Week in Iowa: Recap of news from across the state

Parents call for end to face mask ban: A social media-led, grassroots group of Iowa parents took their pandemic complaints to the Iowa Capitol to call for Gov. Kim Reynolds to give school districts relief from a new state law that prohibits schools from enacting face mask requirements when there is no such requirement from the state government. The “Safe at School Sit-In” was held on a scorching, sunny morning on the Iowa Capitol grounds in Des Moines and attended by roughly 100 supporters. The event was hosted by five Iowa mothers and was the product of a movement that started with a social media post.

Vaccines tossed: Iowa has tossed out tens of thousands of expired COVID-19 vaccine doses and could toss out hundreds of thousands more if demand for the vaccine continues to lag, health officials said.

Derecho insurance: Insurance companies have paid more than $3.1 billion to settle 223,410 damage claims from last summer’s derecho, according to the state’s Insurance Division. That number is expected to grow as state regulators urge insurance carriers to grant extensions.

Clean energy: Iowa’s clean energy workforce shrunk by 9.7 percent in 2020 but still has more than 28,900 jobs, representing almost 2 percent of the state’s civilian labor force, according to the Clean Jobs Midwest report from Clean Energy Trust and environmental business group E2.

They said …

“We’ve been wearing the same five outfits we bought at Dollar General for a year.”

— Jodi Philipp, whose Van Horne farm was destroyed during last year’s derecho

“We know it’s certainly going to be tough to get maps drawn in a really tight window.”

— Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, on the delayed redistricting process

Odds and ends

Prison murder: Avoiding a murder trial, an Anamosa State Penitentiary inmate admitted Aug. 6 to bludgeoning correctional officer Robert McFarland and prison nurse Lorena Schulte with a hammer during a failed prison escape last spring.

State Fair: Early indications are the Iowa State Fair is headed for a full rebound after last year’s rare cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An official said advance ticket sales were selling well for this year’s event.

Drought conditions: Ongoing drought conditions in parts of Iowa continue to raise concerns as the state’s corn and soybean crops progress through the 2021 growing season.

The water cooler

Political rally: Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, two Republican U.S. House members and fervent supporters of former President Donald Trump, plan to hold a rally Thursday, Aug. 19, in Des Moines at a venue to be announced.

Transportation plan: The state Department of Transportation will hear public comments on the draft of its Statewide Transportation Improvement Program from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 17. The call-in number is (515) 817-6093 and the conference ID is 232 696 476#.

Staff change: The person who served as Gov. Kim Reynolds’ policy adviser and legislative liaison, Logan Shine of Adel, has taken a job in the private sector.

More in the news

‘Play ball’ at Field of Dreams: More than three decades after “Field of Dreams” seeped into the country’s cultural consciousness, and after a one-year delay caused by the pandemic, one of the most famous cornfields in Hollywood history finally got the opportunity to host real major league ball. Iowa hosted a Major League Baseball game for the first time when the White Sox and Yankees played Thursday at a temporary venue built for about 8,000 fans in Dyersville.

Ag lawsuit: A group of animal rights and public interest groups filed a lawsuit challenging the latest Iowa law designed to criminalize investigations into animal treatment on livestock farms. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, alleges violations of First Amendment free speech rights.

Infrastructure funding: A proposal that would send more than $4.2 billion in federal funding to Iowa for road and bridge construction and repairs received a split vote from the state’s Republican U.S. senators. Chuck Grassley voted for and Joni Ernst against the $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

Teaching drivers: The number of Iowa parents taking steps to teach their children how to drive skyrocketed more than 900 percent in the first month that a law allowing them to replace certified instructors took effect. However, that is only about 2 percent of the intermediate licenses issued to new drivers annually.