Week in Iowa: Recap of news from across the state

Iowa prisons crowded, understaffed: A seven-month security review of Iowa’s prison system shows crowding and challenges recruiting and retaining staff create potential security risks in Iowa’s nine prisons. The system-wide review was sparked by the March 23 murders of two employees at the Anamosa State Penitentiary by inmates Michael Dutcher and Thomas Woodard. The Iowa Corrections Department launched the investigation in May, following a request for proposals in which consultant CGL Companies, based in Florida, was selected to conduct the review. The Corrections Department did not make the entire security review public, instead releasing just a four-page summary.

Branstad firm: Former U.S. Ambassador to China and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, and his chief of staff to the U.S. embassy in Beijing, launched the Branstad Churchill Group, which will provide advice and guidance to organizations and investors seeking to conduct business in China and the U.S.

Marijuana vote: A handful of Iowa Senate Democrats announced they will introduce legislation that would propose an amendment to the Iowa Constitution that would make marijuana legal for recreational use and regulated like alcohol.

Miller-Meeks plans: U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said she plans to look for a place to live in the new 1st Congressional District in which she is running in 2022, although she also said she will not sell her house in Ottumwa, which is in the new 3rd District.

They said …

“(Iowa) may still be f---ed. The real question is whether it’s f---ed in 2024 or 2028.”

— anonymous Democratic National Committee member, on the first-in-the-nation status of Iowa’s presidential precinct caucuses

“We say we honor this tribe. We say we respect this tribe. And then we’re fighting against their wishes.”

— Mason City resident JoAnn Hardy, who spoke at a school board meeting in favor of the Mason City district changing its Mohawks nickname

Odds and ends

Disaster proclamation: Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 49 counties in response to Iowa’s Dec. 15 severe weather, allowing state resources to be used to recover from the effects of the storms.

Credit rating: Iowa’s AAA credit rating was affirmed by Fitch Ratings, following a report from Moody’s Investor Services that also affirmed the state’s AAA rating earlier this fall.

Lottery strong: Iowa Lottery sales have continued to be “strong and resilient,” totaling $178.5 million in the first five months of fiscal 2022 — a 6.7 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.

Water cooler

Hero dog: An Ankeny family credited their dog Roxy with alerting them when the deadly, odorless gas carbon monoxide leaked into their home, according to a WHO-TV report.

Unemployment down: The unemployment rate in Iowa fell slightly to 3.7 percent in November, from 3.9 percent in October, as jobs were added in food service, professional and business services, health care and construction.

Iowan indicted: Leo Christopher Kelly, of Cedar Rapids, charged earlier for his participation in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, was arraigned on a new federal indictment and faces up to 20 years in prison.

More in the news

Governor changes handling of records requests: Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office on Dec. 17 announced a new system for handling open record requests, the Associated Press reported, a day after three media organizations filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit accuses Reynolds of repeatedly violating the state’s open records laws by ignoring requests for government records, some for more than a year.

Settlement delayed: Iowa may have to wait to see a share of a $4.3 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma’s owners over the opioid crisis — millions the state intended to use for painkiller abuse prevention, treatment and recovery efforts — after a federal judge rejected the deal.

COVID complaints: The Iowa Board of Medicine has received 17 complaints about doctors in Iowa spreading false or misleading information about COVID-19, a board official said. Of those 17 complaints, five have been dismissed without the board taking any disciplinary action; 12 remain under investigation.