Here First

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Iowa continue to trend upwards. The Planned Parenthood clinic in Sioux City is seeing an increase of patients from South Dakota. Plus, the trial for one of the two teens charged in the beating death of a Fairfield High School teacher last November will be held in Scott County.

Three of Iowa’s four U.S. House Representatives voted to approve legislation on Tuesday to protect same-sex and interracial marriages. Iowa restaurants say they’re still struggling to find enough workers more than two years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, Hy-Vee has started offering the COVID-19 antiviral drug paxlovid to qualifying patients at its pharmacies.

Iowa health officials have announced Dr. Robert Kruse will serve as the new state medical director. State Auditor Rob Sand is encouraging Iowa schools to make the most of a federal program aimed at replacing old buses with new ones that have lower or zero tailpipe emissions. Plus, Sioux City officials believe the development of a regional trail system in western Iowa could help attract more workers.

Cedar Rapids has another mask mandate in place for city buildings to slow spread of COVID-19. Governor Kim Reynolds celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday. Plus, an $8 million upgrade is planned for a lakeside park in Des Moines to make outdoor recreation universally accessible to people with disabilities.

Iowans needing mental health support will have a new number to call, 988, starting Saturday. Attorneys for one of the two teens charged in the beating death of a Fairfield high school teacher last November have asked that his trial be moved out of Jefferson County. Plus, a look at how one small watershed was taken off the state’s list of impaired waters.

Iowa’s Republican U.S. Senators did not express support for a nationwide ban on abortions when asked about that possibility on Wednesday. Rural households are being disproportionately impacted by rising inflation. Plus, a new analysis finds military sites in Iowa and around the country have “forever chemicals” in their groundwater that exceed new health guidelines the EPA set in June.

As state officials are seeing a rise in opioid overdose deaths, they’re warning Iowans about the dangers of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl. An assistant attorney general in Iowa is suing the city of Des Moines and its police chief over his arrest during a June 2020 racial justice protest. Plus, farmers and landowners fighting three proposed carbon capture pipelines in Iowa gathered in Des Moines on Tuesday.

Cedar Rapids Community Schools will start the new year with five uniformed police officers each assigned to their own school under an amended contract. Another case of monkeypox has been reported in Iowa. Plus, IPR’s Katarina Sostaric reports on what Iowans are doing to preserve abortion access in the state.

Thousands of Iowans gathered outside the Iowa Capitol on Sunday to protest against attempts to restrict abortion. A 24-hour abortion waiting period is now being enforced in Iowa. Plus, Davenport is one of three cities in North America selected to participate in the Marine Litter Pilot Project.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced five Iowa airports are splitting $27 million in grants to improve passenger terminals. Iowa Workforce Development is looking to bridge labor shortages by training businesses on how to hire refugees. Plus, wheat has been in high demand since Russia invaded Ukraine and choked off the global supply and while prices have skyrocketed, farmers in the Great Plains may miss out.