future Caucus” to show bipartisan cooperation is possible. Twenty-nine-year-old State Senator Zach Wahls — a Democrat from Coralville — is one of the group’s co-chairs. “I think we’ve brought together a good group of lawmakers who are really committed […]Powered by WPeMatico
Governor Kim Reynolds has appointed a 44-year-old who was born in Thailand as the next justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. Christopher McDonald has been serving on the Iowa Court of Appeals since September of 2013. “I know that as the first minority or person of color appointed to the Supreme Court, people will have […]Powered by WPeMatico
Record snowfall has caused a lot of issues on the roadways across the state and fire departments want some help to keep the heavy snow from becoming an issue for them. Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper is among those asking residents to help keep snow cleared away from the city’s fire hydrants. “It might […]Powered by WPeMatico
A new study shows what the climate in several Iowa cities might be like by 2080. Researchers from the University of Maryland and North Carolina State University analyzed hundreds of urban areas and matched them with places where today’s climate feels like the climate that’s expected in 60 years. Study co-author Matt Fitzpatrick, at the […]Powered by WPeMatico
