Stories written by Freelance Writer			
		 	
		
		
	
		
		
			
by Jennifer Shutt, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 27, 2024 President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump pitched to undecided voters Thursday night during the first debate of the presidential campaign — trading insults over their policy differences, immigration and who represents a threat to democracy. During the debate from CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta, the […]
				
		
	 
	
		
		
			
by Jack O’Connor, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 25, 2024 Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced new avian flu testing requirements Tuesday for dairy cattle in Iowa fairs and exhibitions. Dairy exhibitors will be required to test for avian flu in dairy cattle within seven days of moving to an exhibition, starting in July. “Highly […]
				
		
			Jun 26 2024 | Posted in 
State News | 
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by Brooklyn Draisey, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 21, 2024 Always make sure you have an escape route. Stay on paved roads when you can. Don’t get too close. Iowa State University students and instructors chasing storms this spring knew those rules well, remembering their own experiences and having lessons on storm chasing drilled in over […]
				
		
			Jun 24 2024 | Posted in 
State News | 
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by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 23, 2024 Gov. Kim Reynolds said Sunday she has submitted a request for an expedited presidential major disaster declaration as northwestern Iowa communities continue to face floods and storm damages. The governor requested aid for 22 counties through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance Program. She also […]
				
		
			Jun 24 2024 | Posted in 
State News | 
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by Jacob Fischler, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 20, 2024 TikTok and its parent company argued Thursday in a federal court in the District of Columbia that the recently enacted law forcing a nationwide ban or sale of the popular platform violates the First Amendment. TikTok Inc., which operates the video-sharing service in the United States, […]
				
		
			Jun 22 2024 | Posted in 
National News | 
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by Jennifer Shutt, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 19, 2024 WASHINGTON — Scientists debated the origins of COVID-19 this week, trading barbs over whether the bulk of evidence available points to a natural spillover event from a wild animal or a virus designed in a lab and then let loose through an inadvertent leak. The hearing […]
				
		
			Jun 21 2024 | Posted in 
National News | 
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by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 18, 2024 Attorney General Brenna Bird has announced the creation of a cold case unit within the state office dedicated to investigating unsolved murders in Iowa. At a news conference at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, Bird said the new unit, to be officially launched July […]
				
		
			Jun 20 2024 | Posted in 
State News | 
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by Jacob Fischler, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 17, 2024 Weeks after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proposed loosening a federal prohibition on marijuana, the next phases of policy fights over the drug’s status are starting to take shape. Public comments, which the DEA is accepting on the proposal until mid-July, will likely include an analysis […]
				
		
			Jun 19 2024 | Posted in 
National News | 
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by Jack O’Connor, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 17, 2024 Iowa scored relatively well in education rankings among the states, but with declining test scores and on-time high school graduation rates decreasing, the state has fallen from its highs of previous years, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Sixty-seven percent of […]
				
		
			Jun 19 2024 | Posted in 
State News | 
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by Ariana Figueroa, Iowa Capital Dispatch June 14, 2024 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday struck down a rule enacted following a 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that defined a semiautomatic rifle equipped with a bump stock attachment as a machine gun, which is generally prohibited under federal law. The opinion, written […]
				
		
			Jun 18 2024 | Posted in 
National News | 
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