Here First

Des Moines police say they have charged an 18-year-old with the shooting deaths of two teens at an alternative education program. The Republican-controlled House and Senate have passed Governor Kim Reynolds’ signature school choice bill. Plus, there’s a labor organizing effort underway at Tyson Foods’ plant in Columbus Junction.

Governor Kim Reynolds’ plan to create taxpayer-funded Education Savings Accounts for students in private schools is expected to come up for a vote in the Iowa legislature early this week. Union workers at two large eastern Iowa plants have ratified new contracts. Plus, a long-awaited court decision over the Iowa DNR’s approval of a massive cattle feedlot’s manure management plan in northeast Iowa could come soon.

Gov. Kim Reynolds says state funding for small, rural schools will stay stable or even increase under her school choice plan. A long-running strike in Cedar Rapids could be over by next week. And Iowa says the invasive emerald ash borer is in three more counties – leaving only three of the state’s 99 counties without an EAB infestation.

Senate and House Republicans continued fast action on Governor Reynolds’ voucher-style school choice plan on Wednesday. A bill that aims to prevent future funding shortfalls for Iowa veterans’ emergency assistance got first-round approval. Plus, the Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a case involving the state’s ability to deny Medicaid funding for transgender surgery.

A winter storm will affect many Iowans’ evening commutes on Wednesday when travel conditions will deteriorate quickly. Supporters and opponents of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ school choice plan lined up to speak Tuesday night at a public hearing at the Iowa Capitol. Plus, the former Sioux City school superintendent is suing the school district and several board members for allegedly violating the state’s open meetings laws.

The public has another chance to comment on Governor Kim Reynolds school voucher-style “Education Savings Account” plan on Tuesday. The leader of the Clay County Fair in Spencer is the next leader of the Iowa State Fair. Plus, the Army Corps of Engineers is predicting no relief for dry conditions in the Missouri River Basin this year.

Governor Kim Reynolds is proposing merging Iowa’s 37 state agencies into 16 agencies. The FBI says it is continuing the investigation of alleged voter fraud by the wife of Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor. Plus, Congress faces the huge task of reworking farm and food assistance programs this year when it reauthorizes the Farm Bill.

Governor Kim Reynolds’ plan to create taxpayer-funded accounts to help families pay their way at private schools has crossed its first hurdle in the Iowa Senate. The head of the Iowa National Guard told lawmakers the Guard has been having trouble recruiting new members. Plus, the wife of a Woodbury County supervisor was arrested for allegedly committing voter fraud during the 2020 election cycle.

Republicans in the Iowa House have introduced a bill that would ban public schools from offering any instruction related to gender identity or sexual orientation to students. Governor Kim Reynolds has signed an executive order that prohibits state agencies from creating new regulations. Plus, we hear about plans for a charter school in Des Moines and how it ties into the ongoing debate over school choice in Iowa.

Governor Kim Reynolds is proposing a voucher-style education plan that would make state-funded scholarships available to any student in the state, even if they already go to a private or religious school. The office of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says the 89-year-old will have surgery this week after hurting his hip. Plus, the state’s largest school district remains closed Wednesday following a cyberattack.