Here First

A continuing resolution passed by Congress back in September provides funding for food assistance programs even if the government shuts down this week. A Polk County district court judge has ruled a law allowing Iowans’ garbage to be searched by police without a warrant is unconstitutional. Plus, the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority has scheduled a series of public meetings to gather input on possible service cuts.

AAA Iowa says they’re expecting a significant boost in Thanksgiving travelers for the region of the Midwest that includes Iowa. The trial for the wife of a Woodbury County Supervisor accused of voter fraud started in Federal court in Sioux City. Plus, State Auditor Rob Sand is asking Iowans to take steps to avoid becoming victims of fraud and to prevent the misuse of public funds in their own communities.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is dropping out of the 2024 Republican presidential race. Many women and children who qualify for a federal nutrition program never apply for benefits. And Caitlin Clark sets a new scoring record for women’s basketball at the University of Iowa.

Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services plans to sell land it owns at five state-run facilities. It says a land sale at a site in Cherokee will help with that city’s housing crisis. Recidivism is down at Iowa state prisons for the third straight year. And Waterloo has unveiled a monument to the Five Sullivan Brothers, who were all killed in action in World War Two.

The head of Iowa’s law enforcement training academy says its facilities and processes are “unacceptable.” Some state lawmakers plan to ask for more money for the academy. Today, one of the companies proposing a carbon capture pipeline in Iowa plans to offer its rebuttal to those who don’t want the pipeline on their property. And Republican U.S. Rep Zach Nunn will have a Democratic challenger in the 2024 election.

Des Moines voters have elected a woman as mayor for the first time. Connie Boesen will replace Frank Cownie, who is stepping down after 20 years in office. Voters in Cedar Rapids have rejected a $220 million dollar bond to improve and replace school facilities. And voters in Polk County have overwhelmingly approved a $350 million bond to fund construction of a new terminal at the Des Moines International Airport.

Tuesday is Election Day in Iowa for city and school board elections and polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm. Governor Kim Reynolds has officially endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential nomination contest. Plus, the state will pay $10 million to two Iowa children who faced abuse, neglect and torture by their adoptive parents under a settlement approved by the state appeal board.

Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is set to endorse Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential nomination contest. Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman headlined an Iowa Democratic Party fundraiser over the weekend. Plus, Tuesday is Election Day for city and school races across the state. In Des Moines, voters will choose a new mayor for the first time in 20 years.

Iowa's Joni Ernst is among five U.S. senators who've publicly pleaded with a fellow Republican senator to end his blockade of military promotions. Six counties are trying to bring back a passenger rail line to the state, but the process won’t be easy. Plus, an audio postcard on one of the largest livestock shows in the United States.

The Biden administration is proposing giving Iowa an estimated $8 million to help address the opioid epidemic. Iowa Democrats can begin requesting mail-in presidential preference cards for the 2024 Iowa caucuses. Plus, Waterloo has proposed a development solution to one of its riverfront brownfield sites.