Here First

A bill that would ban certain topics from Iowa government diversity trainings and school lessons is on its way to the governor’s desk. House Republicans gave it final approval on Thursday. The Scott County Attorney’s Office has decided that the deadly shooting of a Black man by a police officer in Bettendorf in February was legally justified. IPR’s Kate Payne explains that the county has released body cam footage and a 911 call of the incident, in which Scott’s ex-girlfriend says he threatened to kill her and himself. Plus, Black and Hispanic emergency room patients are less likely than whites to receive imaging tests like X-rays or C-T scans. Side Effects Public Media’s Farah Yousry reports that doctors worry that disparity could spill over to other areas of care.

Governor Kim Reynolds and House Republicans are proposing different wide-ranging tax plans as legislative leaders are still trying to come to an agreement to end the session. The governor also says the state is increasing outreach to encourage more Iowans to get the COVID-19 vaccines. Scott County prosecutors have charged a man in the death of a 10-year-old girl nine months after she disappeared. Plus, residents and officials of the southwest Iowa town of Hamburg are celebrating a levee groundbreaking that will help protect them from flooding.

State health officials have confirmed two cases of the commonly called India COVID-19 variant in Iowa. The cases were identified in two adults in Jefferson County. This month, the City of Des Moines is expected to take final ownership of a downtown Superfund site from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. IPR’s Grant Gerlock has details on the transition. A new analysis from the Environmental Working Group says Iowa needs to monitor more bodies of water for a toxin that’s produced by a microscopic organism called blue-green algae. Plus, Central College in Pella will no longer require students to submit ACT or SAT scores in order to apply.

Governor Kim Reynolds said on Fox News last week she wants to sign a law to limit transgender students’ participation in sports, saying it's "not fair." IPR’s Katarina Sostaric explains that Iowa Safe Schools says there has not been any cases of transgender students getting an unfair advantage in sports in the state. The city of Cedar Rapids is modifying its mask mandate to loosen requirements for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Under the new order, those who have completed their vaccine series don’t have to wear masks outside except when in large gatherings or crowded settings. Plus, less than half of Iowa’s adults are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. That’s far from what experts say is needed for herd immunity. But IPR Health reporter Natalie Krebs reports on one place in Iowa that is nearing this threshold.

Iowa is turning down nearly three quarters of the COVID-19 vaccine doses available to the state from the federal government because demand for the shots remains weak. Last week, the Iowa Board of Regents selected Barbara Wilson to be the next president of the University of Iowa. IPR State Government reporter Katarina Sostaric provides updates on what is happening at the statehouse. Plus, inmates in some Iowa prisons remain on lock down 23 hours a day, weeks after two inmates allegedly killed two staffers at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. IPR’s Kate Payne reports some advocates worry the attack could lead to a rollback in opportunities across the prisons.

Governor Kim Reynolds announced during a Fox News appearance Thursday night that she declined $95 million in federal pandemic aid for schools. Iowa lawmakers advanced a bill out of a Senate subcommittee that would require gas stations to sell biofuels at more fuel pumps across the state. IPR’s Katie Peikes explains that a compromise between agriculture groups and fuel companies seems unlikely. Plus, many minority-owned businesses have been struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. IPR’s Kassidy Arena tells us how some Black and Brown owned Iowa businesses have started working together to stay afloat.

There was a lot of legislative action at the statehouse in Des Moines on Wednesday. Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law aimed at expanding high-speed internet access across the state after the House and Senate voted unanimously to approve the proposal. Governor Reynolds is expected to sign a bill expanding the state’s public-funded charter school program. IPR’s Grant Gerlock explains it was given final passage on a party-line vote in the Iowa Senate on Wednesday. Plus, a new policy banning family, friends and third parties from sending books into Iowa prisons is raising civil rights concerns among loved ones and advocates.

State health officials have confirmed 80 of Iowa’s 99 counties declined all or part of their weekly COVID-19 vaccine allocation for next week. IPR Health reporter Natalie Krebs explains that this marks a rapid increase from last week when 43 counties declined their full allocation. The Iowa House unanimously passed a bill Tuesday making it a crime to provide false reproductive material during fertility treatments. It stems from cases of people discovering through ancestry websites that they’re not the biological children of their parents. Plus, a check-in with IPR Eastern Iowa reporter Kate Payne about the finalists to be the next University of Iowa president. The next president should be announced on Friday.

New U.S. Census Bureau data released on Monday shows Iowa continued to see slow population growth in 2020. Government entities, schools and businesses in Iowa would be banned from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination under a bill advancing in the Iowa Legislature. IPR State Government reporter Katarina Sostaric explains that the ban wouldn’t apply to health care facilities. Businesses that violate the bill won’t qualify for state-funded grants or contracts. Plus, IPR Health reporter Natalie Krebs tells us that The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has announced it has joined a nationwide campaign with 60 health care providers to encourage more people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Iowa has asked the federal government to withhold more than one-quarter of its allotment of coronavirus vaccines this week because demand for the shots has waned across the state. Iowa public safety officials say the state is building a wrought iron fence around Terrace Hill, the historic Des Moines mansion that serves as the governor’s private residence. There was a cold snap last week but IPR’s Katie Peikes tells us that some farmers are saying they lucked out. Plus, a check-in with IPR State Government reporter Katarina Sostaric regarding legislative activity at the statehouse and how Gov. Kim Reynolds responded to last week’s guilty verdicts in the Derek Chauvin trial.