Iowa lawmakers OK public money for private school students
They note that if students opt for private school, their $7,600 in per-pupil support would follow them to the private institution, but the plan would send $1,200 to the public school districts where the students resides. The public funding also would be available to students already enrolled in private schools, with family income requirements phasing out over three years. During debate Monday night, Rep. Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, said Democrats were overstating what the private school funding would mean to public schools. Much of that outcome depends on the quality of a private school, and that can vary dramatically, Welner said in an email. “If using a voucher to move to private school hasn’t been beneficial, the obvious policy question is why?
wftv.comPolice: 2 students dead, teacher hurt in Des Moines shooting
DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Two students were killed Monday and a teacher was injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at a Des Moines school that is dedicated to helping at-risk youth, and three suspects were arrested afterward. The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school district. The Greater Des Moines Partnership, the economic and community development organization for the region, says on its website that Keeps came to Des Moines about 20 years ago from Chicago, where he “lived in a world of gangs and violence” before finding healing through music. Kim Reynolds, who serves on an advisory board for Starts Right Here, said she was “shocked and saddened to hear about the shooting.” Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert is on the Starts Right Here board. “We just saw a lot of cop cars pouring in from everywhere,” Krantz said to the Des Moines Register.
wftv.comPolice: 2 students dead, teacher hurt in Des Moines shooting
DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Police say two students were killed Monday and a teacher was injured in a shooting at a Des Moines school on the edge of the city’s downtown. The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school district. About 20 minutes after the shooting, police said officers stopped a car that matched witnesses' descriptions about two miles away and took three suspects into custody. The Starts Right Here program, which helps at-risk youth, was founded by Will Holmes, a rapper whose stage name is Will Keeps. “We just saw a lot of cop cars pouring in from everywhere,” Krantz said to the Des Moines Register.
wftv.comPolice: 2 students dead, teacher hurt in Des Moines shooting
Two students were killed Monday and a teacher was injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at a Des Moines school that is dedicated to helping at-risk youth, and three suspects were arrested afterward. The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school district. Police say emergency crews were called to the school, which is in a business park, just before 1 p.m. Officers arrived to find two students critically injured, and they started CPR immediately.
news.yahoo.comIowa judge blocks effort to ban most abortions in the state
DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — An effort to ban most abortions in Iowa was blocked Monday by a state judge who upheld a court decision made three years ago. Judge Celene Gogerty found there was no process for reversing a permanent injunction that blocked the abortion law in 2019. Kim Reynolds said in a statement that she would appeal the decision to the Iowa Supreme Court. At that time, Judge Michael Huppert's decision was based on U.S. Supreme Court precedent, as well as an Iowa Supreme Court decision in 2018 that declared abortion a fundamental right under the Iowa Constitution. The Iowa law contains exceptions for medical emergencies, including threats to the mother’s life, rape, incest, and fetal abnormality.
wftv.comTrump to rally in Iowa ahead of Nov. 8 as he teases 2024
DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to return to Iowa ahead of the Nov. 8 midterms, to headline a rally for Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley. Returning to Iowa, where the 2024 Republican presidential caucuses are scheduled to launch the GOP nominating sequence, would likely further stoke speculation of Trump's future. Republican candidates in Iowa don't appear to need much of a boost from Trump. It would be Trump's second trip to Iowa since the 2020 election, coming a year after he drew thousands to the Iowa state fairgrounds in Des Moines.
wftv.comTrump’s long shadow keeps 2024 hopefuls from Iowa State Fair
DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz raised the roasted turkey leg like a sword in his Iowa State Fair debut in 2014, the up-and-coming conservative joining a half-dozen other Republican presidential prospects in strolling the Grand Concourse. But they know there needs to be that emphasis that they are here for Iowa Republican candidates,” said Michael Bousselot, a former top aide to Republican Gov. “It's an honor to be here at the Iowa State Fair with you,” he told Grassley, with the politicians surrounded by dozens of news reporters and photographers in the shadow of the century-old brick grandstand. Politicians' food choices and attire at the Iowa State Fair are almost as important as the visits themselves. Kevin Holmes, a Republican from central Iowa, would “absolutely” consider supporting an alternative to Trump in the 2024 caucuses.
wftv.comBoy, 9, survives shooting that killed rest of family at Iowa campground, mayor says
A 9-year-old boy survived an attack that killed three of his family members at Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Lorraine Boogich/Getty Images)MAQUOKETA, Iowa — A 9-year-old boy survived an attack that killed three of his family members at Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground on Friday, according to the mayor of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Like many of you just hearing the news, I’m devastated,” Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green wrote on Facebook on Friday morning, identifying the survivor of the attack as 9-year-old Arlo Schmidt. Kim Reynolds responded to the shooting Friday afternoon with the following prepared statement:“I’m horrified by the shooting this morning at Maquoketa Caves State Park and devastated by the loss of three innocent lives. As we grieve this unimaginable tragedy, Kevin and I pray for the victims’ family members and the law enforcement officers who responded to the scene.
wftv.comIowa Supreme Court: Abortion not fundamental right in state
Abortion Iowa FILE - Marissa Messinger, of Lake View, Iowa, center, holds a sign during a rally to protest recent abortion bans, May 21, 2019, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for lawmakers to severely limit or ban abortion in the state, reversing a decision by the court just four years ago that guaranteed the right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution. “We do not agree that every state supreme court decision is entitled to some minimum try-out period before it can be challenged,” he said. The 2018 decision made Iowa the sixth state — with Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Montana and Minnesota — where abortion rights were recognized by the state’s high court. In Montana, a challenge to abortion restrictions that could test its high court opinion is before the Supreme Court.
wftv.comIowa court: Abortion not protected by state constitution
Abortion Iowa FILE - Marissa Messinger, of Lake View, Iowa, center, holds a sign during a rally to protest recent abortion bans, May 21, 2019, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for lawmakers to severely limit or even ban abortion in the state, reversing a decision by the court just four years ago that guaranteed the right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution. Then Iowa lawmakers could ban abortion in the state without completing the lengthy process of amending the state constitution. The state Supreme Court returned the waiting-period case to district court. In Montana, a challenge to abortion restrictions that could test that state’s high court opinion is before the Supreme Court.
wftv.comDemocrat Finkenauer knocked off US Senate primary ballot
A state court judge has concluded that Democrat Abby Finkenauer cannot appear on the June 7 primary ballot for U.S. Senate because she didn’t gather enough petition signatures, knocking off the candidate considered by many to be the party’s best chance to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley.
Iowa GOP: Benefit cuts needed to spur people to take jobs
Iowa is nearing passage of a dramatic reduction in unemployment benefits to try to force people to fill thousands of open jobs and reverse a trend in which the governor argues the state's “safety net has become a hammock." A measure supported only by the Republicans who control the Legislature would reduce allowable unemployment payments from 26 weeks to 16 weeks, placing Iowa among only six states with such severe limits. Currently, 40 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico pay up to 26 weeks of unemployment benefits, and Iowa has held to that standard for nearly 40 years.
news.yahoo.comIowa governor signs restrictive transgender sports bill
Transgender Sports Iowa Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signs a bill that prohibits transgender girls from participating in women's sports at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, March 3, 2022. he bill prohibits transgender females from participating in girls high school sports and women’s college athletics. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP) (Nick Rohlman)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Iowa Gov. “Iowa girls today and every generation to come will be able to pursue the things they love to the best of their abilities," Erzen said. Republican leaders made the bill effective immediately, so any transgender students playing sports may be required to immediately stop. The district's lobbyist opposed the bill because it believes the legislation discriminates against transgender girls and women and the district is concerned it conflicts with federal anti-discrimination laws.
wftv.comIowa governor signs restrictive transgender sports bill
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a bill that prohibits transgender females from participating in girls high school sports and women’s college athletics, rejecting opponents' argument that she would harm vulnerable children to solve a nonexistent problem.
State of the Union: Read Gov. Kim Reynold’s Republican response to Biden’s speech
Kim Reynolds was tapped to give the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. But they plowed ahead anyway, raising the price at the pump by 50% and pushing inflation to a 40-year high. With Texas and Arizona leading the way, I, along with Republican governors from several states have sent resources to the border. And we’ve actually gone to the border—something that our president and vice president have yet to do since taking office. While Democrats in D.C. are spending trillions, sending inflation soaring, Republican leaders around the country are balancing budgets and cutting taxes.
wftv.comIowa governor swipes at Biden leadership in GOP rebuttal
Kim Reynolds delivers her Condition of the State address before a joint session of the Iowa Legislature, on Jan. 11, 2022, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad was confirmed as the Trump administration's ambassador to China. It’s not what he promised when he took office.”Reynolds had endeared herself to Iowa’s increasingly GOP-leaning electorate in no small part by opposing much of the Biden administration’s pandemic policy. She resisted mask requirements and joined other states in lawsuits to fight the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates.
wftv.comIowa governor strides into GOP spotlight for Biden response
Kim Reynolds delivers her Condition of the State address before a joint session of the Iowa Legislature, on Jan. 11, 2022, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Iowa Gov. Last June, she dispatched about 30 Iowa State Patrol officers to the U.S.-Mexico border for roughly two weeks to assist with law enforcement. Kim, great job,” Trump said of Reynolds to a crowd of thousands during the rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll in November showed 88% of Republicans approving of the job she was doing, higher even than her state's GOP Sens.
wftv.comGOP leaders pick Iowa governor for State of Union response
Kim Reynolds speaks during a news conference at Iowa Spring Manufacturing, Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in Adel, Iowa. Reynolds will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1, GOP congressional leaders announced Tuesday. Reynolds is the 43rd governor of Iowa and has served since May of 2017. She was the first governor in the country to require schools to open for full-time in-person learning. Reynolds became the first woman to serve as Iowa governor.
wftv.comGOP leaders pick Iowa governor for State of Union response
Kim Reynolds speaks during a news conference at Iowa Spring Manufacturing, Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in Adel, Iowa. Reynolds will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1, GOP congressional leaders announced Tuesday. Kim Reynolds will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on March 1, GOP congressional leaders announced Tuesday. “She handled COVID by choosing freedom over lockdowns and personal responsibility over mandates – leading to real economic recovery from the pandemic," McCarthy said. Reynolds is the 43rd governor of Iowa and has served since May of 2017.
wftv.comIowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to deliver GOP response to Biden's State of the Union address
WASHINGTON — (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to deliver GOP response to Biden's State of the Union address. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
wftv.comCOVID falling in 49 of 50 states as deaths near 900,000
With the brutal omicron wave rapidly loosening its grip, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. are falling in 49 of 50 states, even as the nation's death toll closes in on another bleak round number: 900,000. The number of lives lost to the pandemic in the U.S. stood at over 897,000 as of midday Friday, with deaths running at an average of more than 2,400 a day, back up to where they were last winter, when the vaccine drive was still getting started. Similarly, an early-warning program that looks for the virus in sewage found that COVID-19 infections are declining in the majority of participating U.S. communities, according to data posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
news.yahoo.comBlack Democratic chair gets lynching threat over Trump essay
The first Black chair of Iowa’s Democratic Party says he received a series of racist messages, including a lynching threat, after writing a newspaper op-ed criticizing former President Donald Trump and the state Republican officials who stood with him at a recent rally in Des Moines.
Local school boards emerge as hot races in November election
Races for local school board seats have emerged as intense political battlegrounds in the upcoming Nov. 2 elections across the U.S. Parental protests that started during COVID-19 lockdowns are evolving into full-fledged board takeover campaigns.