Here First

The state has agreed to pay for almost half of a $4.2 million settlement in a lawsuit accusing University of Iowa coaches and staff of racial discrimination. The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids is in the final stretch of a ten year major construction project. Plus, a look at the recently signed medical malpractice bill and its impact on disabled Iowans seeking justice for pain and suffering.

More than a thousand Iowans rallied outside the Statehouse in Des Moines on Sunday in support of LGBTQ rights. The University of Iowa women’s basketball team won its second consecutive Big Ten women’s basketball tournament title. Plus, a USDA report shows that the number of farms in the U.S. is down by nearly 10 thousand from 2021.

The Iowa House has joined the Senate in advancing a bill out of committee that prohibits doctors from providing minors with gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers or surgery. A new analysis says endangered species and their critical habitat may be harmed by converting land to bring more crops into production for biofuels. Plus, a push for more rural public transportation.

Students in several school districts across Iowa walked out of the classroom to protest legislation moving in the Iowa statehouse that targets LGBTQ people. A bill advancing in the Iowa House would ban the state’s three public universities from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion offices and professionals. Plus, Iowans who are getting a refund on their federal taxes this year should expect it to be a smaller check than it was last year.

A bill working through the Iowa Senate would ban transgender students from using a school bathroom that matches their gender identity. The latest annual report from the Iowa Cancer Registry has found Iowa’s incidence rate of cancer cases is the second highest in the country. Plus, an update on a lawsuit brought by former University of Iowa football players who sued the program two years ago for racial discrimination and harassment.

The Supreme Court is meeting to hear two cases challenging President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. Members of trade unions gathered at the Iowa Capitol on Monday to protest against a bill that would loosen Iowa’s child labor laws. Plus, the board which oversees Iowa's medical marijuana program denied a petition to allow the use of the dried marijuana plant known as "vaporizable flower."

Governor Kim Reynolds’ bill to streamline state government would also expand the Iowa attorney general’s power to prosecute crimes. The president of the Board of Regents addressed concerns this week about the proposal to move the governance of the state's deaf, blind and visually impaired students to the Iowa Department of Education. Plus, a new study looks at wind turbine impacts on eagles.

An education proposal from Gov. Kim Reynolds is advancing in the Iowa Senate. Health officials say starting in April, they will no longer require positive COVID-19 tests processed in clinical labs to be reported to the state. Plus, how reintroducing bison to the landscape benefits more than just the creatures themselves.

A bill moving ahead at the Iowa Statehouse would allow health care providers to decline to provide certain medical procedures and services that conflict with the provider’s religious beliefs. South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott is the latest potential presidential candidate to visit Iowa this month, ahead of next year’s Republican caucuses. And, the Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday about whether the governor’s office should have to comply with open records requests within a certain time frame.

Much of the northern half of Iowa will be hit with a snow and ice storm today. Iowa House lawmakers are moving ahead with a bill that would let gun owners have their weapon in a vehicle while driving to places like work or school. And lawmakers are advancing a bill placing more restrictions on the use of eminent domain for proposed carbon capture pipelines.