Here First

A Polk County judge has scheduled a hearing in October on the governor’s push to reinstate Iowa’s fetal heartbeat abortion ban. A few Democrats took turns on the political soapbox at the Iowa State Fair on Wednesday. Plus, federal officials are reporting a drop in the number of Iowans hospitalized who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is urging Iowans to apply to be poll workers in this fall’s elections. 900 Iowans who took out federal student loans to attend the now-shuttered for-profit ITT Technical Institute are off the hook for re-payment. Plus, while parts of Iowa saw up to two inches of rain earlier this week, it may be too little, too late for many of the state’s crops.

More political candidates spoke on the soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. The agency considering proposed carbon pipelines in Iowa was ordered to share the names of landowners who could be affected by one of the projects. And school districts are still looking for new teachers with the start of classes just days away.

Lots of State Fair politics over the weekend in Iowa: Democratic candidate for governor Deidre DeJear says she’ll prioritize public schools and mental health if she’s elected, and congressional candidate Zach Nunn says he’ll push for more tax cuts in Washington if he wins in November. Also a federally-funded rental assistance program that’s helped thousands of Iowans during the pandemic will end in a few weeks.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is asking a district court to lift an injunction on a 2018 law that would ban abortions at around six weeks of pregnancy. State health officials say they are actively monitoring the state’s monkeypox cases and are strategically deploying its limited vaccinations. Plus, IPR’s Kendall Crawford will take us to the Loess Hills to find out how Iowans are protecting that natural land.

The chair of the RNC says she stands behind Iowa Republicans leading the presidential nominating process in 2024 with their caucuses. Johnson County and Iowa City are in a fight over pandemic relief funding. Plus, we get an update on where things stand with the COVID-19 pandemic in Iowa.

Woodbury County supervisors are moving ahead with an ordinance that would limit where wind turbines can be built in that western Iowa county. Democratic candidate for governor, Deidre DeJear says Iowa’s education system needs “damage control” as some schools face a teacher shortage. And Dyersville is getting $12.5 million to support construction of a permanent stadium next to the Field of Dreams site.

Federal officials say a southwest Iowa manufacturer has agreed to pay a half a million dollar settlement after a whistleblower claimed the company failed to properly test parts it made for military contractors. A new study says summer nights have been getting warmer by more than 2 degrees since the 1970s. Plus, staying in addiction recovery is difficult when you don’t have a way to get around.

Planned Parenthood and the ACLU say they are no longer pursuing legal action against Iowa’s 24-hour waiting period law for abortion. A new report has ranked Iowa ninth in the nation for child well-being but the high-ranking is misleading. Plus, the USDA has awarded the Iowa Department of Education a $67,000 grant to support its farm-to-school program.

The autopsy results are in for the three family members who were killed last month at Maquoketa Caves State Park. Iowa Democratic leaders say a Kansas vote to uphold abortion rights this week shows the same could happen in Iowa. Plus, how Republicans are making conservation controversial.