Here First

The trial for a man accused in the shooting death of an Iowa State Patrol Sergeant opened Monday in Webster City. The Des Moines City Council is moving ahead with plans to discuss a third-party review of police department policies and how the DMPD uses data. Plus, IPR’s Kendall Crawford reports on how the rising cost of fuel and food is stretching the budgets of Iowa’s rural schools.

Des Moines was one of dozens of U-S cities where people demonstrated over the weekend to support abortion rights. Four weeks before the Primary Election, Iowa Republicans have established a campaign office in central Iowa in preparation for the General Election. Plus, talking about climate change is typically off the table in the farming country. Find out about a program that’s making farms more climate-friendly anyway.

Another Iowan has pleaded guilty to charges from the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says she hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will follow through with its leaked draft opinion and strike down nationwide abortion rights, and A NASA climate scientist has been named the 2022 World Food Prize Laureate.

A crowd of people marched in the streets of downtown Des Moines Wednesday night to protest the potential end of nationwide abortion rights. The Iowa City Foreign Relations Council hosted a discussion on how communities can work to include immigrants and refugees in policy-making. Plus, a conversation with former Iowa congresswoman Abby Finkenauer about her bid for U.S. Senate.

The future of abortion rights in Iowa is still uncertain after a leaked draft opinion showed a majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices appear ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. Three Republicans competing for their party’s nomination in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District all say that, if elected, restricting crossings at the U.S. border with Mexico would be a priority. Plus, a conversation with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Franken.

Republican lawmakers sent a bill to the governor’s desk that would allow child care centers to collect additional money from some low-income families who agree to pay more. More than 1,000 workers at CNH Industrial plants in Iowa and Wisconsin went on strike Monday in search of a better deal with the company that makes agriculture and construction equipment. Plus, a race horse with an Iowa connection is one of the top contenders in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

Democratic Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer is responding to concerns expressed by a prominent Democrat over remarks she made about a district court judge last month. U.S Rep. Ashley Hinson says the federal homeland security secretary isn’t properly securing the southern U.S. border. And, Iowa’s Department of Corrections is working to improve relations with Native communities in western Iowa.

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand says it was inappropriate for U.S. Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer — a fellow Democrat — to criticize a judge who ruled against her bid to stay on the June primary ballot. Des Moines Public Schools is starting a series of community conversations following a fatal shooting outside East High. Plus, a bipartisan group of Midwestern governors lobby the EPA on ethanol policy.

State and federal officials are reporting COVID-19 hospitalizations and positive tests have increased in the past week. A new report has ranked Dallas County as the healthiest county in Iowa. Plus, there’s already a shortage of services for Iowans with autism and now one of the few education programs to train providers might be going away.

Iowa Republican lawmakers sent a bill to the governor’s desk that would make cuts to unemployment benefits. With the Glenwood Resource Center slated to close in 2024, local officials are concerned about the gap it will leave in their community. Plus, residents in northeast Iowa spoke out against a controversial cattle feedlot that they say would use more water than outlined under a permit that is now up for renewal.