by O. Kay Henderson | Apr 30, 2014 | News, Politics & Government, Top Story
A legislator who’s been pushing to raise the state gas tax made a passionate pitch on the topic Tuesday night, but the top Republican in the House used his authority to table the idea. Representative Josh Byrnes, a Republican from Osage, expressed his...
by O. Kay Henderson | Apr 29, 2014 | Crime & Courts, News, Politics & Government, Top Story
The final plan for next year’s spending in the Departments of Public Health and Human Services does not include money for reopening the Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo. Representative Dave Heaton, a Republican from Mount Pleasant, points to the pending lawsuit...
by O. Kay Henderson | Apr 29, 2014 | Health & Medicine, News, Politics & Government, Top Story
In a little less than 24 hours, both the Iowa Senate and House have voted to ban the sale of all types of electronic cigarettes to minors, even if there’s no nicotine in the product. Possession of the devices would be a crime for minors, too, if the bill becomes...
by O. Kay Henderson | Apr 29, 2014 | News, Politics & Government
The Iowa Senate started its Tuesday with a half-hour episode of partisan rants. Republicans like Senate GOP Leader Bill Dix were riled when Democrats criticized Republican Governor Terry Branstad. “Governor Branstad’s not present in the chamber to defend...
by Matt Kelley | Apr 29, 2014 | Education, Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News, Weather
Tornado season is underway in Iowa and this week’s severe weather can cause a lot of anxiety for children who aren’t so familiar with loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning and the sound of the howling wind. Urbandale social worker Yolanda Dixon says...