Here First

Some high-profile Republicans who might run for president in 2024 are in Des Moines today to speak to Christian conservatives. Defense attorneys for the man convicted of killing an Iowa college student say her death might actually be linked to sex trafficking and other abductions in eastern Iowa. And, the drought has eased enough for the Des Moines water works to lift water use restrictions.

The National Weather Service will send survey teams to at least four counties today, after several dozen tornadoes were reported across the state Wednesday afternoon and evening. A judge has delayed today’s scheduled sentencing of the man accused of killing Mollie Tibbetts in 2018. And, it’s the first day on the job for the University of Iowa’s new president.

A judge has freed an Iowa man who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Incarcerated Iowans can have visitors for the first time in more than a year. And J.D. Scholten, who came within 3 points of defeating then-Rep. Steve King in 2018, says he won’t run for office in 2022.

The man convicted of killing an Iowa college student three years ago is asking for a new trial. Help is available for thousands of Iowans facing eviction when a moratorium ends at the end of the month. And, Gov. Reynolds says Iowa will pay the cost of keeping more than two dozen state troopers along the U.S.-Mexico border this month.

A survey of Iowa’s largest businesses suggests there continues to be a lot of optimism about the state’s economy. A new effort getting underway this week is aimed at supporting small businesses as they recover from the pandemic. And an environmental group is calling for more rural wells in the Midwest to be rested for nitrate levels.

Many Iowa families with kids will start getting a temporary payment from the federal government next week. Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks says voters can trust Iowa’s elections, even though she recently claimed she was “cheated” during her 2020 victory. And, people who work at one of several MercyOne medical centers in Iowa will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination.

Amazon is building a warehouse that will bring 1,000 jobs to Davenport once it opens. Iowa’s DNR is adding protections to a stream in northeast Iowa where it recently approved plans for a large cattle operation nearby. And, an Iowa team of refugees and immigrants under age 13 is headed to Minnesota for an international soccer tournament this weekend.

The state has told Adventureland Park not to restart a water ride where an accident killed an 11-year-old boy and injured several others on Saturday. A new study suggests lottery-based incentives don’t do much to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates. And, the organization that supplies blood to dozens of hospitals in Iowa and nearby states says a staffing shortage is affecting blood supplies.

High speed internet providers can now apply for a new round of state funding to expand service to underserved areas of Iowa. Iowans were advised not to swim in eight lakes this past holiday weekend, because of elevated E. coli levels and toxic algae blooms. And, the town or Lytton says it wants to stage the world’s largest goat yoga class when thousands of RAGBRAI cyclists past through town later this month.

COVID-19 daily hospitalizations in Iowa have remained below 100 for the past two months, but they’ve been increasing lately. Cattle producers are hoping a new processing plant planned for southwest Iowa in a couple of years could mean better prices for them. And one of the four people injured on a ride at Adventureland Park over the weekend has died.