AS EXPECTED, THE IOWA HOUSE HAS PASSED VOTING CHANGES APPROVED EARLIER THIS WEEK BY THE IOWA SENATE. THE UPDATED RULES MOVED THROUGH THE CHAMBER ON WEDNESDAY. A SHORTER WINDOW FOR EARLY VOTING, SHORTER POLL HOURS ON GENERAL ELECTION DAY, AND POTENTIAL CRIMINAL CONSEQUENCES FOR COUNTY AUDITORS WHO DON’T FOLLOW THE RULES ARE ALL PART OF THE PACKAGE. LEGISLATORS IN BOTH HOUSES WERE DIVIDED ALONG PARTISAN LINES. THE NEW ELECTION RULES NOW GO TO IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS FOR HER SIGNATURE.
SENATOR JONI ERNST IS ECHOING SENTIMENTS EXPRESSED BY FIRST DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN ASHLEY HINSON. EARLIER THIS MONTH, HINSON INTRODUCED THE ‘REOPEN SCHOOLS ACT’ IN THE U.S. HOUSE. ON WEDNESDAY, ERNST SHARED HER SUPPORT FOR A SIMILAR MEASURE IN THE SENATE, CALLED THE ‘PUT STUDENTS FIRST ACT.’ THE SECOND-TERM SENATOR SAID THAT NOT HAVING KIDS IN SCHOOL HAS REPERCUSSIONS THAT EXTEND BEYOND EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES. BOTH ERNST’S SENATE BILL AND HINSON’S HOUSE LEGISLATION WOULD RESTRICT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT DO NOT REOPEN FOR IN-PERSON LEARNING.
IN SPORTS, THE IOWA MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAMS ARE BOTH IN ACTION TODAY. BOTH SQUADS MEET THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES. THE HAWKEYE AND WOLVERINE WOMEN PLAY IN IOWA CITY AT 3:30. THE IOWA MEN ARE IN ANN ARBOR TO VISIT #3 MICHIGAN AT 6 THIS EVENING.
MORE INFORMATION IS BECOMING AVAILABLE ABOUT A FATAL WEEKEND STABBING AT A MOTEL IN CEDAR RAPIDS. POLICE DID NOT ORIGINALLY SHARE DETAILS ON ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN VICTIM KATRINA BRINSON AND HER ATTACKER ARNELL STATES (STATES ALSO DIED THIS WEEK AFTER BEING SHOT BY POLICE AS HE TRIED TO ESCAPE ARREST SATURDAY). OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV9 REPORT THAT BOTH BRINSON AND STATES HAD BEEN ARRESTED FOR A DOMESTIC DISPUTE A DAY EARLIER. TV9 TALKED WITH BRINSON’S MOTHER BARBARA. BRINSON’S FAMILY INDICATED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRINSON AND STATES. BARBARA BRINSON URGED ANYONE FINDING THEMSELVES IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP TO SEEK HELP.
A BREAK-IN LED TO THE THEFT OF SEVERAL WEAPONS FROM A HOME IN ELK RUN HEIGHTS EARLIER THIS WEEK. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED EARLY TUESDAY. A MOTHER AT THE HOME IN THE 200 BLOCK OF MARIE AVENUE WOKE UP TO FIND INTRUDERS IN THE HOUSE. SHE WAS COMPELLED TO OPEN A SAFE CONTAINING GUNS AND OTHER VALUABLES. INVESTIGATORS HAVE INDICATED THEY BELIEVE THE ROBBERS KNEW WHAT THEY WERE AFTER AND ARE STILL SEEKING SUSPECTS IN THE CASE.
A BENTON COUNTY DRIVER WAS INVOLVED IN A VIOLENT CRASH NORTH OF VINTON AND WEST OF THE CEDAR RIVER WEDNESDAY. AUTHORITIES SAY JOSHUA HENDRYX OF VINTON WAS TAKEN TO A CEDAR RAPIDS HOSPITAL WITH INJURIES. HIS VEHICLE WENT OFF OF 22ND AVENUE TRAIL, AND OVER OR THROUGH SEVERAL OBSTACLES BEFORE HITTING A UTILITY POLE. HENDRYX’S CURRENT CONDITION IS NOT AVAILABLE.
THE UNIQUE BALANCE BETWEEN REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS AND DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEY GENERAL TOM MILLER CONTINUES. MILLER HAS MADE REPUBLICAN LAWYER SAM LANGHOLZ IOWA’S ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL. LANGHOLZ HAS PARTICIPATED IN CASES DEFENDING REYNOLDS’ CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS, STATE LAW REQUIRING A 24-HOUR WAITING PERIOD FOR ABORTIONS, AND THE ADMINISTRATION’S OUSTER OF LONGTIME PUBLIC HEALTH SPOKESWOMAN POLLY CARVER-KIMM. MILLER AND REYNOLDS ANNOUNCED LANGHOLZ’S APPOINTMENT AS AN ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR CIVIL AND APPELLATE LITIGATION LATE LAST YEAR.
CITY LEADERS IN WAVERLY ARE DECIDING WHETHER AN APPOINTMENT OR AN ELECTION WOULD BE THE BEST MEANS FOR FILLING A SOON-TO-BE-VACANT CITY COUNCIL SEAT. KRIS GLASER REPRESENTS WARD 2 BUT ANTICIPATES MOVING OUT OF WAVERLY LATER THIS YEAR. OTHER WAVERLY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE HOPING TO GAUGE INTEREST IN THE POST BEFORE MAKING THEIR DECISION ON HOW TO FILL IT. A SPECIAL ELECTION WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.
WITH COVID-19 INFECTION RATES SHOWING SOME POSITIVE TRENDS AND A GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEING VACCINATED, MANY OF THE PANDEMICS’ LONGTERM CONSEQUENCES ARE GETTING MORE ATTENTION. ON WEDNESDAY, IOWA SENATOR JONI ERNST NOTED THAT 275 THOUSAND WOMAN HAVE LEFT THE WORKFORCE. ERNST’S COMMENTS CAME AS SHE ANNOUNCED SUPPORT FOR THE SENATE’S SO-CALLED “PUT STUDENTS FIRST ACT.” HEAR MORE ABOUT THE PROPOSAL IN NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST.
