Here First

A legislative committee asks public school leaders how they handle challenges to school library books. Gov. Kim Reynolds wants enhanced penalties for fentanyl-related crimes. And Nikki Haley tells supporters in suburban Des Moines that choosing Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination would be sticking with the status quo.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says Iowa is out of line with surrounding states, as she continues to advocate for her plan to reduce the number of state agencies. The FDA appears to be on track to approve over-the-counter sales of an opioid overdose-reversing spray. And Des Moines Public Schools says some data was compromised in a cyberattack on the district’s computer network last month.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs a bill limiting the amount of money people can get for non-economic injuries in malpractice lawsuits. A new report says Iowa’s nursing homes face growing financial and staffing challenges, and 140 years after Iowa’s first Black newspaper was founded, the Black Press in the state continues telling stories other media outlets don’t cover.

Parts of Iowa are in for as much as 6 to 8 inches of snow today – a little more in some areas south of I-80. Former Vice President Mike Pence was in Cedar Rapids yesterday, supporting parents who’ve sued a nearby school district over its transgender affirming policies. And 110 families in central Iowa will get $500 a month in a new program aimed at reducing poverty.

Governor Kim Reynolds is asking legislators to pass a bill that would forbid state agencies or pension funds from doing business with investment firms that boycott gunmakers or the fossil fuel industry. Iowa workers would have the burden of proving their employer violated the state’s drug testing laws under a bill advancing in the Iowa Senate. Plus, a study done for the ethanol industry predicts dire consequences if carbon dioxide pipelines don’t go forward in Iowa but do in other states.

Leaders of Iowa’s three public universities are asking state lawmakers for a $32 million boost in funding. Another bill that would prohibit curriculum related to gender identity and sexual orientation in Iowa schools is advancing in the legislature. Plus, Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids announced its scaling back.

Some parents and staff at the Iowa School for the Deaf are expressing concerns about what the governor’s state agency reorganization bill would mean for the future of the school and the Deaf community. Experts expect a reduced flood risk across the Missouri River Basin this spring. Plus, we get an update on the 2023 legislative session from IPR state government reporter Katarina Sostaric.

Republicans in the Iowa House are looking to make a change to the school choice law passed just two weeks ago. Republicans on a Senate panel have advanced a bill that would loosen some of Iowa’s child labor regulations. Plus, we hear about childcare disparities in the rural Midwest in a report from Harvest Public Media.

Most Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate voted to limit how much money victims of medical malpractice can get for non-economic injuries like pain and suffering. The Iowa Court of Appeals overturned the 2018 second-degree murder conviction of a Marion man. Plus, the nation’s largest chain of newspapers is shrinking much of its physical footprint in Iowa.

Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a 3% increase in public school funding. A new program aims to put more money in the pockets of childcare workers in Johnson County. Plus, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst is calling on President Biden to increase security at the U.S.-Mexico border to address fentanyl overdoses.