THE SAME DAY THE U.S. SUPREME COURT QUASHED A LOUISIANA ABORTION LAW, IOWA GOV. KIM REYNOLDS SIGNED A BILL REQUIRING WOMEN TO WAIT 24 HOURS TO GET AN ABORTION. THE NEW IOWA LEGISLATION IS SIMILAR TO A MEASURE STRUCK DOWN BY THE IOWA SUPREME COURT TWO YEARS AGO. STATE COURTS HAVE ALREADY HEARD ARGUMENTS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT ENFORCEMENT OF THE NEW LAW SHOULD BE HALTED. LAWYERS FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF THE HEARTLAND ARGUED THE BILL IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL BECAUSE IT VIOLATES DUE PROCESS AND EQUAL PROTECTION RIGHTS OF WOMEN SEEKING AN ABORTION.
THE STATE’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS TO THE SUPPLY CHAIN PROBLEMS WHICH HAVE PREVENTED PORK PRODUCERS FROM SENDING THEIR LIVESTOCK TO PROCESSING FACILITIES. IOWA PORK PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION CHAIRMAN MIKE PAUSTIAN OF WALCOTT SPOKE ABOUT EFFORTS OF MIDWESTERN LEGISLATORS. THROUGHOUT THE SPRING, MEAT PROCESSING FACILITIES HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY HARD-HIT BY COVID-19. THAT HAS CAUSED SHUTDOWNS LEADING TO ANIMAL BACKLOGS ON FARMS AND HIGHER PRICES FOR CONSUMERS.
THE FORMER RED FOX INN ON WAVERLY’S WEST SIDE NOW OFFICIALLY BELONGS TO THE CITY. THE PROPERTY WAS ABANDONED BY ITS PREVIOUS OWNERS. THE CITY WAS ABLE TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THE HOTEL AND SURROUNDING LOTS AT NO COST. WAVERLY OFFICIALS WILL NOW BE ABLE TO PREVENT TRESPASSING AND HOPE THE PROPERTY ON HIGHWAY 3 CAN BE REDEVELOPED BY A PRIVATE ENTITY.
FORMER CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE OFFICER LUCAS JONES WAS FIRED LAST MONTH FOR TURNING OFF HIS MICROPHONE DURING A TRAFFIC STOP, THEN ALLEGEDLY LYING ABOUT THAT ACTION TO THE DEPARTMENT’S INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATORS. DETAILS WERE INCLUDED IN A LETTER TO JONES WHICH HAS BEEN RELEASED TO THE MEDIA. THE DOCUMENT NOTES SEVERAL INSTANCES WHERE JONES REPORTEDLY VIOLATED DEPARTMENT POLICIES, LEADING TO HIS TERMINATION. THE TRAFFIC STOP AND MICROPHONE INCIDENT IN QUESTION HAPPENED TWO DAYS BEFORE JONES SHOT AND PARALYZED JERIME MITCHELL DURING ANOTHER TRAFFIC STOP IN NOVEMBER OF 2016. JONES MICROPHONE WAS NOT WORKING DURING THAT STOP EITHER
THE IOWA BUSINESS COUNCIL’S 2ND QUARTER ECONOMIC OUTLOOK SURVEY WAS RELEASED THIS MORNING. KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL LISTENERS HEARD FROM IBC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOE MURPHY THIS MORNING, SPEAKING ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS. THE SURVEY CAPTURES THE OUTLOOK ON MEMBERS’ EXPECTATIONS FOR SALES, CAPITAL SPENDING, AND EMPLOYMENT OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS. HEAR MORE FROM MURPHY BY VISITING THE PODCAST SECTION OF KXEL.COM.
CHANGES TO IOWA MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW ARE NOW OFFICIAL. THE BILL UPDATING THE RULES WAS SIGNED BY GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS MONDAY. NEW PROVISIONS GIVE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS MORE LATITUDE IN PROSCRIBING MARIJUANA-BASED TREATMENTS FOR SOME PATIENTS. BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY MANAGERS HAVE ALSO BEEN GIVEN MORE RANGE TO PROHIBIT USE OF THE DRUG IN THEIR FACILITIES.
FLASH FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY FROM STORMS IN FAR SOUTHEAST IOWA BEGINNING OVERNIGHT.
AFTER ONE BAD QUARTER RELATED TO THE CORONAVIRUS, THE IOWA BUSINESS COUNCIL’S MOST RECENT QUARTERLY SURVEY SUGGESTS THAT A “V” SHAPED RECOVERY MIGHT BE COMING IN THE MONTHS AHEAD. THIS MORNING, THE IBC RELEASED RESULTS FROM ITS LATEST MEMBER POLL WHICH SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN SENTIMENT FROM THREE MONTHS AGO. IBC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOE MURPHY TALKED ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS, PARTICULARLY IN EMPLOYMENT. THE IOWA BUSINESS COUNCIL REPRESENTS A GROUP OF IOWA BIGGEST EMPLOYERS IN A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES. THE GROUP’S QUARTERLY SENTIMENT SURVEYS BEGAN IN 2004.
THE FEDERAL RESERVE’S MAIN STREET LENDING PROGRAM IS OFF TO A SLOW START. BANKS SEEM TO LACK INTEREST IN THE PROGRAM, WHILE BUSINESSES ARE HAVING A HARD TIME ACCESSING IT. FED OFFICIALS SAY ONLY AROUND 200 BANKS HAVE SIGNED UP TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TWO WEEKS SINCE IT BEGAN, OUT OF 8,000 LENDERS NATIONWIDE. NONE HAVE MADE ANY LOANS YET. THE FED HAS COME UNDER CRITICISM FOR QUICKLY TAKING STEPS TO EASE THE FLOW OF CREDIT FOR LARGE CORPORATIONS BUT DOING LITTLE FOR SMALLER COMPANIES.
ONE PERSON WAS INJURED IN AN OVERNIGHT SHOOTING IN IOWA CITY. POLICE THERE CHARACTERIZED THE INJURIES AS MINOR. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED IN THE 2200 BLOCK OF TAYLOR DRIVE JUST BEFORE 3 A-M. INDICATIONS ARE THAT MULTIPLE SHOTS WERE FIRED. IOWA CITY POLICE ARE ASKING FOR INFORMATION, EITHER IN DIRECT TIPS OR BY CALLING IOWA CITY CRIMESTOPPERS AT 385-TIPS.
