Here First

The two major political parties in Iowa are standing united behind keeping the Iowa caucuses as the first-in-the-nation for picking presidential nominees. This after Nevada lawmakers passed a state law this week that would move that state to the beginning of the calendar. State Auditor Rob Sand and Governor Kim Reynolds are sparring over the legality of Public Service Announcements she appeared in. Plus, IPR’s Kate Payne and Kassidy Arena have the final two installments in the Iowa Public Radio series this week on what’s changed in Iowa in the last year following the death of George Floyd in neighboring Minnesota.

JBS says it has made “significant progress” bringing meat processing back online after a cyber attack interrupted work at plants across the U.S. this week, including pork processors in Ottumwa and Marshalltown. We get the latest from IPR’s Grant Gerlock. Iowa House Minority Leader Todd Prichard of Charles City has announced he’s stepping down from the post. Plus, IPR State Government reporter Katarina Sostaric reports on how the state legislature has responded to calls for racial justice over the last year since the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

A cyberattack on the world’s largest meat producer has interrupted work at several processing plants in the U.S. IPR’s Grant Gerlock details how it impacts the JBS Foods facilities in Iowa. Some advocates in the state say they will be celebrating for two reasons during this year’s Pride Month. Plus, after George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, Sioux City formed a diverse committee to advise the city council on equity and inclusion. But IPR’s Katie Peikes explains that some people still feel left out.

Governor Kim Reynolds has set a goal of getting 75% of Iowans vaccinated against Covid by the end of June. Iowa did not reach her goal of getting 65% of Iowans vaccinated by the end of May. The state's coronavirus website shows just under half of eligible Iowans have gotten at least one shot. Starting Tuesday, city buildings in Des Moines are back open to the public for the first time since being closed because of the coronavirus. Plus, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Des Moines passed an ordinance against biased policing. But IPR’s Grant Gerlock explains racial justice activists say that a year later the job of carrying it out is incomplete.

Several hundred volunteers joined law enforcement officials in searching for a missing 10-year-old east-central Iowa boy. The push for diversity and inclusion in the marketplace is well intentioned, but there are still barriers to achieving it. We hear about international research about the subject from IPR’s Kassidy Arena that included a professor from Iowa State University. Plus, a jury found Cristhian Bahena Rivera guilty of first degree murder in the 2018 death of Mollie Tibbetts on Friday. IPR’s Kate Payne discussed the verdict and the trial, which lasted two weeks.

Jurors have begun their deliberations in the case of Cristhian Bahena Rivera. He faces a first degree murder charge for the killing of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts, who went missing in 2018. We get an update from IPR’s Kate Payne. Former Iowa Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer, the Democrat who lost her bid for a second term in the U.S. House last year, is reportedly considering a run for the U.S. Senate. Plus, tens of thousands of meatpacking workers have contracted COVID-19 in the last year but Harvest Public Media’s Chrstina Stella explains some people are already thinking about how to protect employees from the next pandemic.

Testifying in court on Wednesday, Cristhian Bahena Rivera denied killing Mollie Tibbetts in 2018, saying instead that two armed men forced him to drive them around as they abducted her. IPR’s Kate Payne explains that he said he didn’t tell officers the truth because the men threatened his family. An annual report on local health has found nearly one in five Iowa households do not have access to broadband. We get details on the report from IPR Health reporter Natalie Krebs. Plus, the Des Moines International Airport is seeing a spike in travelers for the Memorial Day holiday weekend that looks more similar to a pre-pandemic level of travel.

Demonstrators commemorated the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder in downtown Des Moines on Tuesday evening. IPR’s Kassidy Arena tells us that speakers touched on how people can protect themselves in encounters with the police and how Floyd’s legacy has instilled calls for racial justice around the world. As demand for the COVID-19 vaccine continues to drop, Iowa health officials say they’ve accepted just 12 percent of its vaccine allocation from the federal government this week. Plus, defense attorneys for Cristhian Bahena Rivera again sought to cast doubt on others for the killing of Mollie Tibbetts at trial. We get an update from IPR’s Kate Payne.

The state has rested its case against Cristhian Bahena Rivera, who faces a first degree murder charge in the killing of Mollie Tibbetts. IPR’s Kate Payne says prosecutors have worked to clear other men who were investigated for any connections to her death. The first Democrat has announced his candidacy to run for U.S. Senate in Iowa in 2022. Dave Muhlbauer is a former Crawford County supervisor who raises cattle and hogs on a farm near Manilla. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley has not said whether he’ll seek an eighth term. Plus, the city of Des Moines will hire a third party to run its future de-escalation training sessions.

Authorities found a household substance in an inmate’s cell at Anamosa State Penitentiary over the weekend that could be used to make explosives. The trial of the man accused of killing Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts in 2018 could conclude as soon as this week. Plus, IPR’s Natalie Krebs explains that University of Iowa researchers are working with a local non-profit to figure out the best way to gather and communicate health information to the state’s 7,000 migrant workers.