Friday Morning Read: Stand your ground bill, Aetna leaves exchange, bigger planes

Stand your ground - Legislation making significant changes to expand firearm rights that supporters said would protect Iowans and their constitutional rights, but opponents worried would escalate gun violence, is on its way to the governor. 'All-in-all I believe this a good addition to the bill,' Rep. Matt Windschitl. R-Missouri Valley. 'It enhances Iowans freedoms. It does not remove anything of the major provisions we were pushing for. I think, this is an advancement of Iowans' freedoms, restores their individual responsibility and allows them to make decisions for themselves. Read more about this bill and reactions here.

Bigger planes - The airplanes at Eastern Iowa Airport are getting bigger, which could result in the need for officials to update future plans for airport expansion. Eastern Iowa Airport Director Marty Lenss said he's been seeing increased upgauging because of a growing demand for flights, but mostly a nationwide pilot shortage. 'With a decreased pilot supply, the major airlines are figuring out how to serve small markets a little bit differently than they used to, and in a lot of cases that means upgauging,' Lenss said. 'And almost all cases, for communities, upgauging is going to be in the foreseeable future.' Read more about the pilot shortage and what it means for the Eastern Iowa Airport here.

Aetna is out - Three days after Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced it would stop selling individual health plans on or off Iowa's Affordable Care Act exchange in 2018, health insurer Aetna has reached the same conclusion, citing 'financial risk and an uncertain outlook.' 'Aetna did notify the office this morning and advised us they won't offer coverage for 2018,' Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said. 'We're deeply troubled by the angst and concern the Affordable Care Act is causing in Iowa. This is a problem created by the Affordable Care Act and needs to be fixed by Congress.' Read more about Aetna's exist, and what it means for Iowans here.

Spring football - During his news conference Wednesday, Iowa offensive line coach Tim Polasek talked about creating competition. So, let's go ahead and do that. Some projection is going to be involved here. The Hawkeyes will be about halfway through their 15 practices this spring when they hit the FieldTurf at Valley Stadium tonight in West Des Moines. This will be more of a practice than a scrimmage, so the fact that this will be the public's first look at first-year offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz's new scheme is somewhat muted. Read more from Marc Morehouse about Hawkeye spring football here.

Quotable - 'This is the very same project that's the very same size and density on the very same tiny lot, on the very same dangerous corner,' said Bill Divis, who lives on Crestwood Drive NW. 'There's nothing CommonBond can do to change it. ... This is a last-ditch effort to retain the $8 million CommonBond was awarded.' Read more about the proposed complex on Edgewood here.