Tag: Iowa

Iowa Republicans Set Jan. 15 for 2024 Presidential Nomination Caucus

The first-in-the-nation Republican presidential caucus has officially been scheduled after Iowa Republicans gathered on July 8 and voted unanimously on the date. “The Republican Party of Iowa is proud to announce that we will officially hold our 2024 First-in-the-Nation Caucus on January 15, 2024,” Jeff Kaufmann, chair of the Republican Party of Iowa, said in a…


Trump Touts Farm Record in Iowa Rally

With the Iowa caucus slowly drawing nearer, 2024 hopeful Donald J. Trump made the case that he was “the most pro-farmer president that you’ve ever had” at a rally in Council Bluffs, a town across the Missouri River from Nebraska. To support his case, Mr. Trump ran through a long list of actions he’d taken…


Iowa Teen Gets Life With Possibility of Parole After 35 Years for Spanish Teacher’s Beating Death

DES MOINES, Iowa—The first of two Iowa teenagers who pleaded guilty to beating their high school Spanish teacher to death with a baseball bat was sentenced Thursday to life with a possibility of parole after 35 years in prison. A judge sentenced Willard Miller after a sentencing hearing that lasted more than seven hours. Willard…


Iowa Gov. Seeks to Expand Protection of Unborn by Reviving ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Ban

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has called a special legislative session to look at the possibility of reviving a ban on abortion after the detection of an unborn baby’s heartbeat. “Iowans deserve to have their legislative body address the issue of abortion expeditiously, and all unborn children deserve to have their lives protected by the government…


Iowans Hospitable, Skeptical As Pence Stumps Economic Record

URBANDALE, Iowa—Urbandale, population 46,000, is a slice of Americana nestled against the west side of Des Moines, the capital of Iowa. Despite being part of a metropolitan area of 700,000, Urbandale retains a small-town atmosphere. The city has suburbanized without becoming bougie, lending it a charm reminiscent of earlier days. That America-then feel combined with…


Iowa Man’s Collection of 70,000 Pencils Being Evaluated as Possible World Record

COLFAX, Iowa—An Iowa man may be well on his way to an official world record—for pencils. Aaron Bartholmey of Colfax has been collecting wooden advertising pencils since he was a child. Now, he claims to own more than 70,000. That’s substantially more than the Guinness World Record for the largest pencil collection—24,000, held by Emilio…


Iowa Newspaper Apologizes for Slurs Against Presidential Runner Vivek Ramaswamy in Racially-Charged Cartoon

An Iowa newspaper borrowed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s likeness for a cartoon depicting him as the object of racial slurs cast by his own prospective Republican supporters. The newspaper in question, the Quad-City Times, has since apologized for the depiction. On June 21, the Quad-City Times published a political cartoon in its opinion section…


Songwriter, Music Industry Entrepreneur Sentenced to Life in Prison in Girlfriend’s Death

DAVENPORT, Iowa—A songwriter and music industry entrepreneur from Atlanta has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing his girlfriend in Iowa. Justin Wright was found guilty of first-degree murder in April in the death of 20-year-old Wilanna Bibbs, and was sentenced Wednesday, the Quad-City Times reported. Wright, 34, also known as J…


Iowa Supreme Court Issues Rare 3–3 Decision, Declines to Reinstate Abortion Law

The Iowa Supreme Court, in a 3–3 decision, declined to reinstate a six-week ban on abortions that was backed by the state’s governor. A 2019 district court nullified the state’s previous six-week ban on the procedure, with a Polk County District Court judge ruling that the ban was unconstitutional based on state and federal law….


19 States Sue EPA Over California’s New Zero-Emission Rules for Big Rigs

A coalition of states has filed a lawsuit seeking a review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to grant waivers to California that allows the state to ban new diesel-powered heavy-duty truck sales in 2035. Iowa’s Attorney General Brenna Bird led the group of 19 states that filed the legal action on June 5…