Here First

Much of Iowa will be under a heat advisory beginning at noon today, with heat index values reaching 105 for the southern two-thirds of the state. And cycling through that heat, an estimated 60,000 RAGBRAI participants making their way from Ames to Des Moines. And the Iowa Supreme Court says it will consider Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request to have a new abortion law take effect.

The University of Northern Iowa’s president says so far, a recent Supreme Court decision on considering race in college admissions hasn’t affected his campus. Many of the Republicans running for president plan to campaign in Iowa this week before or after the GOP’s Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines Friday. And Iowa might soon be down to its last Ben Franklin store.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is appealing a district court’s decision that has blocked Iowa’s new six-week abortion ban. A state panel has awarded incentives to several more companies looking to expand their operations or move into Iowa. And the hot summer temperatures not only affect people and livestock – they also affect cricket chirps.

Recent data shows states that ban or severely restrict abortion are less likely to attract medical school graduates for hospital residency slots. Iowa has invested a record amount of money to repair, renew and maintain the state’s roads and bridges. Plus, will recent rains be enough to loosen a years-long drought in the Midwest?

A food bank in eastern Iowa is trying to raise the equivalent of 50,000 meals by September. Storm Lake officials are implementing mandatory water conservation measures after two of its water wells were taken out of commission. And a sinkhole near Knoxville last spring could lead to new rules for mineral mines in Iowa.

Gov. Kim Reynolds says she’ll appeal a judge’s ruling that’s blocked the state’s new abortion law as early as this week. The governor also says more than 2,600 state workers have transitioned to a different department under Iowa’s government reorganization plan. And Sen. Chuck Grassley is trying again to win approval of a bill calling for more price disclosure in the cattle market.

A Polk County district judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking a new Iowa law that bans abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy. Iowa State University reports its researchers raised more than $300 million in the past fiscal year for a range of projects. Plus, unionized workers at Iowa City’s Englert Theatre say management isn’t abiding by their contract.

A ban on most abortions in Iowa is in effect. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would consider Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds as a potential running mate. Plus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave two companies the green light last month to produce and sell their lab-grown chicken meat across the country.

An Iowa judge this afternoon will consider a request to postpone the state’s new ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy just before Governor Kim Reynolds signs the bill. An Iowa Republican senator has revoked his endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Plus, this Sunday marks one year since a three digit phone number went live that allows people experiencing a mental health or suicidal crisis to call for support.

Iowa abortion providers are asking a judge to block enforcement of a 6-week abortion ban that’s set to become law on Friday. The youngest son of University of Iowa Basketball coach Fran McCaffery has been cited in a fatal accident. Plus, repeated Mississippi River flooding is threatening prehistoric burial mounds that comprise Iowa's only national monument.