by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 28, 2025 A House subcommittee moved forward Tuesday with a measure that would allow schools to create “threat assessment teams” in an effort to prevent school shootings. House Study Bill 47, a measure introduced by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, would authorize K-12 school districts, private schools […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 21, 2025 Local officials told state lawmakers Tuesday that a proposal to prohibit city and county governments from contracting with third-party vendors to collect traffic camera fines runs counter to GOP goals to make government more efficient. House File 3 follows up on changes made in last year’s […]
by Jennifer Shutt and Shauneen Miranda, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 20, 2025 WASHINGTON — Donald Trump took the presidential oath of office for the second time Monday during an inauguration ceremony inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda. The swearing-in marked the culmination of a four-year journey for Trump, whom many Republicans distanced themselves from following the […]
by Robin Opsahl and Kathie Obradovich, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 13, 2025 The Iowa Legislature convened for the 2025 legislative session Monday with a new slate of legislators and goals to pass property tax and school cell phone use restrictions, among other proposals. With their new, larger majorities, Iowa legislative leaders said they are aiming […]
by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 13, 2025 The Iowa Court of Appeals has ordered the Cedar Rapids City Council to make public its recording of an illegally closed meeting that took place four years ago. The court’s decision could also impact the manner in which many Iowa school boards, city councils and county […]
by Bob Sillick, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 11, 2025 Most Americans continue to support the legalization of cannabis, as the medical use of cannabis is legal in 40 states and the District of Columbia and recreational cannabis is legal in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Early indications are the second Trump administration will […]
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 10, 2025 Rep. Mike Sexton, chair of the Iowa House agriculture committee said his early priorities for the upcoming legislative session include a grain indemnity bill, an elimination of the wool checkoff program and preparations for foreign diseases that would impact livestock. A grain indemnity bill that would […]
by Shauneen Miranda, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 9, 2025 WASHINGTON — On a wintry Thursday morning, mourners and dignitaries gathered at Washington National Cathedral to honor the life of former President Jimmy Carter. Speakers at Carter’s state funeral, including President Joe Biden and the sons of Carter’s political contemporaries delivering eulogies written by their fathers, described […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 7, 2025 As lawmakers get ready to reconvene for the 2025 legislative session on Jan. 13, several state agencies and departments have already submitted bills they want lawmakers to consider in the upcoming year. Lawmakers are not required to take up bills that have been submitted before session, […]
by Erika Bolstad, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 4, 2025 Most Revolutionary War history buffs know the story of Francis Marion, the Continental Army officer called the Swamp Fox for his guerrilla-style attacks that bedeviled British forces in South Carolina’s backcountry. But volunteers and historians have identified 560 Revolutionary War battle sites and other places of […]
