Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has signed legislation that establishes tougher penalties for rioting and protests that block pedestrian or vehicle traffic. The law also provides new legal protection to police, so they cannot be sued for most on-duty actions. "Like so many Iowans, I was raised … [Read more...]
Reynolds rejects bill related to mortgage paperwork
Governor Kim Reynolds has vetoed a mortgage-related bill that sailed through the Iowa legislature this year without a single vote against it. During debate in the Iowa House and Senate, the bill was described as leveling the playing field for mortgage brokers like Rocket Mortgage and Quicken … [Read more...]
DMACC online classes resume after ransomware attack
Des Moines Area Community College on-line classes will resume today after a two-week hiatus caused by a ransomware attack. DMACC canceled online classes on June 3 and wound up closing the entire campus on June 4 due to the security breach. In-person classes resumed June 9. Governor Kim Reynolds … [Read more...]
Iowa’s governor to seek more personal income tax cuts in 2022
Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a wide-ranging bill into law that cuts personal income taxes, gradually gets rid of the state inheritance tax and erases a property tax levy used to finance mental health services. State money is to be used to finance the mental health system. "Health … [Read more...]
20-year-old accused of murdering his parents and younger sister
Police say a 20-year-old has been charged with shooting his parents and sister to death in the family's Cedar Rapids home. Police were called to the home on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids shortly before 8:30 this morning. They found 61-year-old Jan Perry Jackson, his 68-year-old wife Melissa … [Read more...]
Fire destroys world-renowned Dobson Pipe Organ workshop in Lake City
A fire has destroyed the Dobson Pipe Organ Builders workshop in Lake City. A company statement on Facebook says an employee who discovered the fire and tried to put it out was burned, but "he is "expected to make a full recovery. Dobson, founded in 1974, has grown to have an international … [Read more...]
Time to be ‘bold about the basics,’ gubernatorial candidate Ras Smith says
Democrat Ras Smith kicked off his campaign for governor with an online video this morning and an in-person rally in his hometown of Waterloo early this evening. "I believe that together we can accomplish so much more...and that means starting by being bold about the basics," Smith said. "You see … [Read more...]
Ernst says IG’s audit may find clues to Covid-19 origins
As debate over the origins of Covid-19 continues, the Biden Administration is launching an audit of federal grants that may have supported coronavirus research in China. Republican Senator Joni Ernst has been pushing for an investigation of a US non-profit that sent about $600,000 in federal grant … [Read more...]
New leader says House Democrats must stop living in 2020, focus on 2022
The new Iowa House Minority Leader says she's unwilling to concede any part of the state to Republicans. The 41 Democrats in the Iowa House met last night and elected State Representative Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights as their new leader. "I talked a lot about the importance of learning … [Read more...]
Des Moines City Council meeting disrupted by protest
Protesters disrupted and prompted the suspension of last night's Des Moines City Council meeting shortly after it started. Black Liberation Movement protesters unfurled a banner that read "Defund DMPD" -- the Des Moines Police Department. Chelsea Chism-Vargas was among those asking the council to … [Read more...]